# String stretching - fact or fiction?



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Many different opinions on this subject. Some say it is a requirement, some say it may even damage strings. What say ye? Do you stretch your strings on changes?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I believe it is a good practice. I have never heard that it can damage strings....interesting.

Cheers

Dave


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## Guest (Sep 7, 2012)

If I don't stretch them they go flat. Doesn't that seem to indicate it's not a myth? If I stretch, tune up, stretch tune up a few times they don't go flat right away.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I change strings out fairly frequently. The main reason I stretch them is so that they'll stay in tune better, longer. Tightens them up on the tuning posts, takes out any slack coming over the bridge and/or nut. I think of it this way - bending them has the same net effect, and if not stretched will definitely take them out of tune....stretching gets them to where there's no or not much movement at the ends when they're bent, and they'll return to tune with better (but not infallible) regularity.

I broke a string stretching them, once, 12-14 years ago. I learned how much tension they can stand, and have never had an issue since. To me, it's a MUST DO on a fresh set, or a guitar that's been put up a long time.


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

I always stretch and I find as a result they hold their tune better and longer.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

A couple years ago, I installed some extension speakers from our table radio in the kitchen near the ceiling. I ran the wire tightly against the moulding, window ledge, and all other surfaces that would allow it to stay out of the way and minimize the distance travelled, and glued it in place. In the interim, the wire was untouched. Now, a few years later, there is slack all over the place, and I'm going to have to re-install and tighten up.

I don't know if you've ever lived in a house that was really old, but after a certain point, the glass in the windows starts to droop, and you see ripples in it. Materials can give us the _impression_ that they are stable, but in reality, they aren't. Glass, metal, they both lose their integrity, and if under tension are likely to lose it even faster.

Those strings that "go flat" are no different than the speaker wire in my kitchen that is now hanging like your grandpa's jowls. the material is relaxing, and stretching simply moves it quickly through that adjustment phase. It likely will continue to change over time, but stretching strings simply moves them to that part of their lifespan where they are changng slowly enough to create the appearance of stability.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

definitely stretch them

the only exception was when I used DR pure nickle round wound strings on a round core.

these would not go flat if I did not stretch them.... well... they required very little stretching.

my daddarios will go flat if I don't stretch them real good after putting in a new set.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I stretch all the time. Otherwise, tuning is a mess. The only thing that sucks is I sometimes stretch too them too much and snap the high E


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

Those High E's strings are bitter little buggers aren't they? I've snapped a few in my day. I hate that pinging noise.


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## bchaffin72 (Aug 20, 2012)

I stretch them mildly while I am putting them on, just to make sure they are tight on the posts. Then, I tune up by going a little over-pitch and gently pulling on them by hand. They always seem to give a little, indicating that something needed stretching. I've never had any string go bad on me from doing this. Stretching as I go ,rather than all at once after, seems to get them stable very quickly.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

I like to stretch them about 1-2 steps up the entire neck, behind the nut and tailpiece personally. usually does the trick for me


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Coincidentally I just bought and received a string stretcher for this purpose and I'm never looking back. 2 runs up and down the fretboard, one or two tunings and they're good to go. Really slick way of stretching strings.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

Swervin55 said:


> Coincidentally I just bought and received a string stretcher for this purpose and I'm never looking back. 2 runs up and down the fretboard, one or two tunings and they're good to go. Really slick way of stretching strings.


I did not know such a device existed!


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

Hey Swerv, let's see that string stretcher. I'm intrigued.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

after a quick google search, it turns out the pro-winder I won in the Daddario contest has a built in string stretcher. "peg winder with built-in string cutter and stretcher"

no idea how to use it however. lol


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I stretch them by hand enough to make tuning easier right away. Strings do stretch, some more than others. It takes a couple of days for nylon strings to settle down but once they do, they stay in tune very well. With steel strings I generally like a few hours between restringing and any serious playing, so that I can be sure nothing's going to go out of tune.

Fwiw, the string stretchers I've seen look like overkill. My hands have never been bothered by it and do a great job.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

View attachment 1489
View attachment 1490



Something called a String Stretcha. Not too magical looking.


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## prodigal_son (Apr 23, 2009)

As far as I have always known, you HAVE to stretch strings after they are first installed so that they stay in tune. Try putting on new strings and then playing. They will be out of tune almost immediately. Is there something I am not getting here like.. some other way to install strings that do not involve stretching them?


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

I've asked the guitar tech at the local guitar shop in my town this question and from what I can gather, "if your putting on new strings for a gig and playing shortly after you put them on. Stretch 'em." "If your just putting on new strings to use at home and tuning is not critical. Leave them alone and just check your tuning once in awhile." Stretching supposedly shortens the life of the strings. Makes sense to me but I'm a piano player 1st & a guitar player 2nd.


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## bchaffin72 (Aug 20, 2012)

I've never heard not to stretch them. I always have, and my strings always seem to last for whatever amount of time I choose to give them. One set lasted for well over a year.


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## Brennan (Apr 9, 2008)

Stretching new strings has always been standard practice for me. String the guitar, tune, stretch, tune, stretch etc... Rinse and repeat until the guitar stays in tune after pulling the strings. In my experience a guitar is virtually unplayable if you don't stretch them well, and while it does likely shorten their life by a very small amount (the stress put on strings by stretching them is almost non-existent when compared to the stress put on by actually playing them), not having to tune every 30 seconds for the first few days more than makes up for it.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Metallurgists may object to the term "stretching", but I do pretty much exactly what the stretching device pictured in an earlier post does, and have done so for decades. The tool is fine, but thumb and fingers works just as well and I always have them with me.

I like fresh strings so when I'm gigging I change them very often. "Stretching" each string for a few seconds makes a world of difference in tuning stability, at least for the first hour or so.

