Why do bass strings rarely break

[guitar344]

https://www.liutaiomottola.com/formu...mpensation.htm According to this calc they are closer to their breaking point than guitar strings.

[Gee Man]

Don't believe everything you read on the web? That's all I got.

[guitar344]

Here are a couple of theories.

Bass players tend not to use picks. Technique might be a partial explanation.
Bass strings are thicker, yet why according to the calculator is the D and G on bass almost as close to the breaking point as a wound G and hi E on a standard guitar?

[Brent Hahn]

Bass strings also don't make any sharp turns. Usually. For a brief and literally painful period I Had a Fender Telecaster bass (their 70s redo of the original slabby Precision) and the strings fed through the back and made a 90º turn. Disaster. Playing 5 nights a week, I probably averaged a couple broken strings a month. Usually the core would break but the outer windings wouldn't. But in one instance the whole thing gave way and the long portion whipped up and tore through my left sleeve. I still have the scar.

[JayBee1404]

Groundhog Day was last month.

[Robin, Wales]

Thick core wire.

The G string has the thinnest core wire. So that's the string that snaps the most.

[Buddy1]

My daughter was a toddler in 2012 when you began your string tension odyssey. She's a teenager now. My hairline has also considerably receded since then.

You should be our resident expert. Why don't you post your findings after all these years.

Genuinely interested.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

Bass strings also don't make any sharp turns. Usually. For a brief and literally painful period I Had a Fender Telecaster bass (their '70s redo of the original slabby Precision) and the strings fed through the back and made a 90º turn. Disaster. Playing 5 nights a week, I probably averaged a couple broken strings a month. Usually the core would break but the outer windings wouldn't. But in one instance the whole thing gave way and the long portion whipped up and tore through my left sleeve. I still have the scar.

FYI LaBella makes strings specifically designed for string-through bridges, with a flexible core extending about 1-1/2" from the ball end; on their standard bass strings - as well as some of their guitar strings TMK - they expressly state that they're not intended for string-through bodies (undoubtedly something in the core design/metallurgy, which I suspect is also responsible for their longevity - I've had a set of "Jamerson" flats on my Pedulla for the last decade or so, that still sound as crisp and clean as the day I first installed them. with no signs of quitting). Just as an aside, I used Rotosound tapewounds on my Guild B-50 and D'Addario Chromes on my Guild B4-E - both acoustic basses with pin bridges - for many years, and never had a problem with either one...

BTW if anyone ever asks you about the scar just smile, sigh, and say, "Yeah, but what a woman..."

[terryj47]

I've only had one break. Back in the late 60s we were playing a bar gig and the E string broke! Tape wound string if that matters. Don't remember where it broke. Didn't have a spare so it was tough finishing out the night with 3 strings.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by terryj47

I've only had one break. Back in the late 60s we were playing a bar gig and the E string broke! Tape wound string if that matters. Don't remember where it broke. Didn't have a spare so it was tough finishing out the night with 3 strings.

Hey, Tony Levin made a career of it...