I keep breaking strings, and it's not the strings' fault

[Romp]

I've been playing guitar for about 17 years. I'm an instructor and I play in a band and local gigs around town, as well as my own recordings. I consider myself a pretty proficient player, but one thing is plaguing me: I keep breaking strings.

***To clarify, this is NOT a gear question. If you have recommendations on strings to try, please PM me, but I'm almost 100% sure it's not an issue with the strings. I use high-end 0.13 gauge Elixers (thick strings) on my acoustic and 0.11 gauge Elixers on my electric, all different coating types (nano, poly, bronze phosphor, etc.) and I'm very, very happy with them. The only "gear" possibility I'm considering is that I use nylon picks and they might be tugging the strings, but I really don't think so.***

I'm pretty convinced this a technique issue, but I don't know what it could be. I play about 2-3 hours a day, and my strings last a maximum of 3 weeks before they snap. They don't even get to the point where they're overly rusty or sounding dull, and not even to the point where the coated Elixers start to fray. They snap before that happens, so I'm sure there's something wrong.

It's no particular string and no particular guitar. It happens on both stratocasters, my Epi acoustic, my Ovation 6-string and 12-string - every one of them, if I'm playing the strings are probably gonna break. I have to have backup guitars with me everywhere I play.
Here's the weird thing. I can "sense" when the strings are about to break. I get this "Oh sh8t" feeling and I know one's about to go. I know that sounds really weird, but I think that's an indication that it's something I'm doing subconsciously to cause it, and my brain has picked up that there IS a correlation, I just haven't figured out what it is, and that's why I need help. It normally happens when I'm strumming heavy on a fast-paced song, like "House is Rockin'" or something like that, but it's happened while putting new strings on. (Got a free set from Elixer for that one, though.) I've had them break within 2 hours of putting them on. TWO HOURS. That's just ridiculous.

I know other guitarists who change their strings 3 or 4 times a year. I'm changing mine 20 - 25 times per year per guitar. It's getting really expensive.

HELP! :(

[EspBoobiesYeah]

Yeah dude, in my first band Without Fail ('04-'05) I broke strings religiously. At least once a practice and occaisonally at shows when I'd changed my strings an hour or 2 before. I have spidey sense and can tell when and which string is about to break. It got to a point to where I eventually bought a bunch of the same strings,6th, 5th and 4th as I broke those the most; I was more of a rhythm-lead player in that band. But yeah, I had a guitar tech file the saddle of my bridge, that helped. I notice when I play live I hit my strings ALOT harder, so I make a conscious effort to not slam my axe. That's prolly made the biggest difference along with playing alot more notes on the higer strings to give the bass strings a break.

The more you use something, the more likely it is to break.

But hey, breakin' strings means you're playing often, and that's a good thing.

[Romp]

I thought about getting the bridge saddle filed, then I realized it happens on my Stratocasters, and also breaks at the nut as often as it breaks at the bridge. I don't think that's the problem here, but it's a good thought.

Cool that you have spidey sense, too. I thought I was gonna get flamed for that one.

Could it be as simple as strumming too hard? I don't play a lot of punk or even that much hard rock, but hard strumming is where I seem to cause the most damage. The thing is, I'm strumming hard because the song calls for it, so I guess it's just a matter of pulling back as much as I can without losing the "umph"?

What about you punk rock guys/gals? Do you break strings a lot?

[EspBoobiesYeah]

Oh it's definitely strumming too hard. I played in a hardcore/punk band, a punk band, and currently a metallish band. You just get into it on stage, I know I do. Not drinking and self-control usually deliver smoother, string breakage free shows.

[fastvfr]

Sounds to me like you are 'digging in' a bit too deep when picking, or maybe angling the pick under the strings.

This would explain why some people can 'sense' when a string is about to break--they might be sensing the difference in the feel of the pick against the strings during that session.

I'd concentrate on your right hand technique when practicing if I were you...perhaps a thinner pick would work better? I use .12's and .10's on my acoustic and electric respectively--and have only broken one string in the past six months...which was due to de- and retuning for open tuning, which I did not like.

It might be that you aren't striking the strings at the proper angle, at least not consistently. Try turning the pick so it isn't parallel to the strings when you strike them; it helps me achieve higher altpicking speeds by not letting the pick hang up as easily.

