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String Changing mishap
It was bound to happen eventually, but I really didn’t expect to break an A string! In my defence, this was only my 3rd or 4th time changing strings, and it was a set of 10’s on one of my electrics, but still, as Homer Simpson would say, “DOH!” Guess my ear needs lots more training, as my tuner didn’t prevent me from trying to tune an octave too high😜 Pretty embarrassing, but have to admit also quite funny! Now, I also want to point out that the guitar wasn’t plugged to my amp, so I was depending on the tuner completely (yeah, lame excuse, I know). Should I be worried about the neck on my guitar after that serious overtightening? It seems fine but would welcome any feedback – and you can mock me mercilessly if you want!
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15 Replies
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DUDE, the A string? Really??🤣 I’m sure the neck and tuning peg are fine @GerryB56
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😜Maybe I’ll see if I can break the low E next! But right now I have to pick up more strings, since I only had 1 set of the ones I was trying (Ernie Ball Regular Slinky). The store I bought them at doesn’t sell single strings, but my regular big box center does, so will pick up an assortment of the e, B and G’s at least. Think I’ve learned my lesson enough not to repeat the brainfart on the thicker strings😆
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Hey @GerryB56 , you know I was just kidding you🤣 – you did ask for it, so I thought I’d take the liberty. But anyways, why not break them all and just get another set?/ – in fact, get a couple sets if you like them – just make sure you give them a chance to acclimate to the temperature in your house before putting them on and tightening them up – metal expands/stretches much better when it’s warmed up👍
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No worries, Bill, I did ask to be mocked! And deserve it! Never thought about the acclimation thing, but those strings had been in the house for a few days before I opened them. Haven’t been able to get more strings yet, but I noticed a big improvement in the tone of the low E string on that guitar with the new set. I just bought this guitar (Epiphone ES 339) a few weeks ago, and I wonder if the guy had not changed strings in a long while, because the E and A strings especially sounded pretty dead to me. Important thing is that he obviously babied the guitar as it looks virtually new after I polished it up and oiled the fretboard.
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I worry about the same thing, over tuning. I down loaded a tuner that I use on my IPhone. It gives me a full range of tones. Try it out and see if you like it. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/instuner-free-chromatic-tuner/id603425027?platform=iphone It’s free and I use it with the tuner that I have clipped on my guitar. Just a little safety net. Glad to hear you didn’t put your eye out when that string broke and don’t worry about the neck. I’m sure no harm was done.
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I’ll check those out, I’m sure they exist for Android phones as well. Funny, someone just posted recently about breaking strings, and I figured I was about due to have it happen to me. But not on the A😁 I wonder if many other guitar geeks find it extremely stressful to change the strings? I’ve seen some members say they take it to their service person or luthier to do the job, but I really want to master this task myself, if only because I have several guitars and plan on acquiring more!
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@GerryB56 Your right. It’s IPhone only.
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@GerryB56 ooh, that could have been dangerous. I think I worry more with the higher strings, and I always count my blessings that I didn’t take an eye out. Hope you were wearing glasses or safety glasses. I wonder if there was a flaw with the string that added to the A string breaking. That’s a tough one to break.. Yeah, I keep a closet full of strings from various manufacturers for my guitars. I like @Cadgirl s recommendation. Be careful and happy plunking.
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Nah, the only flaw was in the bozo who tried to tune it an octave high😜 Won’t be doing that again, I hope. This one broke only about 3 or 4 inches from the tuning post, and there wasn’t much recoil, fortunately.
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Hi @Loraine , I wanted to put your mind at ease some. 99.9% of string breaks happen at the tuning peg as the result of fatigue. The sting gets bent around the edge of the peg and as a result of the bend, integrity is compromised. When a sting breaks its energy is dissipated on the horizontal plane and causes the broken part to meet the seated part with the body of the string looping on itself and then the active end springs up and around not with the force of the break but by the spring in the wire itself. If you were tuning up and had your eye down on the string itself by the bridge you may get poked in the eye with all the force loaded on the string. If your head is above the headstock and not in line with the strings there is as much risk of the string hitting you as being struck by lightening and probably less. The second type of string break happens as a result of bending the strings. This action causes rubbing on the fret and the weakness develops where the rubbing occurred. This break is a mid string break and usually breaks as the bend is being executed. This live end trajectory is less predictable but it will never go toward you face under load. The spring back may if your face is close the the fretboard but it will not hit you with the force of the load. This is also avoidable as there are signs that this type of wear is occurring. I will defer to analysis by @dr_dave . Mine analysis is from energy models that I believe I understand but only tested anecdotally. Dr_Dave probably made the models.
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Quite a detailed explanation, and I actually understood it LOL. Thank you @jumpinjeff as I was not aware of the mechanics of breakages of strings on the guitar. I’ve actually never had one break, but many have forewarned me, especically when restring a guitar, to wear eye protection. However, I can appreciate your explanation and see value in it. I like analytical, engineering type minds 🙂
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Safety First: eye protection is never a bad idea. There is no cost to the practice.
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Very informative and cool info @jumpinjeff !
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@GerryB56 , I love your vulnerability and willingness to share! It did bring a smile to my face and also got me to thinking. @Loraine ’s comment about safety glasses really got me to thinking. There have been times when I was tuning to an alternative tuning when I turned my face away from the fretboard, grit my teeth, narrowed my eyelids and was just waiting for the string to pop! Would have been better to have safety glasses!
Glad you not your guitar were hurt in this instance! Thanks for being vulnerable to share so we can all learn something! 😃😎👍🙏🏼
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Thanks Kitman. I have appreciated and learned from other members who have been willing to share their “not so glorious” moments here on the forums. But I’ll admit I hesitated some before relating the A string incident😄 In a weird way I think this experience will make future string changing jobs less stressful. I want to get in the habit of doing so more often, to try out different brands and types of strings, and because it makes such a difference in the sound of the instrument, even to me with my limited playing skills and not very trained ear.
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