Let's first look at the causes of broken guitar strings. Along the way, we will learn about ways to prevent this. In the end, we will give advice on what to do if there is a broken string and there is no way to buy a new one.

There are several reasons why guitar strings break. It is important to know exactly where the string broke, then you can get to the root of the problem. Understanding this will help save the strings in the future. To summarize, all string breaks can be reduced to four types: on the stringer (bridge, filly), in the middle of the neck, on the nut, at the end of the string.

Broken string at the stand (stringer, bridge)

The string can break at the stand (bridge), if the angle of inflection is too sharp, not rounded, then the string rubs hard. If this works out, you will need to sand and lubricate the stand. Use graphite grease for lubrication. More about her later. Let's give V. Kholstinin's recipe.

String break in the middle of the fretboard

If the strings break in the middle of the neck, you need to check the frets on your guitar. Make sure the frets aren't bad or worn out, as this is a common occurrence and is the reason many guitarists continue to mess up the strings on their guitars. If fret Bad quality or damaged, it must be replaced in any case. If the fret just has a very rough surface against which the strings rub, then you can lubricate its front and sides.

Broken strings on the nut

A break at the nut is a fairly rare occurrence. Most saddles are now made of bone, composite, or plastic, which cannot cause string breaks. However, if the nut metal- this can lead to breakage, especially if the nut has a jagged edge. The very shape of the cuts under the string is very important. If the string is too loose, then it will rattle against the walls of the nut, and if the slot is narrow, then the string will be clamped. To protect yourself from a break in this place, you need to use graphite grease.

Vladimir Kholstinin, guitarist of the Aria group, in the article Taming the Stratocaster, gives his recipe for making such a lubricant. Graphite grease is best suited for this, which you can buy at any auto shop (that's what it's called) or cook it yourself.

Take soft graphite (pencil 4M, 2M), grind into flour and add a couple of grams of “sewing” or household oil. Car oil should not be used - it contains harmful additives. Vegetable is not good either. Place this lubricant with a needle in the slots, and then rub it into the walls with a thread, polishing it back and forth. The smallest particles of graphite fill all the irregularities of the slot, and the oil creates a sliding film. This lubricant must be renewed every time the strings are changed. The idea is to polish the slots in the first nut to reduce friction. If you have a roller nut, then everything is much simpler: just lubricate it.

Breaking the end of a string

In rare cases, the end of the string in the form of a ball breaks on the guitar, which fixes it on the bridge (stringer). It has to do with how the string was made. Perhaps it turned out to be of poor quality and as a result there was a rapid wear of this fragile part of the string.

It is important to remember that from time to time guitar strings are torn. If your strings are very old, they will most likely break quickly, so try to change them regularly (1-3 months depending on how often you play).

If there is no spare string

If the string nevertheless ordered a long life, and there is no replacement for it, then you can use one of the methods.

1. Twisting.

Use pliers. Twist one end of the string in the form of a loop, put the other end into the loop and twist it. This technique works well when the string has broken at the headstock. After such manipulations, naturally the string became shorter. Therefore, rearrange it to the peg that is closest to the neck. Not quite aesthetically pleasing, but playable. At least until you buy a new set of strings.

How to change the strings on a guitar?

There comes a time in every guitarist's life when you need to change strings on your instrument. And if for the majority this is a completely trivial task and does not require special efforts, then for a beginner, changing strings turns into many hours of "dancing with a tambourine", and not everyone succeeds change strings the first time.

Why change strings at all? Over time, their sound gets worse. And sometimes it happens that the strings break. Then you have to replace them. What happens to strings if they are not cleaned and changed?

That is why we decided to devote this article to the question: "". Here we will try to give the most complete instructions, as well as analyze all the possible complications that may arise during this simple operation.

What will be needed when replacing

So, to change the strings on an acoustic guitar, we need to prepare the following tools:

• new strings (for acoustic guitar my favorites are Elixir strings or Ernie Ball strings);
• napkins;
• pliers or pliers;
• a device for winding strings (hands are fine);
• lemon oil (optional)
• a small box or other container in which you will store small parts;
• tuner.

