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Old 10-10-2020, 05:43 PM
MarkinLA MarkinLA is offline
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Default Pulling/Stretching Out New Strings Query ?

Hi! I, and am sure so many of you have had the same question:

~ Since new strings are going to go out of tune a great amount of times before they'll begin staying in tune at least long enough for a 2 Min. etude, and the reason for that being the materials themselves; the mono-filament and cores needing to eventually be pulled/stretched to their final max in order to hold pitch the longest time, along with the barrel winding and bridge knots becoming tightest as well, why not just stretch 'em now ! ??
or, Or, do any of you stretch 'em when brand new ?! If so, what's the experience for you ? Because, we worry that what might occur instead is, they'll go dead sooner, BY losing their elasticity on day one-ish !! ~M~
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Old 10-10-2020, 05:56 PM
ChrisE ChrisE is offline
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Default Pulling/Stretching Out New Strings Query ?

I put them on, stretch them, tune them, stretch them again, tune them again. I do this three or four times right when I put them on and they’re pretty stable after that.

I’d rather have them stay in tune from day one.
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Old 10-10-2020, 06:34 PM
MarkinLA MarkinLA is offline
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OH ! Interesting !! Wasn't expecting a 'stretch first' person this soon...
If you have been at this a long time what does it do if any to their time in use ?
Might I gather that it comes out near the same, anyway; that pulling 'em out early on and getting it over with adds up to more sooner lasting pleasure with the instrument, much less burden of going out of tune so frequently, having to tune up so frequently over days/weeks/months ?
At the same time, don't get me wrong. We're always having to tune up at one moment or another no diff than other instruments..I just want to get rid of that 19 times a night business !!
Thanks
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Old 10-10-2020, 06:50 PM
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rick-slo rick-slo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisE View Post
I put them on, stretch them, tune them, stretch them again, tune them again. I do this three or four times right when I put them on and they’re pretty stable after that.

I’d rather have them stay in tune from day one.
Yep, that's the way to settle in the strings quicker.
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Old 10-11-2020, 03:49 AM
ChrisE ChrisE is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkinLA View Post
OH ! Interesting !! Wasn't expecting a 'stretch first' person this soon...
If you have been at this a long time what does it do if any to their time in use ?
Might I gather that it comes out near the same, anyway; that pulling 'em out early on and getting it over with adds up to more sooner lasting pleasure with the instrument, much less burden of going out of tune so frequently, having to tune up so frequently over days/weeks/months ?
At the same time, don't get me wrong. We're always having to tune up at one moment or another no diff than other instruments..I just want to get rid of that 19 times a night business !!
Thanks

I don’t have any scientific evidence, but I can’t imagine it making any noticeable difference whatsoever. I use coated/treated strings and I change them when they start to sound bad. Depending on where and how much I’ve been playing, I could change them after a month or so or it could be much longer (6-9 months). Guitars I don’t play that much have the same strings for a year and beyond.

I don’t see how stretching or not would make any difference, except you’d be either tuning or playing out of tune a lot more if you don’t.
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Old 10-11-2020, 04:13 AM
DownUpDave DownUpDave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisE View Post
I put them on, stretch them, tune them, stretch them again, tune them again. I do this three or four times right when I put them on and they’re pretty stable after that.

I’d rather have them stay in tune from day one.
I follow the very same system, I own about 15 ukuleles as well with nylon/florocarbon strings . I do a lot of string changing and pre-stretching doesn’t hurt a thing and helps keep the frustration level to a minimum
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Old 10-11-2020, 05:08 PM
MarkinLA MarkinLA is offline
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WOW ! 3-4 pre-stretchers !! I'm blown away !! And last night I stretched and stretched my 1 Mo. old Savs and was so happy to have then found myself tuning very little after that, leave alone they sounding the same too !!
This is what I'm going to do here on out !! Dang !! All those decades not pre-stretching and tuning over and over and over when I never had to !!!
I mean I always have stretched them somewhat, here and there between tunings over the life of the strings. But I never completely stretched them on day one !!
I always though that would deaden them too soon..
I don't know why I was never taught (pun not intended) this, closer to 1965 when I got my first nylon stringer and why it isn't a common part of the teaching/learning process ? Well it wasn't for me, anyway !
Thanks mucho for the replies !! I was considering quitting all together due solely to the aggravation of tuning so much; even midway in pieces, after hearing them go out during them so often ! I believe this may have saved my marriage to the guitar !!
This is a huge find for me.. M

Last edited by MarkinLA; 10-11-2020 at 05:43 PM.
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Old 10-11-2020, 06:44 PM
Kerbie Kerbie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisE View Post
I put them on, stretch them, tune them, stretch them again, tune them again. I do this three or four times right when I put them on and they’re pretty stable after that.

I’d rather have them stay in tune from day one.
Only way I've ever done it, to the best of my memory.
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Old 10-11-2020, 06:45 PM
dosland dosland is offline
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My hearing is not nearly refined enough for this, but I do know some classical guitarists who insist that pre-stretching the strings like others here (and I) do can cause annoying pitch variations due to the (treble) strings stretching unevenly along their length. The claim is that this leaves some bits of the string thinner than others, and that those minute variations cause a cacophonous effect that is especially vexing as one climbs the fretboard. This strikes me as plausible, but, again, my ears don't hear well enough to notice.
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Old 10-11-2020, 08:05 PM
gmel555 gmel555 is offline
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I am primarily a steel string player with one classical guitar- a cool K. Yairi purchased used during a trip to Tokyo, so I am NOT an authority. I use medium- high tension strings and am also a "stretcher". It just takes way too long for the non-wound strings to stabilize for my needs. Some brands/string material take noticeably longer than others. I don't notice subsequent tuning variance, but my ear may not be as finely tuned as others for classical guitars.

(Oh, I do also stretch the nylons on my ukes.)
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Old 10-11-2020, 08:43 PM
merlin666 merlin666 is offline
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Yes, I only play ukulele but pre stretching of synthetic strings is recommended. There even is a video from Aquila that shows how to do it for their red strings.
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Old 10-12-2020, 01:31 PM
redir redir is offline
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I pull on them too. You have to tighten the knot up at the tie block and around the tuner posts and the strings themselves. But don't pull too hard.

I very recently tried a set of Aquila Nylgut strings and noticed that as soon as I put them on and tuned them up they stayed in tune as though they were 3 weeks old.
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Old 10-16-2020, 05:35 PM
MarkinLA MarkinLA is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DownUpDave View Post
I follow the very same system, I own about 15 ukuleles as well with nylon/florocarbon strings . I do a lot of string changing and pre-stretching doesn’t hurt a thing and helps keep the frustration level to a minimum
Why does anyone need more than one uke ??!
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Old 10-16-2020, 06:09 PM
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Hello. I'm mbroady and I'm a string stretcher.
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  #15  
Old 10-24-2020, 07:16 PM
mtdmind mtdmind is offline
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Be careful not to stretch them sideways..this can break a nut.
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