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Hi Folks, Here is a tip for those of you who use light strings. Depending on the guitar many will break lighter strings (1st and 2nd) after relatively short life. Here is what you can do next time you change strings or a string, this method is usually only needed for 1st. & 2nd.

Get a fairly thin piece of electrical wire rubber or plastic sheathed and cut about 3" off remove the wire from inside effectively leaving you with a thin plastic tube. Thread the new string through the plastic tube down to the ferrule and start your normal fit routine just pulling the string through without fitting it then adjust the size anywhere prior to the bridge. Mark the tube with a pencil or whatever then remove the string, cut the tube to length, refit it over the string down to the ferrule and string up as normal. If the strings are bottom fed they often travel over relatively sharp edges prior to the bridge, this method of course cushions the string over those areas so that they do not break as easily as those without this protection.

Just to give you a laugh, when I was a young guitarist about 16 I didn't have much money and would have to make strings last as long as possible, therefore when they started losing their tonal quality I would remove them and put them in boiling water which removed all the impurities that had imbedded in the strings. This was a common practice back then especially with expensive Bass strings.

Hope the above tip will prolong your strings for you.

Regards Fenderbender.[b]

fenderbender wrote:
Hi Folks, Here is a tip for those of you who use light strings. Depending on the guitar many will break lighter strings (1st and 2nd) after relatively short life. Here is what you can do next time you change strings or a string, this method is usually only needed for 1st. & 2nd.

Get a fairly thin piece of electrical wire rubber or plastic sheathed and cut about 3" off remove the wire from inside effectively leaving you with a thin plastic tube. Thread the new string through the plastic tube down to the ferrule and start your normal fit routine just pulling the string through without fitting it then adjust the size anywhere prior to the bridge. Mark the tube with a pencil or whatever then remove the string, cut the tube to length, refit it over the string down to the ferrule and string up as normal. If the strings are bottom fed they often travel over relatively sharp edges prior to the bridge, this method of course cushions the string over those areas so that they do not break as easily as those without this protection.

Just to give you a laugh, when I was a young guitarist about 16 I didn't have much money and would have to make strings last as long as possible, therefore when they started losing their tonal quality I would remove them and put them in boiling water which removed all the impurities that had imbedded in the strings. This was a common practice back then especially with expensive Bass strings.

Hope the above tip will prolong your strings for you.

Regards Fenderbender.[b]

I've heard alot of stories about doing this. I've also done it myself out or bordem one time. I've got this weird habit of trying out any odd little method that I hear about, just to try it. I was planning on trying the method on string bending you posted earlier.

This are some useful tips, thanks for these. I do hope you keep on using these forums.

Also, maybe you can laugh at this, I heard about making slides a while back. So one day when my dad finished off a beer, I walked up an swiped the bottle. After about 20 minutes of explinaing, I went out back and smached it on a cinder block and start grinding down the sharp edges on the neck, just so I could have a slide.

I do believe Stevie Ray Vaughn used that method of plastic tubing. But apparently it can dull your tone slightly (didn't seem to for SRV though!).
Anyway, I often quickly (i.e. minimal heat) solder the string where it is wrapped at the ferrule endc of the string to prevent string slippage. Works very well!

Thanks for the tips guys.

Rikki

Hi Rikki, Ref the plastic tubing I was not aware of SRV using this method. I dont think it could dull the tone however, as it is before the bridge...I also solder down to the ferule its amazing some times how badly finished they are and what creepage takes place. Also once a colleague of mine bought a brand new Les Paul and you would not believe how far off of "Factory Set-Up" standard it was, It went backwards snd forwards and in the end he got me to set it up as he was so disappointed with the whole business...This was when I lived in Canada. Personally the first thing I do when I get a new guitar is to set it up to suit me.

What is the difference between a large pizza and a musician.?
A large pizza can fead a family.

Regards Fenderbender (Phil)

Hi buddy, Thats good that you try anything just to see for yourself, actually when playing its good to experiment Eric does it all the time (Clapton that is)
If it comes off great you have a different riff if not most punters will never know.

Ref the bottle neck thats why it is so called as in its early days the old blues players did not have shiny pieces of chrome tube or the like...in fact you can still get slides made in glass.

Where there's a will there is usually a way. or as we used to say "Where theres a will, there's the relatives"

I know some steel guitar players who prefer glass. Its like using one's fingers to pick you get a much better feel and response than using a pick...however, its very individual. I remember a young chap saying he wished he could play like me, so I said do you enjoy playing, he said of course...so I said that is what it is all about enjoying it and not whether you are as good as this person ot that person. Everybody is unique.

Keep trying new things. It makes life interesting. Regards Fenderbender Phil