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Play through a broken string?

Von Felgenhauer

Von Felgenhauer

Mar 26, 2010
1,068
3
42
Tampa, Florida
www.myspace.com
#1
So I started breaking some strings lately. All my E string and they were DR Black Beauties. I think it was just burs on my saddles so i was able to flip them around and now they are like brand new. My question is I play in Drop D so my band is based in low notes. I broke my E string during a show near the end of the song. I hurry to my case on stage were I have a spare and start changing my string while the band finishes. It took a min tops and at the end my singer comes up and tells me next time to play on the high d string. My only complaint is I think it will sound bad a Metal band with a bassist playing the same freq as the guitars. Am I a premadonna and should of played the rest of the song on the high string or did I do the right thing by changing it immediatly?
 
#3
Play 'by any means' necessary to the end of the song, then change the string; you don't want to stop playing and leave the rest of the band hanging, right? Having a spare bass on the side of the stage can help a situation like this, too.

Good luck!
 
#4
If you can't fix a problem within 5-10 seconds, you should keep playing. Playing your lines an octave up may not sound as good, but half of the people in the audience won't hear a difference anyway. But they will notice it if you stop playing at all.

Play the octave, and if you've got an octave down pedal use it to keep the thunder.
 
#5
Keep on playing. Had this happen several times. Just keep on going.
Then switch to your back up. Replace string during intermission.
If you have no back up.... you now know why you need a back up. It's pretty bush league to stop and change a string in the middle of a song/set.
 
#6
Sounds better playing an octave up than not playing at all. Always wait til the end of a song. I broke both my B and E string [not at the same time, but I hadn't replaced the low B before the E broke!] and I had to do with only 3/5 strings for half a song. Another bassist had their bass on hand for me to switch. Brilliant guy. Always good to have a backup bass.
 
#7
Never stop playing if you can help it. Nothing can kill a song like one of the band members doing something totally distracting while everyone else is playing. I've popped an A and a D string at the same time before (these were strings that were a few years old) during the beginning of a 4-song set. Took me a second to retune the E and B strings and I kept on playing. I still refuse to bring a second bass with me, but this kind of thing rarely happens now as I regularly change out my strings and don't stretch them out before tuning up like I used to (newbie mistake, popped many strings on guitar and bass that way).

The only thing that used to stop me dead in my tracks was a dead/dying battery. That is no longer an issue, however, as both of my active basses are now active/passive for when battery disaster strikes. :D
 
#9
First, never stop, as has been said.
Second, it's not 'saddle burrs' that are causing the strings to break- it never is, that's a guitar problem. It's your setup- the string has too much of a bend at the bridge and this is why it's breaking. You need to shim the neck up and drop the saddles to reduce the bend.
 
#12
ALWAYS, always finish the song first.

It doesn't matter if you play an improv free-jazz soundscape that has nothing to do with the rest of the band.

Always finish the song first. (Unless it's a REALLY long song, and you break the string in the first 10-15 seconds. In that case, change the string quick, and come in on the one.)

Try it in rehearsal... try one whole rehearsal without your E or A string and see what it makes you do. It will stretch your brain and your hands.
 
#15
ggunn said:
All I can say is you guys must be pounding the crap out of your basses.
Click to expand...

Really? You think so?

rd_02.jpg
 
#16
Von Felgenhauer said:
my singer comes up and tells me next time to play on the high d string. My only complaint is I think it will sound bad a Metal band with a bassist playing the same freq as the guitars.
Click to expand...

I hate to say it, but your singer was right. :D

With your tuning, it's super easy to keep playing with a broken low D - much easier than it would be with a broken E.

And it's actually a quite common technique in metal for the bass to play in the same octave as the guitars. Carefully choosing your octave for different song sections or specific notes is a big part of constructing good metal basslines.
 
#18
dmusic148 said:
First, never stop, as has been said.
Second, it's not 'saddle burrs' that are causing the strings to break- it never is, that's a guitar problem. It's your setup- the string has too much of a bend at the bridge and this is why it's breaking. You need to shim the neck up and drop the saddles to reduce the bend.
Click to expand...

So, a poorly filed saddle with a sharp point can't hurt the structural integrity of a thin metal string pulled to 35+ lbs of tension?
 

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