While my G String gently snaps

Bridgehouse

Broke a G String.

Put another on. Broke at the wind above the ball.
Got another out. Same again.
And another.
And yet another.

4 in a row. Ran out of .018" and no more 11's left.

Got in a mard, ripped the strings off and put a set of 10's on.
Sulked. Played some. Felt a bit better.

Looked at my packets of discarded 11's and kicked 'em around the floor a bit.

Karma's a bitch.

How can 4 break in the same place in a row?!

Maynehead

Try tuning down an octave.

Bridgehouse

Maynehead said:

Try tuning down an octave.

You made me bloody check I hadn't been putting mandolin strings on..

But then I realised I'd have had 2 spare..

Xsmnmy

must be something wrong with a) your gtr or b) the strings
what gtr?
try more expensive strings? I like a wound G myself - 0.022

olafgarten

There must be something in the bridge/tailpiece causing the breakage. 

ICBM

What guitar? Something sharp where the ball end rests?

Or a batch of duff strings? Although four in a row is a lot...

Shame this wasn't Sunday or I could have sent you some 18s along with the washers . I have a lot spare because I change mine to a 22W and most sets come with a plain G.

meltedbuzzbox

Do you play something with a tube o magic bridge by any chance? Sounds like sharp saddles to me

Edit - Tube o magic, I love auto correct on this phone...
I meant tune o matic 

thebreeze

LoL for the title of the thread.  One of the best for a while.

Voxman

thebreeze said:

LoL for the title of the thread.  One of the best for a while.

+1 

guitars4you

Have to suspect it is catchy/rubbing against a rough patch to keep breaking in the same place - sometimes the chrome/nickel plating - sometimes if it is monkey metal and worn down and left a jagged edge

not sure which guitar it is on - but look at the precise breaking point on the string and try and align that to the same point on the guitar and that is where you probably have an issue - Chances are it is against some hardware and gone slightly rough - sometimes you won't feel it with your finger, but gently rub/clean that point with wet n dry or a fine file - GENTLY rub/clean and hopefully it will resolve - Bad news is that you'll only know when you re-string and it doesn't break

I bad string and you are unlucky - 2/3/4 and almost unheard of so must be rubbing against hardware

Bridgehouse

Lol - thanks guys. Bridge was on the special - so a wrap tail. Nothing sharp as the break point is in mid air as it exits the back of the bridge (!) 

I am suspecting the strings myself - they are Pyramid nickel classics - and the break point is right at the end of the winding up from the ball - it's literally as if I've broken just the end winding off! 

The reason I suspect a dodgy batch is 1. They were bought as a batch (duh!) and 2. They all broke in the same way - hardly any pressure required - as I bent the string round to the headstock end they broke - no real twang or snap - just a not very satisfying rupture really..

guitars4you

Bridgehouse said:

Lol - thanks guys. Bridge was on the special - so a wrap tail. Nothing sharp as the break point is in mid air as it exits the back of the bridge (!) 

I am suspecting the strings myself - they are Pyramid nickel classics - and the break point is right at the end of the winding up from the ball - it's literally as if I've broken just the end winding off! 

The reason I suspect a dodgy batch is 1. They were bought as a batch (duh!) and 2. They all broke in the same way - hardly any pressure required - as I bent the string round to the headstock end they broke - no real twang or snap - just a not very satisfying rupture really..

mid air suspects as you said - a dodgy patch - unusual but not unheard off

maybe a polite e-mail to Pyramid might get an explanation and some freebies to compensate

Bridgehouse

guitars4you said:

Bridgehouse said:

Lol - thanks guys. Bridge was on the special - so a wrap tail. Nothing sharp as the break point is in mid air as it exits the back of the bridge (!) 

I am suspecting the strings myself - they are Pyramid nickel classics - and the break point is right at the end of the winding up from the ball - it's literally as if I've broken just the end winding off! 

The reason I suspect a dodgy batch is 1. They were bought as a batch (duh!) and 2. They all broke in the same way - hardly any pressure required - as I bent the string round to the headstock end they broke - no real twang or snap - just a not very satisfying rupture really..

mid air suspects as you said - a dodgy patch - unusual but not unheard off

maybe a polite e-mail to Pyramid might get an explanation and some freebies to compensate

I was going to drop them a snotty email last night - but realised my German isn't good enough for a rant

guitars4you

Bridgehouse said:

guitars4you said:

I was going to drop them a snotty email last night - but realised my German isn't good enough for a rant

polite approach first then if that fails take the Basil Fawlty approach but don't mention the 

ICBM

Bridgehouse said:

I was going to drop them a snotty email last night - but realised my German isn't good enough for a rant

I thought all rants default to sounding like German whatever the original language?

Bridgehouse

KOREAN

DLM

Bridgehouse said:

I was going to drop them a snotty email last night - but realised my German isn't good enough for a rant

Aha! But zis kann bee arräntscht!

Seriously, I can help, if you are bothered enough.

Bridgehouse

DLM said:

Bridgehouse said:

I was going to drop them a snotty email last night - but realised my German isn't good enough for a rant

Aha! But zis kann bee arräntscht!

Seriously, I can help, if you are bothered enough.

I'm not sure I am

As an interesting aside (or not) a friend of mine spent a year in Germany not too long ago and she was staying about 5 miles from the Pyramid factory. 

I went out to see her for a holiday and met someone who worked there and we had a lovely chat about string winding the old way - all in very perfect English. 

Not sure I could be rude to them - they are lovely people and their beer is exceptional.

Brize

Bridgehouse said:

they are Pyramid nickel classics

I use Pyramid flat wounds on my Ric 12 string. Amazing sounding strings but my God do they break easily when stringing the thing. Once they're on and tuned to pitch they seem to be fine but they seem very fragile to me, especially when first tuning to pitch.

Bridgehouse

Brize said:

Bridgehouse said:

they are Pyramid nickel classics

I use Pyramid flat wounds on my Ric 12 string. Amazing sounding strings but my God do they break easily when stringing the thing. Once they're on and tuned to pitch they seem to be fine but they seem very fragile to me, especially when first tuning to pitch.

We must keep getting the batch done the morning after the beer festival

DLM

Cool beans. I don't know the area, but it's very close to Erlangen, where the singer in my band studied, and Thomann, obvs.

What's your favourite beer from the region, then?

It's a little bit further away, but I sometimes have this one, just finished a crate with my friends:

http://www.getraenke-rausch.de/images/Aktien Zwickl.jpg