It's going to be a hard habit to break (you usually need to practice proper technique 2X as long as you played with IMproper technique to cure such ills) but that just means it's better to get started on it right away, doesn't it? :D

[Romp]

Try turning the pick so it isn't parallel to the strings when you strike them;

I assume you mean "perpendicular" rather than "parallel," right? If it was parallel it would never make contact with the strings. :D

As far as I know, I use a pretty smooth, angled picking technique. I'll take a closer look, though, and see if I detect anything next time I'm playing.

What is altpicking?

[fastvfr]

Well, no...This is parallel: =

This is perpendicular: |

What I meant was, if you are not angling the pick slightly away from hitting the string dead-on (with the pick touching the string equally all the way across) you can easily angle the pick up (or down) under the string, imparting a large amount of strain along the length of the string.

This, IMO, is a likely cause of chronic string breaks.

Myself, I hold the pick at a 20 to 30 degree slant to the strings for the most part. This helps when going for speed and also makes for a slightly softer impact with the target string...and I think a thinner pick (0.75mm-0.88mm) would diagnose this for you if the strings last longer when not getting smited by a 2.0mm model.

And as for what I meant by altpicking, that's just when your pick hand alternates in an up-down-up-down pattern rather than just down-down-down, as some people do when trying to do certain things.

BB King says this is one of the ''problems' with his style...but, let's face it...that 'problem' is part of what gives him his signature sound!

Good luck,

Eric

[Michael. A]

I used to break my classical guitar (nylon) strings every 2 weeks cause I played it too much and with a plectrum as it was my first guitar and didn't appreciate the instrument right. The bindings were literraly shreds by the end. I'm guessing it was cause I dug into the strings too much with my plectrum, pressed too hard, played too hard etc. Why not just see if you are using more effort then you need to for your sound? I guess if you're a pro then you wouldn't have that problem but I can't think of any other except bad strings and maybe a metal plectrum?

A cool guitarist I know cleans his strings every time he finishes playing which he says keeps them alive much longer if you wanna do that? You basically wipe them with some oil after you play quickly, only takes a minute or so.

[Romp]

Well, no...This is parallel: =

This is perpendicular: |

What I meant was, if you are not angling the pick slightly away from hitting the string dead-on (with the pick touching the string equally all the way across) you can easily angle the pick up (or down) under the string, imparting a large amount of strain along the length of the string.

Okay, I thought you meant a different angle, as in the angle from which the pick approaches the string starting away from your body moving toward you. But you're talking about the angle it approaches the string from the sky to the ground, and vice versa. That makes much more sense, and I'll check that.

I played a successful 4-hour gig last night with no breakage, and there were times my "spidey sense" started to go off. When that happened, I backed off the guitar some, and nothing snapped.


A cool guitarist I know cleans his strings every time he finishes playing which he says keeps them alive much longer if you wanna do that? You basically wipe them with some oil after you play quickly, only takes a minute or so.

That's something I think may have a lot to do with it, however I know a lot of guys who NEVER wipe their strings, and they never break 'em, either.

I wonder if individual body chemistry can make a difference for different people, like maybe the acidity of the oils from my hands is greater than other people's, and could be exacerbating the problem. I am, unfortunately, one of those people with the gross "sweaty palms" problem you've probably heard about. Wonder if that could be related.

[hairballxavier]

I've been playing guitar for about 17 years. I'm an instructor and I play in a band and local gigs around town, as well as my own recordings. I consider myself a pretty proficient player, but one thing is plaguing me: I keep breaking strings.

***To clarify, this is NOT a gear question. If you have recommendations on strings to try, please PM me, but I'm almost 100% sure it's not an issue with the strings. I use high-end 0.13 gauge Elixers (thick strings) on my acoustic and 0.11 gauge Elixers on my electric, all different coating types (nano, poly, bronze phosphor, etc.) and I'm very, very happy with them. The only "gear" possibility I'm considering is that I use nylon picks and they might be tugging the strings, but I really don't think so.***

I'm pretty convinced this a technique issue, but I don't know what it could be. I play about 2-3 hours a day, and my strings last a maximum of 3 weeks before they snap. They don't even get to the point where they're overly rusty or sounding dull, and not even to the point where the coated Elixers start to fray. They snap before that happens, so I'm sure there's something wrong.

