How often do your strings break and which string breaks most?
 

If you play a Guitar, Bass, Violin, Cello, Piano, or whatever other kinds of string instruments; how often do your string(s) break and which string breaks the most often?

I am a guitarist, for me strings only last 2 or 3 months, and the D string is always the first one to break. How about you guys?

I've probably broken about 4 strings in the last 8 years. My general approach to string breakage is that if its happening, you're doing something horribly wrong.

What kind of music do you play? Certainly different genres require different strumming and picking methods, stuff like Rock and Metal definitely put more stress on the strings than genres like Country and Jazz.

I play everything from shred to jazz. its all about technique. After a point hitting the strings harder is just wasted effort, especially if you play with distortion, since distortion compresses transients. The styles hardest on the strings imo are blues and hardcore/punk. One because it relies on transients and dynamics a lot, one because everyone who plays it just thrashes away.

in fact....YouTube - Extreme whammy abuse - Ibanez ZR tremolo

Observe. I can do that to strings without them breaking. I can also hit them as hard as I like without them breaking, to the point where any further force risks damaging the guitar as a whole, or my hand!

If your strings break, you're using bad strings, you're hitting them WAY too hard, or theres something wrong with your setup or guitar hardware. Even with Elixir Strings, which for me last roughly 3 to 5 months (I normally change uncoated strings once a month or every 2 months at the latest), I've had not a single string break. Ever.

If you leave strings on your guitar much longer than that, and you play every day, then frankly I think you're killing your strings with age. By that time (3 months for uncoated and 6 months for coated) I consider my strings to be worn out and too dull to carry on with.

The only time when I break strings is when I'm changing the tunings on my guitars. Even though I do it pretty frequently breaking a string while tuning down or up is pretty rare and only happens when a string is past it's prime. I play my guitars pretty hard too, lots of bends, hard strumming and picking and I've only broken one string while in the process of actually playing and it was during a fit of angry strumming a la Sonic Youth.

like GB said, there's something wrong here, especially where a WOUND string is always the first one to break...

where does the break happen? is it always at the same spot?

typically strings break at 2 locations, either right at the saddle or near the tuning peg. they're usually due to the same thing as well, some kind of burr or jagged edge in the path of the string. i used to get that a lot with my high E saddle, the file from a nail clipper fixed that. just slide through the groove a few times until it feels smooth to your fingertip. if you feel any kind of harshness or edge then rub it some more. you might have to find a rounded metal file if it's due to a sharp edge in the tuning peg.


i've NEVER snapped a string from strumming too hard, though i've worn down many pics at the top of the fretboard from the same ferocity. the only time i've popped strings in the last decade was from pressing down on them between the nut and the tuning pegs to fake pulling up on a whammy bar (and that was probably more likely to the guitar being in a frozen car for an hour before doing something like that within 20 minutes of taking it out.)

i also don't replace my guitar strings nearly as often as i should (i don't remember who said it but the basic attitude is, the tone can only die so much), and i don't ever plan on replacing the strings on my bass unless they snap.

I always break the high E string and sometimes B string on my acoustic guitar. But it really doesn't happen that often and when it does it's usually because I'm trying to put it into/ take it out of some weird tuning.

I've never broken a string on my bass or piano...

I've only broken strings twice - the high E once, and the A once.

As far as strings lasting - I've got Elixir Nanowebs on my acoustic right now which have been on there since the beginning of October. They seem to be holding up really well.

Before that, though, I got the guitar I'm playing now from my sister and it had the same strings on it from the time it was purchased - 2006 - to October when I finally got money I could use to buy new strings. No idea what kind of strings those were, though.

after 4 years it REALLY didn't matter :p:

Usually the B string when it's first getting tuned.

I'm not sure I agree with that, and in any case one of the major reasons apart from feel to replace a guitar string is because the intonation will go further and further out as the back of the string flattens to the frets curvature. If your strings are too old, then you'll also be out of tune :P


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Listening to: Biosphere - [Substrata #07] Kobresia [foobar2000 v1.0.3]

They always break at the saddle. They kind of snap the inner part of the string and leave the wounded metal still loosely connected. Here's the kind of saddle I have: http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbas...7/7/662077.jpg I've had only one guitar string break at the tuning peg, it happened because somehow my tuner got set to Bass and I didn't check before I started. I've never had a string snap in the middle.

I've never actually broken a string from strumming too hard. Normally I'll take my guitar out of its bag, sit down with it, start playing to check the tuning and normally it's way off (like way more than normal), so I begin to tune it and the string will break.

How fine does the file have to be?

