D'addario ball end unravelling

normula1 · August 2020

I've recently had two top e strings unravel at the ball end. It was most noticeable after dropping significantly detuning and then back up again at which point the string simply unravelled. Happened on a strat and an SG.
Anyone else suffering?

Roland · August 2020

Yes. I had one last week. Similar situation. I’ve been setting up a new guitar which involved reducing and increasing string tension several times while I moved the saddles. Nowadays I prefer Newtone, but they have round cores which risk unwinding if you take the strings off. So used one of my remaining D’Addario sets.

fastonebaz · August 2020

Yes, I've had this happen with several packs of D'addario strings when I tried them during 2019. Never had it in 25yrs of EB superslinkies. I put it down what I assumed to be fake packs rather than a genuine manufacturing fault. Went back to EBs though.

skunkwerx · September 2020

Interesting. I restrung my Gretsch earlier and I usually stretch my strings in real good before playing.

I pull each string at 3 locations across its length several times.

Then I fret each fret on a given string from the first to the 10th odd while tugging it upwards with the other hand. I do that entire process on all strings 3 times over.

I then snip the ends at the tuners and repeat the above process across all strings one last time.

After that they’re settled in, they will be ready to play and wont deviate any more than ‘normal’ from pitch.

However, today the high e, which is usually solid along with the b after just 2 or 3 stretches in kept going way flat with bends.

It was reminiscent of a problem I’d come across before on two different guitars with the high e whereby the string would slip at the tuner when bending.

Id have to keep retuning it every time it went flat with a bend, til eventually the string just unravelled from the tuning post of its own accord!

Though now I use the one over and wrap a good few times under thingy method, so that should negate any slippage there. Plus I left a little amount of string sticking out the tuner hole which has remained the same in length, so it couldnt have slipped from that end..

It eventually settled down but it was odd.. maybe it was the ball end? Or maybe my shite stringing..

ICBM · September 2020

Some strings can untwist themselves at the ball end if they’re not made properly. I can’t remember having ever come across it with a D’Addario, but it’s possible. All manufacturing has occasional faults, sometimes QC misses it. It used to be a ‘done thing’ to solder up the twist on some strings, but I can’t remember what brands...

[Thread diversion]

You really don’t need to ‘stretch’ strings with anything like that complex a method. Steel strings don’t actually stretch.

All you’re doing is tightening the wrap on the post and forming the string to the bridge saddle etc. A good firm pull in the middle of the string will do that perfectly well - I do it as I tune up to normal tension.

If the strings are slipping on the posts, the ‘half back turn and lock under’ method will stop that completely. There’s no need for excessive string wrapping - that just means there’s more to have to pull tightly, which gives the impression that the string is stretching, when actually it‘s just the coil on the post tightening up.

Ideally you want the minimum possible amount of wrap on the posts - less than one full turn if you can. The exception is the G string on Fender-type guitars with no second string tree - you usually need more wrap to create enough of a break angle at the nut.

Roland · September 2020

ICBM said:

[Thread diversion]

You really don’t need to ‘stretch’ strings with anything like that complex a method. Steel strings don’t actually stretch.

All you’re doing is tightening the wrap on the post and forming the string to the bridge saddle ...

Players of headless guitars can confirm this.

veldt666 · September 2020

Laborious, I know, but for years, I’ve coated the wrap on all plain strings with solder.
no slippage or breaks. Give it a try.

normula1 · September 2020

Was def. unusual. I've used D'addarios for as long as I can remember with no issues so I'm assuming that it's just a bad batch

Funkfingers · September 2020

On budget Jazzmaster/Jaguar vibrato tailpieces, burrs around the string anchoring holes can cut into the strings. (Easily remedied with a round file.)

Kahler Pro and Flyer vibrato string anchors are ideally shaped to tear the ball ends clean off strings during over-enthusiastic upwards bends. The (partial) remedy was to tin over the string end wraps with solder before fitting them.

roberty · September 2020

Some D'Addario batches had this problem a while back. Let them know, they'll want to know about it and they'll probably sort you out some new ones

Adji · September 2020

Hey folks,
Adam from D'Addario here.

It s pretty rare but as ICBM mentioned, it can occasionally happen.

If you have the issue repeatedly with various strings / brands I'd suggest trying our pre-soldered guitar strings (which were designed as this was a particular problem with some Kahler trems). As this has only happened with a couple D'Addario strings it may well have been a manufacturing fault.
Drop me a DM and I'll put it right for you.

Also, some really good info in this thread re string 'stretching' etc.

JD50 · September 2020

normula1 said:

Was def. unusual. I've used D'addarios for as long as I can remember with no issues so I'm assuming that it's just a bad batch

I did this when using D'addarios as I was having problems with them unwinding.
Shame as I really like the strings otherwise.... I've been using Picato strings for a while now without issue.

Sassafras · September 2020

I'm surprised you don't break loads of strings with your laborious string stretching routine.

mooncat · September 2020

I had this problem with a packet of D'addarios the other month when the high e string unwound!

The annoying thing was it was a set of steinberger transposing strings.

So in the bin they went!

skunkwerx · September 2020

Sassafras said:

I'm surprised you don't break loads of strings with your laborious string stretching routine.

Never in 10+ years broke a single string! Usually Eb’s though for that time.

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D'addario ball end unravelling

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