String gauges and breakages.

[steveyraff]

Hey all,

I play a PRS 25th Swamp Ash Special Narrowfield.

I've always been quite a string breaker. I use 1.14 Tortex plectrums and play with quite a heavy attack. I do use a lot of dynamics, but when I am really going for it, I do hit quite hard.

I find at gigs now, I really hold back from playing as I naturally want to because I am worried about bending too hard, strumming too hard etc. It's quite off putting. At the moment, when I break a string, I have to either stop the set mid-song, or quickly change guitar. I might get a Tremel-No to help with this.

Anyway, I had a well known blues artist in my recording studio lately, and we were discussing this. He said he was the exact same and used to break strings all the time, until he changed gauge. At the moment, I always use Cobalt Regular Slinky's - 10, 13, 17, 26, 36, 46. I love the extra output and heat I seem to get from the Cobalt's. This guy said it helped when he changed to GHS David Gilmour Boomers. I looked these up and I'm not sure which he uses as there are two types. The blue packet are what Gilmour uses for strats and they are 10, 12, 16, 28, 38, 48. This would actually be worse for me as it's generally the G I break most. I break the wound strings least, although I bend the A a lot so sometimes it gets it too.

Anyone else got any string gauge recommendations ?

I've never tried any 11's or higher before, but I'm quite an SRV fan so I've often been tempted to go crazy sometime and try more challenging and thicker gauges. It might just help me out with this problem. I'd like to try it out and see if it helps. Sometimes I also think of going down a half step to compensate for the tension too, because oddly enough a lot of the blues tunes I do are in E flat, so it would be actually beneficial anyway. But I am really not wanting to go down that route any time soon as I play a 3 hour set once or twice a week and I just know it'd through me at the moment and cause little mistakes here and there.

By the way, Elixir's are out too. I know they are great strings, but they just aren't for me. I can't get used to the feel of them

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Rachmaninoff]

Does the string breakage occur at a specific point? Or it's all random?

 

[steveyraff]

Does the string breakage occur at a specific point? Or it's all random?

As expected, it occurs on the saddle. Its nothing to do with the saddle or the guitar by the way. I've it set up very precisely, and this happens on all guitars I play. Heck, its even happened before on guitars I borrow if I'm asked on stage as a guest. haha.

 

[gush]

I get two shows out of a set of strings. Sometimes I'll push it and use the set a little longer but that's always a gamble. I play too hard for sure but I feel like that is what helps get what I'm after. I use 10-46 gauge and it seems that once I got away from DRs I was sure to get two shows without issue.

I really don't want to go to 11s on one guitar to see if I like it, I really just like 10s. I use different picks for different things too. If there is a cure all that would allow 4 or 5 shows with one set of strings I'm all ears.

 

[steveyraff]

I hear you gush! I change strings about every 2 shows as it seems thats what I can get out of them 'most' of the time. However, the price of those Cobalt Ernie Balls really went up and I started to see out of curiosity how far I could go with them. True enough, after two shows it gets perilous !

I guess thats just how it goes! Actually glad to hear someone similar. I might just have to get used to buying strings more often again like I used to. I only questioned it as I started to wonder if its normal to change strings every two shows as I had been doing.

 

[gush]

Graphtech saddles are supposed to help but you will get a tone change as well.

 

[gush]

If I was smart I would buy them in large bulk quantities to save money but as it is now when I see a good string sale I'll stock up.

 

[steveyraff]

Graphtech saddles are supposed to help but you will get a tone change as well.

Heard that, was tempted but not sure i really want to hinder the tone i've spent a lot of time and money obtaining. Might be something to consider though...

 

[AP515]

GC recently had a sale. D'adarrio's XL 10-46 pack of 10 for $22. I bought two packs. They do it a few times a year.

 

[sleary]

I'd recommend d'addario ny xl and go up a gauge . The things are almost indestructible lol

 

[Chrisk-K]

I'd recommend playing soft. If you need more volume, turn up the amp. I used to break lots of strings. After learning to play soft, I haven't broken a string for like 10 years. All of my favorite players don't attack the strings hard (Howe, Lifeson, Blackmore, Holdsworth, Moore, etc.).

 

[Jedi]

I have been using D'Addarios for years with no problems. I can't honestly remember breaking a string in 30 years. Change your strings before every show and you should be fine.

 

[dogrocketp]

I recently switched to the D'Addario NYXL's also. They will take quite a beating, and the tone is really nice.

 

[shinksma]

Well, I figure you've got two options:

1. change strings right before your gig to reduce opportunity of stress failure from hard picking (but increase opportunity of infant mortality - i.e. bad strings that break right away...)

2. learn to pick a little less aggressively, preferably with a softer pick - and turn up your amp/pedals a bit to compensate. If you "need" to hammer away at Cobalt 10s with that pick, then IMHO you are working really hard to get a very hot signal. I assume you have raised your pickups to their highest possible point (while still balanced) to max out the signal? Maybe put a boost pedal between you and the rest of your signal chain?

A third option, I suppose, is to try a different string type in the same gauge. Those Gilmour GHS Boomers might not be for you, as you said, but there are other brands/types. Maybe Cobalts are just not for how you strike the string?

I use Tortex yellow picks (0.73) when I want a firm strike on the string. For me, anything thicker results in too much attack, and I can't back it off for more subtle phrasing. But YMMV, obviously. Just some suggestions to help out, Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires...I mean String Breakage.

 

[sleary]

If you are using a tortex plectrum then either go down a gauge OR try gravity picks. They attack great and I find not hard on the strings. I'm a heavy hitter and I had to back of the gauge of my picks.