The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 05-05-2021, 05:54 PM
jschmitz54 jschmitz54 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Burnsville, Minnesota USA
Posts: 1,249
Default Broke my first string today

Three years in and my e string broke as I was tuning down for open G tuning.
I’ve been switching this guitar from Drop D to Open G regularly and think that may be the cause. It was a little shocking.
__________________
Martin GP 35E 2017
Gibson J-45 Standard 2019
Martin OM15 Custom 2019
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-05-2021, 06:22 PM
Tannin Tannin is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Huon Valley, Tasmania
Posts: 843
Default

How old is this set, JSchmitz?

Broken strings used to be a regular thing for me - especially but not limited to the high G string on a 12. Not these days. I can't remember the last time I broke a string. Years back at least, maybe 10 years or more. So what's different?
  • Better manufacturing quality by the string people?
  • Better guitars (I'm not playing any cheap and nasty guitars these days) with properly finished nuts and bridges?
  • Better right-hand technique? (Less thrashing - but I still hit hard, probably harder than ever, only with more control these days.)
  • Heavier gauges than I used to like back in the day?
  • Less frequent retuning now that I'm not playing slide? (But it wasn't my slide guitar that used to break strings.)
  • All of the above?

I don't know the answers, I'm just posing the question.
__________________
Tacoma Thunderhawk baritone, spruce & maple.
Maton SRS60C, cedar & Queensland Maple.
Maton Messiah 808, spruce & rosewood.
Cole Clark Angel 3, Huon Pine & silkwood.
Cole Clark Fat Lady 2 12-string, Bunya & Blackwood.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-05-2021, 06:38 PM
EZYPIKINS EZYPIKINS is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 3,900
Default

Don't tell me.

You have to go to town to buy A set.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-05-2021, 06:48 PM
jschmitz54 jschmitz54 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Burnsville, Minnesota USA
Posts: 1,249
Default

The strings were about one month old Martin Authentic Mediums which I was hoping to replace with Ernie Ball Earthwood Medium Lights 12-54. I was sold on the mediums for some time but in hindsight I think it dulled the guitar and made it a bit bass heavy. The new Earthwood strings which I had in stock, sound fuller and the trebles seem to sing.
__________________
Martin GP 35E 2017
Gibson J-45 Standard 2019
Martin OM15 Custom 2019
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 05-05-2021, 06:57 PM
ljguitar's Avatar
ljguitar ljguitar is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: wyoming
Posts: 42,556
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jschmitz54 View Post
Three years in and my e string broke as I was tuning down for open G tuning.
I’ve been switching this guitar from Drop D to Open G regularly and think that may be the cause. It was a little shocking.
Hi jSchmitz

David Wilcox (king of retuning on the fly) at a seminar he taught, and in his video from the mid-90s said that if you wrap the wound strings down to the bottom of the shaft, you will have less breakage if you tune up-down frequently.

I started doing it and have not broken a 3rd string since (any string since). I used to break the third strings a lot from the constant re-tuning.



[/img]

Don't know why, but it works. He says the further down the shaft the less stress from winding-unwinding. Perhaps so.





__________________

Baby #1.1
Baby #1.2
Baby #02
Baby #03
Baby #04
Baby #05

Larry's songs...

…Just because you've argued someone into silence doesn't mean you have convinced them…
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 05-06-2021, 06:30 AM
jschmitz54 jschmitz54 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Burnsville, Minnesota USA
Posts: 1,249
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ljguitar View Post
Hi jSchmitz

David Wilcox (king of retuning on the fly) at a seminar he taught, and in his video from the mid-90s said that if you wrap the wound strings down to the bottom of the shaft, you will have less breakage if you tune up-down frequently.

I started doing it and have not broken a 3rd string since (any string since). I used to break the third strings a lot from the constant re-tuning
Don't know why, but it works. He says the further down the shaft the less stress from winding-unwinding. Perhaps so
That interesting, thanks for the advice. I’ll be sure to try it.
__________________
Martin GP 35E 2017
Gibson J-45 Standard 2019
Martin OM15 Custom 2019

Last edited by Kerbie; 05-06-2021 at 06:42 AM. Reason: Fixed quote.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 05-06-2021, 06:55 AM
rmp rmp is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 6,897
Default

alternate tuning is a sting killer.. it's just a side effect of the cool stuff you can get out of whacky tunings.
__________________
Ray

Gibson SJ200
Taylor Grand Symphony
Taylor 514CE-NY
Taylor 814CE Deluxe V-Class
Guild F1512
Alvarez DY74 Snowflake ('78)
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 05-06-2021, 07:06 AM
Bob from Brooklyn Bob from Brooklyn is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Hamilton Square, NJ
Posts: 4,090
Default

I had a string break on my Eastman while it was in the case. I don't know if I've ever had that happen before.
__________________
Martin D18
Gibson J45
Martin 00015sm
Gibson J200
Furch MC Yellow Gc-CR SPA
Guild G212
Eastman E2OM-CD
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-06-2021, 08:17 AM
ras1500 ras1500 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Queen Creek, AZ
Posts: 503
Default

"Don't know why, but it works."

