Excessive String Breakage

[Zona Mona]

Ack!!! I keep breaking strings and I can't figure out why. I use Dean Markley Blue Steel 11's. I have an LP copy with tune-o-matic bridge. I don't do excessive bends. They always break at the bridge and it is usualy the B string. I should mention that my house is a little on the cold side if that matters. What can I do to stop this from happening?

 

[Disposable]

I used to break strings all the time...
But it was always the A.
Found out it was because of my bridge,
It had a little "spur" where the string sat...
Filed that down and have not broken a string since.

 

[freshmattyp]

Take it to your local repair guy and tell him the problem. Chances are it's a problem with the saddle, as Disposable mentioned. Get a good setup done while you're there.

 

[Larry Gude]

May I direct your attention...

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=141029

It's the strings

 

[Disposable]

I wouldn't automatically blame the strings... It could be anything...
Poor technique, something with the bridge, bad strings...
Funny, I never broke Blue Steel strings when I had my breakage problems...

 

[Larry Gude]

Hey...

...I'm just posting my recent experience. There was no problem the prior 15 years with my Paul right up to when I got these strings. I suspect everything will be back to normal when I've used them up.

They don't go at the bridge, the go where I strum and yes, I play pretty hard.

Bad batch? I guess it's possible.

 

[Disposable]

Yeah, I'd say in your case the strings are probably suspect...
I wonder though, Zona, new to these strings? New guitar?
Anything like that?

That would help determine if it's the strings or something else.

 

[jacksl1]

If it is the same string than you probably have a Burr in the saddle (bridge) that is catching on the string. Like a previous person wrote, gently file it out.

 

[Light]

It sounds like you need the slot in the saddle smoothed out. Either take it too a good repair person (I will frequently do this while a customer waits, and not charge for it. I'll get you next time), or get some very fine sandpaper (600 grit silicon carbide wet or dry, or even 1000), rip off a piece, bend it in half, and use it to smooth the saddle. You want it to slope towards the tailpiece. I have better tools for this, but you don't need to spend $15-20 if you are just doing this one.

But I can not be sure without seeing it, so don’t take this as gospel.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Zona Mona]

Well, the thread about the blue steels was with regards to the wound strings. I have been breaking only the B string on this guitar and my old guitar, a strat. I don't think it is the strings either because I had this problem before I switched to the blue steels. Maby I am just playing too hard

 

[mishagolin]

if you're breaking the same string on 2 different guitars then i would guess its something with your technique.

Have you changed anything about the way you play?
pick thickness?
strum patterns?
strap length?

there was a point when i was breaking my acoustic e string often. i found that it was because i began using more triplets in my strumming. i gauged down on my pick and learned better technique with my triplets. in an attempt to make my triplets faster i wasn't allowing my wrist to totally relax before coming back on the upstroke. so i was catching the e string pretty hard. after adjusting my technique, strap position and pick thickness i haven't broken a string in a while now.

 

[Zona Mona]

I use 1mm jim dunlop picks for rythm and lead, maby that's the problem. However I break the strings in both lead playing and rythm playing. (I can't spell rythm or maby) Strap length has remained the same. I'll try using thinner picks.

 

[Metaxy]

I used to break strings all the time...
But it was always the A.
Found out it was because of my bridge,
It had a little "spur" where the string sat...
Filed that down and have not broken a string since.

Dude, there's a guy from the ateaseweb.com forum who kept on breaking A's like every few days, but I'm sure it's a coincidence

 

[Light]

I use 1mm jim dunlop picks for rythm and lead, maby that's the problem. However I break the strings in both lead playing and rythm playing. (I can't spell rythm or maby) Strap length has remained the same. I'll try using thinner picks.

You should not have to use thiner picks (I have always used heavier picks than that with no problem, even back when I was playing like a gorilla). I think there MAY be something about your playing style which is causeing you to create a burr in your B string saddle, but fixing the burr should fix the problem, at least for a while. It is not at all beyond the realm of possiblity that you have two guitars which just happen to develop burrs. It happens. It may seem unlikely, but given the number of players out there, just about anything can happen to any one of them.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[jimistone]

I use 1mm jim dunlop picks for rythm and lead, maby that's the problem. However I break the strings in both lead playing and rythm playing. (I can't spell rythm or maby) Strap length has remained the same. I'll try using thinner picks.

I use really thick picks (or a penny, if I can't find a pick), and I use a very heavy attack with my right hand and do very deep bends. I use a 10 to 46 gauge set of strings....I rarely ever break a string. I don't think its your playing...i would wager that you need some bridge sanding.
I have a mex strat that I poped little E strings on almost every time I giged with it. sanded the "burr" of the saddle and haven't broke a string since.

 

[darknailblue]

If the strings break at the bridge constantly its probably the saddles. If they break randomly its probably a bad set of strings. Usually its the saddles... if you have a fender guitar I reccomend a bad ass bridge.... another option that you have is to use graphite saddles, but you'll lose sustain, clarity and overall tone. If the strings break in the middle it could be a fret problem. Also if your beatin the shit outta your instrument your string will break much quicker. More than likeley bad bridge saddles... A very common problem... I think I have this with my PRS :-(

~darknail

 

[Dani Pace]

You say your guitar is a little old, remember parts wear and rust, it's normal so dont panic. I had a Les Paul with a similar problem, for me it was the 4th string, a $30 set of saddles proved to be the cure for me. I wouldn't be surprised if you might have the same results. You can change just one saddle but in the ling run you will be better off to go ahead and change the whole set, (if one is bad now, chances are that another will follow soon.) A tiny burr or rust pit will eat into a string and weaken it really fast, thus leading to breakage at the bridge. Don't forget to have the set up checked and adjusted after replacing the saddles.