spontaneous string breakage

[rfclef]

Now, this happened on my baritone uke, but curious:

When I returned to school in august, my baritone uke had a broken string. Not unexpected cause the strings were a few years old, and were worn... some of the nylon under the metal wires was showing. No biggy. I replaced all strings.

Couple days ago, I was playing it (I use it at school with classes {I have a whole set for use with MS music classes}, and also at home when I am writing to kinda figger out chord progressions, etc. cause I do not have a guitar or good guitar chops) I had played it for 10 minuts or so, then put it on the stand and sat at my computer and keyboard to work on the music. I heard a "Poing" or maybe more of a "poink", and when I checked it out, the 3rd (G) string had broken between the nut and the tuner.

it was a foot or 2 from a floorboard heater, but was not even warm, and the heater was not on, come to think of it.

Bad string?

[jdombrow]

Did the string actually break, or did the windings come loose on the core? When installing strings, it is recommended that you put a 90-degree bend in the string before you cut the excess length off. This keeps the windings from unraveling.

Run the string through the bridge and then decide how long you want the string to be. I usually got for about 2-1/2" past the tuning peg. Once you've determined the length, put a 90-degree bend in the string at that point, then cut off the excess.

I hope this helps.

JD

[Tapper]

Because the break was between the nut and the tuner, you may have some bind or grab at the nut, making the string overly stretched for its short run to the tuners. I put a couple scribbles of a graphite pencil in the nut slots, and this seems to help the strings 'glide' through. You can tell if you are having this problem by depressing that section of each string a couple times after its all in tune. If strings go flat, it means you released some of the strain, and the nut was in fact binding. A more proper solution is to lightly dress the slot in the nut with a proper sized round file.

[rfclef]

Originally Posted by Tapper

Because the break was between the nut and the tuner, you may have some bind or grab at the nut, making the string overly stretched for its short run to the tuners. I put a couple scribbles of a graphite pencil in the nut slots, and this seems to help the strings 'glide' through. You can tell if you are having this problem by depressing that section of each string a couple times after its all in tune. If strings go flat, it means you released some of the strain, and the nut was in fact binding. A more proper solution is to lightly dress the slot in the nut with a proper sized round file.

Ahh... could be... I will try that... I notice on this and more often on some of my cheaper class ukes that there is some 'squeakypoppy' noises when I turn the tuners.... I imagine it is the strings moving or releasing against the nut. I'll bet you hit the problem (or at least part of it...)

And jdombrow: definitely brokeded.

Thanks both of ya.