Nails roughening the treble strings

[Tim W]

Although I try to keep my nails polished with fine micro-mesh, I am having a problem with roughened treble strings, esp "e" & "b". A rough string sounds and feels as bad or worse than playing with rough nails! I'm wondering if some brands are more prone to damage than others? My nails are extremely hard, (not complaining!), and am wondering whether the nail is simply a harder material than the string? Have others had this problem? Found brands that seemed more durable than others?

Tim

[Kenbobpdx]

I have relatively soft nails and I kill trebles. I have determined that it is mostly a function of my attack angle combined with the nail softness. I deal with it by selecting strings that hold up better. I have taken to ordering extra 'e' strings when I place orders to get the most life out of sets.

In terms of longevity I find Hannabach 815 trebles to be one of the longest lasting and best sounding treble sets. My go to right now are Dogal Regular trebles but they do not last as long as 815s. However, I happen to really like the sound and feel a lot. Titanium strings from D'Addario and Galli sound good on my guitar but I kill them quickly. My understanding is that the formula used in such strings yield a brighter tone but softer string that is less durable. Try the HB 815s low tension with your favorite basses and see if you get more life out of them.

BTW, what are you currently using?

[Tim W]

Thanks. I've got a fairly steep angle of attack and that may be playing into the problem. I've been using a variety of strings. D'Addario J-45's have been pretty durable. I have Galli Genius on now, and they were shot in less than 3 weeks. I've been very unhappy with Titanium from both Galli and D'Addario. I've tried Hannabach 815's in the past and liked their sound. Mixed results with various carbon strings, but I've not really kept close track of string life until recently. I've not been very loyal to any string; it's fun to shift around, sort of like getting a new guitar.

[Kent]

Tim,
Just as Kenbobpdx recommends, the Hannabach strings are pure nylon, and the durability is outstanding.
I think if you purchased high quality pure nylon strings, your trouble will go away.

There is always some new Titanium Micro Carbon Inner Structured Closed Celled Super Structured Synthetic High Performance Strings entering the marketplace. Maybe someday they will really excel beyond nylon, but right now, nylon is still the king.

[Kenbobpdx]

Tim,
Just as Kenbobpdx recommends, the Hannabach strings are pure nylon, and the durability is outstanding.
I think if you purchased high quality pure nylon strings, your trouble will go away.

There is always some new Titanium Micro Carbon Inner Structured Closed Celled Super Structured Synthetic High Performance Strings entering the marketplace. Maybe someday they will really excel beyond nylon, but right now, nylon is still the king.

I gotta try me some of them fancy TMCISCCSSSHP strings. I bet I'll leave David Russell way behind once I get some. Kent, are a marketeer at heart!

[KeMe]

I gotta try me some of them fancy TMCISCCSSSHP strings. I bet I'll leave David Russell way behind once I get some. Kent, are a marketeer at heart!

Maybe he would let you have his old strings, after all they already know how to play all of the masterpieces.

Kay

[Kenbobpdx]

I gotta try me some of them fancy TMCISCCSSSHP strings. I bet I'll leave David Russell way behind once I get some. Kent, are a marketeer at heart!

Maybe he would let you have his old strings, after all they already know how to play all of the masterpieces.

Kay

Forget muscle memory. I want strings that have already memorized the pieces I want to play. Kay, you are onto something with this idea.

[joehydro]

This used to happen to my strings all the time when I was playing a brand called Augustine.

Once I saw a little hair like thing stuck to the string.When I pulled on it a long strip came right off the string, leaving a giant notch about 6 inches long right above the sound hole!

After that string cheese incident (they were brand spanking new) I switched to D'Addario and haven't had any problems since.

[tommyollie]

David Russell has an interesting article on his website which may help prolong the life of the trebles:
http://www.davidrussellguitar.com/index ... rst-string

You might also try to remove the string and put it back on top to tail. In theory this in combination with David Russel's twist could prolong the silky first string feel X 4!