Ever Have One Of Them Nights?

[mineame]

Sixth or Seventh song of the night... Jamming hard to Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters, having a good time... Hit an open A chord and you look down and you just broke the A string...

 

I switch over to the shared second guitar and your strap locks aren't compatible, you're use to a 24 fret guitar and are now on a 22 fret guitar with a different neck radius and is about 4 pounds lighter. The rest of the set (and a bit more) is a mish mosh of random sour notes.

 

This was me last night... The rest of the first set and a good chunk of the second set was a real downer.

 

Lessons learned:

 

1) Forget about what one dude in the band bitches about, bring your own back up guitar...

 

2) No matter how calmly you can go get the back up. Your probably better off killing the volume on your guitar and switching between songs.

 

3) Swallow your pride a bit, if your on a new guitar with a different neck, your probably best to just become a bit more of a neck gazer.

[wades_keys]

 

3) Swallow your pride a bit, if your on a new guitar with a different neck, your probably best to just become a bit more of a neck gazer.

 

Disagree strongly. Hit the woodshed and don't leave until you can play that damn thing like you mean it. No excuse for that IMO.

 

Lesson 4:

4) Never bring an instrument to the gig that you for whatever reason can't play as well as your primary instrument (or at least well enough to cover the gig without a noticeable drop in quality of tone or performance)

[tim_7string]

I used to switch between my Telecaster and my 7-string guitar during the same set. That always seemed to cause me some orientation problems, so I only play the Tele on the first 2 sets and the 7-string on the last 2 sets.

 

I have two of the same 7-string so that when I just play those all night, the weight and feel is the same. I did one gig like that a few weeks ago (no Tele) and it was fun. I felt more relaxed, but the tone of the Tele was definitely missed on a lot of the songs we played.

 

And I firmly agree with no. 2. I hate seeing people either stop the song, or it becomes the extended 12" disco remix version, while they slowly go get another guitar. Gee, not too obvious something happened? The best thing to do to "fool" most of the audience is to not react at all.

 

Of course, this is much easier to do in a two-guitar band than in a trio like mine...thankfully, since I play fixed-bridge guitars and regularly change the strings, I haven't had a problem with a string breaking onstage in over 10 years.

[MichaelSaulnier]

Seems like some good lessons learned without too much pain attached!

 

You make a case for having all the same straplocks on each guitar... or at least having the backup be comfortable and available to play.

 

It's funny because so many people bring a backup that is not similar... like if your main guitar is a strat, and have a LP as a backup.

 

I don't have any problems switching between necks and scale lengths... and even weight, although there are certain songs that get a little whammy bar action that isn't available on a normal LP.

 

Always bring more strings... didn't you change strings on your guitar between the first and second set? Every one of my guitar cases has a set of strings inside... so I can NEVER forget. Cheap insurance against what happened to you.

 

M

[wades_keys]

 

Always bring more strings... didn't you change strings on your guitar between the first and second set? Every one of my guitar cases has a set of strings inside... so I can NEVER forget. Cheap insurance against what happened to you. M

 

I agree with that, but not as a substitute for a backup guitar.

[mineame]

EDIT: sorry, I misread that. I don't know if I agree with that. If you can't finish the song with the busted string, you'd better grab that backup quick. I'm sorry, but to me nothing is worse than making your bandmates finish a song that has no guitar in it - man, that's the WORST.

 

This is a good point... But let me give you a bit more detail ... we are a 5 piece two guitar band. So there will still be guitar.

 

I guess it's a decision between being a distraction up on stage trying to overcome an overlooked inconvenience or just having the other VERY capable guitarist muscle through it ... Each band has it's own uniqueness that brings a different approach to the same problem.

[wades_keys]

 

I guess it's a decision between being a distraction up on stage trying to overcome an overlooked inconvenience or just having the other VERY capable guitarist muscle through it ...

 

Absolutely - if you've got a dude that will cover then yeah, on with the show.

 

You can probably play that off to where the audience will never know what's up.

[mineame]

 

Seems like some good lessons learned without too much pain attached! You make a case for having all the same straplocks on each guitar... or at least having the backup be comfortable and available to play. It's funny because so many people bring a backup that is not similar... like if your main guitar is a strat, and have a LP as a backup. I don't have any problems switching between necks and scale lengths... and even weight, although there are certain songs that get a little whammy bar action that isn't available on a normal LP. Always bring more strings... didn't you change strings on your guitar between the first and second set? Every one of my guitar cases has a set of strings inside... so I can NEVER forget. Cheap insurance against what happened to you. M

 

 

We discussed this. But, since we both use Ibanez's w/ floating trems (RG for me, sabers for the other guy), and the other guitarist had just changed his strings in the last week. We decided the chance of another string breaking was minimal. So dealing with breaking in the new strings wasn't really worth it.

 

Like I said, next time I will be bringing my own second guitar.

[mineame]

 

You can probably play that off to where the audience will never know what's up.

 

 

My point exactly for just moving on like nothing has happened.

