not happy with my Taylor....

[athomas]

Hi

 

A while back i posted on this forum that I had issues with the 'G' string on my Taylor. Since then I have strted have an issue with the 'D' String. It broke once and then yesterday both the 'G & D' strings broke while I was playing.

 

I am not that inexperienced (6yrs of playing consistently) and I have tried everything from using lighter pics (Dunlop nylon .60mm & .73mm) on my light strings (Elixir nanoweb lights, Daddario lights or Martin lights). I had the elixir lights on this time. I had the bridge smoothed and got it professionaly setup. However I didn't pickup the Taylor for about two weeks till yesterday cause I was out of the country.

 

The strings have not broken on my Martin since I got it (3yrs!!!). And now, I am not comfortable playing the Taylor cause I am scared that the strings will break. I really like the sound, looks, feel and the ES pickup, but i am thinking of selling it and sticking with a Martin or trying another Taylor???

[12Pack]

Maybe this might help:

http://reviews.ebay.com/Why-Guitar-Strings-Break_W0QQugidZ10000000000138992?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:LISTINGS:4

[Queequeg]

Then play your Taylor as an exercise in discovering why the strings are breaking. There has to be a logical explanation and an inexpensive solution.

Forgive me being a stickler for details, but I think you most likely had your "saddle" smoothed; not your bridge. I make this point only because you are gong to have to get down to a rather granular level in your investigation if you want to correct this problem. So a *bridge or whatever* mentality won't cut it, if you'll excuse the expression. And you're going to come out on the other side of this with a better understanding of your guitar.

Your guitar is this amalgam of assembled parts. One of those parts needs attention. Your mission is to find out which one.

Where are the strings breaking? And as to yesterday, I assume the 2 strings didn't break @ the same time. You broke one, restrung & then proceeded to break the other, right? Did you learn a new tune recently that they break on? Anything change in your playing style? String bending for example?

I can go literally years without breaking a string, but in the last 2 weeks I have broken 3 G strings on two different guitars. I'm trying to find out if they were the same brand of strings but I'm not certain. My playing didn't change. So I am ona similar journey @ the moment, athomas.

[athomas]

thanks for the input and the correction on about the saddle. So here is more detailed info..

The 'G' broke by the saddle and the 'D' by the nut. The first to break was the 'G', i was in the middle of a song so I continued strumming softly since I was used to this happening and then the 'D' string broke soon after by the nut.
I was mainly strumming at that point - a regular 3 down one up strum. The day beofore this incident I was playing a new song that required muting the strings in between the struming pattern. I was using a .73mm Dunlop pick on Elixir nanoweb lights.



thanks for the help.

[Freeman Keller]

I'll add that Elixers have a reputation of breaking the G string, even to the point where they would give you a new one if send in the old one. Since it never happens to me (I do use Nano's on most of my guitars) I really haven't pursued it, but I'll bet that if you went to the AGF and seached for "Elixer G string" you'd learn a bit more.

And try to narrow it even more - instead of "by the nut" is it "at the nut" or "at the first fret" or "at the tuning post". Strings usually break where they are stressed over an edge, altho like 12Pack's link, there can be many causes.

But first, even if you like the sound of the Nanos you might want to give something else a try for a while.

[Tony Burns]

Id have a competent luthier give your guitar a good going over - even a setup might be a good thing to have - tell him ( her ) about your problem , theirs a hundred different reasons to why your string breaks - it might even be the way your playing - so thats my two cents !

[DeepEnd]

I'm afraid you're not going to get much help on this one. Clearly the consensus is that whatever is happening is somehow your fault, either through something you're doing or through ingorance of what's causing the strings to break. I'm more the "{censored} happens" type but I'm also the exception. I posted a few weeks ago that I had a brand new d'Addario PB G string break at the post for no apparent reason. I still don't know why. There's nothing involving the nut or tuners that would account for it. No burrs, rough/sharp edges, etc. The string just broke. As Tony Burns pointed out, there are a hundred reasons why it broke; it could be a bad string, Lunar tides, the alignment of the planets, or just a bad day. I really don't know and frankly neither does anyone else.

[happy-man]

I hope you can figure this out without it interfering with your guitar playing. Unless you're the kind that really smash strums you shouldn't have to change pick gauges. It's a shame not to play a nice guitar out of some fear. I'd go back to playing it exactly like you want to: the gauge strings you want for sound and playability, the pick you want for sound and playability. You've already done a logical step by having someone check out the setup and sand the saddle.

It could be that there was an issue with that particular pack of strings. If those are the strings the guy used while setting it up he could have damaged them. I'm fortunate in that I seldom break a string. I don't know that I've ever broken one playing. I think I've always broken them while doing things like changing tunings. I've recently learned an excellent way to break strings - do a setup. Making a nut from a blank is the best way. You bring the strings from slack to concert pitch so many times that some just give up.

Keep playing that Taylor. Too nice a guitar not to play. You've got to conquer this fear. If another string breaks start over and see if there's an issue at the exact point of breakage (saddle, tuner, etc.). Find a strore that sells single strings so you won't have to agonize over the price of a full pack when one break. I have a store locally that charges $1-$1.50 for a single.

Scott O

[OldGuitarPlayer]

Id have a competent luthier give your guitar a good going over - even a setup might be a good thing to have - tell him ( her ) about your problem , theirs a hundred different reasons to why your string breaks - it might even be the way your playing - so thats my two cents !

+1 Exactly

[athomas]

Hi Guys,

It is been a week with new Daddario's EXP on my Taylor and it has been great.

[Freeman Keller]

Hi Guys, It is been a week with new Daddario's EXP on my Taylor and it has been great.

 

 

So what did you do to keep it from breaking strings? Just change to EXP's? (I've got to try a set of those for the string test. So much to do, so little time....)

[daklander]

....Elixir nanoweb lights. ......

 

 

There you go.

[daklander]

Heh, I posted before I saw the results.

I've seen quite a few problems with Elixir strings breaking and, as Freeman noted, particularly the G string.

[basschick22]

I hope the EXPs serve you well. I use them on my Takamine and love them, and haven't had any trouble with breaking strings.

Perhaps this is another thing to consider (though I know that you've had trouble with your strings for a while). I teach private guitar lessons, and I taught at a music store for about 7 years. I noticed that each year, at about this time (when the weather starts to get colder here in the States), guitars go out-of-whack (particularly acoustics) and guitar strings start breaking left and right. Strange, but true. I don't know if it's just our Oklahoma weather that changes at the drop of a ten gallon hat, or just coincidence, but 'tis the season.

...my 2 cents...

[athomas]

I didn't change anything else cause my luthier said that everything looks fine - saddle, nut, bridge pins etc. I am going to stay with the EXP's and test them out..

[AugTPD]

 

I hope the EXPs serve you well. I use them on my Takamine and love them, and haven't had any trouble with breaking strings. Perhaps this is another thing to consider (though I know that you've had trouble with your strings for a while). I teach private guitar lessons, and I taught at a music store for about 7 years. I noticed that each year, at about this time (when the weather starts to get colder here in the States), guitars go out-of-whack (particularly acoustics) and guitar strings start breaking left and right. Strange, but true. I don't know if it's just our Oklahoma weather that changes at the drop of a ten gallon hat, or just coincidence, but 'tis the season. ...my 2 cents...

 

 

You're absolutely right, it is the weather. Colder weather leads to lower humidity. Also, central heating in homes leads to even lower humidity. Acoustics (and even electrics to a lesser extent) will do all sorts of funny stuff as the wood reacts to being too dry. It's easy to keep under control by properly humidifying the guitar during the dry winter months.