Are Strings Made To Break Just Above Pitch?

[JimPage]

Hey--

Here is probably a stupid question, but one I have wondered about for years. I was winding a high-E .012-gauge string today while watching its pitch on a tuner. It popped not too far beyond its recommended pitch.

We all have had strings break if we try to wind them much above pitch, and they generally break at the tuning-key shaft.

Now, considering all the various gauges that guitar strings come in, how is that possible? Is it just a fact that a .012-gauge piece of wire won't be stretched much above a high-E note or beyond a certain length while under tension? But high-E strings come in various gauges and guitars have different scale lengths.

I am just using a high-E string for an example in this post; any string will do the same thing, I suppose.

If it was the winding-end that always broke, then I could think, "Well, they make the windings in a certain way so that the winding lets go above a certain pitch."

Do string makers harden or temper the metal somehow? I have seen the string-making process at CF Martin a couple of times and now I wish I had asked these questions then.

Any ideas?

--Jim

[Veenture]

...probably a matter of the law of physics. Mind you, they can make nylon stockings to last just a certain amount of time before they start to run and allow for lightbulbs to burn a certain length of time -almost to the hour- before they go. Who knows about guitar strings...? That way manufacturers keep on selling at a regular pace...

[Haole Jim]

Hmm. Thinking on the 12-string.

The octave .009 G is up a bit and it is for sure "delicate".

The octave .013 D is up and delicate.

The octave .18 A is up and delicate-ish.

'Not sure the stringmakers' logic is that insidious, but one does wonder.

[oipunkguy]

Hey Jim,

my guess is if you are breaking strings at the tuning key, then maybe you might want to examine the method you are using to string your instrument.

the method I use is string the instrument up so it is tight (before winding your tuner) then give the string about an inch and a half of slack, then wine your tuner from that starting point. no knots or ties in the string, or anything like that, just tune to pitch.

this has worked for me for years, and I'm not saying this is the only way to do it, but I never have any problems breaking strings at the tuning posts, doesn't matter what gauge, or type of tuner I use, or if I tune high, low, etc.

another trick of the trade is to add a small amount of solder to the ball end of the string to prevent the ball from slipping out. this probably could help those of you that like to dive bomb on a tremolo who have this problem. Of course if you use a floyd rose trem, you're out of luck

If you are having issues with a string slipping with the use of a floyd rose, in my experience it's usually that the string inserts at the bridge probably needs to be replaced. there's companies out there now that make aftermarket titanium inserts, and it's really worth the small investment.

[JimPage]

Hey, Aaron--

Oh, I seldom break a string; this incident Sunday was in the nature of an experiment. I was using a guitar string on a baritone guitar tuning it higher and higher just to see at what point it let go.

I found out!!! WHERE'S THE NEOSPORIN?!?!?!?

--Jim

[Sarah93003]

Is there a metallurgist on board? It seems to me that if you buy a particular brand of string, let's say Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, the material used will be the same whether the high E is .009, .010, .011, .012, etc. So, if the material is the same I would expect the .009 to break way before the .012. Consider that a metal string .009" in diameter and 25" long would have a volume of 0.0016 cubic inches of that metal. A string of 0.012" and 25" long would have a volume of .0028. You can see that the volume of a .012 string is nearly twice the volume of a .009. From there you could calculate the tensile strength of the wire, but I think it would be logical to assume that the .012 string will have a significantly higher than the .009 string.

I think a more likely culprit of strings breaking would reside at the tuning peg, the nut, the bridge, or tremelo/vibrato. Okay, I'll stop being a geek now and get back to playing guitar!

[oipunkguy]

ouch Jim, i been there.

[JimPage]

I can honestly say that I have bled over each of my guitars. I knew that this string was going to break and I was trying to keep my hands far enough away but the danged thing STILL got me and got me good. Actually broke the skin on the back of my right hand in two places.

One of my neighbors was over and my son was in the room, so I tried not to cuss, but had to let go with a bad word or three.

You'd think I'd know better after over 40 years at this, but nnnooooooo . . .

--Jim

[bakeoboy]

I think that if the string keeps breaking at the machine head, its probebly the machine heads fault. Be sure to inspect for burrs or sharp spots,that usually be polished away with a little 600 grit sandpaper.I use a pencil point with the 600 wrapped around the point to get into the string hole.but in the end most strings break when tuned beyond their range.

[connie_mack]

check the machine head. look for small burrs.

strings are made to be tuned within two or three half notes give or take to the required note given. pedal steels routinely "bend" / raise / lower strings hundreds and hundreds of times with out breaking. the 11's tend to break the most for obvious reasons but so do 14's and 17's on a semi-regular basis.

this topic has come up on the steel forum a few times. it seems that sometimes there is a bad batch of certain guage strings that will just keep breaking until you get one from a different batch. just something else to think about.