I found an ad in the back of one of the guitar mags for a device called the String Stretcha-
Stretcha - Welcome
I, too, have been changing strings for 33 years and am embarrassed to admit that I never took time to properly stretch strings out. I would do the whole tug, slide up and down, big bends, etc, but never anything more than that. When I got my JP6, I put new strings on it and it felt stiff, difficult to bend, etc. But after 3 days of a lot of playing, it finally would play like the proverbial butta. Then I found this device and it's been working great. It basically makes the new strings feel played in from the moment you put them on. So if I have a gig, and want to change strings, no problem.
The one caveat is to not over stretch your strings. They recommend going up and down twice I believe. Over stretching can break your strings as your doing this, which I've done, especially on the high E. I've pulled strings loose from the locking tuner, again the high E or B, which told me I didn't lock down the string tight enough, or really over stretched the string. Lastly, from what I've found, over stretching can make your strings more susceptible to breakage sooner.
But I've been using this thing for over 2 years and dozens of string changes and it's been a necessary tool for me now.
