Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

With all due respect to the many skilled players here trying to help, guitar is a very individualized form of expression encompassing many different points of view. Frankly, I used to break strings because I couldn’t help it and because my guitars needed work. That is what seems to be implied in most responses on this thread, and all that is wonderfully useful information.

The only other thing I could possibly add to that train of standard suggestion is making a careful study of the physics of how a guitar string vibrates differently when picked or strummed in a variety of angles, strokes and other physical forces — including different types of picks. A strobe light can be fun to use to actually see the string vibrate in stop-motion like a timing light used to tune a car with. From there, one can see how adjusting pick angles and strokes influence the way a string vibrates.

A Philosophical View Of String Breakage From Real-World Application of The Art of Dangerous Guitar:

I once took a lengthy sabbatical from the stage and re-examined every aspect of playing guitar. I woodshedded my butt off and got my theory, technique and gear setup right. I progressed to where picking technique and setup became enhanced aspects of my guitar playing.

Coming full circle now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong at all about breaking guitar strings in an aggressive rock live performance setting… unless it’s from improper technique or equipment setup. If one is breaking strings while stiff-arming pseudo-punk riffs, well, then maybe moving up in string gauge may be the solution as well as using String-Saver bridge saddles. (Using light gauge picks in this sort of situation is just asking for torn picks.)

Really, to play aggressively requires a keen awareness of just how much pick and what kind of pick forces are actually being applied to the strings because you’re pushing the limits of the machine. In that sense, I have to agree even with the most conservative of pickers who never break strings because of their total command of proper guitar technique where every minute thing does matter.

But breaking strings from walking the tightrope and pushing the entertainment envelope are another story and not for the faint-at-heart, like Pete Townsend. You don’t take a golf cart to race against dragsters, and if you’re going to compete in a demolition derby then it’s best to learn how to win with only three wheels still left on the car! Going beyond instances of total destruction, breaking a string on stage should be a calculated risk in exchange for entertainment value… as long as you’re a master at immediate recovery skills. That requires a thorough knowledge of fretboard theory, chord substitutions, a good ear, courage, a quick imagination and a maverick sensibility. (Amazing what you can come up with when you are missing a string or two; try it the next time you’re changing strings and you’ll see how it can inspire you differently.) I’d also like to add to that is I feel that you have to earn that grace from your audience by proving to them that you can indeed play guitar in a technically proficient and musical manner, and play very well at that; you’re asking a lot of your audience at that point—that is unless your audience consists mainly of reasonably accomplished musicians. Even then, recovery skills are a nice thing to have developed before any such accidental occurrences happen onstage. And that my friend can be downright noteworthy.

Whew! All that being said, breaking a string on a non-trem guitar should never be an excuse to not finish the song or a movement in a song; I am certainly no guitar god but I have instructed my guitar roadie to wait until after the next song to swap out guitars for one with six strings still on it.

And then, there are instances where breaking a string can be a magical thing…
…which is the reason why I decided to do a follow-up post here in the first place.

I broke a D'Addario .011 plain (electric) onstage once during a full two-step bend that I just kept going higher with... it was an amazing sound that I wish I could recreate without breaking a string. (Maybe a Whammy pedal could do it...) The bend was made with the left-hand ring finger supported by the middle and index fingers (called a reinforced bend.) The note rose achingly high, then the string broke at some point underneath my fingers with a loud "tang!" The string kept some tension in it on the bridge side because I was still holding it down very firmly with my fretting-hand ring finger. After the "tang!", the note made a very abrupt descent (about an octave and then some) from the rapid release of string tension, then slid on down in pitch to total nothing like a ricocheting bullet. An amazing sound. It happened so fast, and it stung slightly. But it was sooo cool because of the way it sounded. If I could do that on command, I’d write a bent-note string-break into one particular solo most definitely. (Hmmm, with an extra pair of hands I could manage that.)

