Weird String Breakage

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

Ok, I have this guitar that had a trem that the springs gave out on. I decided the best thing to do since i never use the trem is to just put a block in the back behind the bridge so it wouldnt bend flat anymore. like so:

for some reason now, any time i play drop d chords (fifth barr chords) the bass strings break really easy. They come unwound right at the saddle. could this have anything to do with what i did with the bridge? does anyone have any suggestions. BTW they are ernie ball strings so its doubtful its because of the strings. thanks for any and all input.

[Mickguard]

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[Kevan]

-Check each saddle to make sure that they are burr-free. "Scratch" the string slot of the saddle with your fingernail to test for burrs and irregularities.

-If they're not smooth, use some 00, 000 or 0000 steel wool on the end of a Q-tip shaft to smooth them out. Be careful not to remove the finish.

An option to consider is graphite saddles. www.graphtech.com

What type of trem is it? Floyd? Wilkinson? "Vintage"?

Mickguard- some medium-fine grit sandpaper rolled up into a tube shape to fit the string holes of your trem block and trem plate should take care of your breakage problem. A strip of Scotchbrite pad could work too.

[Mickguard]

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[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

this is on a cheap Ibanez Gio guitar, its just the stock trem, it says ibanez on it.

next time a string breaks i'll check the saddles to see if they have burrs. i'll also check to see exacly where the strings start unwinding. at first i thought it was because i was using picks that were too thick, (dunlop lil stubbie 3mm thick) so i changed down to the normal "heavy" thickness.