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May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | So Brad (Slipkid) and I were practicing last night and we got to talking about breaking strings. Guess what? Brad says he has never (ever?) in his 50+ years broken a string. I am amazed.
Now dont get me wrong, I dont break that many either, but in any given year I break at least one or two. What do you think? I think Brad needs to thrash that guitar a bit harder.
Oh yeah, he also uses extra light strings and a thin pick or strums with his fingers. I guess he is what I'd call a light touch. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | By and large, I use medium strings and picks, and have also never broken a string.... |
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October 2005
Posts: 5330
Location: Cicero, NY | I am far from what you might call a thrasher but I probably break a couple a year. Have never gotten used to that sound either. I can handle the fingernails on a chalkboard but that sound goes through me faster'n creamed corn. |
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May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | Yeah I hate that sound as well. Also I have never got the hang of playing through a song with only five strings once one has broke. It's kind of like when you put tape on a cat's paws and they cant walk, I just feels so wierd fingering chords with one string missing that I have to pretty much give up on the song, apologize, and fix the broken string before continuing.
Maybe next time Brad comes over I'll wait till he's in the john then file a couple slight notches in a couple of his strings so that he can experience the pleasure of a broken string. he-he. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | LOL with my old band it was not considered a good practice untless I broke at least one string. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I tend not to break many either. |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | I've broken lots of them. Not as many since I switched to a heavier pick. That's one of the reasons Ovations are great - every other guitar I've had, when one string breaks the other strings go south fast. With my O's all the other strings stay in tune, allowing me to finish the song.
I've known guitarists who kept extra strings taped to their guitar because they knew they would need them.
I've also known people who could adlib their way through a song while changing the string. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Last night's gig:
4 strings.
1 on the 12 (a G), and
3 on the 6 (G, D, & A).
We were playing at far too low a volume to a far too noisy room . . . |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | It comes to mind that I did break a string on my electric maybe 7 years ago. Beyond that, can't think of another.
who could adlib their way through a song while changing the string Now that is talent!! |
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November 2004
Posts: 382
Location: USA | when i first started playing I broke strings like crazy.
Now that ive learned how to play...haha i think...
the breakage has become far less...I break more now to grooves in the saddle.
I use a heavy pick and light gauge D's... |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Cliff... 4 strings in one night??? yikes. |
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November 2005
Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | Interesting question...
Time was I broke them pretty often. But now that you mention it, I don't think I've broken one in several years. I can't remember the last time.
And its not like I don't get pretty aggressive. I guess I'm just lucky. |
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January 2006
Posts: 387
Location: Whitecourt, Ab | I went through a stage of breaking the G string on my guitars a few years ago. I'm not sure if it was the quality of strings or the way I strum, but I don't seem to break as many these days. I find Blue Steel seem to last longer for some reason. I also have a bad habit of breaking the B string when I stretch the strings after a new install. |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I've actually broken a (B) string while bending a note with my left hand. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I have never broken a string but I have had quite a few defective ones break on me :D
Worst instance was when I had just purchased a new Dan Armstrong clear bass in '71 and took it out on a gig. For some reason, I foolishly left both my Rickenbacker and my Fender Jazz at home.
The gig was about 45 minutes away from home and....you guessed it, first set....first song... my "A" string breaks. (Turned out to be a burr on the nut). Now the DA is a short scale so not only did I not have a spare bass guitar but I had not purchased a set of short scale bass strings.
Struggled through the first set and then headed to the house to grab a spare bass. By the time I got back, the crowd had dwindled to nothing, the owner of the bar was pissed, and we didn't get paid. My bandmates were NOT happy with me.
Never made that mistake again.... |
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December 2005
Posts: 117
| I know I mention him a lot, but you guys should see Joey Eppard. He plays a song called Amaze Disgrace, which is on 3 of his and his band's CDs, at the end of many sets. When he does, he breaks every string with his bare hands. He plays an elite t, not sure what kind of strings, but it's amazing to see.
There's a video of this song floating around online, but it's kind of heard to find. It's a few hundred megs, I believe, of high quality video. At the end he breaks only 3 strings, and apologizes for it, but when I saw him live he broke them all. |
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June 2005
Posts: 1320
Location: Round Rock, TX | They come in waves. I can go months wihout breaking a one. Then I'll break 3 or 4 in a weekend. Elixirs were the worst. Webstrings seem to do as well or better than anything else (and they're cheap and they sound good). |
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July 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | I'll do a bunch of Albert King style, 2 whole step bends, including the little "E" string, actually on all of the strings, and I almost never break a string. It's all in how ya yank 'em.
Now, I don't do that kind of bending on the acoustic, but I'll do some of it. I use 10-46 on the electric, and 12 or sometimes a 13 set on the acoustic. I use more hybrid picking, so I don't really do a lot of hard strumming. |
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November 2004
Posts: 4413
| Not for about 20 years or more. |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by schroeder:
Not for about 20 years or more. They just wish they could break... |
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November 2004
Posts: 4413
| No they don't. :mad: |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret |  |
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December 2004
Posts: 370
Location: Isle of Man, UK | One horrible gig a few years ago:- I had done the right thing and restrung a couple of days before, so everything was shiny and new.
First chorus of the first song. CRACK. One down - D string. No worries - I brought another guitar, so I'll pick that up. First Chorus of second song. CRACK. Second one down, B string. Have a little banter with the audience whilst I restring guitar 1. Second verse of song three. CRACK. Number 3 down - B string again. Bit more banter with audience, whilst restringing guitar 2. Halfway through the intro to song 4. CRACK. A string this time. Managed to restring whilst singing {amen to keyboard players for being able to cover!), and that, fortunately, was the end of the snaps for that evening.
I think that must be what you call "a bad batch".
Don't break that many these days, but gigs like that really stick in the memory!
JB |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I'm with Styll. I broke lots of strings 30 years ago. Seldom do so anymore. Maybe it is because 30 years ago, I didn't regularly replace strings until they did break! |
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June 2005
Posts: 1320
Location: Round Rock, TX | I was at a rock gig where I was one of two electric guitarists in the band. We were coming to the big solo in the big song of the set and I broke my D string. I looked over to the other guy to tell him that he had to take the solo and saw that his D string was hanging down, too. Cut to ending, ditch the solo, the tags and the train wreck, look at the audience and announce a short break. |
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Never broke a string?
