Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: E strings breaking?

  1. #1

    Default E strings breaking?

    Hello I recently purchased an Eastman 315 mandolin and have been having trouble with my high E strings breaking while tuning up to pitch. The breaks are happening at the tuning post. The tuning pegs seem hard to turn due to the tightness of the strings. I am using standard medium strings. Doesn’t happen all the time. Bridge and tailpiece are fine.
    Is this normal?
    Tuning peg and post seem fine?
    Can I just buy single strings from somewhere?
    Maybe strings need to really stretch before hitting the E note?

    Thank you

  2. #2

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    I have had this happen to me before. One possibility is the potential of a burr in the hole of the tuning post, which may be almost undetectable to our eyes. I took an old D string and with light pressure, moved it back and forth around the hole of the E string post in question. Smoothing out and gently "filing" the hole on both sides and all the way around the hole. Solved it for me, give that a try! Good luck!

  3. The following members say thank you to rivervalleymando for this post:

    Ranald 

  4. #3
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    1,733

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    I sometimes have trouble with E strings too. I always seem to have an uneven number of strings around the house, as the A's and E's are more inclined to break. It sounds as though you're not leaving enough slack in the string, so that when you tighten it, the tension snaps it. Try leaving about an inch and a half of slack, then increase the tension slowly until you have the string is in tune. There are some good videos on installing strings, as well as previous threads on the subject. You can buy E strings by themselves, but you may have to use mail order for this, then order in quantity. Here's hoping you won't get that desperate!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Hk...=GuitarCompass

    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  5. #4
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Outer Spiral Arm, of Galaxy, NW Oregon.
    Posts
    17,103

    Exclamation Re: E strings breaking?

    It's thinnest and to reach pitch , at the highest tension ..

    Physics is the Law..
    writing about music
    is like dancing,
    about architecture

  6. #5
    Registered User Eric Platt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    St. Paul, MN
    Posts
    2,045

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    Yeah, sounds like a burr on the tuner to me, also. use a different string, or a small file to lightly smooth over the hole where the string breaks.

    As to replacement strings, most of the regular vendors have them, juststrings.com, stringsandbeyond.com, and probably other sources.

    If you have a store nearby that sells instruments, call them. They might have single strings in stock.

    It's never a bad idea to have a few spare E and A strings around just for that type of situation.
    Brentrup Model 23, Boeh A5 #37, Gibson A Jr., Big Muddy M-11, Coombe Classical flattop, Strad-O-Lin
    https://www.facebook.com/LauluAika/
    https://www.lauluaika.com/
    https://www.facebook.com/Longtine-Am...14404553312723

  7. #6
    Registered User bennyb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Oregon, USA
    Posts
    415

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    Quote Originally Posted by Laredo View Post
    The tuning pegs seem hard to turn due to the tightness of the strings.
    Thank you
    That sounds like a problem at the nut, if so, most likely slots are too narrow.

  8. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    126

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    Easiest thing to try first is to go much slower in bringing it to pitch. I'll go up a bit and then pause for a bit. Go up some more and pause, etc... If that doesn't help, it's likely a burr.

  9. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    Posts
    1,249

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    I would check out how the tuner is without tension. If it gets harder with string tension then there is an alignment problem with the post. I agree it sounds like you have a burr or rough spot on your tuner.

  10. #9

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    Thank you all for responding and for the tips. I did notice each post had a rough sharp edge on the hole of the post. I took a small precision file and smoothed each hole and cleaned it out with fine sandpaper and a final polish with a dremel tool. The strings are back on now. So far so good. I did notice the tuners could get tight without any strings on it. I added a small drop of oil on the rotating pivot point. It seemed to help a little but not much. I just guess it’s a cheap set of tuners. I may look for a good replacement set later, hopefully it will be just a drop in set. I hope it works for now. Thank you all.

  11. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Laredo For This Useful Post:


  12. #10
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Guildford + Falmouth England
    Posts
    916

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    Re, the tuning pegs being tight - as above, this might be due to binding at the nut, but I suspect it's because they just are. I think the Eastman 315 has the same tuning machines as my 305 - they work OK for budget tuners, but boy, they're tight.

  13. #11

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    Thank you. I would love to find a quality drop set of tuners. Need to research it.

  14. #12
    Registered User Nick Gellie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Orgiva, Spain
    Posts
    1,438

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    A bit of graphite in the nut slot helps. I had this problem and the break was appearing in between the tuning machines and the nut.
    Nic Gellie

  15. #13
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Guildford + Falmouth England
    Posts
    916

    Default Re: E strings breaking?

    There's also stuff called Nut Sauce that's a clear nut and bridge slot lubricant.

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •