Boring strings question

longshins

Hi there, just chilling on this lovely bank holiday Monday contemplating my choice of strings. I play in a power trio, teach full time, and muck about playing in a couple of other projects. 

 I’m always worried about snapping a string, and it’s grown to the point of paranoia, I’m scared to go for big bends etc...

Currently I use Elixir Optiwebs and have the odd snappage here and there but then again I don’t change them that often... perhaps after 4 gigs or something... are the new fangled other offerings like the paradigm genuinely stronger or will they wear at the saddle the same as any other strings?

I have gone the graphtech route plus I’m conscious to check for burrs etc on saddles just in case someone was going to mention that as a weak spot.

sweepy

I still don’t know how people break strings, it genuinely perplexes me.

Funkfingers

sweepy said:

I still don’t know how people break strings, it genuinely perplexes me.

#MeToo

Unless the adrenalin rush of performing live robs a player of ALL self-control, there is no excuse for destroying healthy strings. 

Keefy

I think you need to look at your picking hand technique. I have a fairly robust picking  hand on electric guitar but have NEVER broken a string on a gig. This has got to be worthwhile - Elixir strings ain’t cheap!

longshins

At the risk of sounding arrogant, I think my technique is ok... when I say the odd snappage, I’m talking 1 or 2 over the last 3 years of regular gigging.

Mainly I’m just wondering if the new breed of super strong strings (paradigms/nyxl) are in fact super strong under real life circumstances as opposed to being stress tested in a lab environment.

Keefy

longshins said:

At the risk of sounding arrogant, I think my technique is ok... when I say the odd snappage, I’m talking 1 or 2 over the last 3 years of regular gigging.

...

Fair enough, that's not that many really!

stickyfiddle

I had one guitar that used to *eat* A strings. That was due to a sharp saddle where the black chrome plating had worn through to the softer material underneath, which meant even if you smoothed it it quickly ended up with a burr again and more string breaks. I put graphtech saddles on and never broke a string again. Could be that. Graphtechs might help.

I don't believe any one string type will be so fundamentally better to the point that it's worth paying more (or using less good-sounding strings) for.

Philtre

sweepy said:

I still don’t know how people break strings, it genuinely perplexes me.

Buy a Jazzmaster or Jaguar.