Removing old strings

To start we need remove old strings with pegs. Many people think that just cutting them is enough, but there are a number of reasons not to do this.

Firstly, thick and metal strings will be extremely difficult to cut. I personally tried to cut the strings with various cutting tools, ranging from kitchen and outdoor knives to wire cutters. These attempts only led to the fact that the strings were either bent, or the knives and wire cutters stupidly fell into disrepair.

A second reason Do not cut the strings is the possibility of deformation of the fretboard. We will not go into details, as the explanation of this phenomenon will take us a very long time and requires some additional reasoning, so just take this fact on faith.

In general, we realized that strings should not be cut. Now let's see how to remove them correctly. If you are a complete beginner, then first you should familiarize yourself with the structure of the guitar.

We start by completely weakening them. After loosening, remove the strings from the pegs. It is almost impossible to make mistakes in this operation, so do not be too afraid.

And now we need to release the strings from the stand. On almost all pop guitars, this process is carried out in the same way - you pull the pins out of the stand and take the strings out of the body. Pins are such plastic rivets, vaguely resembling mushrooms, which are inserted into the stand behind the saddle. Finding them is easy, as the strings go exactly under them.

We take out pliers or pliers and pull them out. Do this carefully, as you may scratch the guitar or damage the pin itself. Put the pins in some box so as not to lose them.

WITH classical guitars the situation is slightly different. If you have nylon strings with tips, then you just pull them out of the stand and that's it. If not, then they should first be untied or cut.

Cleaning the guitar from dirt

Next comes fretboard cleaning is a completely different song. Lubricate our napkins with lemon oil and begin to wipe the neck. Particular attention should be paid to cleaning the fret sills, because a huge amount of all kinds of dirt and dust accumulates there. We wipe very carefully.

And now, when the guitar has regained its presentation, we can begin installing new strings.

Installing new strings

There are many opinions about the order in which the strings should be placed. I start the setup on the sixth string and go in order, i.e. after the 6th I install the 5th and so on.

Another debatable issue is how exactly to wind the string on the peg. There are those who believe that it is not necessary to wind it in principle, but you just need to insert the string into the peg and twist it. Others, on the contrary, argue that you must first wrap the string around the peg, and then twist it. Here the choice is yours, but I think the first method is much easier for a beginner.

In any case, first you need install new strings in the stand. To do this, insert the tip of the string into the hole in the bridge, and then insert the pin into the same hole. After that, pull the other end of the string until it stops, so that the tip is fixed in the pin. It is important here not to mix up the pins and prevent the strings from getting tangled, so it makes sense to secure the string in the tuning head first before installing the next one.

When setting the strings into the tuning pegs, it is very important not to mix them up. Pin numbering starts at the bottom on the right row, and ends at the bottom on the left row (assuming you hold the guitar with the top facing towards you and looking at the headstock).

When fixing the string in the peg, try not to bend it, otherwise it will burst in this place when you start to pull it. If you decide to twist the strings on the peg before tightening, then the following can be considered the optimal twisting scheme: 1 turn of the string above its tip, looking out of the peg, and 2 below it.

Tighten the strings carefully. Do not try to tune the guitar right away, as there is a risk that the strings will burst from this. Just pull each one lightly.

Tuning a guitar after changing strings

And then everything is quite simple. Grab a tuner and start tuning your guitar. It makes sense to start on the 6th string, so you don't have to tune the guitar 300 times. When setting do not twist the pegs sharply(especially for thin strings), as there is a risk that the strings will break from too sharp a tension.

After tuning, carefully put the guitar in the case and take it out after a couple of hours to adjust and check if the neck deflection has changed. We do this several times.

Ready! We've installed the strings. I hope, after reading this article, you have an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthat.

A broken string for a guitarist is always a disaster and unforeseen expenses. In this article, we will analyze in detail, firstly, the reasons why the strings break on your instrument, and secondly, how to avoid it. In general, the gap factors can be divided into two types - the first ones are related to the instrument itself, and the second ones are related to the wrong playing technique.

Defective kit

Yes, it can be. A lot of guitarists say that sometimes they buy what seems to be a branded set of strings that breaks a week after playing. With this, unfortunately, nothing can be done - a statistical error. A good way out of this situation is to find out ,select a few of the most good brands, and alternate their purchase.

