New strings the night before recording

[abt]

We all know that there is a limited window in which new strings sound their best, but what I want to know is there any discernable difference between new strings that have been left on for a brief time but not played and new strings that have been put on right before you start recording.

Basically I want to put new strings on the night before recording not right before recording. Is this just semantic or a really concern?

 

[Scott Horner]

I actually do this. I like to let them sit for a bit so they stretch themselves out. As long as you aren't playing it and don't live on a beach you should be fine.

 

[Full_Tilt]

If you put them on just before recording you'll be doing a lot of retuning but this is when they sound the best , for some reason when the strings are still stretching like a bastard and settling down this is when they sound the most sparkly for cleans at least ....I dont think it matters quite so much once you start to drive the tone in to distortion .

 

[kaomao]

well don't be shy you can stretch them yourself instead of waiting a night.
I did all the time and I don't tuning issues. Learned from my old guitar teacher!

 

[::XeS::]

Tune and stretch, tune and stretch, tune and stretch...untill they don't loose the tuning after the last stretch

 

[Scott Horner]

I actually do stretch them immediately after changing but still find they hold tuning better after an hour or so of self-stretching. But, as Full Tilt said, I will occasionally go ahead and record cleans directly afterwards.

 

[Zozobra]

Dont stretch stings. It just fatigues them (albeit not that much)

The effect of stretching and of leaving overnight can be accelerated much, much more effectively.

Strings dont undergo a permanent length change. Their tensile deformation is purely elastic. They dont stretch in at all.

They bend in.

The strings starts straight, 'wants' to be straight, but needs to take sharp angles at the bridge and nut. What you do is press the string in right above the saddle, behind and below the nut and at the machinehead to force it to take its requirered shape there. Much nicer to the string, much more effective too. Stop stretching them. All youre doing when stretching or leaving them overnight is making them take the needed angles/shapes at these points anyway, but far less efficiently

 

[abt]

I don't put them on the night before to stretch or settle in I do it because I lazy and don't want to do it right before I start recording.

 

[Damage, Inc.]

Dont stretch stings. It just fatigues them (albeit not that much)

I don't buy this at all. For example, if you put a new string on a guitar with a Floyd and clamp the locking nut right down, you're taking any "bend" out of the equation and the string will still stretch on you. If you want any kind of tuning stability you need to stretch them until they don't go out of tune any more.

 

[Zozobra]

Not true. You still have a curve out of the nut and at the bridge where you need an angle.

Tell you what, try it. Its easily verified. It does sometimes need to be done repeatedly (tune, bend, tune, bend). Its also a fact that there is no plastic deformation of the string along its total length, and elastic deformation is nearly instantaneous (as per a normal bend), so there is no stretching of the string.

 

[Benny H]

Are we talking about tires for an F1 qualifying lap or guitar strings?

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Bass: just before recording.... if recording an album's worth of bass tracks, I prefer TWO sets of strings.... to be changed out halfway through.

Guitar: Usually just before recording as well. Even for the heavy rhythm tracks.

 

[Ermz]

If you can put them on the night before, it may be best this way to let them settle. You'll likely still have to do the tune-bend-tune-bend dance for a few minutes prior to record to get them to hold tune.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

The main problem is not the bending or stretching but the windings on the tuning pegs and the slip that occurs until the strings are sitting tight on them.
You can avoid many of the problems by winding them onto the pegs withquite some tension already, that minimizes the slip afterwards.
Also make sure to wind the strings in a spiral shape, DON't let the windings cross/overlap and never use knots to secure the strings on te pegs.
Use 1.5-2 turns for the wound strings and 3-4 for the plain strings.
Stretching does not hurt the strings as long as you don't cross the line between elastic and plastic deformation.

 

[Skyweaver]

I dig them on the day of recording, I put them on - stretch the shit out of them and will happily replace them for each song.....tried the over night thing, didn't like it as much

 

[KillFrenzy]

Another point, sound degradation-wise: when do strings really lose tone? while playing, right after they're out of it's sealed package or after the first stretching? And how fast do they lose the sparkle? I mean, if it happens in an exponencial rate, I'd rather have them less bright but with a more even tone across the song(s) than have different string tones in different songs or even inside one song.

 

[egan.]

If you can put them on the night before, it may be best this way to let them settle. You'll likely still have to do the tune-bend-tune-bend dance for a few minutes prior to record to get them to hold tune.

I think this is also the best for workflow in terms of coming in and getting right down to business.