New PRS 594 Owner

lp20th

New Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2016
Messages
5
Hello, 1st post just joined the forum. I recently purchased a McCarty Sunburst 594. Never owned a PRS before. I've had it a few weeks now and really like it. Very versatile guitar, comfortable neck, acoustically very resonating, great intonation all the way up the neck. I have been a Les Paul player for years.

I do have a question, I'm a string breaker usually the 3 high strings but sometimes the 4th string too. Always at the bridge. Not sure if its how hard I play or the sweat on my hands as I rest my palm on the bridge sometimes. I have D'Addario XL1046 on there now. To help with the Les Paul I installed Graph Tech saddles. It does help some but not 100%. I haven't gigged with 594 yet but have already broke the 1st and 3rd strings at the bridge during practice.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions to help this, adjustments, recommended string brands, sanding/smoothing the saddle groove, etc.? Thank you.

Lp20th
 
I don't want to sound like I'm asking a silly question. Just checking, Do you wipe down the strings at the bridge after playing?

Years ago I had every string break while gigging down at the Jersey shore. It was a chemical reaction I suppose. I don't break strings at all, most of the time. I wipe them down after every practice.

Have you tried Elixer strings? If you try them and they last longer, it may be that your chemistry is causing the issue.

Do you press down hard on the bridge while playing???

I wouldn't touch the guitar, as in sanding..... The bridge is probably smooth enough as it is.

Good luck with everything.
 
I'm a string breaker. I just play too hard. Coated strings won't help you much unless you tell me you try to get strings to last 6 months.

I always break at the bridge too. I just accepted this and change strings after 2 shows. I have to use 10s, I tried 9s but they don't last one show. Coated strings will break before I ever get to see the benefits rendering them too costly.
 
Congratulations on the 594, I just got one myself last week. I'm with the others here in the opinion that you'll just have to change strings more often. Back when I used to gig a lot, I would just change strings on my main guitars before weekend gigs, then use the through the following week's rehearsals. I rarely had them break during a show that way. I sometimes use coated strings on my acoustics, but I'd break them on an electric before I got any benefit.
 
Hello, 1st post just joined the forum. I recently purchased a McCarty Sunburst 594. Never owned a PRS before. I've had it a few weeks now and really like it. Very versatile guitar, comfortable neck, acoustically very resonating, great intonation all the way up the neck. I have been a Les Paul player for years.

I do have a question, I'm a string breaker usually the 3 high strings but sometimes the 4th string too. Always at the bridge. Not sure if its how hard I play or the sweat on my hands as I rest my palm on the bridge sometimes. I have D'Addario XL1046 on there now. To help with the Les Paul I installed Graph Tech saddles. It does help some but not 100%. I haven't gigged with 594 yet but have already broke the 1st and 3rd strings at the bridge during practice.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions to help this, adjustments, recommended string brands, sanding/smoothing the saddle groove, etc.? Thank you.

Lp20th
Thanks for all the answers.
I do wipe them down after every practice and gig. I even open up the case when I get home to let everything air out after practice or gigs I am concerned about the PRS because they broke during practice without much time on them. I try to change strings prior to every gig. Those times when I don't I usually get burned. Outdoor gigs in humid weather at night are the worst scenarios for me.
I am going to try the D'Addario NYXL 1046;on the PRS. Apparently the claim is these last a long time and don't break as easy, but they are costly.I tried them once awhile back on the Les Paul and they did not break but I thought they were kind of bright. Will see what happens on the PRS.
 
Can't believe everyone let you off without posting pics! Congrats on the NGD, but give us something to drool over!

I change before every gig and don't have issues. It's not worth the trouble not to change them. That said, if you gig a lot, buy strings in bulk. Costs a lot less in the long run. I've had good luck with juststrings.com - I use a custom gauge too, that limits what's available to me. On non gigging guitars in standard tuning I like the NYXL's. They stay new sounding longer for me.
 
Wow, I can't imagine breaking strings like that. I haven't broken a string in so long, I've forgotten the last time. Years!

I guess one consolation is, with the PRS two-piece bridge and locking tuners, it doesn't get any easier to restring a guitar.

I wasn't very impressed by the NYXL strings for the price. I put a set on my HBII in August, and they were toast after two gigs (one 2-hour inside and one 2-hour outside). I just buy the 10-pack boxes of XL.

