Question Ernie Ball Regular Slinky unwinding

[C M Gill]

For the last couple of years I have had EB regular's unwinding at the toggle of my LP, they are NOT breaking or catching on anything but UNWINDING, the toggle is on the floor and the end of the string has clearly unwound.
I complained about this earlier in the year and EB sent me a couple of sets after I said I wouldn't be useing them again. I have 6 guitars and change the strings about once a month so I spend a lot of money on EB's. It just happened again so I took one out of a new pack and guess what! yep that unwound too.
When I look at the winding of a new string it doesn't look too secure to start off with, it should be wound round and turned back over the winding, that way when it begins to slip it would form a knot. I've been playing for 45yrs, I build guitars and repair them so I'm not a novice who doesn't know how to string a guitar. I think the time may have come to part ways with EB, I rarely break strings but the winding is just not up to the basic task. Please don't tell me this never happens to you, there are loads of similar stories on the net.

 

[DrKev]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

For the last couple of years I have had EB regular's unwinding at the toggle of my LP, they are NOT breaking or catching on anything but UNWINDING, the toggle is on the floor and the end of the string has clearly unwound.

Sorry but I'm confused as to what you mean by "toggle"? When somebody says toggle I think "toggle switch". Do you mean at the ball end of the string?

If it is the ball end, then I have seen similar problems quite a few times in my 25 years, so allow me to suggest something...

I know that if there is a consistent issue with string breakage it's almost always an issue with the guitar and not with the strings. For example, if the string is unwinding at the ball-end it's usually due to a sharp edge inside the hole of the tail piece that is damaging the string. Particularly with old guitars, there can a lot of pressure from the string and ball end on the walls and edges of those holes. In time that metal-on-metal pressure can produce indentations or edges that can damage the string and cause it to unwind. It's more common on cheaper guitars where finishing and machining may not be great quality to begin with but can happen to any guitar. (It also happens at the edge of the holes on tuning posts, if ever you break up them there).

If you are aware of this and have already worked on the tail piece to eliminate the problem, then you can clearly ignore my suggestion and sorry I can't be more helpful.

Please don't tell me this never happens to you, there are loads of similar stories on the net.

I understand your frustration but I can't do that. And while I have seen it happen quite a few times it's always fixable and not confined to one brand of string.

Let's say there are 5 million users of EB strings around the world. Let's also say that only 1 person in every 1000 (i.e. 0.1%) has a particular problem of some description. If those people post about it on the internet, there will still be (5,000,000 ÷ 1000) = 5,000 stories on the net. That may seem like big deal but 999 out of every 1000 users will still tell you it doesn't happen.

Of course that doesn't change your experience either.

If you've looked at all the possibilities and you and other experienced luthiers have examined the guitar in detail and taken the necessary steps to ensure that it's not the guitar's fault, then yes, you should try other strings. The market is full of great choices, I hope you find a brand that suits you the way EB used to. And I hope they don't have the same problem.

Good luck!

 

[C M Gill]

No, the correct name for the 'ball' is toggle, a toggle switch is a different thing entirely. The guitar is a 1962 les laul standard not a piece of junk. As a luthier I can say catagoricaly that there are no issues with the instrument whatsoever. The strings as I say are NOT breaking but unwinding. It's clear when a string has broken but these are curly and twisted at the end exactly where the toggle was, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to understand what has happened. There are no sharp edges or anything else causeing the unwinding but poor minimal wrapping. It doesn't happen all the time but it's bloody anoying when doing a gig for instance and the string starts to go flat, tune it and it begins to go flat again untill it completely unwraps.
I have found that wrapping cotton over the winding and covering in superglue prevents it happening, but who can be bothered doing that just to ensure the string carries out it's basic function.
I really put this thread here to hopefully bring EB's attention to this.

 

[DrKev]

OK. Thanks.