My low E just broke...

Jacob M · #1 06-01-2006, 07:48 PM

So me and the guitarist in my band were playing with this new drummer, playing one of our songs with him, and all of a sudden, my low E went completely slack. The core had apparently snapped, and it unwound from the saddle.

Is this something that happens frequently? I've been playing bass for just under 2 years, and my first set of strings lasted me well over a year. I only changed my strings a few months ago because the old ones were getting lots of wearing in them and I felt they weren't staying intonated properly because of it. I can't imagine that the E string just breaking is common, but who knows...

I had recently had my bass tuned to C, and had just tuned up to E for the practice, perhaps the sliding back and forth in the saddle was responsible for it, and I just have bad strings? I forget which brand of strings I'd used, I just asked for .45 Nickle roundwounds; I think they might've been D'addario or Ernie Ball. Are those notoriously bad? I like the feel of that gague, and prefer nickle to steel, is there another type of string I should hunt down to try?

steveb98 · #2 06-01-2006, 08:22 PM

I broke a E string once a long time ago, but mine broke up by the nut. Breaking E strings doesn't happen very often. Why could be lots of things, bad string, a rough spot on the bridge, worn spot from fret, metal fatigue. I would check you bass just to make sure nothing wrong with bridge then just chalk it up to just one of those things.

The BurgerMeister · #3 06-01-2006, 08:29 PM

the same thing happened to me once in the middle of a gig.... but it was my low B (back when i played 5string). i was kinda surprised.

a little crazier: i was playing upright in the pit for a production of "south pacific" and my A snapped while doing a pizzicato "boomp-boomp boomp-boomp"-type line. luckily, it was duing the curtain call.

the ladies are ALWAYS impressed when you break the big strings, by the way.

...........................................

HELLonWheels187 · #4 06-01-2006, 08:31 PM

It could happen alot if you play with a pick hard near the bridge. I Break strings ever 4 months, but its because i slap hard.

Jacob M · #5 06-01-2006, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HELLonWheels187

It could happen alot if you play with a pick hard near the bridge. I Break strings ever 4 months, but its because i slap hard.

The thing is, I don't slap or use a pick that often. I just pluck off my P pickup. Every once in a while I'll slap for a tiny bit, but I don't even know what I'm doing in that area, so that never goes very far, and a pick is very rare indeed.

Jacob M · #6 06-01-2006, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetpackbassist

the ladies are ALWAYS impressed when you break the big strings, by the way.

I think the idea that ladies are impressed by anything having to do with bass is just wishful thinking.

The BurgerMeister · #7 06-01-2006, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob M

I think the idea that ladies are impressed by anything having to do with bass is just wishful thinking.

what are you talking about, mang? just look at the length of the neck!!
and all those low frequencies ONLY exist to shake those booties, since the dawn of time!!!

you are misguided.

(by the way, i wasn't using a pick or slapping when those strings broke, either. it just happens after a while. the core just gets weak and snaps.)

RAT TAT TAT · #8 06-01-2006, 08:54 PM

when i first bought my 1st american jazz bass it came with these awesome strings that had a taperwound 110 E string and i loved it soo much. i play in cgcf and it felt great and sounded great.. but it broke fight at the saddle bend on the bridge like a week after i bought the bass so i bought another set of those strings and that broke 2 weeks later. i took off the bridge and inspected it and the saddle for anything that can be causing this, and nothing. so i bought one more set and it happened again.. then i tried dr bootzillas 50-110 and never looked back (no taperwound E though..) but anyway, thats my story about a crazy E that wouldnt stop breaking.

HELLonWheels187 · #9 06-01-2006, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob M

The thing is, I don't slap or use a pick that often. I just pluck off my P pickup. Every once in a while I'll slap for a tiny bit, but I don't even know what I'm doing in that area, so that never goes very far, and a pick is very rare indeed.

