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A flatwound problem

#21
In my experience, strings that break at the bridge, nut, or tuner post are telling you there is a problem with those components. The exception is strings that have been repeatedly moved from instrument to instrument, or repeatedly removed and reinstalled. In example, think of bending a piece of metal back and forth until it breaks. I have never had or seen a string failure of any brand when the strings were installed properly, tuned up to tension, and then just played, however hard. I have seen, however extremely rarely, a defective new string right out of the package. When you open a new package of strings, inspect each string carefully before you install any of them. If you see any defect after inspecting a new string before you install it, however slight, don't install it, get it replaced. I have never been refused a replacement by any dealer or manufacturer.
 
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#23
if the bridge sale is sharp, of the angle to deep, the string can fail at the points of contact.
Use a round file and just even out the saddle, or if it cannot be done change the bridge/bridge saddles.
I use Ernie Ball SS Flat Wounds and they have been on my main bass about nearly 20 years...still sounding good, and my back up bass about 12 years.
 
#27
My BL wanted the flats sound so I put a set of DRs on my Warwick 5 string. The low B wouldn't come close to fitting so I installed a different bridge with much wider opening for the low B. Still doesn't fit all the way but it's held on for 3 months now. I don't think it will last much longer as it's still bent pretty much at the bridge. It does sound nice through the Warwick, but when it goes, I'm going back to DR chrome rounds. I don't think flats and Warwicks are meant for each other.
 
#28
40Hz said:
Can't say I've ever had any flat string I've used (Gibson, LaBella, Fender, TI, GHS, or D'Addario) break on me in 40+ years of playing.

Hopefully what you experienced is just a fluke.
Click to expand...
I used to always use rounds, but I've been a flats guy for over 20 years. In that time, I've broken one string. And that was my own stupid fault! If I recall, I had removed all the strings prior to reconditioning the rosewood on one of my basses. (Normally I change one string at a time while leaving the other 3 or 4 on to provide pressure.) I was in a big hurry for some reason. Reinstalled the G string :) and proceeded to tune it up an octave too high! So of course it snapped. And yes, I AM ashamed to admit to such a ridiculous mistake. Hopefully, the moral of this story will be, "Don't get in a big hurry when working on your bass!" And listen to your ears, even when unplugged.

This little time of confession is not meant to suggest that anybody else who has broken a bass string was at fault. My first thought when reading the OP was the same as Jeff Scott's: Check for a burr on the saddle.

One of the best things about flats is that they last for years and years. Normally, the only reason I even change them is because I want to try a different set...
 
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#29
Jeff K said:
One of the best things about flats is that they last for years and years. Normally, the only reason I even change them is because I want to try a different set...
Click to expand...

This!

I'll easily average four or five years on a single set of flats. Twice that with a set of TIs. I guess the significantly lower tension on the TIs makes them last longer.

About the only time I'll change flats is if their intonation starts sounding off, or like @Jeff K, I want to try something else.
 
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#30
I've had the same set of DR Legend Flats for 6 years ... on two different basses. They have aged and mellowed to a beautiful, woody, tunk ... It's almost impossible to put that bass down once I get it plugged in!

I have actually had good experiences over the years with every other flatwound set I've tried (LaBella, GHS, Ernie Ball, Fender, and Dean Markley), except for one: A friend of mine gave me a set of Curt Mangan Stainless flats a few years ago. I put them on a P-Bass and within a couple of days the D string snapped—not at the bridge end, mind you, it was about at the 4th/5th fret. I contacted the company to see if they would replace that single string ... and never heard back from them.
Needless to say, I am not in any rush to endorse their products.

Anywho, hope your replacement string lasts, and eventually you get to enjoy the deliciousness of a set of vintage flats: They're the Burgundy of bass!
 
#31
basted said:
Years ago I put a Badass bridge on my bass and broke several strings, roundwounds not flats. Had to improve the angle that the string crossed the bridge to solve the problem. I used to dig in with a pick, probably too hard.
Could it be that?
Click to expand...

If it was an original series Badass, often times the filing that was done on the saddle pieces was the culprit. Even the slightest imperfection or burr worked like a hacksaw over time. Back in the mid-'80s, I modded my '63 Precision with EMGs and a new bridge. (I know. I know. Don't say anything ...) Once slotted, I worked on my BA saddles with a Dremel tool loaded with a polishing wheel until they looked like glass under the magna-lite. It was time-consuming, but I never had a breakage issue ...
 
#33
badassbridge.jpg


Sorry for the bad camera, but that's a photo of my bass bridge. This wear mark in the red circle seems to be normal in used bridges (though as far as I've seen in google images it is not present when the product is new - the bridge was installed by the previous owner). I wonder if this could have caused the break. The other strings are a little worn out in the contact point with the bridge too.


basted said:
Years ago I put a Badass bridge on my bass and broke several strings, roundwounds not flats. Had to improve the angle that the string crossed the bridge to solve the problem. I used to dig in with a pick, probably too hard.
Could it be that?
Click to expand...

I probably played with a pick in this bass like five times in these seven months, and usually for no more than the duration of a song. Only once I lent the bass to a friend who plays with a pick for a whole gig. I noticed the string had worn a little bit afterwards, but I thought it couldn't be it because what the hell, if I was a pick player I'd still expect the string to last longer than that.

Reading from your suggestions and hearing some youtube clips, I'm inclined to try the D'Addario Chromes this time. They seemed to be really smooth in tone. I'll have that bridge checked lest I waste a good set of strings

AztecViking said:
Slapping with flats is highly underrated. Just sayin'. :cool:
Click to expand...

I rarely slap, but hey, I think I agree with you hehe
 
#37
Blankandson said:
My BL wanted the flats sound so I put a set of DRs on my Warwick 5 string. The low B wouldn't come close to fitting so I installed a different bridge with much wider opening for the low B. Still doesn't fit all the way but it's held on for 3 months now. I don't think it will last much longer as it's still bent pretty much at the bridge. It does sound nice through the Warwick, but when it goes, I'm going back to DR chrome rounds. I don't think flats and Warwicks are meant for each other.
Click to expand...

Not to derail the thread, but why not just drill out the hole a bit so the string fits through the bridge? Or if it's one of those high-mass bridges, you can get an extender for the string. Like a little metal tube you put the string through before it goes through the bridge. You can even use a couple of nuts or a few washers in a pinch.
 

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