Breaking G String !

[yankees1]

Just broke my third G string within two months ! The one closest to D string and all breaks have been at different points and only once at the bridge. Once by the string cover and another half way between the bridge and cover ! ??????????????

[Tim2723]

You didn't get your hands on some of those counterfeits did you? Sometimes it's just a run of bad strings, sometimes it's just a run of bad luck. I'm sure you already know all the likely suspects to check, but it doesn't sound like an instrument flaw.

[Don Grieser]

This is a family forum.

[Doug Edwards]

Wow!

[Tim2723]

Yeah, wow is right. But I had it happen once with T.I. strings. That'll make you cry.

[yankees1]

Just broke the same G string again ! ( number 4 ) These are PF270 strings so I am switching back to EXP77 and see what happens as this never happened with these strings !

[Tim2723]

Did you buy them all at once from the same source? Strings are made in the millions and bad things happen to good people.

[yankees1]

Bought all at same time from elderly ! Not getting much practice time in playing this morning but-------------getting a lot of practice in changing strings !

[Doug Edwards]

Just Strings has singles (http://www.juststrings.com/mandolinfamilysinglestrings.html) including TI's.

[Tim2723]

Yeah, $19 for a single string. Cry with me!

[Pete Braccio]

Wow. I have never broken a G string. I would have thought that it would have been impossible to bust one (let alone four!).

Pete

[Doug Edwards]

Yeah, $19 for a single string. Cry with me!

I think it's for a pair. I ordered a TI E and received a pair. Not cheap anyway, you may want to confirm with the vendor if it's a pair or not.

[Denny Gies]

I have used J 74's for years and never have broken one. On an old Auria I once owned, the e strings used to break all the time; turned out it was a problem with the nut. Good luck. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

[Tim2723]

I think it's for a pair. I ordered a TI E and received a pair. Not cheap anyway, you may want to confirm with the vendor if it's a pair or not.

Ok, so at least it's $10/string. Still nothing to be happy about! LOL! I stopped using them when I went back to the Ovation, but thanks.

[Willie Poole]

Just maybe you are trying to tune to the wrong G note on your tuner....

I know that sounds petty but I have heard of worse things happening to mandolin players that have been playing for years....If the strings are breaking at a place other than the nut or bridge and you have broken four of them you must be trying to tune to an octave higher....Just a thought....

Willie

[Tim2723]

That's a possibility, but by now I hope the man knows what a G sounds like.

(Sorry Willie, I'm watching the Hatfields and McCoys special. It has me talking like that. What a show!)

[allenhopkins]

Are all the breaks between bridge and tailpiece? Do they occur when bringing the string up to tension, or when playing?

That's an odd location for string breaks. Since tension's applied from the headstock end, breaks caused by strings "hanging up" at nut or bridge, and thus getting over-tensioned, seldom happen "south" of the bridge. The "defective string" hypothesis seems plausible.

But: why just String #7, and not String #8 if they came from the same package? Something not computing...

[Tim2723]

#7 has a longer run to the tuner capstan? Same reason D's and A's have trouble?

He bought them all at the same time. I still think it's just a bad run of strings or a bad run of luck.

[yankees1]

Just maybe you are trying to tune to the wrong G note on your tuner....

I know that sounds petty but I have heard of worse things happening to mandolin players that have been playing for years....If the strings are breaking at a place other than the nut or bridge and you have broken four of them you must be trying to tune to an octave higher....Just a thought....

Willie Not the problem! :)

[yankees1]

Are all the breaks between bridge and tailpiece? Do they occur when bringing the string up to tension, or when playing?

That's an odd location for string breaks. Since tension's applied from the headstock end, breaks caused by strings "hanging up" at nut or bridge, and thus getting over-tensioned, seldom happen "south" of the bridge. The "defective string" hypothesis seems plausible.

But: why just String #7, and not String #8 if they came from the same package? Something not computing... All between the bridge and tailpiece and happened during playing. I spoke with Elderly and they offered to send me replacements but I declined at this point as I would like to rule out everything but the strings first. I have switched to EXP77's and no problem yet!

[Tim2723]

But, switching to another brand can mask the original problem if it is a run of bad strings from a particular label. Having no continuing problem with another brand could suggest a bad run of strings?

[yankees1]

But, switching to another brand can mask the original problem if it is a run of bad strings from a particular label. Having no continuing problem with another brand could suggest a bad run of strings? That is the reason I switched to another brand ! If I no longer break the g string than I will assume the GHS PF270 G strings are defective. But, I don't know why only the #7 G string is breaking and not the #8 G string !

[Jeff Budz]

I bought some GHS sets (silk and bronze) from elderly, and went on to break 2 string (#6 and #1) within a week. That has never happened to me before with my usual J74/EXP74s. It has been very humid last week, perhaps that has something to do with it.

[yankees1]

Well-----------------my #8 G string ( GHS PF270) string blew this morning so I am convinced that I have a bad batch of PF270 G strings so I will call Elderly today! My EXP77 #7 is still going strong!

[yankees1]

Elderly and GHS have been excellent to deal with and they were more than willing to replace the G strings ! GHS is sending me i 270 strings instead of the uncoated PF270 strings. Hopefully this will take care of this problem !

[Bernie Daniel]

I can recall ever only breaking one or two G-strings in many years of playing mandolin. Both times I think they were old strings, i.e., ones ready or past time for changing and both times it happened when I was using the open G as a drone and really "pounding" on the mandolin for volume. So you definitely must have a bad set of strings IMO.

[jim simpson]

I had a string breaking problem with one particular mandolin. It was always the D string with the break occuring before the bridge. I kept working the bridge string slot/break point with a file. The string breaking stopped and life was wonderful again.

[Phil Goodson]

I think some of you guys need to rub down your right arms with kryptonite every morning! :disbelief:
I don't remember EVER breaking a string while playing mandolin. .... Guitar, yes!:whistling: