First things first: I got the 13s (medium guage strings) yesterday, put 'em on last night, and ALL IS WELL. Phew!

Pauline:

I went for years without playing, and my guitar was very much overdue for a new set of frets when I finally got this work done. If the instrument had been in use steadily over the years, it would probably have been worked on somewhat sooner and maybe once or twice more often.

On the other hand, I don't think that guitars are as "tempermental" as fiddles and don't require the same kind of frequent attention. The neck reset should be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and fret replacement only becomes an issue after thousands of hours of playing. I can probably go for years now without another visit to the shop, unless it's for "elective surgery" such as installing a pickup.

There are probably others who can give a more definitive answer to your question. What I just wrote is opinion plus guesswork.