Thanks for the tip Doc.
I'll dig out my capo and check it out.
This neck was from another body and it does seem to fit in the pocket quite well.
Now where did I last put those feeler guages?
cheers, Mark.
Thanks for the tip Doc.
I'll dig out my capo and check it out.
This neck was from another body and it does seem to fit in the pocket quite well.
Now where did I last put those feeler guages?
cheers, Mark.
They don't appear to be 'bad' strings (made by Martin). But upward trem use will put a lot more tension on the strings, so I'd try some of the more expensive string sets that are supposed to be able to take a lot more tension e.g D'addario NYXLs. Darco are probably fine for non-trem use.
Solder is fine for stopping string ends unwrapping, but it won't solve a problem like this - it's the centre core of the string that has broken and solder will have minimal effect, but will make the string less easy to bend.
I'd also check the saddles for any rough edges. You may need to sand them with some fine grit paper and apply some lube to them.
Hi Simon. Not having much to do with tremolo use, I wasn't aware of any string issues that may occur.Originally Posted by Simon Barden
The saddles themselves have Graphite pins, and I did lube them with a concoction of Vaseline and Graphite.
I'll wait and see if the current strings break..(the 'A' string broke tonight the same as the E and D).
I've measured the string heights since I shimmed the neck and re-adjusted the bridge heights.
cheers, Mark.
Possibly the edge of the hole where the strings appear out of the block? The graphite block is on the top of the saddle, but the string also wraps around what appears to be a round bar at the back of the saddle, so there's some extra friction there. If the saddles are too far back, then the string is being pulled back before it can bend forward again.
Difficult to tell exactly where on the guitar bridge the string breaks are occurring without being there. Some people do report a lot of string breaks with it. As the saddles don't move (just the trem block), there's a lot more friction than with a normal Strat trem bridge.
It all looks overly complex to me.
So are the strings running more like 1 or 2? 1 is better for lower friction.
Hi Simon.
The strings are more like '1'.
Here's a side shot of the E 6 string.
cheers, Mark.
Ah, that's OK then. Not sure at all now. Just try some new strings.
Last edited by Simon Barden; 15-02-2020 at 06:28 PM.
I've found that I've very rarely broken a string just by playing a guitar, most of the time when I've actually broken a string, it has usually been when I'm either stretching them in, or when I'm tuning the strings up to pitch, and it's usually because the string has been either stretched to breaking point, or pinched by something, like a locking mechanism on a locking tuner, occasionally a string will break where there's a sharp edge that it's resting on, or there's a friction point making it stick, I've had very limited success with putting lubricants in the nut slots or in the saddles where the strings rest, I do remember seeing a mod you can do to a standard Strat bridge to reduce the likelyhood of string breakage, this involves removing the bridge plate from the sustain block (the big heavy piece of metal that the springs attach to) after removing the saddles, and then using a countersinking tool to put a chamfer on each of the holes that the strings pass through on their way to the saddles, doing this gets rid of any sharp edges.
Thanks for the tips. I'll see out the few days it took for the first set to break...
I'll get a better quality brand to test, but will dismantle the bridge and see about smoothing any edges.
Meanwhile I'm thinking that it's realising the nature of heavy tremolo use and compensating budget.
Glad I'm not playing a 10 string pedal steel.
cheers, Mark.
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