Snapping strings

JeremyStein

Blues Newbie
Hi all! Happy Thursday!

I’ve been going through a lot of strings recently. I break my high e string about every 10-14 days. I was using d’addario XLs, 10s, but bumped up to the NYXLs to see if it made a difference. I may have gotten a few more days out of the NYXLs.

The string always breaks at the freight I’m bending, but not the same freight every time, and not the bridge or the nut. 3rd and 4th finger bends. Never any other string, just the high e.

I’ve been working on BSBB groups 1-3 and the first 3 solos in BGU. Usually minimum of 2 hours per day.

Is it normal to be going through this many strings? Any tips or suggestions? Could I be pushing too hard on the strings? Would it be worth trying 11s? Could the guitar need a setup? It’s about 15 years old. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 

Norfolk Bill

norfolk uk, just knoodling along
i can honestly say i cant remember breaking a string in 30yrs i use 9's,,,,i would suggest that if your breaking them when bending at different frets your putting way way too much pressure on ,,,your fingers must be so tired,,,just experiment with a touch thats just light enough to produce the desired effect
 

Elio

Student Of The Blues
I agree with Bill. I went through a phase when I was breaking a string or two per week and buying high e strings in bulk.

Focusing on bending the string lightly across the fret rather than down onto the fret solved the problem. It takes very little downward pressure to bend.

I very rarely break a string now but I do keep in inventory of bulk high e strings on hand just in case. You can buy a dozen from juststrings.com for about $4.
 

JeremyStein

Blues Newbie
Thanks! I suspect it’s the pressing too hard. I had some other finger pain that I think was related to this as well. I came from playing an acoustic for 10 years or so, so that may have contributed. Also, when I first started bending strings, I was struggling to get a full tone bend probably because I was pushing too hard which made me want to press even harder!
 

JestMe

Student Of The Blues
That's a lot of string breaking.

In addition to the other fine suggestions already made... If the strings are breaking at the same location on the string... check for little tiny burrs at that point... or on the saddle, tuner hole...

Best of luck!
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
Hi all! Happy Thursday!

I’ve been going through a lot of strings recently. I break my high e string about every 10-14 days. I was using d’addario XLs, 10s, but bumped up to the NYXLs to see if it made a difference. I may have gotten a few more days out of the NYXLs.

The string always breaks at the freight I’m bending, but not the same freight every time, and not the bridge or the nut. 3rd and 4th finger bends. Never any other string, just the high e.

I’ve been working on BSBB groups 1-3 and the first 3 solos in BGU. Usually minimum of 2 hours per day.

Is it normal to be going through this many strings? Any tips or suggestions? Could I be pushing too hard on the strings? Would it be worth trying 11s? Could the guitar need a setup? It’s about 15 years old. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Normal? For beginners? Yes
It will get better. I've been using plain old EB 10's and it's been a long while since I've broken a string.
Be sure to slide the string gently up with only as much pressure as you need to make contact with the fret.(This is just about always the issue.)
 

Al Holloway

Devizes UK
You should be fretting so lightly you can play a clean note without the thumb on the back of the neck. Then put the thumb over the top of the fingerboard to have something to press up against ans lightlu push up/

cheers

Al.
 

snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
I'm another that broke a couple of strings a week for probably 6 weeks. Focus on the bend. Like the others have said, be sure that you're pushing the string across the fret and not into the fret. I still occasionally push into the fret, but now I am cognizant enough to feel the scrape and grind and correct it before it causes a problem. It should just be a nice, easy slide up (or down) the fret wire.
 

TerryH

Blues Newbie
You are not alone. It happened to me quite a bit in the beginning. Pushing and not pressing is a bit of a knack that just comes naturally in time - or it did with me. When you get it right a full bend doesn't really require that much force.
 
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JeremyStein

Blues Newbie
You are not alone. It happened to me quite a bit in the beginning. Pushing and not pressing is a bit knack that just comes naturally in time - or it did with me. When you get it right a full bend doesn't really require that much force.

It’s funny you say that because I struggle often with full step bends on the low e string, which should be the easiest string to bend... and I’ve always wondered what the heck I was doing wrong or if my fingers were just not strong enough, which made me try and bend (and press) that much harder without really any result.
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
I have been playing guitar since 1952, and have not broken a string - yet! Just because I said that, I am inviting trouble! :eek:

Suggestions:

Check technique.

Check guitar set up.

Check frets.



Tom
 

JestMe

Student Of The Blues
I briefly switched to 9s for a while and broke 2 high e strings... back to 10s now.

For you guys that aren't breaking any strings... I think you just aren't wearing down your strings enough, you may be changing them too soon! ;-)
 

JPsuff

Blackstar Artist
I play 11's on all my guitars so snapping a string isn't very likely but it IS possible if I let too much time go by between string changes.

I generally change them when the thin strings start to sound "twangy" or the wound strings start to sound muddy.

Another way I can tell it's time to change strings is if my fingers are excessively dirty after playing (which means the metal is oxidizing which usually means age is becoming a factor).
 
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