Breaking my silk & steel G string: is it just me?

Lango-Django

Calling all silk and steel string users!

On the recommendation of some wise old heads around here, I recently switched to silk and steel strings and a BlueChip pick. I'm loving the mellow sound, but in about one week I've broken two G strings. Full disclosure--- I do like to bend the old strings a fair bit.

The gauge I've been using is 11; maybe I should drop down to 10s? or is this just something random?

Will

anthon_74

Hey Will,

did they both break at the same place, or at different spots. If it's at the same place, it could be your guitar. Didn't you start using a new guitar recently ?

bopster

I kept wearing out silk and steel Galli's way too fast. If I did break a string, it was always a G. I switched to D'Addario, non silk and steel, with no string breakage and about 3 weeks of life (playing every day, and 2-3 gigs a week).

Buco

Prior to silk&steel, every time during string change, after I'd get them in tune I'd pull on each string and give it a good tug to tighten and settle the windings and stop them from going out of tune.
That would usually to the the trick. But that was before.
With silk&steel I tried that and I would break G every time.
It would always go closer to the bridge so I'd be able to salvage it but after 3rd time I learned my lesson (I'm not a fast learner).

They never break otherwise and last me a good while but I don't bend like you say you do. Sound goes a little dead but I like it that way, it's still loud but even more mellow.

Buco

shaun

I don't seem to break strings, but, I did go thorough lots and lots of silk and steel at Samois this year. I was sharing my new guitar with a group of gypsies and boy, those guys play the hell out of it. Within 2 hours they'd gone through 4 strings, G and E's. But, the problem seemed to be in the bridge. Because it was very new the slots in the bridge were sharp and snapped the strings. Simple solution was to run a thin pick through the grooves to smooth them out. And - No problem from then on.

So, that's my 2. Hope it helps

Shaun

Lango-Django

Good thinking, Anthony... my strings have both broken right in the middle, so likely there is some kind of fret imperfection somewhere around fret 10 to 12. However, it was never an issue before I switched to the s & s strings...?

I'm going to try a set of s & s tens and if I have the same problem again I guess I'll have to reluctantly give up on the s & s strings...

I'm guessing from some of the other postings that these strings are indeed just a bit more fragile than regular strings.

I really like bending and hate to give it up... in fact one of my favourite things about gypsy guitars are some of the expressive tones you can get with just a bit of bending and vibrato to get that 'hornlike' or perhaps you could even call it 'vocal' sound.

I like the way the s & s strings still give you this without the harsher 'snarliness' of the regular GJ strings... but what I really don't want is to go out and play a gig and deal with strings breaking.