[Alex_SF]

 

I switch over to the shared second guitar and your strap locks aren't compatible , you're use to a 24 fret guitar and are now on a 22 fret guitar with a different neck radius and is about 4 pounds lighter. The rest of the set (and a bit more) is a mish mosh of random sour notes.

 

 

Every guitar on stage should have a strap on it already when it's placed on a stand.

 

Not only does that eliminate any straplock compatibility issues, but I at least find it quicker to just take a guitar off and put another one on than to change straps as part of the process, even with quick-release straplocks.

[mineame]

 

Every guitar on stage should have a strap on it already when it's placed on a stand. Not only does that eliminate any straplock compatibility issues, but I at least find it quicker to just take a guitar off and put another one on than to change straps as part of the process, even with quick-release straplocks.

 

 

Yes! When I was bringing my own second guitar, both had straps on them...

 

I stopped bringing the second one because I was tired of listening to our Diva (not the singer btw) bitch, moan and complain.

[tlbonehead]

Every guitar on stage should have a strap on it already when it's placed on a stand. Not only does that eliminate any straplock compatibility issues, but I at least find it quicker to just take a guitar off and put another one on than to change straps as part of the process, even with quick-release straplocks.

yes, I usually have 4-5 guitars on stage and all have their own straps. And usually I can finish a song with a broken string.

[Chicken Monkey]

Won't work for all bands, but my last group had an acapella number or two, stein-swinging singalong numbers, that we could cut to if I broke a string. Nowadays, I have more control over the PA and can get my guitar loud enough that I don't have to bang on it, and am far less likely to break a string.

[SpaceNorman]

 

If you can't finish the song with the busted string, you'd better grab that backup quick. I'm sorry, but to me nothing is worse than making your bandmates finish a song that has no guitar in it - man, that's the WORST.

 

 

I've never seen the guys that I play with not be able to finish a song with a busted string. Granted ... the guitar part suddenly gets simple and the tuning is suddenly a little suspect ... but never so bad that we can't limp the song across the finish line.

 

Although I don't play guitar - I suspect that anytime somebody claims that can't finish a tune - the reasons why are more in their head than the result of a broken string.

 

Although I may not relish the idea of having to drive on a blown out tire ... but you can bet your ass that I don't throw my hands up in the air and say I just can't when it happens. I'm thinking this applies to most on stage disasters as well.

[Lee Flier]

Hmm... seems like a no brainer to me: 1) always have a backup guitar that is similar enough to your primary one that you don't freak out when you change, 2) make sure there's a strap already on it and leave it close by on a stand, ready to grab.

 

When I've played in two guitar bands, if I break a string I generally grab the backup right away. In a trio situation like my band now, unless the song has a breakdown that is bass and drums only, that's not really an option. I just figure out a way to finish the song with the broken string. Since you can generally play the same notes on other strings, it's usually not a problem although I might have to simplify or change the part a little on the fly. Generally, it's not a big deal.

[Bim1959]

SpaceNorman. You must be lucky in the fact that your guitarists dont play guitars with floating tremolos, otherwise you'd know that if a string broke on one of those it's game over since the guitar needs the tension of all 6 strings to stay in tune. Try playing in a 3 piece where it's your guitarist's main guitar and he breaks a string. Then the song goes on without him while he changes guitars (he carries 4 with only 1 strap and they're all different - a Roadstar, a Strat, a Les Paul & a Jackson King V). All I can say is that {censored} happens. You just need to be prepared for it.

[tim_7string]

 

SpaceNorman. You must be lucky in the fact that your guitarists dont play guitars with floating tremolos, otherwise you'd know that if a string broke on one of those it's game over since the guitar needs the tension of all 6 strings to stay in tune. Try playing in a 3 piece where it's your guitarist's main guitar and he breaks a string. Then the song goes on without him while he changes guitars (he carries 4 with only 1 strap and they're all different - a Roadstar, a Strat, a Les Paul & a Jackson King V). All I can say is that {censored} happens. You just need to be prepared for it.

 

 

That is exactly why I don't rely upon a guitar with a floating tremolo as my main guitar in my own trio. There is too much riding on us keeping the show going and that would be a major FAIL if I did that.

 

Keep in mind my first guitar was a floating trem guitar, but I usually played in bands that had one other guitarist as well.

[tim_7string]

In a trio situation like my band now, unless the song has a breakdown that is bass and drums only, that's not really an option. I just figure out a way to finish the song with the broken string. Since you can generally play the same notes on other strings, it's usually not a problem although I might have to simplify or change the part a little on the fly. Generally, it's not a big deal.

 

I do that as well, Lee. It helps having a fixed-bridge too!

[wades_keys]

 

I've never seen the guys that I play with not be able to finish a song with a busted string. Granted ... the guitar part suddenly gets simple and the tuning is suddenly a little suspect ... but never so bad that we can't limp the song across the finish line. Although I don't play guitar - I suspect that anytime somebody claims that can't finish a tune - the reasons why are more in their head than the result of a broken string. Although I may not relish the idea of having to drive on a blown out tire ... but you can bet your ass that I don't throw my hands up in the air and say I just can't when it happens. I'm thinking this applies to most on stage disasters as well.

 

He was talking about turning the volume on the guitar all the way off until the song is over.

