Broken Hi E Strings

[picnic]

I seem to break more of these with my TA's than my other guitars in the past. The high E breaks at the bridge at the roller. I use Elixir 10's and have been decreasing the distance of my bends. I change strings once a month or two. Elixirs are billed as a longlasting string so I think 2 months is reasonable for the amount of time they get played.

Last night's break happened while I was chording. Two songs later, the A string unwound at the bridge. Frustrating night for strings. GRRRRR!!

Any help of suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

[tom]

i'm not the best person for string breaking advise as i haven't broken a string on any of my electrics in decades. some people just seem to have more trouble than others, but there are a few things to look at that can be hardware related. are the strings breaking where they come through the baseplate, where they first touch the saddle or on the smooth pin on the top of the saddle? those are all places where a rough edge can cause trouble. we have switched to the ferroglide saddles, and have not had calls about breakage with those at all. they sound great too.

[picnic]

Thanks for the info Tom. I don't break many strings either, but with the TA's I break more than my other guitars. I do bends of one step at most. The strings appear to be breaking on the roller. The saddle is very close to the roller and it could be the culprit too. Next time I do a complete string change, I'll feel around for rough spots. It happens on the Classic and the HTC.

My T's are 05. Do mine have the new style bridges?.

Is there a lubricant I could use? I like 10's, but should 11's be used?

[tom]

one place lube does help is on the surfacewhere the string touches behind the pin. that is also an area that will get a groove worn in it and turn it into a saw. 06 have the new saddles.

[Ray K.]

Just a thought. I'm also a member of the "I don't break strings" club. A few months back I started breaking high E strings on some of my guitars. Brand new ones after re-stringing and tuning up to pitch, and also after playing only a short time. They were mostly breaking at the ball end. I did have one completely unravel at the ball end.

I've used D'Addario 9's for many years without problems. So I am convinced I got a bad lot. I bought one of the bulk (shop) packs that has the individual strings on separate spools. There are 25 sets in the large box: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/DAddario-EXL110-Regular-Light-Strings-Bulk-Pack-?sku=104579

Btw, not all have been bad, so I'm not knocking D'Addario.

Certainly what Tom said about saddles and other contact points is something you would want to look at closely. But, if it's practical, maybe consider exchanging your unopened sets for others.

Hope this helps,
Ray K.

[coaltrain]

When I first got my TA I could not play four songs without breaking the D string. Before the TA I have been playing a Tele and a Strat over the last 20 years and I never break strings. I email Tom about this and he sent me a new saddle to try but still no luck. I changed from Elixers to D'Addario and I have not broke one since. I think a while ago someone had said there was a bad batch of Elixers, try changing to a different brand of strings and see if it makes a difference.

[Pietro]

Elixirs are billed as a longlasting string so I think 2 months is reasonable for the amount of time they get played.

How much time do they get played? I play enough that I'm lucky to get 6 weeks out of my elixirs (but only 2 out of other strings).