Then the problem is the saddle. If you take off your E-string and look into the saddle you should(well you really shouldn't but...) see grooves where the string would normally sit. There are a couple ways to fix that. One way is by putting graphite under the string so it doesn't cause as much friction and the other is just to replace the saddle.

Mudfuzz · #10 06-02-2006, 02:10 AM

Every few years I snap the B on my main bass, core rusts out most of the time. I've snapped a few Es on this bass as well as others too. Never snapped a D or G though.

SOA_bassist · #11 06-02-2006, 04:34 AM

i think i have snapped at least one of every string on a bass and on a guitar

Oysterman · #12 06-02-2006, 08:36 AM

Cheap bridges can do that to you. I snapped strings all the time on my MIM Fender. I am yet to do it on any other bass, and I doubt it'll ever happen.

Jacob M · #13 06-02-2006, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oysterman

Cheap bridges can do that to you. I snapped strings all the time on my MIM Fender. I am yet to do it on any other bass, and I doubt it'll ever happen.

Funny thing is it's a Gotoh bridge.

scorpionldr · #14 06-02-2006, 09:37 AM

well, if the bass is "used to" having the low string being C (because I'm guessing you like to play with the appropriate tension for the appropriate note) and you introduce new tension to it by tuning to E, it's no wonder you'll break. However, I've never broken my low string....mostly the D and A strings

kherber · #15 06-02-2006, 09:46 AM

D'addario strings are suspect. I played full time for 20 years and only broke a couple G strings. I was doing a lot of string popping, so I deserved it.

After a few years off, I'm back into it full-time. I bought a couple sets of D'addario's--the same strings I've used since 1982, and replaced the very old set that was on there. Six weeks later, I break the E string at the bridge. I put on the other set and six weeks later broke the E string at the nut. I don't play that hard. Right now I'm playing a D'addario E string years old, that actually has notches worn in it. It never breaks.

Doc

God of Rapture · #16 06-02-2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob M

I think the idea that ladies are impressed by anything having to do with bass is just wishful thinking.

It is a fact that Bill Wyman got more chicks than Jagger.

Of course... Jagger went for super models. Wyman nailed anything that walked and probably somethings that didn't.

SamJ · #17 06-02-2006, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob M

and my first set of strings lasted me well over a year.

I know of no string that can survive a teen ager playing Metallica on it for over a year!

Seriously, I change strings out every few weeks, no more than a months or so... they're not rated in years life span.. not unless you play 1 hour a week or something.

No warranty claim here...

padgettohio · #18 06-02-2006, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamJ

I know of no string that can survive a teen ager playing Metallica on it for over a year!

Seriously, I change strings out every few weeks, no more than a months or so... they're not rated in years life span.. not unless you play 1 hour a week or something.

No warranty claim here...

I agree. I have to change my strings about every other month or my E's almost guaranteed to break. But I do almost exactly what HELLonWheels said above; I use a pick about 75% of the time and I pluck very heavily near the bridge.

But you said you don't pick or slap often, and you pluck around the pickup of your P-bass. It sounds like you may have just got a bad string. That sucks, but it happens sometimes. I had a brand new string break one time as I was tuning it up; and I had to put the old one back on to get through the night. I had to buy a whole new set the next day. I might have been able to take it back, but it was my backup set (I always have a backup set for emergencies), and I'd bought 'em a few months before so I didn't feel like messing w/it. Like I said, it happens. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless it happens frequently.

Jacob M · #19 06-02-2006, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scorpionldr

well, if the bass is "used to" having the low string being C (because I'm guessing you like to play with the appropriate tension for the appropriate note) and you introduce new tension to it by tuning to E, it's no wonder you'll break. However, I've never broken my low string....mostly the D and A strings

Actually I'm nearly always tuned to E. I just felt like playing some Queens of the Stone Age a couple days ago and tuned down. I rarely have it in anything but E for more than 2 days.

anonymous278347457 · #20 06-02-2006, 03:36 PM

ive never broken any strings playing

but ive broken 2 guitar strings tuning.