 

That would be like slamming on your brakes on a freeway when you get a flat tire.

[SpaceNorman]

 

SpaceNorman. You must be lucky in the fact that your guitarists dont play guitars with floating tremolos, otherwise you'd know that if a string broke on one of those it's game over since the guitar needs the tension of all 6 strings to stay in tune. Try playing in a 3 piece where it's your guitarist's main guitar and he breaks a string. Then the song goes on without him while he changes guitars (he carries 4 with only 1 strap and they're all different - a Roadstar, a Strat, a Les Paul & a Jackson King V). All I can say is that {censored} happens. You just need to be prepared for it.

 

 

Sounds like the perfect setup for the dreaded bass solo !!!!!!

 

Reality is that I don't know much about what any of the guitar players I work with play (other than color and basic body style....)

 

I'm guessing nobody is using a floating termolo ... 'cause so far, when strings have broken - they've always soldiered on to the end of the song.

[tim_7string]

 

I'm guessing nobody is using a floating termolo ... 'cause so far, when strings have broken - they've always soldiered on to the end of the song.

 

 

They always go out of tune when one of the strings breaks, unlike a fixed bridge or down-only tremolo. Kinda makes you wonder why they were even invented, huh? They are fun to play with, but I just prefer to keep trainwrecks and possible mishaps to a minimum whenever I play live. Switching to the 7-strings and Tele from my floating trem Ibanez I bought in the early '90s was part of that for me.

 

I remember watching the Van Halen - Live Without A Net video years ago and watching in horror and embarassment as Eddie struggled with a broken string early into the song "I Can't Drive 55." Thankfully, Sammy Hagar was playing guitar as well, so it wasn't so bad, but that's not a situation I'd want to deal with in front of 30,000 people.

[Lee Flier]

 

That is exactly why I don't rely upon a guitar with a floating tremolo as my main guitar in my own trio. There is too much riding on us keeping the show going and that would be a major FAIL if I did that.

 

 

Gahhhh... no kidding! I wouldn't dream of gigging with a guitar with a floating trem! Recipe for disaster, right there. Maybe bring it along to use on a song or two, but as my main guitar? In a trio? No way!

[ski219]

I play a floater and when I occasionally break a string it throws at least half the remaining strings out of tune. I can finish and sometimes will; but we are a 2 guitar band so it's no big deal for me to swap mid song... depends on the song of course. My back up has a strap already on it - switching guitars is much faster that way.

[wades_keys]

I jammed a woodblock in my old Jackson with Floyd Rose for just this reason - that converted it into a fixed bridge guitar.

 

I always hated how oblique bends sounded on floating bridge axes.

[3shiftgtr]

Holy {censored}! We've all had tough gigs. But there is no bitching if you pop a string! {censored}, if that is all that happened, you are doing fine!!! If you play enough gigs, you are going to break a string in front of people eventually. I've seen the best in the business have tech probs on stage. Here's a short list as I can remember:

1) Pat Metheny didn't tuck his cord behind his strap, and stepped on the cord and pulled it out mid solo, bent down and plugged it in. Still played great.

2) Luther Allison break 3 strings in one set in different songs. He was jerkin those strings around so hard...played a stunning set.

3) Saw Steve Vai yank his trem out of the guitar pulling it stupid sharp. WeeeeeeeeeeeeeCLONK! and he's holding the whole floyd in his hand just looking at it like "Whoa". Didn't stop him. Had another guitar in his hands in seconds.

4) Saw B.B. King futz with his cord (this is back in his standing days in the 80's) as it was cutting out...futzed with it at the guitar, then the amp, then had a tech swap a cord, then it still crackled so then they swapped guitars. All over the course of 2 songs. And played a great gig.

5) Saw David Lee Roth's acoustic feed back so bad he couldn't play it. After starting the song like 4 times. It was during Ice Cream Man and had to get Eddie to come out and fake the intro on electric. Still a powerful rendition.

6) Saw Michael Brecker, Don Alias, Jeff Watts, James Genus, and Joey Calderazzo play a gig and at the first break, when Brecker was introducing the band, he thanked a local music store for providing the instruments at the last miniute because all of their instruments got re routed. You could see the fustration on their faces, but they played their asses off none the less on some INSANELY challenging music.

7) The last one that comes to mind is blues man Kenny Neal. This was at a club in the late 80's. He breaks a string in the middle of a solo, sustains a note in key, and grabs a string on top of the amp, and re strings it while he is singing the next verse. WHILE HE IS SINGING THE NEXT VERSE! And then plays the next solo, fiddling with the tuner as part of the solo. HOLY {censored}!!!

 

So, if you break a string, just switch guitars quick. No harm no foul. Bigger names have gone thru a lot worse. There's no crying in baseball.

 

But I do have an issue with this idea that a different neck radius will screw your playing up. Are you serious? Are you playing really technically challenging music? I mean c'mon. YOu can't let that throw you off your game. Just concentrate a little harder and adapt. Sounds like it just threw your game off mentally.....

 

Can't come down on ya too hard tho, cuz we have all had bad nights. Happens to us all! Just gotta keep playing.....