Wtf

[stackny]

Well, I broke yet another string today. This time high E. They were new Light Elixers that I bought last week.

Okay heres the questions:

I play a lot of heavy music, hard picking, tapping and such. What gauge strings should I buy? I liked the ones I had but the fricken things broke.

Is it possible to put too much tension on your strings? If so, how do I make sure Im not doing that?

What brand?

[magicninja]

Elixers are a good brand. It might be your playing style or the rare defect. A little heavier gauge will help if it is your style. Bear in mind a change in string gauge may constitute other changes like intonation and what not.

[stackny]

Elixers are a good brand. It might be your playing style or the rare defect. A little heavier gauge will help if it is your style. Bear in mind a change in string gauge may constitute other changes like intonation and what not.

I aint playin live. Id rather save my money and change my tone a bit than have strings break all the time. It probably is my style, lots of bends and what not. What should I go with...I really liked the tone of the Elixers.

[magicninja]

I aint playin live. Id rather save my money and change my tone a bit than have strings break all the time. It probably is my style, lots of bends and what not. What should I go with...I really liked the tone of the Elixers.

Yeah Elixers are great so are Ernie Ball and GHS. If you go heavier make sure to check the intonation.

[Danny C.]

I really like the GHS Boomers, maybe you should give those a try i think I have the .009s on my guitar

[scarface84]

i had the same problem with .009's, but later changed to .010 (10-46) and i haven't broken a single string since. I've tried ernie ball, dean markley and a few other, they're the same to me really. I haven't tried elixir yet though.

[Lordathestrings]

I haven't broken a string while playing in almost 30 years! Mind you, my lightest strings are D'Addario EXL-110's.

Unless there's a sharp edge on your bridge saddles, you must be abusing the hell out of your strings. :eek: You can get sharp attack on your notes without trying to scrape the strings right off the guitar. Spend some time working on your picking technique.

[stackny]

I dont THINK Im picking too hard...but I dont really know. I cant work on my technique if I dont think theres anything wrong with it, if you know what Im saying. :confused:

So, when Im asking for string gauge, do you actually say "point O one" or wtf do I say? This is all new to me, and I dont want to make myself look like a total dumb ass in the process. Last time I just asked for light Elixers, no certain gauge, but I have a feeling Im definitely gonna need to go for a heavier gauge.

[Lordathestrings]

Buddy Guy breaks a string several times during his live sets, but it's a contrived part of the show. He's got a tech at the side of the stage waiting with a freshly-strung axe to swap with him, and you can bet that one of his bridge saddles has a burr on it to cause that string to break. A properly set up guitar will not allow a string to break unless it is being abused beyond all endurance. If you load spider-web electric strings, you can't beat on them like they were massive acoustic strings.

I'll refer you to the >D'Addario (http://www.daddario.com/DADProducts.aspx?ID=1&CLASS=AABA)< website, because that's what I use, so I can give you some examples.

As I said earlier, my lightest strings are the EXL 110 sets I use on most of my guitars. This set is called Regular Light. If you click on the name, you will load a new page showing details of that particular set. Notice the numbers under the heading "Diameter". This is what is meant by string gauge. Usually in inches. Gauges for this set are listed as:

E: 0.010
B: 0.013
G: 0.017
D: 0.026
A: 0.036
E: 0.046

Often the string gauge is referred to in thousandths of an inch, so 0.010" diameter would be a 10 gauge string. This EXL 110 set can be called a 10 - 46 gauge set.

On my "Brand X" SBG1000, I use a slightly heavier set (11 - 49 gauge) to get richer tone. I tried the EXL 115's (called Blues/Jazz Light) but I found that the 18 gauge plain G string didn't balance well with the rest of the set. The EXL 115W set, with a 21 gauge wound G string works much better to my ears.

