Arrrgh! Help please. (Guitar strings)

[Big Malky]

Hello all,

 

My first technical problem since picking up a guitar three months ago...

 

Strings. I decided to change my guitar strings according to instructions given by a website... Man was I daft. The first 4 went on ok, then I hit the ever so tricky 5th... TWANG! It snapped as I recoiled at the lash of the rogue string.

 

Ok, so how do i get tension right as I also snapped the 6th trying to practice stringing thin wires. If anyone has a good URL for a guide, it would be welcome. Also I have run out of spares as I only had one set and was wondering if anyone can recommend some decent long life strings and which gauge i should use for a Strat ripoff model.

 

Again thanks in advance.

 

Oh and in case the type of music I play makes a difference to the type of strings... Metal mostly but I do play some blues and soft rock just for chord practice.

[miroslav]

Originally posted by Big Malky:

Ok, so how do i get tension right...

The tension depends on the string/note...

 

...you know...

...that whole E-B-G-D-A-E thing...

 

...or E-A-D-G-B-E, depending which end you start from.

[Big Malky]

Heheh yes...

 

I mean without snappin the buggers lol.

[miroslav]

Well...the string should not snap just because you over tighten it a few notes too high...the strings can handle that.

 

So...are you not paying attention to when the string is in tune...and you're going way too far...???

 

Do you use a tuner?

[GuitarHippy]

Hmm, well good strings i reccomend are Ernie Ball Super Slinkys, And the Gauge I use is 9-42. As for your snapping problem, when you put the string on, get it on to guitar (not tightened though), pull on the string so there is a few inches of distance between it and the pick-ups, then start turning the peg to tighten the string, but be sure not to tighten it too much. Hope that helps, and if it doesn't PM me and I'll try to explain it better.

[skipclone 1]

Use a tuner when you put them on. Be sure you stretch the strings when they`re on the guitar but still loose. Tune SLOWLY a to a whole step below the note, wait thirty to sixty seconds, then tune to the exact note. They`ll probably still slip a little at first but they won`t break.

[Trucks]

Im a bit confused as to how you could snap a strign putting it on anyway....

 

Can you explain the process you were using to change strings.. Maybe something is up with that

[Zephyr]

Here's what i think is going on:

 

You snapped the "5th" string which is a B, in actuality is the 2nd string (just for clarification)

 

As far as breaking them while trying to put them on:

 

1) Make sure they are on the nut and string saddles securely.

 

2) Do not put too much tension on the string, make sure the string isn't so tight that you can't bend it back and forth easily. You should also use a tuner when winding it.

 

I don't know if this will help you, but if you could elaborate more it would help.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Well, ONE good idea, if you don't have a tuner, is to put the pad of a finger under the string you are tightening and pull the string up EVER SO GENTLY toward you while you are winding it. And easy does it. It should be a constant, easy pull... don't, like, yank or tug 'cause you'll break the string.

 

If you suddenly find that you can't do it, then it's probably a sign that the string's wound too tight and about to snap.

 

Pulling on the string has a hidden advantage in that it stretches the string and makes it remain in tune for longer. When you buy strings, they are curled up in a little circle and they WANT to stay in that shape. Tugging gently on the string as you are putting it on gets rid of that resistance.

[The Big G]

The only other thing may be a little sharp burr on either the nut or bridge and its nciking the string and causing it to snap???? at what point do they break malky?

But vince is spot on you must strech the string in to help the string have longevity as described above

G

[Big Malky]

Cheers all for the input. As I mentioned before the guide that I used was a bit fuzzy.

 

It said to pull the string away from the fretboard while winding the string to stretch it a little, I am absolutely sure that I was being as gentle as possible, it may be just the fact that the strings came free with the guitar and were cheap anyways.

 

It may also be the fact that the guide should have told me to stretch the string slightly and leave it for a couple of minutes before trying to tune again so the resistance was less.

 

I do have a tuner and had previously tuned the Low E to G strings perfectly, it was just that one little problem with the B string and High E.

[ThisSiteSucks]

Make sure you have enough winds on the peg too!

 

I didn't once and couldn't figure out why the string wouldn't tune (it was slipping around the peg).

 

A couple cranks to much and snappo!

[Big Malky]

So basically be really loose with the string so theres enough wind on it?

 

Cool, just waiting for the music store to open after lunchtime so I can buy more strings heheh. If all else fails, I'll ask one of my daughter's mates to string it for me so I can watch and learn lol.

[Trucks]

For about £15 you could get a luthier to do it for you. They would normally be happy to show you how to do it whilst they are at it.

[Big Malky]

Thanks for the tip Trucks. I may well just do that today to save me buying 10 sets of strings lol.