The diameter of the string post increases as it gets closer to the headstock. Thus, the string bends around the post at a greater angle, reducing the stress concentration. Consider the proverbial example of bending a paperclip back and forth. If bent at a sharp angle, like in the jaws of pliers, it will break rather quickly. Now hold a paper clip between your round fingers, it will take many more cycles to break the clip.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-06-2021, 09:38 AM
SingingSparrow SingingSparrow is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 566
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ljguitar View Post
Hi jSchmitz

David Wilcox (king of retuning on the fly) at a seminar he taught, and in his video from the mid-90s said that if you wrap the wound strings down to the bottom of the shaft, you will have less breakage if you tune up-down frequently.

I started doing it and have not broken a 3rd string since (any string since). I used to break the third strings a lot from the constant re-tuning.

Don't know why, but it works. He says the further down the shaft the less stress from winding-unwinding. Perhaps so.



That is really interesting, and useful, Larry, thanks! I play in open tunings all the time and go from variations in C to G to D to even F often. I have certainly snapped that pesky G string (the inner 10 year old in me says HAHA to that) often. And now that you mention it, it is almost always the G string (haha again!) - rarely the high e, but never broken any other string.

I will try the 'further down the shaft' thing for sure, thanks for sharing!

to the OP -- haha, yes it is quite shocking when it snaps isn't it!
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 05-06-2021, 10:14 AM
Goat Mick Goat Mick is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Bristol, TN
Posts: 6,573
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SingingSparrow View Post
That is really interesting, and useful, Larry, thanks! I play in open tunings all the time and go from variations in C to G to D to even F often. I have certainly snapped that pesky G string (the inner 10 year old in me says HAHA to that) often. And now that you mention it, it is almost always the G string (haha again!) - rarely the high e, but never broken any other string.

I will try the 'further down the shaft' thing for sure, thanks for sharing!

to the OP -- haha, yes it is quite shocking when it snaps isn't it!
I'm a G string popper too (obligatory "HaHa"). The problem with those suckers is they are the smallest wound string so the core wire is the thinnest on the guitar. Even thinner than your high E string. That makes it more subject to breaking. I know a lot of folks on here never break a string, but I'm fairly aggressive and heavy handed so the most I can get out of a G is two gigs. I'm changing strings about every week if I use the same guitar for an entire weekend.
__________________
'59 Gibson J-45 "Spot"
'21 Gibson LG-2 - 50's Reissue
'94 Taylor 710
'18 Martin 000-17E "Willie"
‘23 Taylor AD12e-SB
'22 Taylor GTe Blacktop
'15 Martin 000X1AE

https://pandora.app.link/ysqc6ey22hb

Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 05-06-2021, 01:57 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 43,428
Default

Did the string break at the tuner? Also, as Larry mentioned above, I too wrap my string underneath.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 05-06-2021, 03:37 PM
jschmitz54 jschmitz54 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Burnsville, Minnesota USA
Posts: 1,249
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Did the string break at the tuner? Also, as Larry mentioned above, I too wrap my string underneath.
Yes it broke right at the tuner. I also wrap my strings underneath.
What I found surprising was that it broke as I was taking tension off the string, tuning down from e to D but maybe that’s not uncommon, it’s my first.
__________________
Martin GP 35E 2017
Gibson J-45 Standard 2019
Martin OM15 Custom 2019
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 05-06-2021, 04:50 PM
Zexxor Zexxor is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2021
Location: Near Spokane.
Posts: 102
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jschmitz54 View Post
Three years in and my e string broke as I was tuning down for open G tuning.
I’ve been switching this guitar from Drop D to Open G regularly and think that may be the cause. It was a little shocking.
Here's what I have been doing for years and thought I was doing it wrong until recently when I read that a lot of pros (which I am not) do this also and never break strings, or hardly ever. Since I have been doing this, mid-70s, I have NEVER broken a string. Ever, and they stay in tune even on crappy guitars unless the machine heads are bad.

Pull the string through the hole till you have about an inch of up and down play left on the fretboard. Wind the string downwards and make certain when the part sticking out of the hole comes around that it goes over the string as you are tightening. Normally you will only go around the pole once, sometimes twice.

If it is a wound string you don't have to worry about the following: tune the string to level you play that is HIGHEST. Once it stops slipping and holds, bend the string backwards so it will catch and then clip it. With wound strings you can just tune it and clip it. Normally they will never slip.

Yer done.
__________________
The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none. TC
Taylor, DN3--Martin, JC15E--Taylor, M522--etcetera
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 05-07-2021, 02:05 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 43,428
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jschmitz54 View Post
Yes it broke right at the tuner. I also wrap my strings underneath.
What I found surprising was that it broke as I was taking tension off the string, tuning down from e to D but maybe that’s not uncommon, it’s my first.
Switching often between different tunings can cause metal fatigue. You may have had a bad string as well.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:47 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=