I don't break 'em anymore unless I'm using one of a number of metallic devices to attack the strings with. Ah, the challenge of changing mounts mid-song without missing a beat ... keeps yer on yer toes, that's fore shore. Giddy-yap! Hya! Gotta keep the mayhem level up ya know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I taught guitar and can play downright tasteful and sweet with total gentleness. But I prefer to lean towards a rock music sensibility and that requires a strong maverick entertainment aspect as far as I’m concerned, so I play in rock bands. Otherwise I may as well be playing leads taken out of a fake book and staring at the fretboard while playing for a dinner crowd. How exciting is that in a live aggressive rock concert setting? In these instances, the audience up close always enjoyed the spectacle of Les Pauls at odds with the forces of gravity, i.e., literally airborne, so breaking strings just added to it. Retuning on-the-fly mid-song while playing a lead (nearly seamlessly ala Ritchie Blackmore), and playing out a song with strings hanging off the guitar is sorta like the phenomenon of watching a house on fire or a car wreck: once you notice it you are compelled to look at it. Anyway, dinner crowds and conservative music styles notwithstanding, good technique is important even in the hurricane of a hellacious rock spectacle. (Just another point of view: take what you can use and leave the rest, or leave it all!)

Any suggestions on a way to not break so many strings. I have played several brands and I tend to break them at the bridge. Is there a way to smooth the bridge saddle?

I found different ways of giving string a little more life.

On Floyd Rose's, 1. I use a vety small round file and lightly have one pass over an area that may have a sharp edge.....don't apply too much pressure on the saddle piece. 2. I use heat shrink at the very crucial contact point of the string and saddle piece and it doesn't mess with the ( wave ) sustain of the string. I pull the crap out of my bar up 5 steps and do wide range bends.
On a tune o matic type tail piece. Solder the wraps at the ball of the string lightly.

Bad part is I use stainless steel picks and have to order my strings in bulk

Could always try what Rene Martinez did to Stevie Rays strings..He used to take a piece of wire and remove the plastic shielding and slide the string through it with just enough of the plastic at the end of the string to catch where the string touches the string holes in the Bridge..I've been using tthis for about 2 years on my High E and B strings and haven't broken one at the bridge since I started it..

The cryo's work great for me.

IMHO, if you are getting the tone, style and attack you're looking for from your current picking style, I wouldn't change that to avoid breaking strings. I guess what I'm trying to say is your sound and style is MORE important than the cost of a string. That being said, breaking strings during performances isn't something someone wants to do ( unless you want to take a breather ). I'd look to your bridge/saddles first and see if there's anything amiss there, like too sharp of an angle over a saddle. Switching to Graphtech saddles should help IF the existing saddles are a problem. I also use D'Addario XL's and have for many years. I've tried other brands but keep coming back to these. I have tried nothing else that's better, longer lasting and consistently as good as the D'Addarios. I use light tops, heavy bottoms and medium picks. I pick pretty hard sometimes during solos, to get the bite I'm looking for. I even use the edge/side of the pick to dig into the string harder at times. None of this causes my strings to break, UNLESS I haven't changed strings in months. Usually, my strings last at least a month of regular use before I need to change them. I do clean them after use however. Hope this helps.

I used to have an old 69 Gibson SG that came stock with nylon bridge saddles. and I rarely broke strings with it. But, because it had a somewhat dull tone, I switched to metal bridge saddles, then it started popping strings. My 1st thought was a bur, but there wasn't any. The answer for me was to change picking hand technique slightly, which solved the problem. It was a trade off, to get a better tone I felt I needed the metal saddles, but I had to play a little bit differently to not pop strings. As far as different string brands, every time I've purchased an expensive pack of "premium" guitar strings I felt like I got robbed. I've been buying D'Addario XL110s since the 80s, every once in while a pack of Dean Markley 10s, I haven't broke a string in years.

Maybe someone already mentioned this but there was a saddle/bridge/nut lube on the market that worked really well. It came in a little tube with a metal tip applicator. It might have been silicone or graphite.

It also helped stabilize tuning and worked well with vintage and modern whammy bars.

After you eliminate all the mechanical issues, then it comes down to conservation of technique. What I mean is that you learn to control your out of control-ness.

I still play aggressive but don't break strings like in the past and have always used .10's.

Les Paul style Tune-O-Matic bridge saddles are notorious no matter what.

An old trick I once used is each time you change strings, run the appropriate gauge string back and forth across the saddle. You don't need much pressure. Go easy. If it's a deeper V saddle, slide it up and down the sides. Be careful not to deepen the groove/expand the slot.

Just some ideas. Mileage may vary.......