string breakage

[whackmaster]

Yeah, what he said....

[markD]

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 holoflake SL-1 in church a lot. i have played my Hamer vector flying V also....and my PRS, and my brian moore....just depends on my mood!!!

[DoubleA]

Ugh, I just take all my strings off anyway. Thats about the only way my playin sounds good any way

[Stinkbug]

I used to break strings like crazy. What is really strange is that 95%+ of the time it is a D-string. There isn't much you can do if you have a floating bridge other than change guitars or replace the string. I always bring at least one back up for that reason. Most bands I have been in had 2 guitar players so it wasn't as big a deal if I dropped out for second to change guitars.

I remember playing a show where I broke strings constantly. I brought 2 or 3 backups all with floyds. I broke the D string on all of them during 2 songs that were back to back. My buddy and I would tech for each other and he was changing strings like crazy. I actually broke them faster than he could change them and the singer (who also played guitar on some songs) took his guitar off and gave it to me in the middle of the song when I ran out of guitars! hehe I think it might be caused by the way I pick. Possibly the picking arc is deepest at the D so I get more of the string. However, I break D's on my classical guitar too and only play with fingers on that.

[horns666]

I've ALWAYS broke strings..like nuts!!!

When I jumped from 9's to a 10 gauge ..I still broke 'em. I went to Guitar Center a few years ago and bought whatever was CHEAP..so I bought 10 packs of Ernie Ball Regular 10's Slinkys ...I still have a few packs left.

In fact, I strung my kid's guitar and mine with them..and they are so old and sound like complete shit. They must be very broken-in because I get violent on both guitars in an attempt pop a string so I'd have to change them..I've yet changed the damn things...they just won't break.

I'll change them evenetually...I so fuggin' lazy!

They are not the best sounding string I've tried..but they are certainly durable and saved money and time buying strings!!!

[sonicsamurai]

you broke your nuts ???

[sonicsamurai]

hmmm, re the debate, i don't see churches as being cold hearltess places with ancient this and ancient that, in fact quite the opposite. most of the christians i meat are happy clappy flower power types. who go round in a bus with JESUS ARMY scrawled on it (no, seriously). They smile at me and bounce up to me, then proceeed to tell me i'm going to hell because i like buddhism. nice people. i'm screwed now i certainly don't see them with anything more dangerous than an acoustic with a rainbow strap.

just what i tend to see/hear - good to see people break the mould!!

[horns666]

you broke your nuts ???

Why sure I did..all the time!!!

[horns666]

BTW..My son is at his church now. They're having some CYO prayer thing goin' on...I bet all the holy statues cry when I walk in there..except St Luigi, he's the patron saint of "al dente" pasta!!!

I gotta go pick him up right now..

[ABSOLUT CHARVEL]

i thought with the creation of plastic Applicators you would find less string breakage?

[Sunbane]

I never broke a string on stage though.. I've only broken around 4-5 strings in about 10 years

I keep breaking 4-5 strings every year.

I broke the 3rd string (G) during my very first live performance. It was in the middle of my solo too, of course!

[Outlander]

On a floyded guitar I immediately decrease my pick attack (volume) to 1/2 or less and bash around on the strings until I get a referance of the change. Compensate for wherever it's gone to by adjusting scale positioning on the neck, revert to a lot of power chords where applicable and not get to adventurous with lead lines and incorporating a lot of single string phrasing. The trem bar can help out a lot if you keep it palmed to raise or lower your pitch as needed. Slower melodic lines with a lot of bends help as well.
On a non trem guitar shouldn't be much of a problem just extend the scale pattern on the string before the broken one. I've had to do this more than a few times on both types of instruments. Our drummer said he didn't even know I broke a string. But hey he's a drummer. The Show Must Go ON. Change guitars after the song is over unless you got techs.
There's a great example of SRV on one of the Austin City Limits shows where he broke a string and his tech came up behind him, unhooked his strap, took his guitar when he got to a four count pause and then slid another guitar into place and hooked his strap. Smoothest thing I've ever seen ! and of course Stevie never missed a lick!!

[Rsmacker]

most of the christians i meat are happy clappy flower power types. who go round in a bus with JESUS ARMY scrawled on it (no, seriously). They smile at me and bounce up to me, then proceeed to tell me i'm going to hell because i like buddhism. nice people. i'm screwed now i certainly don't see them with anything more dangerous than an acoustic with a rainbow strap.

The Jesus Army had an office in town here, and would try to "save" people at closing time (ie. whisk them off to be brainwashed), but they met their match when they saw my "Monkeys of Longleat" impression.
That involves stripping bollock naked, then clambering all over their Transit van making monkey noises and dragging my hairy arse down their windscreen while my mates try to bash the wing mirrors off. They would barricade themselves inside and sing and pray (strangely, for a policeman to pass by and nick us, not for world peace) and try not to look at me trying to leave a skid mark on their bonnet. I swear I would leave the boozer touching cloth, but by the time I was poised to free a chocolate hostage on their motor, I would clam up. It's immensely hard to poo with an audience, even though they are all covering their eyes and trying to avoid looking at you.

We all offered to join, promised we'd give up drinking and stop bumming each other (they were convinced we were Sodomites for some reason. Might have been Tommy pulling Nick's pants down and pretending to bugger him. Loudly.), but they just weren't interested. Miserable fuckers. They didn't even help me up when I got hit by a tree that jumped out in front of me as I staggered home completely pissed.

They abandoned late night "rescue missions" shortly afterwards.

One day I gave one of them a lift on the motorway. He was wearing a dress and thick black eye make-up and was escaping. Two days later he was on "Kilroy" talking about brainwashing and how the Jesus Army fucked him up. I like to think it was me and my friends that did him in really, we were fucking looney-tunes.

Ah, happy days, can't do that now, too many CCTV cameras about - instant arrest.

[RobRR]

I used to break strings somewhat frequently years ago, but havent broken one going on 6 years now. And I bend to high heaven too, dont know what changed since then, but I cant break one if I tried, and I use 9's mainly. The only thing I can really think of is that now Im very strict about guitar upkeep. Frets are ALWAYS polished, strings never rusty... Im thinking maybe corroded dingy frets cause more friction thus wearing out strings faster.1

[Sunbane]

The Jesus Army had an office in town here, and would try to "save" people at closing time (ie. whisk them off to be brainwashed), but they met their match when they saw my "Monkeys of Longleat" impression.
That involves stripping bollock naked, then clambering all over their Transit van making monkey noises and dragging my hairy arse down their windscreen while my mates try to bash the wing mirrors off. They would barricade themselves inside and sing and pray (strangely, for a policeman to pass by and nick us, not for world peace) and try not to look at me trying to leave a skid mark on their bonnet. I swear I would leave the boozer touching cloth, but by the time I was poised to free a chocolate hostage on their motor, I would clam up. It's immensely hard to poo with an audience, even though they are all covering their eyes and trying to avoid looking at you.

We all offered to join, promised we'd give up drinking and stop bumming each other (they were convinced we were Sodomites for some reason. Might have been Tommy pulling Nick's pants down and pretending to bugger him. Loudly.), but they just weren't interested. Miserable fuckers. They didn't even help me up when I got hit by a tree that jumped out in front of me as I staggered home completely pissed.

They abandoned late night "rescue missions" shortly afterwards.

Hahaha! What a lovely story!