breaking strings

[jrspencer]

hey guys, to start off im new here so a little about me: i'm a full time college student studying composition at the college of charleston. ive been playing guitar for 11 years and ive dabbled with other instruments, and im pumped to be on the forum.

 

anyways here's my problem, i just started playing rhythm in a band so im mostly strumming chords, but i like to play really hard (pbr doesnt help ) and im breaking strings literally every day. i've got a prs soapbar II, an ibanez artcore hollowbody, and a seagull entourage series acoustic, and it keeps happening with all three. normally i play .10 titanium coated slinkys on the lectrics and .10 martins on the acoustic. someone recommended that i try reenforced slinkys but i broke the e string after about three hours...

 

obviously i can bump up to heavier strings but i really dont want to because i like the feel and sound i get from lighter gauge strings. i feel like theres something fundamentally wrong, but i have no clue what it might be, and my budget doesnt allow for 6 packs of strings a week.. any suggestions??

[Doctor49]

hey guys, to start off im new here so a little about me: i'm a full time college student studying composition at the college of charleston. ive been playing guitar for 11 years and ive dabbled with other instruments, and im pumped to be on the forum. anyways here's my problem, i just started playing rhythm in a band so im mostly strumming chords, but i like to play really hard (pbr doesnt help ) and im breaking strings literally every day. i've got a prs soapbar II, an ibanez artcore hollowbody, and a seagull entourage series acoustic, and it keeps happening with all three. normally i play .10 titanium coated slinkys on the lectrics and .10 martins on the acoustic. someone recommended that i try reenforced slinkys but i broke the e string after about three hours... obviously i can bump up to heavier strings but i really dont want to because i like the feel and sound i get from lighter gauge strings. i feel like theres something fundamentally wrong, but i have no clue what it might be, and my budget doesnt allow for 6 packs of strings a week.. any suggestions??

 

 

Where do you get breaks?

Nut?

Bridge?

pups?

Frets?

 

If its random or pups, its probably a function of this, plus your pick technique I suspect.

If its consistent then look at the nut/bridge/frets.

 

If it happens on all your stuff in the same way then its this.

[notjonahbutnoah]

Well, the checks you would do on your guitars would be for little spur things on your bridge (I'm assuming that's where they're breaking) where the metal is just getting chewed up and clawing at your strings.

 

However

 

What I'm 95% sure is happening is just that you're playing too damned hard. I'm in a punk rock band, am 24, and our stuff is fast and really aggressive (save for some reggae bits), so I know exactly how hard you think those strings need to be thwacked. Thing is, you don't have a roadie and 15 backups waiting for you backstage, so you just hafta play softer. Use your wrist and not your elbow. Don't choke the neck. Hold the strings down just hard enough to make the note ring clearly. Maybe adjust the height of your guitar. Perhaps (usually people advise the opposite, but {censored} it) move the thing down a touch on your strap. Then you'll hit the strings a little later in your strum and perhaps not as hard. It's just a matter of gaining some experience and developing a lighter touch.

 

String care is important too. If you're gigging, I say it's a gamble to play more than a couple shows with the same set. Also, when one breaks, changing all 6 is a solid idea. I also find that D'Addarios seem to break less frequently than EB's (used EB for years and switched a year or so ago). But that's just my luck. Your results may vary. In between string changes, clean and lube your strings. Try some GHS Fast Fret. Google it.

 

Hmmm, oh, also make sure you're stringing it properly, keep nice tidy wraps down on the tuning posts. Don't make it look like a beehive. Watch a youtube vid on it if yours are a mess.

 

I guess that's all I can think of right now. BEST OF LUCK! Welcome to the forum too, by the way.

[DaleH]

Don't strum so hard. Turn your amp up and let it do the work.

[jrspencer]

all my breaks are at the bridge, i definitely don't have any spurs and i always pay close attention to the way my strings wind around the tuning posts, so i guess i just have to play a little softer :/ and ive actually found the opposite about d'addario, they tend to break faster than the slinkys. but thats just me, and clearly my technique is off anyway! thanks for the feedback guys!

