Poll/Survey: Do you stretch your strings?

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 22 Mar 2017 5:47 am

Do you stretch your strings when you put them on?

Or do you put them on, tune them up, and play them, letting them stretch out on their own?

Gary Watkins · Post by **Gary Watkins** » 22 Mar 2017 6:13 am

ajm wrote:Do you stretch your strings when you put them on?

Or do you put them on, tune them up, and play them, letting them stretch out on their own?

Where is the polling log? But yes, I stretch them.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 22 Mar 2017 6:57 am

Gary Watkins wrote:...yes, I stretch them.

Me too.

Dale Rottacker · Post by **Dale Rottacker** » 22 Mar 2017 7:15 am

Only the 3rd, SLOWLY ... from a distance cause it scars me LOL

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 22 Mar 2017 7:47 am

No, it takes about 3 times with keys to bring up to pitch where they stay. Why would I want to ruin a new string, lol

Charlie Hansen · Post by **Charlie Hansen** » 22 Mar 2017 8:35 am

I do.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 22 Mar 2017 8:39 am

Buddy felt that stretching wound strings definitely shortened their life, and told me so.

My reply was "Oh, really? So now you're a metallurgist, huh?"

But no, I don't stretch my strings. I let the process occur organically.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 22 Mar 2017 9:09 am

No, not really. Kind of what Herb and Henry say.

Exception might be the E9th 3rd. It's the last to be tuned up when changing sets...Either way, if just replacing it, I tend to tune it up unison with string 1 F#, just so I can hear the pitch, then to G and finally to G# with some pedaling between notes.

If the string is any good, it will go to required pitch with no problem. No amount of coddling will make a difference with breakage.

If one breaks while playing a gig, I just crank it up there and tweak it while it stretches during playing.

Only stretching I do for all strings is what comes from actuating the pedals and levers letting them settle in.

I tried the suggestion of pulling up on the string to stretch it years ago, but abandoned that rather quickly.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 22 Mar 2017 9:43 am

Henry Matthews wrote:No, it takes about 3 times with keys to bring up to pitch where they stay. Why would I want to ruin a new string, lol

I think I feel the same way.

Steve Knight · Post by **Steve Knight** » 22 Mar 2017 9:43 am

I stretch the strings when changing them on all my stringed instruments. I think it helps them settle on the tuners so they'll stay in tune.

Tucker Jackson · Post by **Tucker Jackson** » 22 Mar 2017 10:02 am

No stretching. No problems...

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 22 Mar 2017 10:06 am

Yes.

Buddy did stretch strings. I was at a Seminar in (I think) Iola Kansas in late 70's that Scotty put on and he had Buddy with him. I watched Buddy tune up and one thing he did was stretch the wound strings on his C6th neck during tuning.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 22 Mar 2017 10:07 am

If I'm on a gig, I do. Can,t afford to have it going out of tune until it naturally settles in from pedal use. If I am changing a set of strings, I try to change them no later than the day before I need to gig. And the third string, I only tune to F# at first, tug on it once or twice, let it set, bring it up to G, tug a couple times, let it set over night, then take it up to G#. I had a really bad episode when I was changing a third string, it breaking and hitting me in the face. So, I'm a little gun shy. That happened probably 30 years, or more ago.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 22 Mar 2017 11:06 am

Jack Stoner wrote:Yes.

Buddy did stretch strings. I was at a Seminar in (I think) Iola Kansas in late 70's that Scotty put on and he had Buddy with him. I watched Buddy tune up and one thing he did was stretch the wound strings on his C6th neck during tuning.

I didn't say he never stretched the strings, I just said he told me that he felt it shortened their life.

If I'm changing my strings just before a show, I stretch them out of necessity myself.

Gianni Gori · Post by **Gianni Gori** » 22 Mar 2017 11:13 am

I use to stretch them...

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 22 Mar 2017 12:52 pm

I always use an old Fender string stretcher. I've had it for 40 years. Does a great job of gently stretching the strings as you slide it up and down the string. I NEVER grab a string in the middle and pull on it! That creates a weak spot in the string.

Kevin Fix · Post by **Kevin Fix** » 22 Mar 2017 4:40 pm

I give them all a good tug at least 3 times while I bring them into tune. Took a while to get them to stay in tune if I did not stretch them.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 22 Mar 2017 4:49 pm

FWIW, I found this tip from Del Mullen re: forming the string to the roller to be helpful and help the string to settle in faster. http://www.mullenguitars.com/guitar-tip ... ring%20Tip

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 23 Mar 2017 2:13 am

Herb, Buddy was stretching existing strings, not new ones. He loosened them, stretched them (at least what I thought he was doing) and then tuned up. Just wanted to comment about seeing Buddy do it.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 23 Mar 2017 4:34 am

I push on the pedals and levers a few times after I put strings on. There is so much tension on the strings already I haven't found that yanking on them by hand helps anything.

I wonder if pulling on the strings by hand might put an uneven stress on them and mess them up a little ?

MIchael Bean · Post by **MIchael Bean** » 23 Mar 2017 6:14 am

I stretch them, starting with the 4th string. The first 3 scare me, because I've been cut by one whipping back at my hand. For these I just use the pedal or lever a couple of times because they're already pretty tight.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 23 Mar 2017 7:37 am

Jack Stoner wrote:Herb, Buddy was stretching existing strings, not new ones. He loosened them, stretched them (at least what I thought he was doing) and then tuned up. Just wanted to comment about seeing Buddy do it.

Before a show, I saw Buddy loosen, stretch, and pop his low wound strings like a bow. He said it was to get rid of the crud between the windings and liven them up.

Tom Quinn · Post by **Tom Quinn** » 23 Mar 2017 8:15 am

Stretching" strings is a very dumb thing to do. What you are doing is pulling the windings apart the reason strings sound dead and won't stay in tune. Strings are fragile items even though they are made of steel. Buddy was certainly correct...

Mike Archer · Post by **Mike Archer** » 23 Mar 2017 11:56 am

I change them out

pedal all the changes and knee levers

a few times then I let the guitar sit overnight

next day I pitch um up pedal um and tune um

mike

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