Ow. (Another thread on strings.)

[Alyx Hanson]

So my first tenor guitar arrived yesterday: a BR-40T. Love at first sight. She's a beauty, for sure. This is the first time in my life I've held a guitar and felt like I knew what I was doing (despite some guitar lessons as a kid). It's awesome.

So I got her out of the box and started tuning her up, and SNAP went the A string before I made it to G#. Gave me a nice little scratch. Luckily I'd picked up a couple of spares, but now I can't seem to get it up past G. I can barely move the tuning peg, and of course now I'm paranoid that it'll snap again, which is making me hesitant to push it.

For the meantime, I've got her tuned to an open C (CGCE), which is fine, but I'd prefer to get her to CGDA eventually. Right now I'm using a .010, which is what it came with, so I know it's theoretically possible. But I'm contemplating going down to a .009.

What do you think, Cafe? Will I be less stressed out about tuning if I do this?

[Jim Garber]

Are you sure you are tuning to the correct octave? You should be able to tune that string to pitch. Are you using an electronic tuner?

[Alyx Hanson]

Hi Jim,

I am. It's definitely in the right octave -- if I tune it to the next A down, it's lower than the D. Part of my problem is probably that I'm coming from an octave mandolin, where the string tension just isn't as high. It feels wrong.

[Jim Garber]

Maybe someone else has a clue. I don't. For now I would tune it down a step or so to lower the tension. Maybe take it to a local store to look at it. The tension should not be all that high. Does it feel really taut? Where on the string did it break? The only other thing I can think of is that there is a rough spot on the tailpiece that cut the string.

[Alyx Hanson]

It feels really, really taut to me, but I don't know if that's just my lack of experience with tenor guitars. It snapped up by the nut. It doesn't LOOK like there are any rough edges, but it's possible.

[Amanda Gregg]

Hmph. I have that guitar and haven't had any problems. I originally had it tuned to CGDA, and I have now returned it to GDAE, and both have been fine. When tuned to CGDA, I used these strings: http://www.juststrings.com/dad-j66.html

You definitely shouldn't be fighting with the tuning peg to tune the A string. Mine are nice and loose and greasy.

Go on youtube and find some tenor guitar video to double check your pitch, maybe?

And yeah, have somebody take a look at it.

[Alyx Hanson]

I'm pretty sure that's the string set that came on it; it's certianly the string gauges. The tuning peg moves fine until I get up around F#/G, and then it's like the tension is so high it doesn't want to turn anymore.

I'll try it out again when I get home tonight. Maybe after sitting back in room temperature for a day instead of on a delivery truck it'll be more cooperative. (I'm definitely happy I got the guitar. I'm not even that frustrated. I just can't figure out what's happening.)

[Jim Garber]

Try this video and compare what tones you get from your strings. He is in CGDA.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Check and see if the string is binding in the nut - apply some pencil-lead (graphite) to the slot to dry-lube it...

[Alyx Hanson]

Tried tuning it up again when I got home, and once again snapped it (at the nut) just above G# but not quite to A. The other three strings are tuned to the proper pitches for CGD. Thinking the top string is binding in the nut despite my attempts to dry-lube it with pencil lead. For now, I'm leaving it in open C. I'll have a chance next week to have it looked at by someone more knowledgeable than I am. I'm having fun, anyway.

[dang]

What Eddie said. I have a BR 60 T and had no such issues... I restrung it with slightly heavier gauges and went GDAE tuning, which seemed to bring out a little more volume and tone.

[FatBear]

You can get a .010 feeler gauge, rough up one edge of it, and use it to check and adjust the slot in the nut.

[Alyx Hanson]

Well, I gave a .009 a try, and was able to tune it to pitch without a problem. So the nut slot is probably just a hair small for the .010. But hey, I was planning to buy strings in bulk anyway, so creating a custom set is no problem.

[Jim Garber]

I would still have someone competent check it out. I think you will save some small change buying std sets and also have a good playing tenor. Not that it is a big deal but there may be other slight adjustments to make your instrument right.

[Alyx Hanson]

Yeah, I'll take it in and have someone look at it sometime in the next couple of weeks. The setup is actually really nice otherwise (got it from Elderly; would expect nothing less): action's nice and low and intonation is spot-on. I just don't have time to have it looked at this week, so I'm glad I've got a solution in the meantime.

[mmcadory]

I bought a BR-40T a while back. J66's stung me too, within minutes of opening. It's like deja vu all over again. I went to juststrings.com on the recommendation of others here and put together the following set of bulks:
http://www.juststrings.com/jsb-009p.html
http://www.juststrings.com/jsb-012p.html
http://www.juststrings.com/jsb-024pb.html
http://www.juststrings.com/jsb-034pb.html

and am pretty pleased tuning CGDA. It's light, but no broken strings or slapped hands since.

[Dolamon]

You've got a curious problem. The one thing which hasn't been suggested is the tuner, which you say is 'binding'. That might be a key to the problem, If you have the open type of tuners which seem to come on this guitar, your first string may 1/ have found a rough spot on the string hole ... or, 2/ that tuner may be binding and then jumping (?) up to a higher pitch at a faster rate than you think you are really doing. I've had that happen on a set of stirrup type open tuners and fixed it by loosening both the button screw and the gear screw on the bronze gear. At that point, I used a needle with a tiny smidge of moly grease where the gear rests on the plate of the mechanism. (Loosen the gear screw by a few turns, and then put a tiny amount under the bottom side of the gear.) While you have the needle with grease on it ... put a tiny smidge (that is a technical term you know) on the channel in the button shaft where it rides inside the stamped saddle on the tuner. You may need a mirror and or a bright light to see this part of the tuner.

Tighten both screws, within limits, you don't need to go crazy and over tighten it. Try this and see if it feels looser than before. While you have it unstrung, you may want to take a finger nail and rub the edge of the tuner string hole and see if there is a burr which could hook, and break the string. If there is ... take a small piece of 400 to 600 grit sandpaper, wrap it around the pointed tip of a pencil (remember those old yellow #2 hard pencils?) and very softly, polish the edge surface. Test with the finger nail again until it won't hang up on the edge.

This is not a common problem, but I've run into this on a few older instruments with dirty or tired tuners. As a matter of course, I have done this on all my open tuner instruments and now they all feel like silk.

The hanging up tuners aren't a common thing but ... it does happen. And will drive you up the wall until you resolve the issue.

Good luck - Dion