Brand new guitar. I love it. But the strings go out of tune in literally seconds. What do I do?
New strings will detune very quickly, because they haven't reached their elastic point yet. It means that as you play, the strings are stretching out but not contracting back to where they started from, leading to the strings going flat. This is just because they are new - as they wear in they will reach their elastic point so that when they do get stretched and released they will return to where they started.
To hasten the wearing in process, give each string a good pull - grab it somewhere around the middle of the string (ie around the 12th fret) and pull it away from the neck. Pull it up about an inch or so I guess, and just hold it for a couple of seconds. Do this a few times, and retune. Then pull the strings again and retune. After you play for a while they will probably go out of tune again, but it should take longer for this to happen. Then every time you play, just check that the guitar is in tune first (which you should do anyway :))
There may be more to it, like strings that aren't properly wound on the tuning posts, a floating trem bridge that's not adjusted properly, strings catching in the nut slots or on the bridge saddles...
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Are the strings the same ones that the factory put on it?
If so, try a new set.
The ones they put on at the factory may have been played by dozens pf people in the store, and may have been on the guitar for months.
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
