I've been asked to play an acoustic show for my mate's band, where they're doing an acoustic show with the set made up of stripped back arrangements of the full band songs of a forthcoming EP release.
Thing is I am using open tunings alot which involve retuning the thinnest 3 strings up and down constantly. In fact every single song (5 of them) in the set is in a different tuning.
At a jam the other night my top string snapped when tuning so I'm guessing it won't be long til one of the other break too.
Have bought a few single strings in case but I'd rather try to avoid rather than cure. I think I need to turn tuning pegs slower, and try to arrange the set where I don't need to tune so many strings at once.
What type of string would be the more harder to break? Coated? Titanium?
Asides from having a separate guitar for each song any alternatives?
Comments
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
As @ICBM says, ensuring the string is neatly wound with no kinks will help, but ultimately it'll still fatigue and snap.
Are you winding the string round the post *before* putting it through the hole? If so don't do that, it twists the string and makes it more likely to break. Put the string through the hole and lock-wrap it first, *then* wind onto the post.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
So should I be doing it like this guy at around 3.30?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xxeRFEP1Y4&ab_channel=Fender
For my own guitars I lock-wrap it and leave the minimum possible winding on the post, but that might not be the best if you're retuning a lot and you want more windings.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
That said, a ew set of strings will still put up with this treatment for quite a few tuning changes, so my s9lution has been to put new strings on before a gig, especially if I think the old strings have already gone through lots of tuning changes.
He explained that this wasn't ostentatious, but simply that they were all tuned differently. I seem to remember he actually played 5 or 6 of them during the gig.
I wonder if they go through some kind of heat process during manufacture, because although I never break any in normal use the plain strings are definitely more brittle than conventional strings.
Still doesn't solve my issue of rehearsing the songs in one sitting and not breaking any strings!
At the Nut? the bridge? If either of those, make sure the edge is not too sharp
Either way, what gauge are you using and what are you tuning to? Maybe a lighter gauge for the top string might reduce breakages?
I am using 4 different tunings (low to high)
B F# B E G# C# (1 song)
B F# B E B E (2 songs)
B F# B E B D (1 song)
B F# B D# A# D# (1 song)
If we play a 6th song (as we ain't decided if the arrangement will work yet) it'll be in B F# B E F# B.
Also the guitar flits between drop b variations and standard tuning as I use the acoustic for teaching too.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
And no its just a Takamine electro acoustic.