Big Bad Bill wrote:Yes, the wound strings are covered in a very thin layer of Goretex which prevents gunk getting into the strings and keeps them sounding zingier for longer! I really have no problems with tuning. I restring, tune up and that's it until I change the strings again (in about a years time!). The only thing that changes my tuning is excessive ambient heat-but hear in the UK, that's very rare 
I still don't believe you need to stretch strings-they're like springs-if you stretch them, they return to their original length unless you exceed their elastic limit which is the point you get plastic deformation, yielding and finally breakage. Hasn't anyone studied this in Physics? Basically:
When a specimen made from an isotropic material is subjected to uniaxial tension, say in the x direction, sxx is the only non-zero stress. The strains in the specimen are obtained by,
The modulus of elasticity in tension, also known as Young's modulus E, is the ratio of stress to strain on the loading plane along the loading direction,
Common sense (and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics) indicates that a material under uniaxial tension must elongate in length. Therefore the Young's modulus E is required to be non-negative for all materials,
E > 0
A Newtonian material will also return to it's original length once the tension is released and the elactic properties of the material remain unchanged. I guess this assumes that strings are made from a Newtonian material which I suppose they may not be!
If you find you need to stretch your strings, I'd suggest what you're actually doing is somehow locking machine heads, freeing the slippage in the nut groove etc etc rather than 'strecthcing in' your strings.
That sounds like a lot of pontification in your medulla oblongata! Isotropic and good for your cholestorol!
Hey, I'm mainly stretching because the supposed 'master of all things Ibanez' (Rich Harris at ibanezrules.com), says that they must be stretched if you own a floating trem if you want them to return to pitch after whammy abuse....What kind of strings are you using that have a Goretex coating. Don't they use that stuff in cold weather gear such as ski gloves?
(can stretch twice and still returns to pitch) and my guitar tuned... I was really reefing on them too, stretching and shaking them violently up and down the length of the string...The G string for some reason took a long time to get stretched....Rich Harris claims he can fully stretch a set in 10 minutes..(?!?!?!?) How does he do that without breaking strings? Any tips or hints or shortcuts to speed up the process and for better tuning stability would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
