There doesnt seem to be a proper place to put this subject so here goes.I break strings quite a bit.Mostly my high E(.009)I use ernie ball hybrid slinky's..009-.046.The breakage always seems to happen at the ball end of the high E.I have no sharp edges on the bridge (gibson style tune-o mattic with roller saddles) and the nut is a tusq material.I tune this SG down a whole step to avoid the string breakage.A few years back I used to solder the ball ends,that worked out great but was a real hassle to do all the time.Anyone care to share any tricks you my have to avoid string breakage?
String Breakage
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If you often break your high E string at the ball end more often than the other strings, two suggestions:
1) change the high E more often than the other strings. When I was playing "whammy intensive" music, I changed strings every other gig night.
2) switch to a .010 for the high E. It will be less prone to breakage, and it will not take too long to get used to the difference.
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if you have a steep/sharp angle between the bridge and the tailpiece you can wrap the e-string around the tailpiece ..
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When I used 10's many years ago, I broke lots of strings.
After moving to 11's I hardly break any.
Do you play hard? -
When I used 10's many years ago, I broke lots of strings.
After moving to 11's I hardly break any.
Do you play hard?Hi, No I dont pick very hard.I mainly use the extra large jazz 3's or sometimes the Petrucci sig pics.I do have a very wide vibrato technique similar to zakk wylde.I have tried 10's in the past but I dont like the resistance when bending,so 11's wont cut it for me.Luntho's suggestion seems logical,If all else fails I'll have to resort to soldering again...
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I played 009 daddario for years and i changed to the new 010 ball paradigm strings. Have a look at the vid from Paul Gilbert on youtube. He is presenting these new strings. Awesome strings and very useful with the whammy bar. No problems here with the 010.
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I use 010 Elixir nano since years - the only problem seemed to be rust
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I played 009 daddario for years and i changed to the new 010 ball paradigm strings. Have a look at the vid from Paul Gilbert on youtube. He is presenting these new strings. Awesome strings and very useful with the whammy bar. No problems here with the 010.
And they obviously offer some kind of "these strings won't break"-guarantee (or was that just a joke?). Maybe worth checking them out?
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And they obviously offer some kind of "these strings won't break"-guarantee (or was that just a joke?). Maybe worth checking them out?
I first saw the video with Paul Gilbert and than i orderd some sets. It was a pain for one week to change from 009 to 010 but i am very at this time that i have done it. They stay perfectly in tune and i havent any problem with breaking 010. worth a try but they are expensive. 18€ here in Germany for one set. My next try will be the normal ball slinkys in 010.
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Cripes, I knew that were expensive, Frank, but 18€? Oh man. Talk about out of my league.
I'll stick with slinkys. Hopefully the "technology" filters down eventually and we all get to enjoy less-rust-prone-and-breakable sets one day...
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Cripes, I knew that were expensive, Frank, but 18€? Oh man. Talk about out of my league.
I'll stick with slinkys. Hopefully the "technology" filters down eventually and we all get to enjoy less-rust-prone-and-breakable sets one day...
You got it Nicky, they are def. too expensive and i hope they reduce the price drastical. I dont think that these strings would be a mega seller for this price but i have them on some of my guitars and i must say: No broken strings ( and you know i use my whammy bar
), they stay perfectly in tune and there is no rust or mud on them if you clean a little after playing. For me it was a test and i wont buy more for this price. -
Yeah, I remember your saying it was going to be a test, Frank, but I assumed that if they passed you'd be buying them from now on.
I'm relieved to learn that I'm not alone in these being just a pipe dream at that price! Thanks mate.
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I'm thinking maybe you should try a different brand of strings just to see if it isn't the Ernie Balls. I remember reading on the Wammi World site that they don't recommend Ernie Balls for floating trem systems. They of course go on to suggest something else, but it's worth trying a different brand just to see if it isn't something defective with the Ernie Balls.
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Examine the High E saddle. I'm not a big fan of Graph tech saddles but you might want to consider them if the problem persists, sometime the steel strings dig into the metal saddle and create a grove . Whatever Saddle you have for the High E, just sand it down with very fine sand paper if you notice a rough surface to lessen the friction. I realize you're using an SG but I'm not sure what saddles you use. On my Fender bent steel saddles, the string steel strings dig a visible groove and if I bend i can feel the rough edge of the string . I sand them down as needed.
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I'm pretty sure there is something wrong with your bridge or tailpiece. Since you tune down a whole step on a Gibson (shorter) scale guitar with 9s, you have a pretty low string tension, so I don't see why strings should break otherwise.
For comparison: I play d'Addario XLS 11s and 10s, which are relatively cheap standard strings. I hit the strings relatively hard, my vibrato is wide and I do bends over 3, sometimes 4 semitones. My gigging guitars have different kinds of locking vibratos. I don't change strings too often and they almost never break. It must be the hardware ...
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Try raising the tailpiece. When you do that, the angle of the string on the bridge will be less and that could prevent string breakage.
