I've still NEVER broken a guitar string ... what gives?!

[glassynails]

Seriously, I've NEVER broken a classical guitar string and sometimes I don't change them for 4 or 5 months and I play ALL the time. I'm not lying, I've never broken one, how come? I hear people always say they're breaking them. However, I do have a guitar (classical) that I never play and just yesterday opened the case and the D string broke somehow in the case, but this is the ONLY time I've EVER broken a classical guitar string in 10 years of playing that I recall.

Is anyone else in my boat and have NEVER broken a classical guitar string? Now, when I used to play electric and steel string, I broke quite a few strings!

[Kenbobpdx]

Same here. I have never once broken a classical guitar string in 30 years of playing. I do change strings frequently but I have gone periods of time when I didn't. I broke strings on my old Les Paul occasionally but I used Super Slinkys and I have broken steel strings on some cheap guitars but never on my Guild D50.

[John O]

I've never broken one while playing, but I opened the case to discover a broken string maybe a half-dozen times or so. Usually it's been the D or A string, but I've had a few carbon E strings snap, too.

[glassynails]

Same here. I have never once broken a classical guitar string in 30 years of playing. I do change strings frequently but I have gone periods of time when I didn't. I broke strings on my old Les Paul occasionally but I used Super Slinkys and I have broken steel strings on some cheap guitars but never on my Guild D50.

Good to hear there's someone out there that hasn't! I just find it odd that I've never broken one, when I hear people saying things like "Damn, I keep breaking this and that string!". They must be tuning WAY too high ...... or maybe it's cause I live in Maine.

[Scot Tremblay]

Enjoy your good luck and don't question fate!

Actually, I've very seldom broken a string in 40 odd years of playing. Even on my lutes, where the chances of breaking a string seems to go upwards exponentially, I cannot remember the last time one broke.

If your instrument is set up well with no sharp spots on the nut, saddle or frets then this lessens breakage. Also the way you play is a factor. If you tend to slide the string across the fret or use excessive pressure then this creates a wear spot which can lead to a break. But if you press the string straight onto the fret and release it directly off then this tends to lessen the the chance of creating a wear spot.

I also noticed during the years that I taught, that the more advanced players tend to break strings less. I think it might have something to do with what I noted above and that they generally play more evenly throughout the range of the guitar rather than in one or two position; thus more even wear to the strings.

Strings occassionally break in the case when guitars aren't played much...it seems odd that this would happen but maybe it's material fatigue...Or maybe it's those fellows that exist a few seconds before us in the time continum (so we never see them) and do things like, hide our car keys only to put them back where we left them, after we have searched long enough to entertain sufficently...sick individuals those fellows!

[Moderato]

Enjoy your good luck and don't question fate!

Actually, I've very seldom broken a string in 40 odd years of playing. Even on my lutes, where the chances of breaking a string seems to go upwards exponentially, I cannot remember the last time one broke.

If your instrument is set up well with no sharp spots on the nut, saddle or frets then this lessens breakage. Also the way you play is a factor. If you tend to slide the string across the fret or use excessive pressure then this creates a wear spot which can lead to a break. But if you press the string straight onto the fret and release it directly off then this tends to lessen the the chance of creating a wear spot.

I also noticed during the years that I taught, that the more advanced players tend to break strings less. I think it might have something to do with what I noted above and that they generally play more evenly throughout the range of the guitar rather than in one or two position; thus more even wear to the strings.

Strings occassionally break in the case when guitars aren't played much...it seems odd that this would happen but maybe it's material fatigue...Or maybe it's those fellows that exist a few seconds before us in the time continum (so we never see them) and do things like, hide our car keys only to put them back where we left them, after we have searched long enough to entertain sufficently...sick individuals those fellows!

+1 To everything said in this post.

Also, just change the strings when they need be.

[joseplluis7]

I found recently a broken D string opening the guitar case. It was my first broken string,
(a savarez alliance normal tension); it lasted three months. the others are OK. My teacher
told me the D string, for some reason, breaks more than the others.

I normally play every day.

[Guitar-ded]

I'd agree with that.
I have an old Yamaha beater that sits out on a stand and every now and then there'll be a 'donggg' and yup, the D string has gone again. Only ever the D.
I don't think this has ever happened to my better guitars, all snug in their cases.

[Julio]

I am amazed at everyone's D string breaking, beacuase thats the only string that i have ever discovered on my guitar to ever break!!!

What's with manufacturers D strings always breaking? i have never had a string break while playing the guitar, but i have opened my case on two or three occassions and have discovered that the D string was broken!

[Jeremiah Lawson]

I haven't had strings break in years and so I change strings once a year. Far from ideal but when you're unemployed for two years you have to exploit that you never break strings! When I did have strings break it was usually the D string and sometimes the high E string, at least on CG. On AG and EG, of course, the trebles could go easily because I used huge amounts of string bending. On a Telecaster it was easy for me to bend a note as much as a minor third and sometimes, in my stronger moments, even a perfect fourth. String tension and different materials account for that, though.

I have wondered why D strings can just go bad. I've been fortunate to not have too many strings go bad straight out the gate but the D and high E strings have been the ones that have most often just come straight ouf the package bad in twenty years.

[Lorette]

What's with the D strings? I too, have never broken a string while playing, but like so many others here, I have opened my case and on occasion found the broken D string.

Lorette

[Julio]

The D string must be CURSED! my only reasoning for it...

[Lorette]

Do we need an exorcist?

[Julio]

Hey what ever works to stop these cursed D strings from breaking. Yes we need a blessing to remove the curse!

[Kent]

The make-up of all three Bass strings look similar. They consist of thin nylon fibers wrapped with one more thick string. For the D-string the number of fibers is much less then for A and E (because it needs to vibrate in certain range) and this makes it the weakest. The D string seems to be the quickest to deteriorate also.
I still think there is a D conspiracy.