Top of the list? Keep it clean!

I see you're looking to get started and it appears you're looking at electrics. Some will require more maintenance than others. (Like having one with a Floyd, or any whammy bar for that matter, just that Floyds are a little more difficult to deal with.) Pots also get dirty and need to be cleaned at times. So do pickup switches.

As far as strings... There's another variable. As a beginner, your strings will last a little longer. If I'm gigging, I change strings every day. If not, I change them when they start sounding dead, or if there's visible damage from the frets.

I don't play shows with my guitar but i usually play it everyday for a bit. I change the strings every month or so. When you get a new guitar change the strings right away. they are old and usually REALLY BAD!!

How often you change strings depends on a lot of things.

a) how often you break them (I broke many strings as a newbie, I hardly break any now)
b) how tolerant you are on how your strings sound
c) how tolerant you are on how your strings feel on your fingers
d) different brands/types of strings will often affect all three of the above


Other maintenance jobs are necessary too, but are hard to explain to someone who has little to no experience. Subjects like these come up from time to time on the forums. Read them even if you don't understand everything. Progressively you'll start putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Someone told me to change the strings every 6 weeks...