A trick I saw a guitarist use to stretch newly-installed strings seemed odd at the time, but makes sense. In general, you usually tug on a new string after it's tuned to pitch, then tune again and maybe tug again.

Well, he did it by suspending the guitar on the string (grab the string near the sound-hole and hoist the guitar from your lap, where you've had it whilst you changed strings). The result is that every tug has the same value, since the weight of the guitar is what 'drives' the tug. No chance (or little chance, anyway) of tugging one or two strings harder than the others. Just grab and lift. Tune, grab, lift, tune, grab, lift, and in a couple of rounds of this, the string is pre-stretched to the same value as all the others.

I would not have thought of this if I hadn't seen it, but it actually makes sense. It even works for classical strings, though they take a few more rounds of tune and tug than do steel strings, and usually have to be tune/tugged a couple times a day for the first two days of their life on your guitar.

Funny what you learn when you watch others, eh?


Bob