As for stretching having an impact on string life, I look for sound and feel, not longevity.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Like said earlier, "rinse and repeat". I don't try to break a string - I just stretch it until it's stable. Mostly to seat it on the post and elsewhere. No different than tightening the lugnuts on your car rims - if you do it it probably shortens the life of the stud ................ but if you don't ..........


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Intrepid said:


> View attachment 1489
> View attachment 1490
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah that's it. Not necessary but like many tools, if you do enough repetition of a task it simply makes it easier (and in this case more consistent).


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## gibsonguitarguy (Feb 17, 2010)

Got it. Always stretch your jowls or you'll end up like grampa.


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## Woof (Jan 13, 2010)

I stretch them as I change them. Otherwise I can't keep them in tune for long.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I always stretch the strings--it helps--especially on my classical.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I just put them on and tune. I play scales and so on with lots of vibrato and bends retune. Play - tune - repeat until they don't go flat. 

...and Bingo was his name-O.


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm a thumb and fingers guy...I stretch 'em, re-tune, and repeat a couple of times, and the strings stay in tune wonderfully after that.
-Mikey


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## RobQ (May 29, 2008)

I have never heard any credible source ever say that string stretching is a bad idea.

One thing I don't get, though, is the practice that some guys do or recommend of stretching the strings along their length. From a physics perspective that makes no sense to me that it's required. A string is a single continuous length of wire, and has the same tension along its whole length. If you grab and pull or twist in one spot, you are stretching the entire length of the string, not just that one spot.

So I have never bothered to stretch the same string at different points along its length. I grab it near the middle, give it a twist or two, retune, repeat, and I am done. Never had any tuning problems with this approach.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

smorgdonkey said:


> I just put them on and tune. I play scales and so on with lots of vibrato and bends retune. Play - tune - repeat until they don't go flat.
> 
> ...and Bingo was his name-O.


try that with nylon strings--won't work.


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## 335Bob (Feb 26, 2006)

Milkman said:


> Metallurgists may object to the term "stretching", but I do pretty much exactly what the stretching device pictured in an earlier post does, and have done so for decades. The tool is fine, but thumb and fingers works just as well and I always have them with me.
> 
> I like fresh strings so when I'm gigging I change them very often. "Stretching" each string for a few seconds makes a world of difference in tuning stability, at least for the first hour or so.
> 
> As for stretching having an impact on string life, I look for sound and feel, not longevity.



The same goes for me. I've always "stretched" a new set of strings. Like you, tone and feel is what I look for. Usually a new set a week on my main player and definitely a new set before a gig.

I recently saw Robben Ford and I was seated not 3 feet away from him. Before the show, I watched Robben's guitar tech prepare his guitar (it was a Tele that night) with a new set of strings and he had a stretching routine that took him quite some time to complete. I thought it was overkill. However, Robben's guitar stayed practically in tune all night. And, if you like Robben Ford, who can argue with the man's playing and tone.


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## Samsquantch (Mar 5, 2009)

Fact. Floating trems take longer to fully stretch in IME.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

You must stretch new strings IMO, especially with any kind of trem, as already noted.

I'll do something similar to what that string-stretcher does.
While slightly pulling up on the string, I have my first finger on one side of the string,
with my thumb on the other side. Putting slight pressure with my finger and thumb towards each other.
I'll run up and down each string, pretty well the full length of it.
I used to just pull up on the string some, but I found this method a little more controlled.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Almost 90% on the poll stretch so I'll give it a try on my next string change. If I could track down the poor SOB that hasn't changed his strings in years, I'd send him/her a free set.


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## BEMUSofNrthAmra (Jun 9, 2012)

mhammer said:


> A couple years ago, I installed some extension speakers from our table radio in the kitchen near the ceiling. I ran the wire tightly against the moulding, window ledge, and all other surfaces that would allow it to stay out of the way and minimize the distance travelled, and glued it in place. In the interim, the wire was untouched. Now, a few years later, there is slack all over the place, and I'm going to have to re-install and tighten up.
> 
> I don't know if you've ever lived in a house that was really old, but after a certain point, the glass in the windows starts to droop, and you see ripples in it. Materials can give us the _impression_ that they are stable, but in reality, they aren't. Glass, metal, they both lose their integrity, and if under tension are likely to lose it even faster.
> 
> Those strings that "go flat" are no different than the speaker wire in my kitchen that is now hanging like your grandpa's jowls. the material is relaxing, and stretching simply moves it quickly through that adjustment phase. It likely will continue to change over time, but stretching strings simply moves them to that part of their lifespan where they are changng slowly enough to create the appearance of stability.


While I agree with you for the most part, the part about glass windows drooping is something I've researched before. There really is no evidence out there to substantiate claims that glass flows over long periods of times. What may appear like ripples or droops are usually imperfections that stem from the creation of the glass. 

I know it's kind of off-topic, but here is a decent link to an article about whether glass is a solid or a liquid. Some of you might find it as interesting as I did.

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass/glass.html


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## BEMUSofNrthAmra (Jun 9, 2012)

As far as stretching strings goes... I find that if I put strings on without stretching them, they come out of tune a few times before finally holding tune. This seems like them stretching themselves as I play. If I stretch them, they usually stay in tune a bit easier. 

It seems to me that whether you stretch them or not, they stretch themselves out as you go.


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## rev156 (Mar 2, 2008)

Be careful with the string stretcher device......remember running ribbon over scissors and getting curls? My tech tried it for kicks and wrecked the strings.


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## keefsdad (Feb 7, 2006)

I always stretch them. with the locking tuners on my Strat it's really quick.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Finally read this thread. No I've never stretched my strings intentionally. Just so what some one else said. Just tune play a lot of bendy stuff, retune, etc.


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