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October 2000
Welcome to the first issue of GuitarLife, sponsored by StringLife
Treatment System. GuitarLife is an e-newsletter focusing on guitar
maintenance, guitar protection, amplifiers, processors, playing tips
and techniques, and a lot more. We hope you enjoy every issue.
Breaking Guitar Strings
In this first issue I would like to talk about breaking guitar
strings. Let's look at this scenario and see if it sounds familiar…
You're in the middle of a gig and the crowd is going wild. It's time
for that killer lead you've been working on endlessly for the past
eight months. You bend that first note mercilessly, feeling the
intensity of the moment, just longing for that smooth sustain… and
BAM! You've just broken your B string and gouged out your bass
player's eye. Sound familiar?
Let's face it. We've all have or have had problems with breaking
guitar strings. What causes it, and how can we eliminate the problem?
That's the topic of this month's GuitarLife newsletter, brought to you
by StringLife Treatment System - the guitar string protector that
works hard to protect your investment.
Common Causes for Breaking Guitar Strings
There are several common causes for breaking guitar strings that
factor into almost any equation. The top causes include:
Corrosion
Binding
Burrs or Barbs
Playing Style
Of the four listed, two can be eliminated by simple techniques
implemented by the guitar player, and two can be eliminated by
applying StringLife Treatment System. Let's take a closer look at each
one of these guitar string killers.
String Corrosion
Of the factors we listed, the first common problem for breaking guitar
strings is string corrosion. String corrosion occurs in a number of
ways. The most common is caused by what I term "acid hands." Many
guitar players have a problem with string corrosion due simply to
their body chemistry. Their hands have an acidity that is passed onto
the strings through contact (generally via sweat), that reacts with
the metallic material of the strings, eventually leading to string
corrosion & dead strings, ultimately ending in breaking guitar
strings. While this may seem inevitable, this problem can be solved
simply by regular applications of StringLife Treatment System.
StringLife will form a protective coat over your strings, blocking out
acid and foreign elements that cause oxidation and corrosion. Regular
applications can virtually eliminate string corrosion. (For proper
application instructions click HERE.)
String Binding
Second of the problems we listed is "string binding." What do we mean
by this? If you can hear a "clicking" sound when tuning your guitar
strings, most likely you have some kind of binding going on along the
length of the guitar strings. Often guitar strings get "bound" by
either the bridge or nut on the guitar and the string is not allowed
to move freely when adjusting tension. This problem can be remedied by
regular applications of StringLife Treatment System along the nut and
bridge areas. This is especially good to do before putting on new
strings, while the entire bridge and nut is exposed. Doing this will
allow the strings free movement, along the nut and bridge area during
playing. This is especially useful when bending your guitar strings,
which causes a tension change across the nut and bridge areas.
Burrs or Barbs
Third on our list is burrs or barbs. Occasionally, guitar players find
that the reason they are breaking guitar strings is due to burrs or
barbs in the metal along either the bridge saddle or nut. I found this
true of my B.C. Rich about 10 years ago. I kept breaking strings, only
to find out that there was a sharp barb (ever-so-small) on my bridge
saddle that was digging into the guitar strings, causing them to
break. This can be remedied simply by taking very fine sandpaper and
gently filing the down the offending area, followed by a light
brushing with steel wool. (You might want to cover your pickups during
this, especially the bridge pickups, to keep them safe from metallic
dust.) If you are afraid of doing this, take it to your local guitar
repair shop to have them examine the problem for you and take the
necessary measures.
Another, less threatening solution to this problem is to take
something soft (i.e. cotton cloth, rubber coating from electrical
wiring, etc.) and place it under the strings on the saddle position to
keep any barbs from catching on your strings. If this cures the
problem, then you most likely have something going on at the saddle
position.
Playing Style
The last on our list is actually the least obvious. Many guitar
players are frustrated by constant breaking of strings oblivious to
the fact that it is actually attributed to their playing style. If you
play a lot of gigs and have trouble both hearing your guitar and break
guitar strings, you might want to consider the possibility that you
are simply playing too hard on your guitar strings. This was a problem
I had with my acoustic guitar. After about a year of being frustrated
by barely being able to hear myself, and breaking strings about every
other gig, I wised up to the fact that I was simply breaking my guitar
strings by subconsciously thinking that if I could strum them hard
enough it would help me hear what I was playing. Not so. If you can't
hear yourself while on stage, turn up your amp (to the dismay of the
keyboardist and soundman) or get your soundman to crank you more in
the monitors. This simple procedure can save you lots of frustration,
and hundreds of dollars in guitar strings.
Well, that's about it for this issue. I hope this information was
informative and worth your time to read it. Again, we appreciate your
continued patronage of StringLife Treatment System. See you next month
in the next issue of GuitarLife!
Remember, if you take care of your gear…
your gear will take care of you.
"Fret Less - Play More…with StringLife"
Stay Tuned,
Steve
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