Very common cause string breaking is a very strong pick attack when playing. This is extremely typical not only for beginners, but also for experienced guitarists - especially at concerts, when the musician's emotions and presentation go off scale. For a beginner, the way out is to train and exercise your attack so that it is sharp, but not too strong. Experienced musicians, in order to avoid such a situation, usually change the strings in advance before the concert.

On cheap instruments, it can happen that the bridge protrudes too sharply. This is evidenced by the fact that the strings often break in this place. In this case, it should be sanded and blunted.

Another way to break a string on an electric guitar bridge is to play it too hard with the palm mute when you mute the tone. right hand. Too much pressure coupled with an inadequately strong attack can cause the string to snap. This is corrected by practice and development of the game technique.

Acoustic guitar bridge

The same can be on cheap ones. acoustic guitars. In this case, the problem is almost certainly the bridge, and if this happens often, sharpen it.

Here the reason may be improperly selected material. Nuts are usually made of soft plastic, the main function of which is simply to separate the strings, but some manufacturers make metal nut for some reason. This leads to the fact that from the friction that occurs when playing,string breaks.This is corrected by graphite grease, which must be lubricated with grooves for the strings.

Another reason is the sharp frets that protrude a lot from the guitar neck. Because of this, the string, again, rubs against them, and a break occurs from the force of friction. This reason is common with inexpensive new machine-built guitars. You can avoid this by sharpening the frets in advance, or by doing it later, when you realize that they are the cause of frequent string changes.

Another option is the problem with the pegs. The string breaks also because it rubs with its sharp edges, and because of this it breaks. Most the best option in this case, replacing the pegs with others, but if you don’t have money for this, then you can get by with graphite oil lubrication or sharpening the pegs.

The tremolo arm changes the amplitude and with it the tone of the string, stretching it. Of course, this greatly affects both the system itself and the duration of its life. If you do this often, then, most likely, the string will burst sooner or later. Alas, there is nothing to be done about it except to stop or limit the use of the lever.

Arching the fretboard away from the body of the guitar, creating a vibrato effect

This rather strange way of playing and extracting vibrato also negatively affects the vitality of the strings. It is recommended to do this less intensively, or to completely abandon such a playing technique if you do not want to change kits often.

Of course, the strings are also not eternal, and wear out sooner or later. The result of this is its rupture, which is quite normal for very old kits. To avoid this, make it a habit to change the strings at least once a month - and then you will not know such a problem as their wear.

Each set of strings is designed for a specific tuning. For example, 10-46 is the standard string thickness for classical tuning, or a little lower, and 13-68 are ropes for lower tunings, at the level of Drop B or Drop A. So if you start tuning the guitar and pull the strings harder than they calculated, they may well break - which happens most often.

In general, this cause is more likely not a broken string, but a problem with the fingerboard, but they also suffer from this. If you often change your tuning from low to high, then the strings wear out much faster, which is why they break.

Yes, and just hard mediators too. This is especially true for lovers of thin strings. It's all about, again, the stiffness of the material and its friction against the strings. Therefore, it is still recommended to stop at ordinary plastic plectrums of small thickness.

It can also cause a break. The bends should go all the way to full tone, but this must be done with great care so as not to overtighten the string. In this case, there is only one way to avoid this - training and exercises.

How to avoid breaking guitar strings?

• Practice your attack and playing technique - including bands and vibrato.
• Choose your guitar carefully. The condition of her nut and frets is one of the most important points in the question, .
• Take care of your tool, wipe it with graphite oil to reduce friction, monitor its condition constituent parts. It is desirable to know .
• Do not use the tremolo machine too hard or too often.
• Change the strings regularly to avoid excessive wear.

Everyone is different. Someone does this every couple of months, someone - even once every two weeks. First of all, pay attention to when a fresh set stops ringing - this is clear sign that it wears out. In addition, the strings themselves cease to be light and acquire a black tint. That's when it's really worth going out and getting a new kit.

Most the best option is to change the strings once a month, and out of turn - if there is a concert.

Cooking old strings. How to restore them and what can happen?

