Do you stretch your newly installed guitar strings?

[Aloysius]

... a good yank beforehand (...) speeds up the process...

[incubus]

This is why I get into it so often with people

I mean, if you have an internet connection, and play guitar, you should know by now that stretching strings is totally essential regardless of what guitar, nut, trem, gauge, style or anything else you can think of.

@boiling: I used to do that with bass strings back in the day when I played 5-6 nights a week. I'm not aware of being able to do it with guitar strings.

[Lazylefteye]

I love a good stretch

[Jim Roseberry]

IMO, Stretching out strings is particularly important with guitars with a Trem.
You have to create a perfect balance between string and spring tension.
If you don't stretch the strings, they'll naturally stretch out over time... but that leaves you chasing your tail tune/tremolo wise.

[incubus]

IMO, Stretching out strings is particularly important with guitars with a Trem.
You have to create a perfect balance between string and spring tension.
If you don't stretch the strings, they'll naturally stretch out over time... but that leaves you chasing your tail tune/tremolo wise.

It's true, but unless you play like a very fragile flower, you'll be better off giving them a good stretch. Even on a hardtail, the high E and G will go out really easily if you do any bending at all.

[BertKoor]

My friend boils his strings before using them.

I heard of some base players that boil their used strings with some detergent, and then put 'em back on.
Mind you, a cheap set of base strings is 5x as ecpensive as cheap guitar strings. But they last forever.

Never really needed to. Once played a show about 15 mins after i had replaced all of my strings (electric) and it turned out just fine. Though, nearing the end i did have to re-tune the A string just a tad.

Not sure if it matters but - Ibanez RG450DXB 6 string

Guitars like that have a locking top nut. Once secured the string has nowhere to go. So this doesn't surprise me.

Like said before, yanking the newly installed strings is more to even out the tension where they sit on the tuners than to really stretch them (unlike nylon strings)

[GaryG]

Isn't boiling strings more to do with cleaning them? Removing any gunk and oil to make them sound bright again?

[Stupid American Pig]

Im no metallurgist, but this sounds like snake oil to me. Obviously, adding tension to a guitar string will stretch the string, but there are limits. Strings are going to settle in just by loading them, tuning them and playing them. Ive owned and played strats, as well as stop bar tail gibsons and acoustics. Tuning to a "stable" state will take a few passes and if you spend time with it no more than a few minutes in my experience. A few things that would make strings less stable include:

1- not replacing strings one at a time(e.g. taking all the strings off and then putting all the strings back on)
2- strings that are too large for the nut/bridge and do not fit in the groove properly
3- guitar neck/truss rod issues

I think this is a good discussion and all, but its just something that I never put much thought into. I string up my guitar if the strings break or sound overly dull. I tune it. I play it. I re-tune as things seat themselves and stabilize. At most it takes a few passes. It doesnt have to be complicated, and I would much rather be playing than worrying about my strings being properly stretched.

[incubus]

Snake oil?

I mean, really?

Wow.

[Jim Roseberry]

If you put new strings on a guitar with floating trem (and you don't stretch them)... and hit the stage within a few minutes, the guitar is going to go out of tune.

We play at a pretty fast pace (not much dead time to tune during a set)...
Tuning stability is paramount.

[incubus]

Let people believe what they want.

BTW, how is that JP15 working out?

[Jim Roseberry]

Let people believe what they want.

BTW, how is that JP15 working out?

I've bought a lot of EBMM guitars over the years.
Love the quality... but (after a while) always seem to find something that I don't like... and wind up selling.

I'm not a huge John Petrucci fan... and I'm not particularly fond of his tone.
So... why would I buy a JP?

The JP15 is light, has a nice floating trem, has an exceptionally good sounding piezo (which you can adjust the top/bottom), sounds aggressive on crunch tones, and has string spacing/frets that I find comfortable.
The JP15 has more of a classic look than some of the other JP instruments.

I'd put the JP15 right up there with some of the best guitars I've played.
This may be the EBMM guitar that I keep.

[incubus]

Let people believe what they want.

BTW, how is that JP15 working out?

I've bought a lot of EBMM guitars over the years.
Love the quality... but (after a while) always seem to find something that I don't like... and wind up selling.

I'm not a huge John Petrucci fan... and I'm not particularly fond of his tone.
So... why would I buy a JP?

The JP15 is light, has a nice floating trem, has an exceptionally good sounding piezo (which you can adjust the top/bottom), sounds aggressive on crunch tones, and has string spacing/frets that I find comfortable.
The JP15 has more of a classic look than some of the other JP instruments.

I'd put the JP15 right up there with some of the best guitars I've played.
This may be the EBMM guitar that I keep.

I do that all the time!

Anyways, thanks. Sorry for the slightly off-topic.

[Winstontaneous]

I stretch all guitar/bass strings when I install them.

I also make sure there is no twist/rotation around the axis of the string between nut and bridge saddle (more of a bass issue, twisted strings can sound dead).

Also (more for bass strings, especially low E/B), press down lightly at nut & saddle when tuned up to pitch, so sounding part of string is in a straight line.

Then set action/intonation, if necessary.

Boiling old strings will remove gunk but doesn't get rid of wear/damage from frets.

[incubus]

Good point about the boiling. Usually when you take strings off they have significant wear (or coloration on plain strings) and won't tune properly.