How do you stretch strings?

[whatshisname]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

That was just an example, obviously.

And a very bad one, at that, since you clearly don't understand what I'm trying to explain to you.

Of course the pitch changes when to pull up, dive down, lengthen, or shorten a string. That has nothing to do with what we're talking about here.

 

[FretFire]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

I've actually seen Vai's guitars get set up. Guess what? His tech stretches his strings! And guess what else? Mine also stayed perfectly in tune. But only after the strings had been properly stretched.

I'm convinced.

 

[lex666]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

As far as I'm concerned, if you pull up on a trem and your guitar doesn't stay in tune afterwards then something isn't set up correctly. Why would people *ever* pull up on a trem if it was guaranteed to knock your guitar out of tune?

That's what we're saying. You need to stretch the string first to remove any slack. Then you clamp it down. Once done, the string shouldn't stretch anymore therefore ensuring that you do indeed stay in tune.

I've always followed this simple rule:

tune to pitch
stretch strings
tune to pitch again

If you beleive that nothing changes once you've installed a new set of strings, then stretching the string should also have no affect either.

Personally, I think it does help and I have zero tuning problems as well.

 

[FretFire]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

And a very bad one, at that, since you clearly don't understand what I'm trying to explain to you.

Of course the pitch changes when to pull up, dive down, lengthen, or shorten a string. That has nothing to do with what we're talking about here.

I fully understand what you're trying to explain. You say that pulling up on the trem will pull so hard on the string that it will permanently lengthen it, and that when the trem returns to floating that new added length will mean more slack and the string will now be out of tune. That is, unless you "stretch" the strings first by pulling/pinching them for a few seconds with your hand after they are tuned up to pitch.

My experience has proven this to be untrue, so I disagree. No biggie :friday:

 

[whatshisname]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

I'm convinced.

Fast forward to about 1:00, then think about how much tension tuning to pitch puts on a string.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPfR9uH8vlg

 

[FretFire]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

If you beleive that nothing changes once you've installed a new set of strings, then stretching the string should also have no affect either.

Exactly :naughty:

I restrung my strat last week. I have the trem screwed down tight with 5 springs (essentially a hardtail) and have Sperzel tuners and a roller nut. I ran the new strings, pulled them through the tuning post, tightened the thumbscrew, and tuned to pitch. Four days and a few hours of play later it's still in tune, no stretching involved. YMMV, IMO, OMGBBQ.

 

[whatshisname]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

:friday:

 

[lex666]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

OMGBBQ.

"oh my god, barbecue!"? :scratchch

 

[whatshisname]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM! Barbecue!

 

[prophetofthor]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

Exactly :naughty:

I restrung my strat last week. I have the trem screwed down tight with 5 springs (essentially a hardtail) and have Sperzel tuners and a roller nut. I ran the new strings, pulled them through the tuning post, tightened the thumbscrew, and tuned to pitch. Four days and a few hours of play later it's still in tune, no stretching involved. YMMV, IMO, OMGBBQ.

uh, put that on youtube. i dont believe it. and even if you do, that might work just for you. i'm primarily a blues cat, and blues is about the bend and killing the strings (buddy guy, for example). i've had fixed bridge guitars/strats with fixed and floating/a floyd/tuning heads of all type/and a LSR.

fresh string with no stretching and the first bend it goes of tune.

i currently use a strat with a floating trem. i use a roller string tree on the B and E string, and i have "modern" type saddles (not vintage bent steel). i string up, tune up, slightly bend the string at every possible contact and gently pull the string away from keyboard (to save nut). so i push gently around the nut, both sides, around the tuning head, and on both sides of the roller trees. i then whammy for a bit. tune up. repeat. tune up. repeat until it holds the pitch.

i play with a keyboard player and my guitar stays in tune. but if do just one hendrix bend on a "virgin" string, out of tune. i still "attack" the strings, so i tune up quickly between each song, but i feel i can go 2-3 songs before it starts to sound "pitchy"

attach string

tune
gently stretch
tune
repeat until string holds pitch.

i'm willing to be proven wrong or look at evidence, but i'm basing this on 25+ years of guitar playing.

 

[lex666]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

I restrung my strat last week. I have the trem screwed down tight with 5 springs (essentially a hardtail) and have Sperzel tuners and a roller nut. I ran the new strings, pulled them through the tuning post, tightened the thumbscrew, and tuned to pitch. Four days and a few hours of play later it's still in tune, no stretching involved. YMMV, IMO, OMGBBQ.

well sure, you're trem doesn't float. :dot:

 

[FretFire]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

well sure, you're trem doesn't float. :dot:

Shouldn't matter if the strings truly stretch under average "at pitch" tension though, no? You guys don't have to agree with me or even believe me, just relaying my experiences :laugh2:

 

[Grandturk]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

On a non locking or single locking setup - yes you absolutely need to stretch the strings. This is because the act of "stretching" tightens the winds around the tuner post and the winds around the ball end. That is what helps keep the string at the same tension once the wraps have been tightened.

On a double locking setup, the winds are taken out of the equation.

Every physical object has elasticity - i.e. the measure of how much it can distort and return to its previous size and shape.

For double locking trems:

When you pull back on the trem - you are pulling against the elasticity of the string - is it getting tighter and does it lengthen slightly? Yes. But it returns to the same size when you let the bar go.

If you actually "stretch" the string - you deform it and it will break - if not at that moment, then eventually.

Should you stop stretching your strings on a double locking setup? I don't care what you do. All I know is I stopped stretching strings on a Floyd a long time ago - actually when I read Floyd Rose's essay on the subject - about when the Speedloaders came out.

Steve Vai's guitar tech probably just doesn't know any better.

 

[whatshisname]

Re: How do you stretch strings?

If you actually "stretch" the string - you deform it and it will break - if not at that moment, then eventually.

And that's exactly why strings end up breaking, or at least lose their intonation, if you don't change them after so long.