bends on wound strings = problems?

[PlainSongs]

Hey kids,

I've never used bends on the guitar much, but I was trying some in a tune on my steel-string acoustic. The bend is at the 10th fret on the (wound) G string.

After half an hour or so of playing (involving no more than a couple dozen of these bends) the winding of the string is worn away completely at the 9th and 10th fret, with the bit of winding inbetween free to slide on the string core; clearly this doesn't sound good. I've also got a nip in my fingertip from the steel splinters.

Is this to be expected? Did I do something wrong - pressed down into the fretboard too hard perhaps?

I can't remember when I last changed the string but it won't be much more than half a year ago, so I'm surpised it's worn out so suddenly

[jast]

I have a lot less experience with steel strings than nylon but enough to say that this is not supposed to happen. Under normal circumstances bends (the pitch altering technique, right?) don't cause any problems like that, not even on the (in my experience) delicate G string. My guess is that the strings were either damaged, of inferior quality or had too much base tension (i.e. tuned beyond their comfort zone). Or perhaps your frets have sharp edges.

Anyway, I can happily bend arbitrary strings in arbitrary frets on all of my guitars with nothing falling apart. I tried bending by up to a semitone on .012-.053 steel strings (for fear of the universe imploding if I went any further). I don't think I could press down much harder on the string than I did now, so I don't think you'll need to worry about that (also, acoustic steel string guitars kind of force you to apply quite a bit of pressure). Perhaps if you've been doing the same bend over and over for a couple of hours...

[Project-D]

Half a year is a pretty long time, if you play hard you can wear out a string pretty fast. Still, I have a beater guitar that I play with group guitar classes every day for an hour or two, and I haven't changed strings in about half a year and I don't have unraveling problems. I agree with jast, it could just be a fluke, or maybe your strings were worn and this just sent them over the top. I use cheap strings on my class guitar without problem and I've been doing a lot of bends lately too. On my good guitars I'll change strings once or twice a month, if I was playing regularly I'd change them weekly. Some players change them after every gig. Try a different type of string when you change them.

[Reist]

Half a year is a pretty long time, if you play hard you can wear out a string pretty fast. Still, I have a beater guitar that I play with group guitar classes every day for an hour or two, and I haven't changed strings in about half a year

He said half an hour.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Half a year is a pretty long time, if you play hard you can wear out a string pretty fast. Still, I have a beater guitar that I play with group guitar classes every day for an hour or two, and I haven't changed strings in about half a year

He said half an hour.

But he said his strings are 6 months old, so if he beats on them, then his half hour of intense bending finished them off. I replace my string when they just break or start sounding dead. But I've never had your situation. Maybe the fret wire between the 9th and 10th has a sharp edge?
Are you using a name brand string? I use D'Addario Strings exclusively.

[Märk]

I've frayed wound strings on an acoustic a few times. It sucks when you don't notice right away, and then there's blood everywhere.
I think it just happens once in a while, especially if you have acidic or alkaline sweat. Try Martin strings, they are sweet and last a long time.

[PlainSongs]

Thanks for your input guys. That confirms it should not be a lost cause.

The frets look smooth and the guitar was standard tuned. But I did bend a full tone up, hard work on the steel string. I'm still surpised by the abruptness of the breakdown, but so it must have been a mix of old string, sweat, and excessive force - it got quite detuned as well.

I've been happily using D'Addario (the local shop's standard) but may check how Martin fares.

RIP, ye faithful 'G'.

[irwin]

I use the John Pearse Phosphor Bronze strings on my acoustic. Nice bright tone and they seem to last quite a while. I've never had the windings fray.

[Project-D]

I think what Mark said about the sweat and your body chemistry probably has something to do with it. My hands don't sweat much, and strings will last me a month or two with casual use. I remember a guy I went to college with though, every time he played my electric, the strings turned black and the fretboard had this black crud all over it, especially on either side of the fret. I had to get a toothbrush or something sharp to scrape it off, and this was after an hour of playing, inside in an air conditioned basement. Not exactly harsh conditions.

[Lord of Oats]

that guy just needs to wash his hands more often

sweat causes corrosion, rust, tarnish, whatever

black crud is typically composed of oil and dirt

[Caravan Ray]

I have never had what you describe happen to me.

Mind you, my whole body is covered with a thin layer of natural slime of neutral pH.

But I would guess a sharp fret is your problem

[Sober]

I only just saw this thread, and it is full of fail.

When you bend, you're basically filing the string against the fret. Correspondingly, wounds strings show wear and break down, while unwound strings will show tiny polished-looking spots (go ahead, look).

The reason for this breakdown is mechanical, not chemical. This will eventually happen with or without bending, and 6 months is a very long time to have strings on a guitar, especially a daily player that you probably don't take great care of. 6 months is much longer than could reasonably be expected for strings to hold up on a daily player (lol at 'suddenly'). From now on, change your strings monthly - you'll be a better player for it.


Washing your hands or wiping the strings down endlessly will not prevent a physical breakdown like you describe, though it will keep the strings clean and sounding better longer. Salts do contribute to string oxidation and general gunk, but it's not the source of this kind of problem.

The brand of string makes no difference. Nearly all strings come from the same factories, using the same core/winding methods. The only truly different strings are DR/Elixir/Gibson/etc. coated strings. Everything else is pure branding bullshit. Before anyone throws a fit, phosphor bronze, 80/20 bronze, etc. all have legitimate differences, but not differences that realistically apply to string durability or longevity.

As for the guitar going out of tune from bending, there are a few fixes:

• Lube the nut. Take a mechanical pencil and put the graphite into the grooves of the nut (while the strings are off)
• Get better tuners. Depending on how crappy your guitar is, this may not be worth it. Also, if you ever do this, make sure the tuners you buy have screw holes that line up with your headstock's holes, or you're in for a nightmare.
• Use lighter strings. Lighter strings are easier to play, bend easier, and are less harsh on your guitar overall. An acoustic guitar has a constant string tension of up to 200 lbs trying to pull the headstock and bridge together. Old Martin's actually came with a note that anything heavier than medium gauge string would void the warranty, because bluegrass maniacs were snapping bridges off with their retardedly heavy strings.

Moral of the story is - if you break a string, it should break at the bridge 95% of the time. If your strings are breaking over the frets, they're either too old or you have a shitty fretjob, and if they're breaking at the nut, you need to have it recut.

If you're never breaking strings at all, you're not doing it right.

[Märk]

stuff

Have I told you lately that I've been playing guitar longer than you've been alive?

[PlainSongs]

In the meantime I've been told by two people looking at my guitars I should change strings more often. This page also calls string winding coming off "a sure sign you are overdue for new strings".

I guess that string would have held out for a while longer but not with the bending going on.

It will be a tough choice between salt in my soup, a full set of new strings or a vat of Natural pH-Neutral Slime™.

Thanks again folks.

[Sober]

stuff

Have I told you lately that I've been playing guitar longer than you've been alive?

How does that make you any less of an idiot on the subject?

[signboy]

It's always so entertaining when people get pissy on the forums. Remember, "Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics- whether you win or lose, you're still retarded."

[fluffy]

The big revelation for me in this thread is that I must be insane to only change my guitar strings once a year or so (and also I never have strings break so I must be a complete pussy for not being an asshole to my guitar).

[Sober]

The big revelation for me in this thread is that I must be insane to only change my guitar strings once a year or so (and also I never have strings break so I must be a complete pussy for not being an asshole to my guitar).

That's not why you're a complete pussy.

[Caravan Ray]

Light strings are for pussies.