Help Needed - B String Breaking on Morse Y2D

[vp101]

Hey All,

Hope all of you are safe and doing alright.

I have a Morse Y2D that I absolutely love. I purchased this guitar about a year back on Reverb and am thoroughly impressed with how killer this guitar is. However, I am facing a problem. I have broken the B string at a very interesting place - halfway between the tuning peg and the nut.

Attaching some photos for your reference folks. Can anyone tell me what could possibly be wrong with my guitar?







In the last image, what I have hoped to capture best with my cellphone camera is that there seems to be some discolouration on the string at the exact place where it was seated in the nut. Could this be an issue? I am using a standard 10-46 gauge set and have tuned to standard.

What could I possibly be doing wrong folks?

Appreciate the help and stay safe!

Thanks.

 

[DrKev]

Hi there and welcome to the forum family!

First, this is nothing to do with the nut. A little discoloration in the nut slot is just dirt. Nothing to worry about at all.

It looks to me like the string is breaking right at the tuning post. When I see this kind of thing it's usually a sharp edge or indentation right at the edge of the hole in the post. Take the remaining piece of string off, and use a magnifier or digital camera with a good zoom or macro to examine the tuning post.

If that is indeed the case, I fix this with a small piece of 600 grit "wet and dry" type abrasive paper. Roll it tightly up into a little stick and then rub it horizontally back and forth across the front edge of hole in the tuning post to smooth out the edges. Works slowly and check your work often. You'll be done in two minutes! No more string breakage.

See photos below of a similar repair I did on a student's acoustic. Best to remove the tuner for the repai but If you keep the tuner on the headstock, use masking tape or a sheet of paper to protect the finish.

The complicated factor here is the locking mechanism - be very careful not to get any sanding dust or grit into the locking mechanism. And it goes without saying that you'll void your warranty on the tuning peg repair, if it's still valid.

 

[Tollywood]

Fantastic advice, Dr Kev. You did a really nice job on your student’s guitar.

 

[tbonesullivan]

Does look like there's some dirt and/or oxidation in the nut slots, nothing major. You can put some graphite or other lubricant there to help. Also definitely agree that it's breaking at the tuning peg. Dr Kev's solution should work great. If you're a clutz like I am, you can also probably take it in to a tech and have them do it for you.

 

[Harable]

...you could also just turn the peg 180 degrees on the next restring to see if the edge on the other side is less sharp...

 

[DrKev]

...you could also just turn the peg 180 degrees on the next restring to see if the edge on the other side is less sharp...

True dat!

 

[vp101]

Absolutely brilliant stuff folks. Thanks a ton - will try this out!

 

[vp101]

Quick question - I forgot to mention that before I was breaking this string, I was hearing a pinging noise when I could bend strings. It's hard to describe what this noise was but anyone who has experience working with metal will be familiar with this noise - almost as if one metal is rubbing against another piece of metal. Hope this is nothing to be concerned with.

 

[DrKev]

That's because of strings sticking in the nut slots. Use a little lubrification.

A Little Lube goes a Long Way – DrKevGuitar.com

 

[vp101]

Thanks so much for all the help! Have restrung the guitar and seems fine as of now. Hope I don't keep on breaking strings.

That's because of strings sticking in the nut slots. Use a little lubrification.

A Little Lube goes a Long Way – DrKevGuitar.com