| Author | Message | ||
| toma_hawk01
Intermediate Member Username: toma_hawk01 Post Number: 157 Registered: 9-2009 |
What size basses has the greatest propensity to maintain strings integrity the longest? Please share your thoughts... Peace and Love, Hal- (Message edited by toma_hawk01 on August 16, 2010) | ||
| bassman10096
Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 1250 Registered: 7-2003 |
Good question. I've played both a lot and never noticed a difference. I'll be interested to hear from others. Bill | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 2084 Registered: 6-2002 |
I've only broken strings on my short scale as far as I can remember. Probably more to do with my playing technique than anything else. I do play it a lot harder than my other basses. Jazzyvee | ||
| benson_murrensun
Advanced Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 318 Registered: 5-2007 |
Been playing bass for 18 years, never once broke a string. But I never had a short scale bass for any significant length of time, as far as that goes. | ||
| hb3
Senior Member Username: hb3 Post Number: 512 Registered: 2-2005 |
I don't think I've ever broken a string on my short scale. | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 475 Registered: 9-2008 |
Don't use short scales, but never broke one single string in 20 years... | ||
| slawie
Advanced Member Username: slawie Post Number: 248 Registered: 8-2002 |
I play 34" scale instruments. I have used various types of string but predominantly Dean Markley Blue Steel. I have never broken a string in 37 years of playing. Once they start to sound dull I replace them. slawie | ||
| hb3
Senior Member Username: hb3 Post Number: 513 Registered: 2-2005 |
I've broken lots of strings, both at gigs and rehearsals. Not so much practicing, but I'm sure it's happened. But the short scale...never. | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1465 Registered: 9-2002 |
When I broke strings in the old days, I was framming the hell out of them with a heavy pick and playing entirely too hard . . . . when I grew up and let the gain knobs do the work and lowered my action, it's never happened since. I've always played 34" scale. J o e y | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 631 Registered: 1-2008 |
I've never broken one on an Alembic, but I broke a bunch on my Stingray. Back in my "Metal" days, I "dug in" pretty hard. I probably didn't break as many as I would have otherwise since I pluck pretty close to the bridge. I've been trying to follow Joey's advice lately... no problem when practicing, but as soon as I start playing in a band situation I fall back into my old habits. I was thinking about getting a ramp, but I hate to deface an Alembic. | ||
| slammin
Member Username: slammin Post Number: 57 Registered: 10-2009 |
I break G strings all the time. Especially when using 40-100's but I also break them when using 45-105. In the year I've owned my Persuader, I've broken two. I've also broken G and D strings on my 35" Peavey Cirrus. The biggest difference is in the way I break them on the Alembic. With the Alembic (32" scale), I tend to stretch the crap out of notes sometimes, and invariably break a string. With longer scale basses, it's harder to stretch notes as far as I can on shorter. I usually break strings on longer scale by thumping and plucking too aggressively. | ||
| pierreyves
Senior Member Username: pierreyves Post Number: 659 Registered: 11-2006 |
never broken a string before I change it (each 6 month). If you have a problem of breaking string, take a (in french) lime and take the corner of saddle more sweet. | ||
| krystoof
Member Username: krystoof Post Number: 89 Registered: 1-2009 |
I used to break the A string twice in a very short time, with a previous bass I used to play, but I guess the scale lenght was not involved in this problem, since I changed for another brand, and it never happened again... (Message edited by krystoof on August 17, 2010) | ||
| toma_hawk01
Intermediate Member Username: toma_hawk01 Post Number: 158 Registered: 9-2009 |
I'd never broken strings on my short scale basses... Sadly, long scale basses; Alembics and others basses (strings) always break on me... Peace and Love, Hal- | ||
| karl
Intermediate Member Username: karl Post Number: 174 Registered: 7-2002 |
Don't usually break strings at all - maybe once or twice, Louis Johnson style, pulling the G a little too vigorously during a slap solo in my younger days ... That said, I went through a phase where I broke three D strings in quick succession on my short scale, no slapping or pulling, just fingerstyle. Didn't seem right, so I took the bass in to my tech and he diagnosed a burr on the D string saddle, filed it down gently and it's never happened since. I wouldn't have thought shorties would be any more prone to string breakages than long scales. In fact, since the tension feels lower, my gut instinct says they'd be less prone to breaking, wouldn't they? | ||
| rockbassist
Intermediate Member Username: rockbassist Post Number: 190 Registered: 8-2005 |
I have been playing for more than 30 years and have never broken a string. I have heard of other players breaking them but this was usually due to a problem such as a burr in the bridge. | ||
| peoplechipper
Advanced Member Username: peoplechipper Post Number: 217 Registered: 2-2009 |
I am a heavy hitter, and always found that within a few hours of saying " these strings are dead" they were dead and broken; bass strings too... scale length doesn't matter really, it's where you hit the strings and how, especially with an Alembic, as they're set up so well there's no problems on that end...Tony. | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1351 Registered: 11-2004 |
The only time I broke a string was when I was using ultra light guage(90 on the E) when I was doing my slap thang!. Since going back to 100's none for many a year | ||
| jet_powers
Senior Member Username: jet_powers Post Number: 511 Registered: 2-2003 |
In 30+ years of playing a bass I've only broken a string once. It wasn't even my bass. I had been invited up to play a song and, count them, two notes into the song, the E string broke. It was a Dean Baby (short scale) and the owner confessed they were the original strings. He had owned it nine years. | ||
| edwin
Senior Member Username: edwin Post Number: 727 Registered: 5-2002 |
I recall back in college at UC Santa Cruz, the band I was in was playing an event at the school. I broke a string (on a Gibson EB2-D, short scale) and the remnant cut my finger. I borrowed a bass, bled on it and broke a string and then borrowed another and did the same thing! There were three three string bloody basses by the end of our set. I used to break strings a lot, but I played way too hard and used to slap a lot more than I do now. These days I also get my basses set up better and have the bridges attended to more carefully so breaking strings is not so much of a problem. Also, in my great string search of 2001, I discovered that for me, DR strings broke a lot less often than some of the other brands I tried. |
