breaking strings

Hi :D

Well, I don't know what your experience level is....?

If you are reletively new to guitar playing and you are using a pick,
my thoughts are bad pick technique.

Beginners are usually a bit stiff in that dept. and it causes LOTS of broken strings.

If you are familliar with computer combat flight sims....
Newbies will have a white knuckle death grip on the stick and will move the stick in fast jerky motions using way too
much pressure than is needed.

It's kinda like that with the beginning pick user.

If that's the problem, you might wanna switch to a thinner pick til you get a bit more technique down.

If that's not the prob....
Your guitar's action needs to be set up.

Ken :wink:

When are your strings breaking? Are you properly tuned or a bit high? Is your Bridge ok or is it sticking up proud? Are the strings fresh?

Lots of questions. All relevant

A :-)

Don't feel bad, Eric Clapton was known for breaking strings frequently back in his days with Cream. :D

I used to break strings often for two reasons. I love huge bends on guitar, I will often raise a note by two whole steps. Had strings break doing this many times. Also, I used to use very heavy attack on the strings as well, hitting them with lots of force. This will usually cause the string to break at the saddle. Over time I have learned to use much less attack and rarely break a string now.

If it is one certain string that keeps breaking, especially at the saddle, check the saddle for small burrs. You can usually take light sandpaper and sand the burrs off. This happens a lot with Gibson style saddles, the strings cut into the soft metal and form a groove. When changing strings you have to be careful to get back in that original groove.

Ya its always at the saddle. The other day it was bad though, this time it was on my accoustic guitar and I broke 2 strings in a middle of a song in about 4 strokes. My bass player was rolling with laughter. I was glad sombody thought it was funny. I played a solo gig Saturday for a cafe and started using a lighter pick and didnt brake any on my electric. I am going to see if that works.
I didnt know if maybe it was in the strigs.....LOL I was going for a long shot. I have always been bad on breaking strings.

If you are breaking strings at the saddle on acoustic, your attack is too heavy. :shock:

I started out copying Hendrix especially, to get the fire and emotion he used you have to use heavy attack. I would actually jab at the strings with lots of force. And there are times when you want to play like this. But you will break lots of strings.

What really helped me was playing in a modern Rock band about 7-8 years ago. We used the modern down-tunings, tuning the guitar down a whole step or more and dropping the bass E an additional whole step. With these down-tunings your strings are so slack they are like rubber bands. If you attack the strings they will "boom" and "wobble" like crazy. I've even had strings jump off the nut or get hung up on the pickup. So I had to learn to play the strings very gently. So I learned to lightly strum and pick strings to prevent these problems. Also had to use heavier gauge strings and raise the action a bit.

But after playing these tunings for several years I developed a much lighter strum. I still hit the strings hard once in awhile, but most of the time I play them very gently.

Using a light pick, do you see how it bends when you're strumming/picking????
That's what you have to make a thick pick do with wrist action.
A thick pick isn't going to bend, you have to move the whole pick on an angle like that using your wrist.

Like Wes, I also have an extremely light touch.
I play with my fingers though.
If I do play with a pick, I like 'em thick.
I can use a quarter or half dollar and never come close to breaking a string.

Speaking of that.... What kind of pick end are you using????
You might wanna try a rounder edge.
I always held my regular style picks backward and used the rounder edge.

Also, like Wes said....
If you are breaking the SAME string EVERY time and at the saddle,
you might have a burr in there.

I had a problem with my high e string on my white Strat breaking a lot.
I ended up changing the side to side angle (of the saddle) until it stopped.
I had to drop the bottom side down a bit. (just the lower of the two height adjust screws. Which gave it a strange angle,
stopped breaking strings though)
It still breaks on older strings if I pull a good double bend. (And I have a propensity to do double bends as Clapton did
so much in the 60's :twisted: )
As a matter of fact, I break the G & B strings a lot when they get old pulling double bends :roll:

Good luck,

Ken

I used to break the strings on my cheap classical guitar, but after they started breaking while i was sleeping, i fiogured that unless i played guitar in my sleep, it wasn't my playing that was the problem. I sanded down the edge the strings are passing over just above where they are fastened, and haven't broken a string since.

:D

I used to brek strings all the time. It's one of the reasons I started plying bass.

Now I use light guage strings and thin picks.

But I never broke one in my sleep.

boy got skills...

:lol:

3 things.
-That's hilarious that they broke in your sleep.
-White Ninja is awesome
-Never let a bass player play your guitar. Ever.

how often do you change strings all at once?