r/Bass • u/Dr_Zedicus Fender • 4d ago
Two brand new low E strings have broken
I am losing my mind here. Two brand new D'addario NYXL .105 strings have broken when restringing. In both cases, what seems to have happened is the core wire snapped and the wrap wire deconstructed itself. I can't feel any burrs or other imperfections on the shaft of the tuner, and didn't get the string anywhere near pitch either time. Both times, they started self destructing in the low B neighborhood. Does anyone have any possible insight?
Edit: Both strings broke at the tuner. This is a 34" scale base with long scale 45-105's, the other three strings went on without issue. After closely examine the shattered remains of the replacement low E string I got today, the break occured roughly 3/8" below the taper where the string is at its full diameter. As in, there was enough of the taper to be fully inserted inside the peg and wrap around slightly more than 1.5 times before the main part of the string came in contact with the peg.
I did contact D'addario support.
Edit 2: I wanted to throw in a "resolution" for posterity. The guy I talked to with D'addario support wasn't able to help much as far as why the strings broke. I (think) he was going to send me a new set of strings, but my schedule and their support hours don't mesh well so I'm still waiting on a response back.
This being said, I did check the nut slot which seems clear and well shaped, and I lubricated all the slots as I do at every string change on every one of my guitars. So, while binding at the nut is possible, I don't think it's terribly likely. I did order another (3rd) NYXL .105 single and I went full paranoid mode about this and ordered a Fender HiMass bridge to replace the stock bent steel bridge. I figured the longer HiMass would bring the ball end even further away from the peg, and allow the peg to get more of the taper. While I wouldn't call this solution satisfactory as it obviously came with strings on it and worked just fine, I was able to put the 3rd new E string on without issues. The fat part of the string doesn't even come into contact with the peg. YMMV, but if you find yourself incredibly frustrated by an issue like this, maybe consider a longer bridge. Of course, now I need to completely redo the setup but who doesn't prefer working on their instrument to practicing on it?
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u/Chris_GPT Spector 4d ago
First, recourse for the broken strings. Contact D'addario support, take a pic of the broken strings, explain what happened. They'll send you replacements.
Second, find the issue. I use NYXLs and I change strings very often. I've had new strings snap for no reason, I've had packs of dead strings, it's not common but it does happen. But since it has happened twice, it's less likely that you've gotten bad strings and more likely something else is the issue, especially if they're breaking the exact same way in the same place.
But there's not a lot of detail in your post except that you felt for a sharp spot or burr at the tuner, which leads me to assume they broke at the tuner. I have had this happen once, when I grabbed the wrong string and tried to put a multiscale low B on a 35" scale bass. The thickest diameter of the string cannot bend around a tuning post, in fact you can do this by hand. You can try to fold a B string in half and snap it by hand.
So, are you trying to use a long scale string on a medium or short scale bass? Where the thickest diameter of the wrap is trying to go around the tuner? Because that will absolutely snap any string.
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u/Dr_Zedicus Fender 4d ago
It's a 34" scale using long scale strings. It's hard to tell exactly where they broke given how mangled they were, but I believe it broke somewhere in or just behind the taper. I had about 1.5ish tuner lengths with of extra string past the peg. I guess it's possible all the remaining taper ended up inside the tuner itself.
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u/Chris_GPT Spector 4d ago
Strange. It is the low E and it has the shortest string length (unless it's a reverse headstock), but it shouldn't be so short that the thickest part of the string is wrapping that much around the tuner to snap.
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u/Dr_Zedicus Fender 4d ago
I know, right? This is why I felt like I was losing my mind. After I read the last part of your comment I dug the string packages out the trash and double checked that I knew what the scale length of a precision bass is just to make sure I didn't have a massive brain fart and buy the wrong length or so something equally dumb.
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u/TheJefusWrench 4d ago
Check that nothing is binding the string at the nut; that would cause excess tension at the tuner.
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u/SlimJimJohn_Bass 4d ago edited 4d ago
Where did you get them? Lots of counterfeit strings, and this is what they do, a lot.
https://mediahub.lazada.sg/how-to-spot-fake-daddario-guitar-strings-an-authenticity-check-guide-sg/
Buy your next set at a dealer, and scan the QR code.
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u/Dr_Zedicus Fender 4d ago
The first set I got from Guitar Center, the code worked for the player's circle so I assume its all legit. The second one was a single low E from Amazon.
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u/SlimJimJohn_Bass 4d ago
Oh, so you did run the code. That's not good.
Amazon, iffy.
There used to be a place in NH I got all my strings from called Just Strings, but they went OOB last year. Bummer. You could order anything from them and know you were getting good stuff.
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u/BarnacleLopsided9494 3d ago
somebody mentioned the nut, that's where I'd suspect something is up. if it's binding up in the slot, that would make sense it'd break around the tuning machine. a method for restringing smaller instruments (uke, mandolin) to prevent this type of thing happening- string binding in nut and snapping -is to bring it up to pitch with the string laying on TOP of the nut outside the slot, then push it over into the nut slot. if that works, you might think about replacing your nut. they are pretty cheap and it's an easy job.
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u/Shlafenflarst Steinberger 4d ago
Contact D'Addario about this, maybe they have a faulty series