[sammyreynolds01]

Since your playing rhythm try moving up a gauge but it seems like you're playing too hard.

[Doctor49]

 

all my breaks are at the bridge, i definitely don't have any spurs and i always pay close attention to the way my strings wind around the tuning posts, so i guess i just have to play a little softer :/ and ive actually found the opposite about d'addario, they tend to break faster than the slinkys. but thats just me, and clearly my technique is off anyway! thanks for the feedback guys!

 

 

yep - you are right.

 

google up some u tubes on rhythm technique.

 

Plus you have an amp for volume, you have a pick for attack.

[=JL=]

Also, think about pick angle. Mine is almost never parallel with the strings.

[csm]

 

If you're gigging, I say it's a gamble to play more than a couple shows with the same set. Also, when one breaks, changing all 6 is a solid idea.

 

 

Back in the late '70s, when my then band was on a tour where we played 10 shows in 11 days, I realised that if I didn't change strings after every second gig, I'd invariably break one on the third. Generally speaking, under less intensive conditions, if I break a plain string, I just replace it. If I break a wound one, I change the lot.

[WRGKMC]

Havent snapped a string in years and I'm really hard on strings.

 

I'd first have to ask how may playing hours do you get and what you expect to get out of your strings.

I normally change strings about every 40 hours of practice or 8 hours of live gigging (Two Shows max)

 

Second would be the string brand and pick type. Some brands of strings just suck bad for durability.

Celluloid picks wear quickly and can dig into strings too much. If so try tortex and see if the problem improves.

 

If you're having the ball end unwrap, dip the ball end in crazy glue, let it dry, wipe off any excess before installing the strings.

It will stop ball end unwrapping and fix a buttload of tuning issues.

 

If the strings breaking at the saddle then the saddles need to be smoothed so the strings arent being cut by them.

A small file or super fine sandpaper folded over a knife blade can usually fix problem with a TOM style saddle. On a fender

bridge you have to take the string off to fix the inside edge where they usually break

[smorgdonkey]

 

Don't strum so hard. Turn your amp up and let it do the work.

 

 

That's the biggest problem when there is no mechanical (bridge saddle spur, etc) reason. If you switch to a heavier pick then often you will back off on the strumming 'weight' a bit.

 

I have a friend who continues to break strings like crazy even after roller bridges and whatever else but he won't use a heavier pick. The heavier pick is what cured me...I often broke strings on acoustic guitars in less than 15 minutes. The change in feel and 'touch' translates over to electric too.

[LesPaulFetish]

^Heavy pick is a good tip, not just for the string breaking issue but IMO just playing overall. Also, choke up on the pick a bit! You don't need a huge part of the pick sticking out. Luckily, though, when I first went to buy picks I went for the smallest possible size/thickness and the guy working there (thank god, I owe him a card or something) set me straight and showed me some heavy picks and how to hold them, nice and close to the end that you pick with. However, if you're been playing 11 years this kind of stuff is tough to change. Good luck, hopefully it's an easy fix.

[smorgdonkey]

 

However, if you're been playing 11 years this kind of stuff is tough to change. Good luck, hopefully it's an easy fix.

 

I never went to a thicker pick until I played about 20 years, but because I didn't have much of a breakage problem prior to that, I thought that it may have been a string manufacturing process change. I changed string brands like crazy and nothing worked until I went to the thicker pick. Then I was able to go back to the good strings (D'Addario) and not have the string breakage problem. I recently went up to an even thicker pick (1.5mm Dunlop) and like that a lot. My breakage issues are 10 years behind me now.

[LesPaulFetish]

For sure. Interesting, though, I know Paul Gilbert as well as Buckethead use very thin picks, because they do provide a more scratchy tone which translates well with gain. I think it's more important to just choke up a bit on whatever you're using than to use a heavy pick, though IMO heavy picks are better for me especially in terms of accuracy and speed.