Congrats on the 594!
 
It's your technique and no string brand, string gauge, or bridge saddle is going to solve the issue.

Treat a guitar like you would a lady. Touch her right and she'll sing for you. Be too rough on her and she's gonna punch you in the face. You are getting punched in the face. Focus on precision versus blunt force trauma. I can do 1 1/2 step bends on the high E repeatedly and rarely ever break it. I can't imagine would it would take to start breaking wound strings. That sounds like Godzilla trying to play a guitar. I've never broken a string other than a high E and this includes strings that have been on for over a year. That is over a 25 year span.
 
I don't think I play that hard, maybe I'm just not aware of it. I've had strings break on very light strums, so either I have brought them to the edge from previous playing and they are just ready to snap or its a chemical reaction to my hands eating into the strings. I did take notice tonight that I do tend to rest picking hand palm on the bridge right over the saddles.
 
Change your playing technique . Right hand off the bridge. It will take some getting used to but in time you'll find out if you're a really corrosive player. The plus side of this is you'll expand your playing technique. GOOD LUCK !
 
You could also try wearing a glove, or better a partial glove, just to keep your hand out of direct contact with the strings on the bridge and see if that helps.
 
Out of curiosity, what sort of diet are you string-breakers on? I feel like I would not be super okay with my perspiration being corrosive...

I think some of this article might be nonsense, but maybe get your sweat pH tested? Or just substitute cumin-flavored beans for alcohol, as the article suggests. ;)
 
The finger-less glove might be a good idea as an experiment to see if the PH in my hands anything to do with it. I was thinking of some type of a bridge cover kind of like what the old Fender Jaguars had. But it would have to fit properly, stay in play, not interfere with the strings or the tone and look good too. The glove idea is a lot easier.
 
Thanks for all the answers.
I do wipe them down after every practice and gig. I even open up the case when I get home to let everything air out after practice or gigs I am concerned about the PRS because they broke during practice without much time on them. I try to change strings prior to every gig. Those times when I don't I usually get burned. Outdoor gigs in humid weather at night are the worst scenarios for me.
I am going to try the D'Addario NYXL 1046;on the PRS. Apparently the claim is these last a long time and don't break as easy, but they are costly.I tried them once awhile back on the Les Paul and they did not break but I thought they were kind of bright. Will see what happens on the PRS.
I have the same problem, and have just put on a set of NYXL's.

They survived a very sweaty gig, but the unwound strings are already discoloured. Mine normally break at the bridge too (usually 24 or 32). I've always put this down to my technique, but you've made me think regarding chemical reaction as I use palm muting a lot.

Keep us posted on the NYXL's please.
 
Drew is spot on. In the '80s I would break strings regularly until my playing calmed down a bit and I started perfecting my technique more. I rarely break a string now and as I am not gigging any longer, tend to leave my strings on 'til they're way past their best (i.e. around 6 weeks or more). And yes, I do plenty of right hand muting - just not right on the bridge saddles.
 
Just curious. Where do you guys normally strike the strings with your pick? I normally pick just ahead of the bridge pickup. Sometimes closer to the neck pickup for different tone.
 
Just got back from a gig tonight. I put a brand new set of D'Addario NYXL 1046 on just prior to the gig. I looked at the saddle slots with a magnifier and did not see any burrs. A third of the way into the 1st set I snapped the high E right at the bridge. I saved the end and measured it. It broke right at the front of the saddle. This is 4th string that has broken on this guitar since I bought it. The E and the G strings. I don't play hard, in fact this snapped on a light strum. I don't think its the PH in my hands as this was a brand new set with about a 1/2 hr of time on them. I played my Les Paul the rest of the night as I was paranoid that it would happen again.

One question I have for all you PRS owners, do you ever adjust the stop tailpiece screws? On this 594 it appears they are screwed all the way down. I was wondering if backing them off would lessen the string angle and take some tension off the break point on the saddle. Maybe its just incorrectly slotted saddles.
but I doubt it, all 6 saddles look pretty consistent. I am going to contact PRS tech support to see what they think.

Its a shame as I really like this guitar but can't play it if it keeps snapping strings.
 
If the front of the saddle is cleaned up ever so slightly by a real pro, that should put an end to the problem.
 
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