Before I installed DiMarzio pickups in my second SBG1000 (The Stocker), I was using the stock pickups with a EJ 21 Jazz Light set of 12 - 52 strings. This gave me killer tone for rhythm chord work, but I don't have the finger strength to do any serious bending with strings that feel like coat-hanger wire. When I installed the DiMarzio Tone Zone and PAF Pro pickups, I dropped down to a set of EXL 110 strings. I now call this axe "The Stalker" because it has a much more insidious tone.

So, if 9 or even 8 :eek: gauge strings are what you want to use, that's up to you. If you break them often, get your guitar checked out and set up. If you still break a lot of strings, you need to adjust your picking technique. No excuses. And unless you can afford to have a tech waiting at the side with backup guitars, breaking strings on stage is definitely not cool!

[scarface84]

i just ask for "10-46 guitar strings" when i'm buying new strings. I've broken alot of e (.009) strings when i was bending more than a full step up but i don't think your picking technique is the problem, just try a heavier gauge.

[Lordathestrings]

i just ask for "10-46 guitar strings" when i'm buying new strings. I've broken alot of e (.009) strings when i was bending more than a full step up but i don't think your picking technique is the problem, just try a heavier gauge.

If a full-step bend was enough to break a string, a severe trem-whammy would pop every string on your axe on the pull-up!

If your strings are breaking, you should have your bridge saddles checked for sharp edges. Tuners are less likely to cause trouble, but it does happen sometimes. Strings usually break at the bridge. I'm assuming you change your strings before they get all rusty.

[stackny]

My first set of strings were on there for quite a while and they rusted a little...Didnt know that it was a problem at the time, just new they were on there still and working. Second set-3 weeks. Third set-1 week. Will Guitar Center check this crap for me and restring it for me?

[Akira]

I hardly ever break strings, maybe i'm just more God like than everyone else?

[scarface84]

If a full-step bend was enough to break a string, a severe trem-whammy would pop every string on your axe on the pull-up!

If your strings are breaking, you should have your bridge saddles checked for sharp edges. Tuners are less likely to cause trouble, but it does happen sometimes. Strings usually break at the bridge. I'm assuming you change your strings before they get all rusty.

Actually, i said more than a full step bend, a 1.5 or 2 step bend would sometimes break the (.009 gauge) e-string, but none of the other strings. The bridge is an edge pro III floating tremolo bridge. Anyway, like i said in my first post, i haven't broken a single string since i changed to a heavier gauge.

[pogohead]

when i was a teenager i always used 9's, til someone said that might be why they keep breaking so i changed to 10's. these days i'm not sure if it made too much difference (i kept breaking them anyway :rolleyes: ) but because they're thicker you can pick harder, so if it's your picking style, that may help.

where are they usually breaking? is there a pattern, like at the top, bottom etc?

[stackny]

Alright, well I play a ton of different stuff, but I want it to be able to withstand the Metallica, Pantera, and the other harder stuff I play, so what gauge do you recomend? 10-46?

[scarface84]

Alright, well I play a ton of different stuff, but I want it to be able to withstand the Metallica, Pantera, and the other harder stuff I play, so what gauge do you recomend? 10-46?

James and kirk use (or atleast used ) 10-46 strings. As for pantera i dunno, because some of the songs are tuned down 1.5 step, you might need thicker strings if you're gonna tune down that much.

[stackny]

James and kirk use (or atleast used ) 10-46 strings. As for pantera i dunno, because some of the songs are tuned down 1.5 step, you might need thicker strings if you're gonna tune down that much.

HA! I happened to be tuning down for the song Floods when it happened. Whats the disadvantage to having strings this thick?

[scarface84]

if you use thin strings when tuning down more than 1/2 step, they'll feel like rubber bands and If you use thicker strings they won't. It's more difficult to play with thicker strings though. i don't tune down alot, so you'll have to ask someone what thickness u should use for floods, for example.

[sick_flip]

also, you should pre tighten your strings... i think that's what it's called. before playing with a new string you should tighten it more and then tune it back down to the right note.

does anyone know anything i can do about the bridge on a strat? i mean how if i try to tune down i end up having to go back and tune all the strings over again.

