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beeper

Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
24
I have a music man Magisty 6. It is a 2018 model.

in the last 4 months I have had many problems with strings.

The first string was the A string in the middle of the bridge. It snapped.
Then I broke the D sting unraveled near the bridge.
Next I broke an A sting raveled at the bridge.
Then I broke the high e string near the pickup
Finally I the low E unravel at the bridge.

All these are paradigm 9 gauge strings.

I gig several times a month. (4 of 5 problems were at gigs.). I play pretty hard.

String problems were rare before this.

The backup I use is a Majesty 7 with 10s. I’ve never had a problem with its strings.

Do I have a problem with my guitar?
 

DrKev

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Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
7,164
Location
Somewhere between Paris, Dublin, and Buffalo
That you play hard is a big clue. First, how often do you change strings? I would never play more than two gigs (or one gig and two rehearsals) with the same strings. If you play pretty hard and don't change frequently enough, that alone could explain this. Note that a string breaking at the nut or over "free space" (e.g. not in contact with something metal) is entirely due only to playing too hard. But string breaking anywhere else suggest there are other things to check for too.

Strings can wear notches or grooves into the surface that they contact and increased string breakage will result right at that point. This can happen to any guitar over time but regularly playing hard will make it happen a lot sooner. Back in my giging days (3 or 4 gigs every single week plus rehearsals) with my old strat it became a constant maintenance issue to stop string breakage precisely because of this.

One way to solve this (and I recommend trying it right away) is the SRV/Rene Martinez wire insulation trick...


In fact, I remember somebody sells pieces of stripped wire insulation specifically for this purpose!

If that idea isn't to your liking, then you must start to pay close attention to precisely where each string breaks, e.g. is it at the edge of a tuning post, some particular location on the saddle, the edge of the bridge plate hole, within the bridge block? When a particular string breaks multiple times in exactly the same place there is an issue. If necessary, dismantle the bridge and carefully examine each point where the string makes contact. If necessary, gently use a very narrow, round, fine needle file to remove grooves or notches and/or a small piece of 1200 grit sand paper rolled into a tight little stick. Finish with a small amount of lubricating grease. If you play hard and/or gig frequently you may have to repeat this every two or three months.

NOTE: Piezo saddles have a very short wire connected to a circuit board. Be extremely careful not to break that wire if you unscrew saddles. Also do NOT file, sand, or lubricate the piezo element itself (the metallic piece on top of the saddle that the string touches) and put a small piece of masking tape on it to keep it in place and prevent dust/filings getting in there.
 
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