Introduction

One of the most dubious ways to restore old strings is to boil them down. This is a very old method and should only be used if you don't have the money for a new set and the old ones don't sound good anymore.

The fact is that the sound of the instrument is most affected by your own particles of skin, dirt and sweat, which clog into the coils and thus muffle the ringing. It is on their removal that this principle is based.

How to cook strings?

Remove them from the guitar and put a pot of water on the stove. Wait until it boils, and throw the strings there. Boil them for about 15 minutes, then take them out and wipe them with a dry, lint-free cloth. After that, wait until they dry, and then wind them around the guitar again.

Video "How to cook strings"

Of course, this method is practically inefficient and short-lived, in contrast to the full .

Can broken strings be repaired and replaced?

In theory, it's possible. They communicate with each other without any problems and even give approximately the same note as in the integral state. The problem is, it's completely unnecessary. It will be much more useful to install a new kit and not suffer with them. In addition, the connected string becomes shorter, and it is not a fact that it will reach the desired peg.

If you still want to try to fix a broken string, below is a photo of her tying.

Checklist. Ten Reasons to Change Strings Immediately

1. Lack of ringing of strings, dull sound of a guitar;
2. The instrument ceases to keep the system;
3. The intonation is broken throughout the fretboard, although no changes have occurred to it;
4. The strings are much stiffer than they were;
5. string break;
6. The appearance of signs of wear on the gimp - blackening of the wire;
7. Choosing an unsuccessful kit for yourself;
8. String replacements have been around for a long time;
9. Strings dirty or rusty;
10. The strings have served you for many years.

Every beginner guitarist sooner or later wonders how to change the strings on the guitar? They are usually changed when the sound loses its brightness and (or) they no longer hold the line. If one string is broken, then it is better to change everything, because the sound of the new one will be different from the rest. Amateur guitarists usually change them every three months, professionals - at least once a month. To determine when this time has come, you need to listen to the sound of the guitar - old strings sound muffled.

If the same string is constantly breaking, and the playing style is not aggressive, then you should check all the places where it comes into contact with the guitar for smoothness. If the guitar is often out of tune, it may be that the guitar strings are set incorrectly. Eliminate irregularities and only then proceed with the installation.

Before you change the strings on the guitar, you must, of course, decide what type you need them. The choice of strings depends on what style you will play. For picking or playing with tremolo, vibrato and fast passages, nylon ones are better suited. When playing with a fight, when you need the sound of all six strings at the same time, the more sonorous metal ones win.

So, let's consider the process itself, how to change the strings on a guitar. To do this, it is desirable, but not necessary, to have: side cutters, a polishing cloth, a turntable for tuning pegs. Cutters are needed to cut off the excess part of the string, since the shorter it is, the less upset it is. The turntable greatly speeds up the process of stretching.

While stringing the string, periodically pull it away from the fretboard, as a guitar with stretched strings for a long time won't get upset. Do not remove all the old strings at once, change them one by one to avoid problems with the truss rod. Remove them carefully so as not to damage the body of the guitar.

After you thread the string through the hole in the bridge, thread it through the hole in the tuning machine, leave a little extra for winding, and cut off the rest with wire cutters. The stock should be enough for 2-3 turns. Bend 1-2 cm of the end of the string and start winding it, twisting the peg and lifting it up perpendicular to the fingerboard. The string around the peg should organize a certain kind of lock. Thus, she, as it were, pinches herself.

Start with yourself thin string, gradually moving to the bass. All pegs must be turned in the same direction, so that later when tuning the guitar you do not get confused. The extreme strings are pulled on the pegs closest to the deck, 2 and 5 - on the middle pegs, 3 and 4 - on the far ones. Do not make sudden movements when pulling the string, so as not to break it completely. Remember that by knowing how to change guitar strings correctly, you will avoid many problems.

Setting strings on an electric guitar is a bit different than setting strings on an acoustic guitar. The main difference is that in order to put the strings through the bridge, you need to remove the back cover of the guitar with a screwdriver.