 

I shall miss my guitar on a boozy thursday night if not.

[Big Malky]

Hello again,

 

I got time to get to Strings n Things this afternoon for a new set and got a set of Ernie Ball Power Slinky's. It took me half an hour to string up and tune, no snappages

 

That would also be thanks to everyone for their input on here, so... much appreciated guys.

 

By the way, the strings make my Strat sound like a monster heheh.

 

Malky

[Big Red 67]

Originally posted by Big Malky:

Thanks for the tip Trucks. I may well just do that today to save me buying 10 sets of strings lol.

 

I shall miss my guitar on a boozy thursday night if not.

If you buy by the box (10 sets) you need to make sure they don't charge you full price. You should get a big discount. Plus it is allot less packaging.

[Big Malky]

Aye man, £6 for one set of Slinky's. But then again it's the middle of the month and it's nearly xmas. Skint already and couldn't afford more than one set heheh.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Big Malky:

Skint already and couldn't afford more than one set heheh.

Well, if you're really, really skint (and this is on a par with picking up cigarette butts off the footpath...)

 

What I used to do, when I was on the dole and couldn't afford strings, was to unwind the broken string and tie the end to a bit of a broken matchstick.

 

If the matchstick bit is short enough, it will be hard enough to hold the string in tension and won't slip off the bridge.

 

Like I said, that's if you're really skint.

 

Otherwise, most places will sell you single strings. Maybe you could buy a spare E and a spare B next time you get some strings.

[Big Malky]

Cheers Kramer. I like hearing stories of tightness, suits me to the ground as a Scot and gives me more penny pinching ideas heheh.

 

I thought I would get the set as the crappy strings that came with the guitar may have sounded out of place with decent ones lol.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Big Malky:

I thought I would get the set as the crappy strings that came with the guitar may have sounded out of place with decent ones lol.

You may as well. It's kind of annoying when you change the strings and some sound deader than others.

 

Something else... there's no rule that says you HAVE to buy Slinkys. Especially if you're just starting out.

 

There was a shop in Sydney that sold their own brand strings which were very simply packaged, like those "no frills" type products you buy in some supermarkets. Moral of the story: these strings cost a lot less than the brand name ones. Maybe some large shop in the UK does the same?

 

Oh, and see if anyone in the UK's selling strings online. People that don't have to pay for a brick and mortar shop can afford to cut prices.

[Trucks]

www.stringbusters.co.uk is where i get mine from.. They are pretty cheap with quick delivery.

[Big Malky]

Yeh true. I think Music PLayer in Birmingham do thier own strings for about 3 quid per pack. I might try em next time.

 

The slinky's do make my guitar sound sooooo different to what it did though, tons more sustain. It was the shopkeeper that reccomended them. maybe he was just lookin for a decent quick sale lol

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Big Malky:

The slinky's do make my guitar sound sooooo different to what it did though, tons more sustain.

Yeah, perhaps. But mind you, new strings ALWAYS give you a lot more sustain. That's because, as you play the strings, you get all sorts of microscopic crud on them and this eventually dulls the sound. New strings usually sound brighter than old ones.

 

I don't know if the guy was trying to rip you off. Slinkys are a pretty common brand, used by millions of guitarists all over the world. It's like, say, "Ford" in cars.

 

But yeah, try all the strings you can because there ARE subtle differences between them.

 

Some keep their brightness for longer or just feel better or whatever. But it's a pretty personal thing, and unless they are demonstrably shit strings, there's no hard and fast rules as to what makes one string brand better than another.

 

One thing though... try to find out (if you don't already know) what GAUGE the original strings were.

 

The guitar's bridge is set up to accomodate a certain string gauge and if you change the gauge that could affect the intonation.

 

Which means that playing past the twelfth fret COULD reveal some slightly off notes, which can be pretty annoying.

[Big Malky]

The original strings were 9-46. The slinky's are 11-48. So far the solo from Cowboys from hell sounds better with these strings... if a little slower It's even easier to play as the strings don't feel as loose.

 

A friend of mine uses Dean Markley and says they're pretty good, so I may try them next time.

 

By the way, what do you use Kramer?

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Big Malky:

By the way, what do you use Kramer?

Well, it doesn't really signify because I play either baritone (which uses strings from about .014 to .064) or bass.

 

Baritone is a six string guitar with a bass neck.

 

It's tuned lower than a normal guitar and is used in a lot of old Spaghetti westerns, and Nu-Metal. I think the theme from Twin Peaks may be played on a baritone.

 

On guitar (when I actually play guitar guitar), I like D'Addario XLs with either an .011 gauge or a .012 gauge. But that's just me and it's more of a personal choice than checking out the string specs or anything.

 

And yeah, heavier gauge strings give you more sustain.