Akarsh Shekhar
7 Reasons Why You Keep Breaking Your Guitar Strings
Defective strings The most common problem is defective strings . Unfortunately , manufacturing defects are not as rare as we would like - especially in inexpensive no-name kits . This also includes incorrect storage conditions for strings .
Defects can occur on both premium and budget strings , but the percentage of defects on expensive strings , oddly enough , is several times lower .
Excessive attacking while playing A strong attack on the strings ( with a pick or fingers ) is an equally common cause of string breaking . This problem is relevant not only for beginners , but also for experienced guitarists - the former cannot hit the string with sufficient force and sometimes simply begin to overdo it , and the latter practically “ fight ” with the guitar at concerts in an emotional outburst .
Malfunction of the bridge If the strings break straight at the bridge , then your bridge is probably faulty . Expensive guitars rarely generate such a headache for a musician , but it is relevant for cheap guitars . The solution is quite simple - sharpen the saddles so that they are less sharp or replace them with roller ones . There is also a diagnostics for string breakage . Diagnostics consists of a visual inspection
The Score Magazine
58 highonscore . com of the strings : if the braid of the string under the bridge has obvious deformation , then it may soon burst .
However , if the guitar is not cheap , and the bridge is probably in good working order , then the cause of the malfunction may lie in an addiction to playing with the palm mute technique - in this case , the load on the string increases somewhat , and the chance of breaking the string increases .
Bad frets Strings can break due to frets in two cases : if they are old or if the frets are of poor quality . In the first case , only replacement will help , but in the second , sharpening the frets can be done .
Look carefully at the frets - they may be rough and even scratch your hand if you touch them . If the frets are old , then you can see a flat surface on them , as if the string had cut off part of the fret plate . As a result , the guitar string wears out faster . Abusing the tremolo bar Techniques such as using tremolo systems , arching the neck to simulate a tremolo , and aggressive bending lead to rapid string wear .
All of the above techniques briefly increase / decrease the string tension - and then the tension also sharply returns to its usual state .
Imagine that you need to break a wire . The most effective way to break it is to bend it a certain number of times . Almost the same thing happens with strings .
Natural wear of strings Nothing in our world lasts forever , strings are no exception . The older the strings are , the more often you play the guitar , the greater the chance of them breaking . Of course , the better the quality of the strings , the less they wear out , but even the most expensive and high-quality sets sooner or later break due to “ fatigue ” of the material .
String overtension It ’ s no secret that a certain gauge of strings is designed strictly for a certain tuning . For example , 12-60 gauge strings may break if you try to tune the guitar to standard tuning ( E-standard ). But such strings will feel quite “ comfortable ” in D-standard tuning ( one tone lower from E-standard ) or C # -standard . It is also worth knowing that you should avoid accidentally over-tensioning the strings when tuning your guitar - worn strings will not be able to survive basic tuning .
This also includes frequent changes in guitar tuning - this is why many guitarists who prefer drop tunings have their 6th or 7th string break .