Ever been hurt by a broken string?

[gmr]

I had a high E string break (light gauge) while I was bringing some new strings to pitch. The loose end flung back and somehow found its way into the back of my hand (that meaty part between thumb and forefinger). It was the first time I’d ever broken a string, so I was a bit tentative for a while after that.

[KalamazooGuy]

Years ago before my ear developed, turned the high e on my cheap Mexican acoustic way past key and took a snapped string to the arm. Never forgot.....

[justonwo]

Yes, broken B string on my electric hit me in the face and cut my cheek. But I bend a lot on electric. One in a million incident. I never break strings on my acoustic.

The only injury my strings have inflicted is heartbreak.

[Johan Madsen]

Originally Posted by Slothead56

Even after all these years, tuning up from an open tuning I turn my head away as I envision the string breaking and whipping my face. It’s never happened but it’s a rational fear.

Anyone ever got bitten by a breaking string??

That's a cool topic, I never get injured, but anyway tensing strings on my acoustic always makes me nervous enough to keep my head far away from the strings, tuning strings sometimes feels like pushing the material to its limits, that being said it seems like when a string breaks it always breaks "in axis", so I don't know how you can get injured unless you're putting your head really close to the strings axis, but maybe I do miss something

[bls82261]

I wear glasses all the time to see but I always turn my head and squint hard the first time I bring new strings up to tension. Never had one break but I'm only in my first year of really trying to learn how to play so I'm thinking its gunna happen sooner or later.

[Earl49]

Never had an issue in all these years of playing and changing strings, but I do turn my head away and wear glasses anyway. It only takes once.....

[menhir]

I've had a few snap and whip at me over the years...usually on the electric guitars.
It hasn't happened in a long time, though.

And yes, It's caused me to wear glasses and look away when changing or stretching strings.

Most of my pain has been caused while disposing of old strings or the cut off excess string ends. I hate it when that happens.

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Octave G - the curse of the 12-string!



Actually I adopted the practice of tuning that skinny octave G last on string changes some years ago and haven't broken one since .... but that doesn't mean it won't!

This. Tuning the octave G is a scary thing indeed.

I too have adopted the the practice of tuning that string last.

[frankmcr]

How can that happen? I mean, obviously it does, but how are you all positioning the guitar to make it possible for that to happen?

When I'm installing new strings, the guitar is on its back in front of me. The left hand turns the tuning machine (I take an old string off, install a new one, bring it up to pitch, then the next string, & so on) and the right hand rests flat on the strings, partly to pluck from time to time to check the new string's pitch and partly to keep it from breaking and causing injury. So even if the new string breaks (hasn't happened yet), it can't get anywhere near my face.

When I'm changing from standard to open G or whatever, the guitar is in regular playing position, strings away from me. So even if a string breaks, etc.

What am I doing wrong (right)?

[tippy5]

Count me in on the shed blood check list.
Many times. I love the poke from a straight protruding unwound string on a tuner. Pain. Changing strings it can happen too.

When I was 8 my new guitar had screws and knobs that looked interesting to turn. I foolishly overwound and broke strings. I got my arms, hands and face slapped from a broken strings.

A few gigs I got the zing of a broken string, ouch.

[difalkner]

Add me to the list. About 40 years ago I was at our local music store and was changing strings on my Martin while I was there. Because I was more into talking to the guys than I was in paying attention to what I was doing I ended up cranking on the B string when I thought I was tuning the G string. We were all talking and I didn't notice the pitch wasn't changing on the G string. The B string popped and the end of it stuck in my eyelid because I just happened to blink at the right time.

Ever since then I turn my head and 'point' the guitar away from me. Now I usually have the guitar on the workbench when I change strings and in this case I set one hand on the strings and tune with the other. I don't want another string heading toward my eyes!

David

[Steev]

Years back, playing a sweaty gig in a crowded nightclub, with the stage about two feet above the packed dance floor (guitar at approx dancers heads height).
I got a little carried away with the wang bar on my headless Steinberger and the top E string broke at the bridge.
The string shot straight out into the audience so fast I didn't see it, it was just gone.

I was sure there would be someone with a ball-end lodged and string hanging from their eye but miraculously no-one was hit.
I think this is why later Steinbergers had rubber bands that went over the ball ends at the top of the neck...

[Mooh]

I suppose there's an ever present risk but in 45 years of restringing multiple instruments I haven't been hurt by a broken or breaking string. Poked a few times by the already cut end of an already installed string, but that's all.

[Dreadfulnaught]

Yes! At a backyard birthday party in 1976 I was playing my Alvarez 12 string when the octave G snapped at the tuner post. It whipped back and drove point first into the back of my right hand. I didn’t even feel it, and when I pulled on the string with my left hand to get it out of the way, my right hand came with it! It was stuck. Several of my well meaning relatives, who had consumed some beer, were debating whether to pull it out or push it through the other side of my hand and cut it off, then pull it out. I was having none of that, so I made my escape while they argued, got a pair of diagonal cutters and clipped off all but three inches or so. I then drove myself to the nearest emergency room. They x-rayed it, and it had a small kink on the end holding it in but it was between two of the small hand bones. The ER nurse used a hemostat to pull it out, gave me a tetanus shot, and I went home.

Never had anything like that happen before or since, for which I am thankful.