[pogohead]

Alright, well I play a ton of different stuff, but I want it to be able to withstand the Metallica, Pantera, and the other harder stuff I play, so what gauge do you recomend? 10-46?

i've used 10's for metallica and pantera. you'd be better with 11's for pantera, but then again if you wanna play anything else, go with the 10's. plus if you use 10's you wont struggle as much to play dimebags extreme bend's.

really could be a tech fault though so if there is a pattern to where they are snapping we could help rectify it :)

[rockonn91]

yeah, so basically, 10's are very versitile- you can play almost anything and sound good doing it. 9's you lose some of that sound and they are thinner so you get that breaking problem.

the higher the gauge, the richer it sounds, but also they're harder to play on. for big bends and stuff like you say you do, i would recomend the 10's. they arnt so thick that you cant easilly do huge bends on them, or tap, etc.

and theyre thick enough that they wont break as easilly, as well as they will have a fuller sound.

and about the tuning down... well im not gunna lie, ive never broken a string when tuning down. true, its probably torture on your strings if you keep tuning up down up down, repeat. if your gunna tune, you should probably leave it on that tuning for a long time.

[stackny]

yeah, so basically, 10's are very versitile- you can play almost anything and sound good doing it. 9's you lose some of that sound and they are thinner so you get that breaking problem.

the higher the gauge, the richer it sounds, but also they're harder to play on. for big bends and stuff like you say you do, i would recomend the 10's. they arnt so thick that you cant easilly do huge bends on them, or tap, etc.

and theyre thick enough that they wont break as easilly, as well as they will have a fuller sound.

and about the tuning down... well im not gunna lie, ive never broken a string when tuning down. true, its probably torture on your strings if you keep tuning up down up down, repeat. if your gunna tune, you should probably leave it on that tuning for a long time.

Thanks for the info, Im gonna pick up some 10's this weekend.

[rockonn91]

good! :D

im gunna be getting like 3 packs of 10's, a pack of 9's and a pack of 11's this xmas.

just for the heck of it. :p

[ibanezgirl]

I have small hands and fingers so I stick with gauge 9's, D'Addario EXL120 to be more specific.

I tried D'Addario gauge 10's and liked them for my rhythms, but I feel more comfortable with 9's because they're easier for me to bend.

I haven't broken a string in years either. Maybe it's because I change my strings when they start sounding dull instead of waiting until one breaks, which is what I used to do.

[stackny]

Got 3 packs of GC Ball 10-46 yesterday. Got em on and properly this time. Very nice strings. Hopefully none break. Also played on my soon to be amp, Line 6 Spider 112. Very nice, cant wait to get it and dick around with it.

[nick123123]

i just got my giutar today and i need some pointers,tequinecs,tips,chords,scales,etc
i really want to learn metal,heavy metal,punk rock,and hard rock :cool: :cool: [IMG][CENTER][B][I]

[Lordathestrings]

i just got my giutar today and i need some pointers,tequinecs,tips,chords,scales,etc
i really want to learn metal,heavy metal,punk rock,and hard rock :cool: :cool: [IMG][CENTER][B][I]

Click on the Guitar Tricks logo at the top of the page. There's more good stuff online here than you'll find anywhere else.

[jschell]

You got a problem? Did you buy a carton of strings or several sets from the same stock. I have had 1 string consistently break out of several sets of strings and they all came out of the same carton (gross) I bought. I would just go buy several single strings to get me thru the carton. Unless you still got the recpt. then you could try and return them. Heavier gage is a good idea anyway but unless your a neanderethall man you still shouldn't break strings. Even then do you realize what it takes to break strings. Usually it is wear or a defect in the guitar. which brings me to my last solution. Look closely at the string where it breaks. If it is breaking at a point where the string bridges the guitar or at the nut, you probably need to get it to a tech and see if there is an edge that needs some filing or buffing. If its breaking out in the middle or behind the nut or bridge and is consistant that is probably a bad batch of strings. Evenif you bought them 1 set at a time most stores stock them this way. :cool: