am i the only one?

[Peteyboy]

Might be a fun exercise to remove a string and ‘make it work’. I know if I saw a bass player lose a string and finish the set by playing any missing notes elsewhere, I’d be impressed.

For me it would typically break at the saddle, but just the core. The winding would reamain inact. So the giant pickup on my Gibson would suck the string to itself and interfere with any kinda transposing you were suddenly tasked with. My mid-song solution was to stretch the string over my shoulder like another strap just to remove it from the magnetic pull. After the song I'd clip the residual winding and be free of it. Whether you bring a backup or not, if this happens you still gotta maintain composure mid-song.

 

[baileyboy]

I do bring an extra set of strings with me to gigs, but have never broken a string in all my years of playing. Still, doesn't hurt to be prepared.

 

[micguy]

I broke all 6 strings on a guitar once, but on bass, never. I still bring spares.

 

[Jscriv]

I broke a string one time. Standing on the edge of a stage in the middle of the second song. Not one extra string in the house. And it was my E string. Luckily the sound tech had a good aweful bass in his car. I don't carry extra strings still. Becuase well, punk rock.

 

[+6dB Dan]

Does it count if it was caused by enraged audience members who stormed the stage and cut my strings with wire cutters to get me to stop playing?

 

[dennis james]

one great example of this happening at a pretty historic moment/concert... pretty sure they ended up finishing the set even with the rude interruption
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLWhRDkJSWE

View attachment 3081908

can't imagine how jack cassady broke that string. in those day's he used a short scale guild starfire bass with less tension on the strings than a long scale and he's always been a finger style player, no picks. probably a faulty string. QC was likely lacking in those days.

 

[4dog]

When I started in the 90s I used to break strings. Es and As. It’s was due to poor technique mostly. I don’t have to play that hard to be heard and get the tone I want. Once I developed good technique (which is a never ending journey) it’s been almost 20 years since I’ve broken one.

View attachment 3081311

My long lost twin...hiya!!!

 

[sean_on_bass]

Seems in my early days on the instrument i broke the occasional string, usually due to excessive force in slap bass(popping too hard). Not sure if there was a physical issue with the bass causing it, but i am guessing i was just playing too hard. Once my technique matured i haven't broken a string for as long as i can remember.

 

[Barticus]

When I was younger, I broke E strings every once in a while (in a Rush cover band )... I didn't leave the strings more than 3-4 wks - so not where they would get old and funky usually GHS Boomers at that time

I break 3-4 per year, and now play DR Pure Blues .40 on my 4 and 5s (mostly Warwicks) and carry about 5 backup .40s as those I will break on occasion. Strings get replaced about every 3-4wks (on the basses I'm playing at the time) but G does get some abuse with popping and double thumbing. Always at the saddle the core will break and just unwinds.

Oddly, on my 6 which has DR Pure Blues .30 I've never broken one... But do carry a couple of spares just in case as it does feel delicate

Its not a brand thing either, as this has always happened to me with other string brands as well (Elixr, GHS, Warwick, etc.).

On my guitars, it's always been the high E that would break... Usually at the nut (Fender, Gibson, Etc.). I also have a Charvel with a funky 80s headstock where the high E has a bend at the nut to the tuner which causes a stress point so I break those all the time.

 

[sean_on_bass]

When I was younger, I broke E strings every once in a while (in a Rush cover band )... I didn't leave the strings more than 3-4 wks - so not where they would get old and funky usually GHS Boomers at that time

I break 3-4 per year, and now play DR Pure Blues .40 on my 4 and 5s (mostly Warwicks) and carry about 5 backup .40s as those I will break on occasion. Strings get replaced about every 3-4wks (on the basses I'm playing at the time) but G does get some abuse with popping and double thumbing. Always at the saddle the core will break and just unwinds.

Oddly, on my 6 which has a DR Pure Blues .30 I've never broken one... But do carry a couple of spares just in case as it does feel delicate

Its not a brand thing either, as this has always happened to me with other string brands as well (Elixr, GHS, Warwick, etc.).

On my guitars, it's always been the high E that would break... Usually at the nut (Fender, Gibson, Etc.). I also have a Charvel with a funky 80s headstock where the high E has a bend at the nut to the tuner which causes a stress point.

Ya know it was GHS Boomers i was always using at the time of string breakage. I wonder if they were more prone than the Daddario and DR's i used later in my bass playing career. I know alot of people like GHS, but at some point i left them behind and considered them a cheap string..not sure how much truth there is to that though.

 

[Hahaha]

I broke a D string at the beginning of an hour-long show. Since my backup bass was upstairs in the dressing room, (no room on the stage for it) I quickly retuned and finished the show without the D string. The band didn't notice.

Another time the wind picked up the drummers crash cymbal and it flew into my bass cutting my E string nearly in half. It put a dent in the neck too. I was a broke teenager, so I didn't have a spare. The core didn't break, so I was still able to play on it, but it didn't sound very good.

There have been other times that I've broken strings, but it's been so long ago that I don't remember any details. I don't think I've broken a string in over twenty-five years.

 

[4SG]

If you carry spare strings you'll never break one.

 

[grimjim]

There's always the off chance that a string is defective. I had that happen once about 25 years ago. Only time it ever happened but, carry extras anyway, just in case.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

LOL... I think I broke a string once back in about 1967 - G-string if I recall correctly. At the time I was using a pick and not my fingers. In 1968 I got hounded by my drummer to switch to using my fingers instead of a pick. I switched to fingers and haven't had any broken strings since then - dead strings - yes, broken strings - no.

I've had a set of GHS boomers sitting in my gig bag as a back up for about 10-years now. Still, I don't think of that as a waste of money. They are a pretty inexpensive insurance policy and as others have said, take up almost no room in my gig bag.

 

[Marhmol]

it only takes one time.

 

[NathOBX]

I have broken a few but not since the 90s when played a lot of (don't hate me) slap style. I even broke a low E once (burr on the saddle.) I do however keep an extra set in my case to this day.

 

[ProgressiveDoom]

I have never broke a string but I have seen it happen at punk gigs. Im sure string breakage differs drastically between various genres, more breakage with more intensity.

 

[Swingin]

I’ve played for 12 years and have never broken one. I’ve always wondered how people manage to do it.

 

[QweziRider]

but again I ask how many times have you needed those extra strings?

Once, way back in the early '80s. Never since. But I'm not about to temp fate and leave the spare set at home. It's not like it takes up room.

 

[mellowgerman]

can't imagine how jack cassady broke that string. in those day's he used a short scale guild starfire bass with less tension on the strings than a long scale and he's always been a finger style player, no picks. probably a faulty string. QC was likely lacking in those days.

I don't know, he was a very dynamic player and would dig in pretty hard sometimes... he broke a string at Woodstock too (mid-solo!), which was less than a half year earlier. You can actually hear it break at the 2:44 mark in the following recording. Totally keeps his composure, puts on a new string, and picks up the solo where he left off!