Gadgets for removing broken strings

stufisher

So, last night I bust the high E string when playing my recently acquired HB DC junior. It was easy to remove so no big deal.

Tonight I bust the high E string of my Jet JS300 and I couldn't easily remove the string because the 'ball' end had got stuck in the guitar body. 

I found a large, fat pin in a sewing kit and I was able to push the string through the guitar body with that, so ultimately all is OK.

This is the first and only 'through-body string' guitar I've had so I may just not know the vagaries of such but it got me wondering ...

Is there a specific tool/implement for this job?

If not, then what do others use to push strings through the guitar body when they are stuck/sticking?

thermionic

It sometimes happens with a Tele, and I’ll try pushing a new (thick) string through the wrong way - it usually gives it enough of a push to free the ball end.

sev112

Knitting needle - everyone has got one of those…

BlueStrat

I keep a piece of a heavy string just for this

Funkfingers

The only things that usually make the ball end of a string stick in the anchoring ferrule are;
1) Lousy through-body hole drilling.
2) Corrosion
3) The ferrule being made from "metal" that is softer than the string.


Pickup height adjustment screws are not the only guitar/bass hardware that gets made of cheese.

Kittyfrisk

I usually just use a long hatpin.
A benefit of being a Jacob Rees-Mogg supporter...

Funkfingers

And good fun with a handgun?

ICBM

The Allen key you use for adjusting the bridge saddles is perfect.

BigPaulie

It won't happen often enough to make buying or fashioning a specific tool worthwhile.
Any of the suggestions above are perfect. I have used a heavy wound string in the past.

Musicwolf

thermionic said:

It sometimes happens with a Tele, and I’ll try pushing a new (thick) string through the wrong way - it usually gives it enough of a push to free the ball end.

This is what I do, except that I use the string that I've taken off rather than the new one.  I find that my Fender Strat is by far the worst for the string sticking.

stufisher

Thanks all ... completely reassured that I still have some common sense left and my Jet JS300 isn't a wrong'n  

HAL9000

sev112 said:

Knitting needle - everyone has got one of those…

You are Tom Daley and I claim my £5

prowla

Every musician has a set of Allen keys, right?

Bod

thermionic said:

It sometimes happens with a Tele, and I’ll try pushing a new (thick) string through the wrong way - it usually gives it enough of a push to free the ball end.

Just restrung one of my guitars and 4 of the strings were stuck in the block, and this is the method I used with an old string.

guitarjack66

prowla said:

Every musician has a set of Allen keys, right?

I bought a Dunlop repair kit a while ago and it gives you tiniest allen keys possible,in length,so are pretty useless. There is a device that they attach to,like a sort of Swiss Army Knife thing but that fell apart not long after buying it. There also seem to be so many different sizes of allen keys that I'm not surprised if people dont,especially with older guitars.

Offset

I have to admit that in 45+ years of playing, most of it involving string-thru guitars, this is an issue I've never experienced...