It's no particular string and no particular guitar. It happens on both stratocasters, my Epi acoustic, my Ovation 6-string and 12-string - every one of them, if I'm playing the strings are probably gonna break. I have to have backup guitars with me everywhere I play.
Here's the weird thing. I can "sense" when the strings are about to break. I get this "Oh sh8t" feeling and I know one's about to go. I know that sounds really weird, but I think that's an indication that it's something I'm doing subconsciously to cause it, and my brain has picked up that there IS a correlation, I just haven't figured out what it is, and that's why I need help. It normally happens when I'm strumming heavy on a fast-paced song, like "House is Rockin'" or something like that, but it's happened while putting new strings on. (Got a free set from Elixer for that one, though.) I've had them break within 2 hours of putting them on. TWO HOURS. That's just ridiculous.

I know other guitarists who change their strings 3 or 4 times a year. I'm changing mine 20 - 25 times per year per guitar. It's getting really expensive.

HELP! :( Perhaps your favorite axe has started to lose that crown ojn the top of the frets. I know that a good grinding sound on some old frets can give a little punch to your leads, but sooner or later you just got to get them recrowned or it can effect your confidence on stage. You can't be up there squinting and hoping and praying your strings ain't gonna break, that is bad technique.

[mattblack850]

I think it's still worth having a look at your saddles and nuts (OOoo eeerrr!!!), just check for any unwanted sharp edges and file away carefully, but I agree that the main cause could well be just digging in too much. Although if you have any sharp edges it's going to compromise the string at that point no matter how hard/soft you play!

[elvisjer]

Hey man. Im new to the forum. Ive been playing for 11 years or so...since i was 9. I played punk, metal...now more classic rock and just straight up rock. I gig every week playing lead and used to carry extra set of strings and a backup guitar, now i try to carry an extra set of strings but have not broken a string on stage for 2 or 3 years. Why? I turned up my volume. Yes! That easy! I was playing so quiet that i stummed hard to hear myself! This was with anyguitar also! By simply starting to angle the amp at me, use a riser, something of that sort AND turn up the amp volume i actually just dont go through strings as much. This will also give you a better sound, being your range of tonal and volume possibilites will be MUCH more variable on the spot. I still am working at controlling myself when the amp is hot, but if you go to a very good guitarist at a gig (someone respectable) and talk to them and when they eventually say, "Want to try my setup?" (rarley happens) you will almost always notice how hot it is. THats how they get those pinch harmonics, and the screaming sustain. HOpe that helps! Now i play on 9 guage electrics and keep em safe instead of the 12s i had to keep them in tact.

[Romp]

I turned up my volume.

Well, that stands to reason. My band is always telling me to turn my stuff down. It's really irritating because half the time I can't hear myself at all. It's not that big of a deal since, as long as I know what key we're in I can improv "deaf" but it still robs me of tonal control.

[fastvfr]

Sounds good!

What are you crazy kids using for monitors when you play out?

[Romp]

I use... monitors? for monitors? I'm not quite sure I follow.

I don't have a dedicated monitor, if that's what you mean. If I turn up, it turns up on everyone's monitor.

[Bizarro]

Check for the location that the string is breaking. It may be different on each guitar. I bet most of them are breaking at the bridge...

Switch over to Graphtech saddles and you'll never break a string again. It's the only thing I'll use on my "stage" guitars. 5+ years of gigs and no broken strings since I switched. Before that it wasn't so good...

[Romp]

They seems to break at the bridge and the nut pretty evenly. Is there a similar replacement nut I could use? (Not to diverge into a gear topic.)

I've been working on my technique over the last week and paying attention to backing off a little bit. My sound hasn't suffered and, so far, no broken strings.

[fastvfr]

Sounds like you are on the right track with your technique, then.

Maybe roller saddles and a Graphtech nut would allow you to play harder with no broken strings, but I also hear where some folks believe the rollers cut down on their sustain a bit.

Anyhow, a while back a good friend was the sound man for a cover band, and he had the same problem with their guitarist, especially when they played larger venues.

The solution he found was to put a small preamp between the mixer and the guitarist's dedicated monitor. Otherwise, the poor guy was 'flying blind' most of the time, at least whenever he wasn't crowding out the sound of the keyboards, bass, vocals ect.

Maybe having your own monitor, boosted a little bit, would work for you too.

Good luck!

[Los Boleros]

Keep working that strumming technique. Practice sometimes with your elbo out in from of you and sometimes with you elbow closer to the body. Practice isolating just the wrist then just the arm. Practice practice practice. I know a few guys that always break strings. I don't like them playing my babies. :D

[Romp]

Maybe having your own monitor, boosted a little bit, would work for you too.

Good luck!

There's a dedicated monitor out on my board, so I may just try that. I could just use a small practice amp for when I'm behind the mic.

Thanks!