I break maybe two or three a year... not very often. I'd say the high E and G strings break the most, but I've probably broken every one at some point.

Thats definitely some kind of burr or sharp edge on the saddle. Its cutting through the windings over time until they snap, and if you left it on there it would eventually do the same to the core.

Those kinds of saddles would need a fairly small file but really a bit of sandpaper might do it, just fold over some low grit paper and run it through the saddle a few times.

Okay, I'll do that. I actually just noticed that if I run my fingernail across where the string lays on the saddle, it actually kind of scratches my fingernail, it feels like sandpaper or running my nail across a blade of a knife.

What causes this to happen, just wear I assume? If wasn't like this when I bought the guitar.

Could be any number of things. Maybe you put an already damaged string on it once and if it happens to be a cheap saddle, and not hard enough, that caused a burr that got worse over time.

I've only ever had strings break once, when tuning the thin E string. Never when playing. (Been playing guitar for 1½ years.)

the high e.
all. the. time. it's kinda frustrating.
anybody got any ideas as to where i'm going wrong?

Same here. Idk I guess it always breaks cuz i use it so much for shredding and double tapping xD

Again, that wouldn't be the problem. If you're breaking strings either your technique is terrible or your guitar has a problem. Someone with good technique should never break a string while playing a well setup guitar.

Same for the post above yours. Learn to play without jackhammering the strings (You can only hit a string so hard before its pointless and won't be any louder), or alternatively, look at the guitar being the problem.

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Listening to: Ozric Tentacles - [Erpland #06] Crackerblocks [foobar2000 v1.0.3]

Sorry Gb but your clearly wrong. He shreds SO hard that strings can no longer take it. Dont blame him his guitar just cant hold up to the level of shred he brings to the table. This should be inspiration to go home and practice scales until our fingers bleed and possibly fall off completely.

That would be the problem then, no? Shredding is about precision and finesse, not tremolo picking with the force of an angry bull.

Haha na your 100% correct, just to be noted I was completely kidding.

I know, was I too subtle?

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Listening to: Professor Elemental - [The Indifference Engine] Penny Dreadful [foobar2000 v1.0.3]

Yes, so subtle I couldnt pick up on it. I know this because Im from New England so I was born with the ability to smell sarcasm from 1 mile away.

The only string I break on my Fender Strat is the bottom E one.

Wow..I break strings all the time. Almost if not always the G string. However I play a lot of blues that are S.R.V. inspired and Hendrix influenced so...go figure. I play an extra light string is part of the problem I know. I think its just whatever your style is. Now if your playing mellow music and breaking strings..I dont know what to tell ya.

You still shouldnt break strings, even death metal players shouldnt break them.

I'm British. We practically invented and perfected subtle sarcasm.

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Listening to: Professor Elemental - [The Indifference Engine] Quest For The Golden Frog [foobar2000 v1.0.3]

Hmm beats me then..I saw SRV break them quite often so I just thought it was part of that style. But im an expert of nothing.

SRV wasn't exactly know for taking care of his gear, to be fair. its easily possible he just had saddle problems.

That, and he really dug into the strings like a man posessed.

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Listening to: Professor Elemental - [The Indifference Engine] Splendid [foobar2000 v1.0.3]

Very true. Had been known to replace the necks on his strats as well.

he was also known to put crazy glue on his fingertips then tear flesh out of his right forearm to fill out his callouses because he refused to play on anything but heavy gauge strings.

Didnt he insist on using insanely high action as well?

Yep. Stevie basically didn't give a **** for his forearm muscles, he just abused himself as much as his guitars.

But when the results sound that damn good, who can argue?

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Listening to: ???? - [TRICK #01] INTRODUCTION FOR TRICK [foobar2000 v1.0.3]

I have to wonder though, how much of his sound was the strings and action, and how much was the fact he was playing with an insane amount of high end gear.

Also I love the fact he used Marshies for cleans and Fenders for dirty sounds.

I'm actually a big fan of fender distortion, its got some weird magic to it. Marshalls for cleans, well there I have to say I'm not a big fan, but they can sound pretty good if you get em right.

if it's always at the same spot then that's your problem area. either you have a burr in the saddle or in the hole within the tuning peg. some fine grit sandpaper or metal file to smooth out the spot should do the trick.

Usually it's my A string on my bass. Doesn't help I play slap-bass and go through strings like they're going out of fashion.

style doesn't matter. you don't need to hit your strings THAT hard. i used to pop my low-E often enough when i was in my slapping phase back in the day, exact same issue as with an electric guitar. burr in the saddle. a little spot of sandpaper later and i haven't broken a string on that bass in the decade since.