String break with floating trem

lauke-lux

lauke-lux

Fractal Fanatic
Hi there since a month or so I more frequently use the floating trem of my Schecter route 66 guitar and I happen to break one of the higher 4 strings about every 4-6 hours of playing. They break at the saddle. This never happened to me before and I wonder what could be the cause of this. I'm using d'Addario EXL110 strings and usually they last 6 months at least without breaking. I'm thinking about replacing the factory saddles with graph tech saddles.
Any advice would be welcome.
 
Sounds like you have a burr. File the saddle a bit and see if it goes away (it should). I had this happen on a PRS wraptail. We used the old string (low E) to file the slot and it was fine ever since.
 
Budda said:
Sounds like you have a burr. File the saddle a bit and see if it goes away (it should). I had this happen on a PRS wraptail. We used the old string (low E) to file the slot and it was fine ever since.
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A blur on 4 different strings ?
 
The string axis e-E on the Schecter is 54mm :-( no standard graphtech product available as far as I can see as they only do 52.73mm and 55.35mm. Will have an exchange with Schecter's tech and Graph tech, they usually responsive. Wait and see.
Also I noted some crackle lately in my sound when touching the bridge, maybe I should check earthing or check for galvanic corrosion of the strings but imho it's just a saddle issue.
 
I can only offer an educated guess, but if strings break at the saddle with very little use, I'd definitely suspect a problem with the saddle.

On the Majesty in my pic, it started breaking high-e strings on the 2nd day I had it. I eventually solved the problem via a recommendation from a forum member here (sorry, the name escapes me-I did a search, but nothing) using abrasive cord from Stew Mac. But it took a few tries to get it to completely stop. Now I can leave the strings on until they're quite dead, if I want, and no breakage. This has been several months. In my case, I'm pretty sure it was a burr on only that saddle, which is now gone.

But..., you said it can happen on any of the 4 highest strings, and it didn't always do this. So I would suspect something has changed in your bridge. I'm not meaning to offend, but I've often wondered where the price difference comes from between a $3000 guitar, and a sub-$1000 guitar. Maybe part of it is in the quality of the metals used in the various hardware? And the metal in that bridge is just not up to the wear-and-tear of long-term use...?

I'm thinking perhaps the metal in your bridge has somehow started to erode, ever so slightly, maybe due to the higher humidity levels during summer (if that applies to you), and/or basic galvanic corrosion between that metal and the strings, causing enough of a "scraping" when you use the trem to weaken the string at that point, and the smaller strings happen to be the most vulnerable, simply due to their lesser mass, so they're the ones that break.

But again, that's just a theory. I think a bridge replacement is your solution, and the difference between 54 and 55.35mm, spread across those 6 strings is only 1/32" at each end. I've seen strings cross saddles with more variation than that, and it doesn't seem to cause an issue. Again with the Majesty, their saddles don't have a center "depression" where the strings cross, that keep them centered (which I honestly think is a stupid design!), so when I restring my guitar, I "set" the strings to the center of the saddles before tuning to pitch. But if I forget to do this, it doesn't seem to cause an issue. So that's why I don't think that 1.65mm difference will matter. But I'm not a luthier, so I could be wrong.

Good luck!
 
Unless you're 100% certain the break is happening as the string passes over the saddle, you may want to check the holes in the base plate the strings pass through. That's another contact point for the strings and a likely suspect, not one that new saddles will remedy. To have 4 saddles develop an anomaly that causes strings to break at the same time is unlikely but if the base plate shifted somehow or the strings have worn a groove into the base plate could explain your recent problems.
 
200man said:
why are those roller bridge saddles not more popular…sound?
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At TGP some say they are tone suckers, some say no. I've never used them, though. I've broken strings, but not for a specific issue with the saddles.
 
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unix-guy said:
Do you mean with this particular guitar or with your other ones?

I assumed you were meaning this is a new guitar and it happens with this one, but not others.
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Exactly, I have a japanese strat with a fender system III tremolo (a pita to change strings) and a 1985 squire with the standard fender trem that never experienced these problems. Also I have this Schecter for one year and the difficulties appear since a month only but I use the trem more intense lately.
What bothers me is that this concerns all of the 4 higher strings (d g b e).
Other possible cause : Maybe a bad batch of the string sets I bought 1-2 years ago (but packed under vacuum plastic) ?

I wrote to Schecter and Graph Tech and guess they'll answer soon.
 
JoKeR III said:
Unless you're 100% certain the break is happening as the string passes over the saddle, you may want to check the holes in the base plate the strings pass through. That's another contact point for the strings and a likely suspect, not one that new saddles will remedy. To have 4 saddles develop an anomaly that causes strings to break at the same time is unlikely but if the base plate shifted somehow or the strings have worn a groove into the base plate could explain your recent problems.
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As far as I see on the photos I made it's on the saddle but I confirm that the pass through on the down side of the saddle seems quite edgy. Will get deeper into that.
 
TSJMajesty said:
I
On the Majesty in my pic, it started breaking high-e strings on the 2nd day I had it. I eventually solved the problem via a recommendation from a forum member here (sorry, the name escapes me-I did a search, but nothing) using abrasive cord from Stew Mac.
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Will find me this and check rather the lower parts of the saddle and bridge were the strings enter.
TSJMajesty said:
But..., you said it can happen on any of the 4 highest strings, and it didn't always do this. So I would suspect something has changed in your bridge. I'm not meaning to offend, but I've often wondered where the price difference comes from between a $3000 guitar, and a sub-$1000 guitar. Maybe part of it is in the quality of the metals used in the various hardware? And the metal in that bridge is just not up to the wear-and-tear of long-term use...?

I'm thinking perhaps the metal in your bridge has somehow started to erode, ever so slightly, maybe due to the higher humidity levels during summer (if that applies to you), and/or basic galvanic corrosion between that metal and the strings, causing enough of a "scraping" when you use the trem.
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Possible and to investigate. Thanks.
TSJMajesty said:
hat's why I don't think that 1.65mm difference will matter. But I'm not a luthier, so I could be wrong.

Good luck!
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It's the difference of pushing the strings occasionally over the fret end or not during vibratos. Also it might (slightly) affect sound related to distance to the PU.
 
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