Now let's move on to tuning the guitar. This should not be done with particular accuracy, since the strings (especially nylon ones) tend to stretch, this process lasts about two days. Setting up new nylon strings at first, it generally turns into flour: you tune the bass ones - the thin ones get upset, and vice versa. But all this is temporary. It is necessary after each approximate tuning to let the guitar lie down, periodically adjusting it. To use either an electronic tuner or a tuning fork.

An excellent assistant in this matter can be the Internet, where you can find many video tutorials that help inexperienced and novice guitarists change strings.

Fashion trend in the world of music, playing the guitar has become, in which the strings glow, it is the neon strings that give the guitar a special chic, especially in a dimly lit room. Such strings glow under the action of ultraviolet light, it looks very impressive, so if you perform on stage, then this is exactly what you need.

Frequent breaks of the first string spoil their nerves for a while, but fortunately, this does not last long. Let's look into this problem together in order to reduce this period to a minimum.

Breaks, the first string more often than the rest of the strings on all types of guitars. Why is the former more common than the others? The answer is clear - "where it is thin, it breaks there." But not everything is as simple as it seems. After all, the string breaks in different sections along the length: on the pegs, and on the bridge, and in the middle.

So the reasons may be different?

- the first string broke on the peg (tensioning mechanism). Most often, the cause here is a sharp edge, which is formed at the intersection of the cylindrical surface of the peg and a hole drilled in it. After all, the string in this place is sharply bent, which contributes to the appearance of a crack in the wire of the string. Especially this effect works with frequent release and tension (during rearrangements).

- the first string broke near the boss. Most likely, it was not torn, but unwound. This happens on low-quality strings, where the winding of the string near the boss is done incorrectly and it simply unravels under strong tension. Of course, you can then twist it yourself, but not everyone will succeed.

- the first string broke about half way. Rather, at a distance of about 20 cm from the bridge, where it is affected by fingers and a plectrum. There may be more than one reason:

• 1) with a very strong and sharp sound extraction.
• 2) when tuning the guitar on the tuner.
• 3) old and worn (rusty) string.
• 4) with rare use, the strings are covered with a coating of oxide (simply rust), which inhibits sliding and can also cause the string to break.

In the third case, everything is clear, but in the second case it is worth talking separately. Quite often, beginners, tuning the guitar on the tuner, pull the string a whole octave. They do not notice the right position of the arrow in time and pull the string to the next octave. Almost every one used by guitarists shows the note and string number, but does not show the octave in which it sounds. You should not blindly believe the tuner arrow, you need to control the tuning by ear at least a little. And if you suspect that the tuning is already too high, just relax the string and tune it again.

There is one more, rather frequent place where a string break occurs - right on the bridge saddle. There can be several reasons for a broken string at this point. For example, on a tremolo guitar, such as "Floyd Rose", from frequent and sharp movement of the lever, after a while the bed on the cracker is erased (worked out). This creates a sharp edge where the string breaks. And the sharper this edge, the faster it happens. Sometimes, when manufactured at the factory, marriage is allowed on the bed of crackers - a burr.

These two reasons can be eliminated by grinding and polishing the bed with a needle file and sanding paper. Try to make the surface of the saddle smoothly rounded, which will greatly lengthen the life of the string in this place. Some guitarists use graphite lubricant to reduce the wear of the stock on the cracker.

Now we will investigate the breakage of the 1st string in the middle.

• .The main reason is too active sound production during the game.
• .With a 3-tone bend, the 1st string sometimes reaches the 5th and breaks at the same time.
• .When the string is broken with a plectrum during an incorrect attack, that is, they simply pick (pinch) hard. To get rid of such cliffs, it is worth working out the sound extraction technique. A good, powerful sound is given by a slightly sliding strike on the string (with fingers or a plectrum). It's the blow.
• .Frequently the strings break with a strong sudden movement tremolo lever.
• .Metal pick at frequent use creates increased wear on the 1st string and is one of the reasons for the breakage.

The last reason that we will point out is rust. When the surface layer of the metal (rust) is violated, the tensile strength decreases and the string breaks.

In conclusion, I can advise you, dear readers - when buying a new set of strings in a store musical instruments, take a few more spare, often breaking strings. Spare strings will keep you good mood and the pleasure of playing the guitar in the event of an unfortunate break in the 1st string, at the most inopportune moment.