Strings breaking

[Matthews Guitars]

If strings consistently break at the same spot, the spot they break at is where the problem is.

 

[Kim Lucky Day]

35 years ago I started changing strings and properly stretching them the day before every gig, and I've broken 1 string over hundreds of gigs. Five or six bucks for a pack of fresh strings is cheap insurance against embarrassment and unprofessionalism. Pay the $5, or roll the dice. Breaking strings in front of live audiences is for amateurs.

When coated strings break, they typically break at the bridge, because that's where they wear and corrode the quickest. I've noticed that they cause a lot of players to put too much confidence in them, and ignore necessary string changes until... they break.

I recall going to see a Scorpions show around 1990 at the old Brown County Arena in Green Bay. Used to be able to sit in the seats alongside the stage and get pretty close to the action without getting killed with volume. I recall Matthias broke at least 3 strings that night. The look on his face after the 3rd break was just sheer frustration.

I typically change after 3 gigs no matter what but usually after 2 gigs in the summer. I do wipe down my guitars & strings. I can understand the physics behind why a string would be more likely to break at the bridge but this should hold true for any of the strings, let along a wound D string... No issues witblh the E/B/G strings breaking...

 

[Leonard Neemoil]

If strings consistently break at the same spot, the spot they break at is where the problem is.

Correct. Being on multiple guitars, I'd say that it must be a string manufacturing defect rather than a saddle problem.

 

[El Gringo]

Do you use the same strings as KLD? If so maybe there is a problem with them.

I use Ernie Balls

 

[Kilmister]

What I find annoying is that the guitar shops for years now always want to put 10s on everything. Back in the 70s seemed like almost no one used 10s. If I'm not mistaken Pagey used 8s on his #1 and many other guys back then used 8s. Now it's just 10s on everything. I get that SRV used really heavy gauge and so did one of my idols Malcom as he was really hard on them. Jimmy Page used 8s and Im older and only play at home once in a while should be good enough for me. Idk, rant over, get off my heck lawn.

 

[Lo-Tek]

OP: You say it only happens at gigs?

What I find annoying is that the guitar shops for years now always want to put 10s on everything. Back in the 70s seemed like almost no one used 10s. If I'm not mistaken Pagey used 8s on his #1 and many other guys back then used 8s. Now it's just 10s on everything. I get that SRV used really heavy gauge and so did one of my idols Malcom as he was really hard on them. Jimmy Page used 8s and Im older and only play at home once in a while should be good enough for me. Idk, rant over, get off my heck lawn.

In my experience .10s are still the most popular followed by .09s. They say the Stratocaster originally came with 12s or 13s!

 

[StrummerJoe]

Been using Regular Slinky for 37 years. No regular string breakage on any of my guitars I currently own or had previously owned.

 

[ampeq]

I t

OP: You say it only happens at gigs?


In my experience .10s are still the most popular followed by .09s. They say the Stratocaster originally came with 12s or 13s!

I think 10’s sound better and are a happy medium so a lot of guitar builders ship with them. I like 9’s myself but when doing open or full chords heavier strings do give a better tone, especially with single coils.

 

[JeffMcLeod]

If strings consistently break at the same spot, the spot they break at is where the problem is.

Agreed.

Check your set-up.

 

[Soundguy55]

Check out the “String Saver” products from Graphtech. They were designed specifically to address this problem.

 

[DirtySteve]

They say the Stratocaster originally came with 12s or 13s!

Probably because they sound so thin and nasally they had to compensate.

 

[Lo-Tek]

Probably because they sound so thin and nasally they had to compensate.

Vintage Strats sound nasally? To my ears they sounded open and full. ymmv

Back in the day string makers just made sets thicker. Players started using banjo strings for the high E and eventually string makers took note and made thinner guitar sets.

Vintage Les Pauls came with heavy gauge flat wounds. That was just the standard procedure in the 50s.

 

[paul-e-mann]

I recall going to see a Scorpions show around 1990 at the old Brown County Arena in Green Bay. Used to be able to sit in the seats alongside the stage and get pretty close to the action without getting killed with volume. I recall Matthias broke at least 3 strings that night. The look on his face after the 3rd break was just sheer frustration.

I typically change after 3 gigs no matter what but usually after 2 gigs in the summer. I do wipe down my guitars & strings. I can understand the physics behind why a string would be more likely to break at the bridge but this should hold true for any of the strings, let along a wound D string... No issues witblh the E/B/G strings breaking...

Throw on a set of regular Ernie Ball 10's in the lime pack and see what happens. If these break it's not your strings but your bridge. Have you ever tried a roller bridge?

 

[DirtySteve]

Vintage Strats sound nasally? To my ears they sounded open and full. ymmv

Back in the day string makers just made sets thicker. Players started using banjo strings for the high E and eventually string makers took note and made thinner guitar sets.

Vintage Les Pauls came with heavy gauge flat wounds. That was just the standard procedure in the 50s.

I was just goofin'.

 

[tallcoolone]

It’s always the d string for me regardless of guitar, although I have broke e strings at our last two gigs. I have e and d strings in every case—pisses me off when I have to crack/waste a whole set of strings to fix a broken one.

Best advice if you rule out bridge issues is the rag—wipe down your strings