Help! Music Man JP6 E and B strings keep breaking

[Chimech555]

I bought a Music Man JP6 from 2011 like 3 months ago. It's literally the best guitar I've ever owned, but it has a problem. The E string and the B string keep breaking, every single week, exactly in the same spot, where the string touches the saddle of the bridge. I brought the guitar to a luthier, he polished the saddles and also the inner parts of the bridge. The problem still persists, and I just broke another B string after just 8 days since I changed all the strings. I use Elixir Nanoweb 009-046, I tend to play like a bunch of hours everyday and also I use the whammy bar very rarely (I only use it to lower the pitch anyway). I don't know what the problem could be at this point, and I'm so sad because this guitar is super amazing and this is ruining all the enjoyment I'm getting from the instrument. Should I just keep playing and buy a load of E and B single strings and just change them everytime one breaks? I really don't know what to do.

 

[johnnyboogie]

... and to think that Elixirs are almost literally un-breakable. How many strings do you break in a week?

 

[beej]

Sounds like you still have a burr or a sharp edge somewhere.

If you (or another tech) can't find it, you might consider sending it to Music Man to fix (if you're in the US). You'd have to pay for shipping, but their bench rates are really good and they do amazing work.

 

[Chimech555]

Well, it's like a string every 7-10 days, very annoying. And also, as you said, I almost never broke an Elixir string on any other guitar I own.
I think I will bring again the guitar to the tech first, because I'm not from the US and I'm not sure about sending it from Europe to the US (and it also will cost me a lot probably).

 

[Chimech555]

Now that I think about it, if I want to maybe replace the saddles, is there a way to buy new original ones for the JP6 bridge?

 

[johnnyboogie]

Yes, EBMM can sell you those. It's something like $200. Given that you play a lot and have got a strong grip and strong pick attack, 1 string every 10 days might sound reasonable, but since you didn't encounter this on others guitars it's probably a legit issue after all.

 

[beej]

Check the full path of the string as well. It's possible the string is making contact elsewhere, behind the saddle. (Should be easy to gently file down.)

 

[cvballa008]

I know this may sound silly, but manufacturer defects do happen. maybe bad strings, try another brand or maybe another gauge and see. im saying stuff you probably already know but its worth a shot before you start dropping massive amounts of money on replacement parts. the guitar is great because it really is your test bench. is the intination properly set also?

 

[Jbay555]

I have always had these issues with longer scale guitars and electric Elixir strings. Go with a different brand and don’t look back.

 

[Daniel]

I bought a Music Man JP6 from 2011 like 3 months ago. It's literally the best guitar I've ever owned, but it has a problem. The E string and the B string keep breaking, every single week, exactly in the same spot, where the string touches the saddle of the bridge. I brought the guitar to a luthier, he polished the saddles and also the inner parts of the bridge. The problem still persists, and I just broke another B string after just 8 days since I changed all the strings. I use Elixir Nanoweb 009-046, I tend to play like a bunch of hours everyday and also I use the whammy bar very rarely (I only use it to lower the pitch anyway). I don't know what the problem could be at this point, and I'm so sad because this guitar is super amazing and this is ruining all the enjoyment I'm getting from the instrument. Should I just keep playing and buy a load of E and B single strings and just change them everytime one breaks? I really don't know what to do.

The most common place a string is going to break is at the saddle, regardless of where the problem is on the guitar. It could be that you have a burr in the nut that is causing the string to vibrate abnormally and it's breaking at the bridge. Your JP6 guitar comes from the factory with the nut filed for 10-46 gauge strings. If the nut slots were not adjusted for your nine gauge hybrid strings, the strings would rest on one side of the slot and could cause it to break. Again, it could still break at the bridge instead of at the nut. Because you're are using a hybrid set, your bass string slots are probably filed to fit the strings, which is why they aren't breaking, only your E and B strings are affected.

 

[Chimech555]

The most common place a string is going to break is at the saddle, regardless of where the problem is on the guitar. It could be that you have a burr in the nut that is causing the string to vibrate abnormally and it's breaking at the bridge. Your JP6 guitar comes from the factory with the nut filed for 10-46 gauge strings. If the nut slots were not adjusted for your nine gauge hybrid strings, the strings would rest on one side of the slot and could cause it to break. Again, it could still break at the bridge instead of at the nut. Because you're are using a hybrid set, your bass string slots are probably filed to fit the strings, which is why they aren't breaking, only your E and B strings are affected.

There's a detail about the nut that actually I ignored, and that could possibly be the cause. I use a dampening device that I quickly slide over the headstock when I don't need it and sometimes some of its soft fabric gets stuck in the nut slots, especially right in the E and B slots. Could that be the cause? I just removed it, changed strings, and now I'll see if the strings are still gonna break. If that's not gonna work, I'll just switch to 010-046 gauge strings.