Alarung Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 G'Day I'd always played D'Addario XL 10's on my Pacifica Tele, minus one set of EB Hybrid Slinkys that I didn't like, untill about a month ago when I put a set of XL 9's on it, just to see if I liked the lighter gauge. I don't know that I did, but that's not the point. Every single one of those strings was broken in 2 weeks. After this I put my 10's back on, and they've been popping like corn too! I don't have an overly aggressive playing style, and absolutely nothing that the stings go through has changed. This has never happend before! I used to change my stings every month or so, and usually never had breakages. Anyone got a suggestion? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivin Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 You sure there isn't something wrong with the way you are installing the strings that is putting a kink in them or anything like that? Maybe there is something in the saddles thats weakening the strings? (seems unlikely for all 6 of them but hey) ? Good luck - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 Are they breaking in the same place all the time? And did you make any adjustments to the guitar when you installed the 9's, eg. trem tension and/or bridge/saddles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StratDudeDan Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 my friend had an LP-100 who's bridge was very good at cutting strings. the grooves were made by someone with a sense of humor, 'cause they we're rounded, rather just filed it at an angle, making a wonderful string cutting machine. he was breaking sets of 12's on his... you might want to check that. also, if they're breaking at the tuning peg, you're having a problem similar to what i had a while back with my strat. when i installed them, i'd run the string through, then just start tightening until it was up to pitch. this created a slightly mean kink in the string. now, i wrap the string around once then run it through the peg and start turning. it puts much less tension on the place where the string goes through the peg and and instead spreads it across the section that's already wrapped around. if they're just breaking in the middle, check your tuner. you might not be tuning to concert pitch anymore. maybe you've decided to tune to a concert Eb pitch instead, my tuner does that to me every now and then. confuses the snot out of me. also, if they're breaking at the nut, i don't have any ideas, i'd usually just get a file in there and then some mechanical pencil lead, but i've never had that happen on an electric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1nf1d3l Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 i must say, that sucks. i use black diamonds, and ive had em on there for a good 6 months, ive only broken teh 1E string too, and thats because i was always changing the tuning of my guitar, and im using 9's.. so if that says anything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_here Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 (edited) Alarung- Briefly, I owned a Yamaha Tele-Styled guitar but can't recall if it was a "Pacifica" or not!?!? It had a Floyd-Rose (?) Tremelo on it (or a FR-Copy?).... If yours has a Trem, especially of the FR type; they have to be setup just right for good performance. If you have a stock "fixed" Bridge; we're narrowing things down some. And as the others (here) have mentioned, we need to know "where" your strings are breaking at? (at the tuners? in the middle/some place/ or at the Bridge/Tremelo)? One possibility is that your strings are "locking up" at the nut--or "in" it. Iow, the nut may not be correctly "sized" for your string gauges. If this is what is happenning; they'll break right at the tuners. Or the nut could simply be dirty, causing the strings to "hang-up" (then break). Adding to the mix; the nut may not have the proper angle between the nut istelf & the tuners which would need to be modded and/or fixed. StewartMacDonald's sells "Guitar Grease" a lithium based lubricant that I put on every "moving part" of my guitars---including inside the nut string slots. This helps prevent "lock-ups" and keeps my guitars in tune (especially with the ones that have Trems).... If yours is a FR-type Trem you may not be setting up the Locking-Nut correctly. As to strings, I've used the D'Addario XL SUPER LIGHT PLUS for years and really like them. (Link provided for your seeing the Gauge Sizes). These used to be called "Half-Steps." Hope some of this might help, rick ><> Edited October 24, 2004 by rick_here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alarung Posted October 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2004 Thanks for the info thus far, I should have been more specific to the problem, It's a six-saddle tele-style bride, solid saddles (as opposed to folded steel). The strings always break right on the saddle. If it's a wound string then the coil pops. I played with the action on the saddles back a couple months ago, long before any problem. I've never touched the intonation. I put a set of 11's on it today, and I like the feel. More suited for Blues and Jazz, which I find I'm playing more and more of these days. We'll see how they hold up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_here Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 (edited) Alarung- I should have been more specific to the problem, It's a six-saddle tele-style bride, solid saddles (as opposed to folded steel). The strings always break right on the saddle. If it's a wound string then the coil pops. Are these the "rounded" Vintage Style Saddles? or the "solid" types with a string-guide? NEways, you are saying that the strings break where they are "coiled." By that I take it the string "windings" where they're twisted up (at the ball-end). One thing that might help that from happening as well as keeping you in tune is to Solder the ball-end. (Carlos Santana's Guitar Tech does this for him & I've been doing it too for a few years). You simply heat up the ball end---holding the string with a heat-sink---and "melt" some solder into it (and onto the string-windings themselves). This works great as far as keeping your guitar in tune...the strings don't "stretch" at the windings as they're soldered = you stay in tune (much better). Also be careful not to make this Solder to big...so you can string it up! I played with the action on the saddles back a couple months ago, long before any problem. I've never touched the intonation. 'Not sure what "saddles back" means. Are you adjusting them (back & forth)? If you have been---this affects the intonation (pretty radically)! Iow, if you move them either way (back or forward) you also have to adjust the intonation, meaning the Saddle-Heights, each individually. Saddles basically have just one "place" where they should be (forwards & backwards) based on the scale-length of your guitar. Once you have (or find) that, then you go about adjusting the string heights (via saddle heights themselves). If you've been adjusting these without knowing for sure what all yer doing (or what is involved); doing that puts waaaaay too much pressure on the strings! (prolly why they've been popping).... If I were you I'd look for some tutorials here at PG---I believe they have some on "stringing-up/intonation setting"---or otherwise take your guitar to someone who knows how, who might also show you how. A Luthier would charge about 25 bucks (US money) or so do do a "basic set-up." Hope this helps some, rick ><> Edited October 25, 2004 by rick_here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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