What do you guys do with your strings with regards to stretching them? I've read several references to that in interviews. Does it increase life? Increase the length strings stay in tune? Or what?

I read where Nugent coats his in baby oil? Why? What else can/should you do to strings upon installation?

Also, I've just started playing around with the whammy bar on my bro's Strat. I know the guitar has old strings on it right now - which might explain this - but the strings don't stay in tune very long when I use the bar. Is this normal? Is there anything special I ought to do when I re-string it?

Thanks.

Baby Oil? On the neck of my guitar?

As far as stretching them goes, just play and keep tuning, that stretchs them. IMO, I like to change strings on some guitars (electric) more often than on others (acoustic) but it depends on how often you play.

As far as that Strat issue, I know that certain tremelo systems just suck but so do certain years of a strat


more thoughts - edit
[This message was edited Thu Jun 24 6:51:26 2004 by Slave2daGroove]

The secret to stretching your strings in a pinch - like - changing them all before a gig, or worse yet, during a gig, is to tune the guitar, then pull on the string about 2-3 inches away from the body (enough to cause more tension than when you're bending a string, but not enough to break the string, duuh), then fret the string at the first fret, pull, second fret, pull, third, pull... all the way up to the 12 fret, and then work your way back down again, with each new string.

The string(s) will be totally stretched out and wont go flat during playing. Honest. Spraying/coating the string with anything other than guitar love will cause the string to go dull and lose it's tone.

Your choices are to wipe the guitar down vigorously after each time you play it, OR, change the strings a lot. When I was playing gigs 4 nights a week, I changed them only every 2 weeks, but honestly, should have changed them weekly.

otan said:

Thanks.