string breakage

[whackmaster]

So I was playing at church this morning with my PC1 when, low and behold, my d string breaks throwing the Floyd completely out of tune! So, as smoothly as possible and being the only guitar player today, I grab an acoustic sitting on the stage and hop back in. By smoothly, I mean it took about a minute of oh crap what do I do and standing there with a deer in headlights look to actually move and get the other guitar. Has this ever happened to you guys? How do you recover without looking like a tool? Now I remember why I always have a backup guitar - except this time of course!

[Freyr]

I've only broken one string, ever... the first day I got a guitar. I overtuned it.

You guys just pick too hard, haha.

[Rsmacker]

I used to stop playing and stand in front of the other guitarist pulling faces and dancing like a twat to put him off. I'd then moon at the audience and by that time someone would have another guitar ready for me. Some days it actually would be in tune too.

[scotty]

I never leave home without a backup guitar.

[thetroy]

I've only broken strings at home, and even then only like 3 times in 4 years.

[Tekky]

This woulda never happened if Woody had gone to the police.... I mean, if you changed your strings before the performance. Usually some of the guys I tech for get two shows out of their strings and on-stage breakage is not a common occurance. Then again, they have two guitars for each tuning they use. (and usually the backups came from my stock)

[cdwillis]

If you use a tremstop won't the other strings stay in tune? I'm not in a band right now, I"m just a couch player but I never break strings anyways.

[AfterForever]

When I played live I always brought a backup. I never broke a string on stage though.. I've only broken around 4-5 strings in about 10 years

[whackmaster]

Yeah, hopefully it was a one time deal. The best part was as I was playing, I kept hearing a popping noise in the PA. Turns out, it was my string unravelling

[Vass]

I haven't broken one in a while. I used to snap them (ernie ball SS 9's) all the time on my stratocater. Just got used to it. Broke at the bridge, as I recall. Maybe I had a sharp saddle.

Murphy's Law tho- It'll break when people are looking next time I am sure.

Vass

[sonicsamurai]

touch wood i've ner broken a string live. very rarely at home and never on my jackson yet. only a cople of times on my strat with a weak string i guess. i didn't bend it up up a whole tone. oh well. it happens

[MartinBarre]

So I was playing at church this morning with my PC1

Don't take this the wrong way - but why would you be using a guitar like that at a church?
I'm a Brit, so I don't understand the culture you guys have with things like this, I'm not trying to be funny or anything. I just don't equate churches with Jackson guitars.

[fett]

We have Holy Rockers here. You need to see what Southern Baptists do. There are a lot of guys and gals that started out doing their music in church. OK, guys who are they?

[CharvelRocker]

Don't take this the wrong way - but why would you be using a guitar like that at a church?
I'm a Brit, so I don't understand the culture you guys have with things like this, I'm not trying to be funny or anything. I just don't equate churches with Jackson guitars.

I play my Dk2T in Church all the time... as long as it doesn't have inverse crosses or anything obscene on it, it doesn't really matter LOL.

[Rsmacker]

Don't take this the wrong way - but why would you be using a guitar like that at a church?
I'm a Brit, so I don't understand the culture you guys have with things like this, I'm not trying to be funny or anything. I just don't equate churches with Jackson guitars.

Ah, that's because you are like me, a traditionalist who thinks churches should be austere cold stone places with sparsely attended services (unless Songs of Praise is in town, then it's rammed). Average age of churchgoer - 103, pissy ming as determined by the Waz-o-meter - off the scale. Hymns - serious, services - even more serious, to be run by dodgy kiddie-fiddler in a frock, called "Vicar". To be attended regularly (ie. once a year for a carol service on way home from pub, or when someone close to you is hatched/matched/despatched.), total amount to be left in collection plate - 2 drachmas, and a toffee wrapper.

These days churches are full of happy-clapper fuckers who sing "hymns" all about "his very big house" (absolutely none about Christian soldiers marching to smite the heathen, nor my favourite, that one about "a purple-headed mountain", whichever that one is.)
Mrs Smith the incontinent old zombie who used to play the wrong tune on the organ is gone (quite possibly staked through the heart), now they have a fucking band, with electric guitars! And they can play, in tune, and in time! Disgraceful!

I went to a mate's wedding not so long ago, and it was one of these weird churches, the vicar wasn't a vicar, it was some bloke in a suit, called Kevin or something. He didn't look scary, or mention having your floppy-dopplies roasted by little imps when you go to Hell. He did have that smug "you're-going-to-Hell-and-I'm-not" look about him though. And he very definitely did look directly at me every time he mentioned evil. I think he may have seen some of my films, he he, or it might have been the way I was swaying, seriously hung-over as I was, breathing pure Smirnoff fumes.

There was a mixing desk at the back of the church, a 32 channel Allen & Heath GL3300 - not a toy by anyone's standards, quite what the fuck they need that for is anyone's guess. I decided that if they could afford one of those, they didn't need any of my dodgy holiday coins.

'Twas a most disturbing incident, I can tell you. The church wasn't even a draughty old scary place, it had fucking carpet!

My mate used to play in the band, to my amazement, seeing as he looks like a psycho, flame tattoos and skulls all up his arms, wielding a Jackson Kelly. I wouldn't have thought the after-gig piss-ups were much of a laugh, unless they spit-roasted old Mrs Smith and snorted sherbert.

Step forward and take a bow Prof. Kenny M, if you are here.......