Classical guitar stringing

A

Amr Makki

Member
Hi there,
I am going to record a new songs and to be well prepared I changed my strings, the way I stretch them is to set them and wind them two step higher than normal E strings to sol#note A ti do# and etc... and keep this position for 24 hours by rewinding them again and again whenever I could, did I damaged them, I checked the 12 fret and discoverd that they do not excactly match the free string tune, should I change the strings before recording, my guitar is COMPAS classic and the strings are DADARIO EJ45. I have not checked the 12 fret before on this guitar, Thank you very much.
 
I think that's a bad idea to wind them that much higher b/c that's a lot of tension on your neck. That tension is gonna go somewhere. If it doesn't have a truss rod to equalize the tension then that could create a bow. 24hrs probably isn't enough time to cause damage but don't keep doing that.

Really to stretch them just put them on and tune to pitch, then pull upward on the string and retune. Do this about 5 times, retuning between each pull. That's all you need to do. Letting them sit overnight after a restring is good as well.
 
Thank you very much for quick reply , but I mean are the strings still ok can use them to record or maybe I damaged them this way and how to check, and what about the 12 fret is it normal to not excacly match the tune?
Thank you very much for stretching advice I will do it next time...
 
Amr Makki said:
Thank you very much for quick reply , but I mean are the strings still ok can use them to record or maybe I damaged them this way and how to check, and what about the 12 fret is it normal to not excacly match the tune?
Thank you very much for stretching advice I will do it next time...
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By 12th fret do you mean intonation doesn't match?
That could be from damaged strings for sure. The 12th fret harmonic/open should match the fretted note at the 12th fret.

It could be a lot of other things, too. What type of bridge does it have? If you can move the bridge you can maybe fix the intonation. If it's sharp when you finger the 12th fret move the bridge to the right, and visa versa.

The easiest thing would be to put on new strings and not stretch them so much and see if that fixes your problem. I have a feeling you over-stretched them and that's why they won't tune.
 
Amr Makki said:
It matches by ear but when using a digital tuner the indicator goes slightly to right and left +20 or -20...
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Tuners can be weird (some spike up and need to settle, etc) and most just aren't too accurate so go with your ear.
Make sure you fret it with minimum pressure, too, so you don't press notes sharp.
 
I find the best way of stretching your strings is place your first two fingers under the string and pull up, while pushing down on the top of the string with your thumb. Then run your hand up and down the string, repeating the process to stretch the string evenly. Re-tuning between each stretch. Should only take 4 or 5 goes before they hold pitch. (might take longer with nylon strings - not sure).

If your 12th Fret isn't matching your open note, your intonation may well be slightly out - not sure how easy this will be to adjust on a classical guitar as your bridge will have less adjustment options - you could start by trying a new set of strings to see if this improves it. Personally, if you can't hear it being out much by ear, I'd leave it and get on with practising your recording. Come back to strings and intonation if you notice that it starts to bother you.
 
Amr Makki said:
Thank you all and excuse me for my bad English, it was really helpful...
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No worries, post us up some of your recordings - there's not many people on here who record classical guitar. Another guy from Nepal called Chuku registered recently, he records classical/acoustic solo stuff too.

Where are you from?
 
I am from Turkey thank you I used to make recordings in a studio but now I am trying to set a home studio for my friend. I will tell him about the forum he plays and sings, we are not professional we will post some recordings sooner if you wish, I am sorry I if made mistakes in the forum but I am new here.
 
Mehaba!

I've been to Turkey a few times - Marmaris and Bodrum. Hope everything is OK with you at the moment.

Very few of us on here are professional - we're just trying to do the best recordings we can with equipment suitable for home use.
 
To sum it up, do you think that the way I stretched the strings *overtuning them to 2 whole steps for 24 hours* didn't affect the strings and they are still good and no damage has occurred to the strings, as I didn't notice anything strange.
Thank you for your replies, very helpful.
What I mean with two whole step E string to sol# A string to do# etc....
 
If your 12th fret and open string (and/or 12th fret harmonic) don't match, that means that your intonation is out of whack. Did you use a different gauge of string than was on there previously? That can throw off the intonation. Plus it can cause the neck to bow one way or the other, making it harder to play, and affecting intonation even more. If your string action is suddenly higher, or if you're getting more string/fret buzz, then I'd either learn to adjust it or take it to a professional for adjustment.

I highly doubt that any damage happened to the strings just by tuning them sharp. They can take a lot of abuse. On my nylon stringed guitar, I notice that it's much more prone to the strings slipping around the tuning peg, which causes them to detune slowly. Once it stabilizes, it's not so bad. But it has this weird tendency to go sharp after it's been resting a while. I have no explanation, but it goes severely sharp when left alone. More than once, it has broken a string while just sitting there. Some sort of voodoo going on with that guitar...
 
Hi again, thank you all for your help, but I want to sum it up, the way I stretched the strings is to set them and wind them two step higher than normal E strings to sol#note A to do# and etc... and keep this position for 24 hours by rewinding them again and again whenever I could, did I damaged them, should I change the strings before recording, and if damage occurs gradually I will be fine with that as 24 hours isn't too much,thank you...
 
Hello do you receive my messages? there is one last thing I want to ask about, I remember one of the strings I guess D or A gave some wheeze like sound when I overwinded it, should I just ignore that..
Really sorry.
 
Sorry I could not find 2 page:facepalm: Merhaba, now everything is good waiting for your next visit Dear JDOD and all members of course
 
haha, forums can be a bit weird when you're not used to them.

From what you've said, the intonation on your guitar might be slightly off but probably not by much and maybe not enough to worry about immediately.

When you start reading these forums is very easy to get distracted and try and learn too much too quickly about all sorts of different things and you end up getting nothing done - people start using all sorts of terminology and you end up feeling like you need to understand it before you start.

Your best bet is to start recording and deal with problems as you come across them. To check if your intonation problems are worth worrying about try recording a simple piece using basic chords at the bottom of the neck and add a high melody over the top of it played high up near the 12th fret. If there's any intonation problems worth worrying about they should be obvious.

Then when you post up some of your recordings people will make suggestions on how you can improve them. If there's anything you don't understand, as about it then. This way you'll end up gradually learning what you need as you go along.
 
Thank you JDOD yes, when I think it a good idea to start and go through every thing, but one last thing I want you to answer *I remember one of the strings I guess D or A gave some wheeze like sound when I overwinded it, should I just ignore that..* and please consider that I will record with them thank you very much. Where are you from?
 
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