Most tuning problems, most tone complaints and most “something feels off” visits to the bench end the same way: fresh strings, fitted properly. Here is the routine we use on every guitar that crosses the bench.
One string at a time
Replace strings one at a time, not all at once – the neck stays under tension and the setup stays put. The exception is when you are cleaning or conditioning the board, in which case take a photo of the bridge first and give yourself twenty unhurried minutes.
Wind like you mean it
Two to three wraps on the wound strings, three to four on the plain ones, each wrap seating below the last so the string bears down on the post. Sloppy winds are where phantom detuning lives. A winder makes this faster; technique makes it stay in tune.
Stretch, then stretch again
Tune to pitch, grip each string at the twelfth fret and pull firmly away from the board, retune, repeat until the pitch stops dropping. Two minutes of stretching saves a whole evening of chasing the needle.
Wipe them down after playing
Skin oils kill strings faster than playing does. A dry cloth run under and over the strings after each session roughly doubles the life of a set – the cheapest tone upgrade there is.
