speakerjones
my hat is all
Strings/cleaning/set-up is the norm. There are guitars that I've bought with the intention of being a mod platform. Usually though, I'd rather spend the money up front for what I really want.
I got sick of blowing time swapping out parts and pickups, just to have no real improvement occur. It's a lot easier to get something that's decent from the get-go, and then tweak it until it's just right.
when i was gigging regularly i would do strings, straplocks (dunlop) and setup. now that i'm relegated to "homebody musician" it's strings and set up. though i have nothing against it, i'm not a modder - i don't buy guitars for what they could be, i buy guitars for what they are.