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How many times have you broken a string?


PaulWarning
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[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1471596346' post='3114238']
Never broken a string playing.

Broke an E whilst fitting a new set of strings. I was tuning up and not really paying attention so the inevitable happened. The string was probably close to an octave above what it should have been when it snapped. :)
[/quote]

The same happened to me with an A string. I was tuning up with the bass on my lap. It is a miracle I still have my nose intact as a whole. It was like a whip.

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  • 2 months later...

well, I finally broke my first bass string at last nights gig, the A string at the bridge, must make a Google calendar note to change my DR neons every 6 months, luckily I had taken my spare bass into the pub with me, I did find out how much better a P bass cuts through them a Hondo professional ll though

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[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1471552350' post='3113998']
...but it's also first in line to encounter a particularly careless heavy downward blow
[/quote]
May be the E breaks more often because of this. Also the core of the string takes the most mechanical stress, rather that the thicker overwinding which is only there to add weight to get it to the correct pitch. Check the diameter of the core where it wraps around the ball end - it's not that thick.

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Once. It was a school bass I'd picked up to mess about on. Not very well looked after. The strings were rusted due to people sweating on them etc. Low E string. It was a bit painful, actually. Wasn't even playing particularly aggressively. Never broken an undamaged string.

Edited by Ziphoblat
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This is my 2nd spell of playing, following a 20+ year break in playing.
During this 8 year spell, I've only broken one string (a "D" string). These days I mainly play finger style, and sometimes with a pick, but in my previous spell of playing it was mainly pick, with occasional finger style

Back during my first spell of playing, I played more heavily, due to playing punk & rock.
I seem to recall breaking mainly D strings then, funny enough - but certainly one E string too

In the 80's Rotosound released a version of their "swing" bass string, which had no windings on the core at the bridge end of the stings. This was apparently to create a more lively sound. Broke 2 of those, and they were quite new strings too - so stopped buying them

I'm amazed to hear that some players have never broken a string. I know a couple of guitarists who occasionally play bass, and they've broken bass strings. Again, they play with a pick - so I'd be interested to hear what is the percentage of strings broken by pick players v finger players.

Edited by Marc S
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[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1471769818' post='3115630']
First bass...CBS/Arbiter SG shaped thing. Had flats on it. G-string broke and all I could afford on my paperboy wages was a cheapie roundwound.

Couldn't believe how bright that string sounded, so I used that string almost exclusively. It was rounds from then on.
[/quote]

Twice now. 2nd time about a month ago. Dunlop Nickel 0.40. It was new too...hadn't been on the bass more than an hour; I was at a rehearsal and wasn't even playing at the time (the bass was propped up against my amp). The damn thing broke at the ball-end too.

I was so pissed at the time that I took the photo below and emailed it to Dunlop. Guess what happened next? Yep, they sent me a new set of strings. Not really. Not even an acknowledgement. I don't hawk around trying to get free stuff, but this really annoyed me. Grrr. Bad Dunlop. Bad Dunlop.

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