Help: classical guitar strings

Subject: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 09:40 PM

how long should it take for a set of classical guitar strings to stretch for them to stay in tune? BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Deckman
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 10:45 PM

Eighteen and a half inches! ... Bob

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 10:47 PM

you've got to be kidding. BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 10:48 PM

He is......it's 23 inches.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Deckman
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 10:50 PM

It really depends on which day of the week you put them on! ... Bob

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 10:51 PM

how bout getting serious, i would really like to know. BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 10:52 PM

True....On a Sunday they rest so they stretch less.....about 21 inches.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 10:55 PM

Really BOB, it depends on how much you play.....Generally within a week they are stretched about as much as they will and only minor adjustments after that. My Wilson has been "on loan" to a friend for so long I haven't any idea if it's even still strung!!!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 10:59 PM

i have a yamaha cg-70 and i know it's a cheap guitar, but it plays real nice and itlooks nice but the strings just keep on stretching and stretching sorta like the energizer bunny. BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Deckman
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:05 PM

O.K. ... you want a straight answer, so I'll try to behave and answer you (what a strain)! I have two Martins, one steel and one classic. There is a big different betwixt the two, the steel, you can put new strings on, tune hard and play for ten minutes, and you are there. NOT SO with nylon strings. I follow a strict regime. I've got a hoot comming up this Sunday night. Last Sunday, I changed my classical guitar strings. I played it hard all afternoon ... probably 2 hours. Every morning this week I've played it for a half hour (3-4 in the A.M.) I expect to do the same the rest of the week. By Saturday, I will start tuning and playing it seriously. By the time Sunday evening rolls around, I will probably have about 4-5 hours total playing time on the new strings. By then they're starting to hold their pitch and they are developing their tone. Is it worth it ... you bet. No sound in the world beats this olde Martin Classic and fresh srings ... I means, GOSH ... women have been courted (and won) to it's tones. OOOOPS, I'm sorry, you asked me to be serious. I digress. CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:07 PM

Yeah...YOU digressed and SHE undressed. The latter is far more interesting than the former.............I do see we agree on the time factor pretty much.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:09 PM

ok thanks for the help i'll try those instructions andhope it works cause i'm tired of tuning. BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Deckman
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:14 PM

HA HA HA HA HA! This is Bob laughing a LOT! Great fun fellas. But ... seriously, it does take me about a week to break in new strings. Now, if we want to talk about how long it takes me to break in a new lady, well that's another whole thread. And besides, this is a family website! ha ha ha BOB (SPELLS THE SAME BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS) cheers

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:19 PM

that sounds very interesting, and yes bob is spelled the same forwards and backwards, pretty cool huh? BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Deckman
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:25 PM

Actually, my native tongue is Finnish, so I grew up spelling my name backwards ... BOB. As I grew older, my older brother corrected me, so I learned to spell my name frontwards ... BOB. Now that my older brother is older than I am, and I am younger and still stronger, I can spell my name any way I want, so I now spell it BOB! Any Questions? CHEERS ROOPE!

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:27 PM

Not really. Boob also spells the same both ways and that's far more interesting, unless of course you're bobbing for boobs which conjures up a mental picture I can relate to......and I'd like to relate to.......Did I ever mention that my wife can't sink in a pool? Floats well on her back though.....

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:27 PM

NOPE. UNLESS YOUR REAL NAME IS ROBERT. ROBERT

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Deckman
Date: 04 Dec 01 - 11:31 PM

Goodnight fellas!

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 05 Dec 01 - 01:13 PM

You can "speed up" the process a bit by tugging hard on each string as you tune it up the first time. Grab the string and pull hard in an upwards direction. "How hard?" I hear you ask. Enough to get the string 2" or so up from the plane of the strings. When you do this, the string will now be way out of tune. Tune it up to pitch, and then pull it again! Three or four times and the amount of "out of tune" from each tugging match will be reduced to "barely out of tune," at which time you're finished.

Doing this will reduce that almost-a-week to two-or-three days of not keeping pitch. Playing hard after each tugging session will help, too, as the strings settle in.

If the strings are consistently going flat, after hard playing and such, check to see if they aren't actually slipping on the pegs. You should have several windings around the pegs to assure yourself of staying in tune. "How many windings?" is the cry. At least two full windings for the wound strings and at least three, though four is better, for the plain nylon ones, is my motto.

Hope this helps.

Songster Bob Clayton

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: GUEST,Claymore
Date: 05 Dec 01 - 06:06 PM

And by the way, try some of those GHS Vanguard classical strings with the wound "G". Good projection, a tight pull, (kind of like flamenco strings) and they really spruce up any Travis style picking. Worth the extra bucks.

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 05 Dec 01 - 07:41 PM

thanks. BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 05 Dec 01 - 08:55 PM

for as much as i play mine my strings probaly will never stretch out. BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Kaleea
Date: 05 Dec 01 - 10:55 PM

Deckman, how is 3-4 in the morning half an hour?

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Mooh
Date: 06 Dec 01 - 11:15 AM

Boob (I think I started that on another thread...),

Try tuning the strings sharp (half step for wounds, whole step for plains) for a couple of hours. Tune back down and most of the stretch will be gone. The additional tension won't be enough or for long enough to hurt anything.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: 53
Date: 06 Dec 01 - 06:32 PM

thanks mooh. BOB

Subject: RE: Help: classical guitar strings
From: Mooh
Date: 07 Dec 01 - 09:05 AM

Bob (got it right that time),

You're welcome.

Mooh.