strong fingers or weak strings?

[ilovewasabi]

before i start playing, i always tune my guitar. after i play, i check to see if it is still tuned the same. it's always very different from the original. the strings would be about dropped a step and a half. am i strumming to hard? or are the strings very weak?

[zKing]

First, it has nothing to do with playing hard.

There are LOTS of reasons why a guitar goes out of tune as you play it:

1. Strings stretch, more so if they are new.
2. If your nut is not cut well, it will bind a bit so you will have a different tension between the machine head and the nut vs. the nut to the bridge. As you play (especially with bends or whammy bar), you tug at the string and the binding nut will cause you all kinds of tuning fun.
3. If you don't have the string wrapped properly around the machine head post it can slip. Too many wraps can be almost as bad as too few because lots of wraps will have more "new string streatch" for a longer period of time and just generally have more springy movement.
4. Machine heads can just plain not work well and slowly ease out or even slip (although that isn't very common and you can usually hear it).
5. A tremelo bridge will amplify the effects of these problems as changing string tension on one string effects the others with a floating bridge.
6. Some bridges/saddles can have bind spots or other problems, just like the nut.

A tip: Always tune UP to pitch. If a string is tuned too high, tune it down well below the desired note and then back UP. Grabby nut slots seem to be worse when you are giving slack rather than pulling tight.

Another tip: 3 wraps on the post is about the right amount. Not 10, not one, three. It's enough to hold on, but not so much to be a pile of squirmy snakes.

How do you get 3 wraps? Pull through the body/bridge (leaving ball end there obviously), run the string up next to the post (NOT through it yet), pull the string somewhat tight, wrap it around 2-3 times by hand THEN pull it through the post hole. Snip end. Tune up to pitch, done. This method does NOT require you to crank, crank, crank...forever on the machine head...and it doesn't leave a big ball of string on the post.
One more comments on this: Make sure your wraps do NOT overlap.

Another tip: If you go to a heavier string guage than Mr. Guitar Maker put on stock...you may want to have your nut cut to fit. Thicker strings will bind in a nut cut for thinner strings.

I can play my '52 re-issue telecaster for a 2-3 days in a row (once the strings have stretched out) and not be off very much at all. And I am Mr. Bend-Those-Strings. But it is a VERY simple setup and fairly high quality gear.

[ilovewasabi]

what is a nut?

[Nick]

the 'nut' is the piece of plastic across the top of the neck which the strings sit in.