#1
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Handling nylon string breaks mid-performace?
Hi -- I've recently started using nylon strings on my Gibson Hummingbird. Yes, there is a volume drop acoustically (though not as much as you might think), but the tone is great, and the melow sound complements my (bass-baritone) voice much more so than the steel strings. (If you listen to Leonard Cohen, his nylon guitar is typically down in the mix and almost "dull" -- but it works perfectly with his voice.)
My only qualm about this is the scenario in which I might break a string in live peformance. With steel strings, you can fairly quickly get a new string on, up to pitch, and tolerably stable. But my brief experience of nylon is that it takes a long time to get pitch stability. Just wondering: surely there must be some nylon-string performers with just one guitar, and the last thing they'd want to do is pack up in the middle of a performance because of single string breaking! Are there any pro "tricks" to get that string on and up to pitch fast? |
#2
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The #4 string is the one most likely to break, so that's a good case scenario - bass strings stabilize quickly.
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#3
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Thanks -- more generally, are the bass strings more likely to break than the trebles?
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#4
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Generally, very durable strings. The nut slots can be the biggest threat, when the fingerboard end of the slot has a sharp edge to it, which will especially nick the trebles. But the #4 is most likely to break due to tension/age.
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#5
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I wouldn't call it a pro trick, but when I change strings I always keep the used strings and then, when a string breaks, I have broken in strings ready for emergency use.
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#6
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Thanks -- that's a good one!
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#7
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Before you come out, behind the chair and the microphone, put another guitar in a stand. - Stevo
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