I'm guessing a bad string could be possible.  I'm guessing you've checked the winding at the tuner to see if the string could be slipping in the tuner (due to some overlap in the winding). 

There can be a bad string, but with modern wire it is unlikely that you will ever encounter one. It would almost certainly be because of a bad winding at the loop/button bass end.

You probably have too many and/or loose turns around the pin at the tuner. It can take a while for everything to slip into place.

I only change strings when they break, unless I am salvaging an old instrument. I also stick to noter-drone DAA tuning.

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well.  Greetings from Minnesota.

Is there such a thing as a bad string?  I put on a new set last Saturday and my first string keeps going out of tune, something that never happened before, even with strings that had been on for a long time.  (I always change them before a performance, such as I have next Tuesday, but it's been a while.)

I tightened the tuner (and then loosened it, for comparison), so that doesn't seem to be the problem.

I'm playing on four equidistant strings, with the first string tuned to A.  It's a McSpadden 4FHWR, which I love.  I do a lot of string bending, which, of course, can pull strings out of tune, but it's quite limited on the other strings and extreme on the first string.  I retune between songs, but this happens on the last song.

Any sage counsel would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks and have a great weekend.