The guitar is a great way to spend your leisure time, especially for those people who love music and want to start writing songs themselves. However, a huge problem in guitar playing is when the guitar strings start to break.
One broken string ruins the entire guitar playing, as you lose one of the six notes that is important in creating a song. String life is predictable, especially if you don’t know how to care for your guitar properly.
In this article, we will analyze how often do guitar strings break, based on different types of guitars, and also what are the ways to prevent broken strings.
Contents
What are guitar strings?
Let’s start with the analysis of the very concept of guitar strings. The string is the main component of stringed musical instruments, which produces music from sound vibrations when interacting with the touch of musicians.
In total, there are 6 strings in the guitar and the tone of the sound depends on their location.
The bass note, i.e., the lowest note, is the top string and the highest note is the lowest string.
When you play the guitar, you will begin to feel that the strings that produce a lower sound are thicker strings, and the string with a high sound, on the contrary, is a thinner string. For the sound when playing the guitar to be always clear, you need to constantly stretch the strings.
Different materials of guitar strings
Before you start to analyze how the types of guitars affect the lifespan of the strings, it is worth saying that the material of the strings is also a significant thing. It requires knowledge and understanding so in the case of a broken string, you can replace it with the same material, f.i, steel strings or bronze strings.
Steel and nickel
Steel guitar strings are a classic that has been used in most modern electric guitars for many years, as steel strings can withstand the enormous stress of strong musical vibrations and still reproduce a clear sound.
Brass Bronze
Bronze coating of strings is most often found in acoustic guitars since on the one hand, it protects the strings, and on the other hand, it does not block the purity of the reproduced sound. These strings can also be used in ukuleles. The bronze coating makes the strings sound softer and is ideal for the acoustic sound of the song.
Nylon strings
Nylon strings are used exclusively in classical guitars, as they are ideal for sound. You cannot measure nylon strings with ordinary metal strings because then you can firstly spoil the very sound of the musical instrument, and you can spoil the guitar’s tuning itself, which will either repair it or buy a new one.
Frequency of guitar strings breaking
The type of guitar has a direct impact on how quickly the strings will break. If you don’t know how many strings should be used on a given guitar, it’s very easy to make a mistake in care and maintenance, which can force guitar strings to break.
How often do electric guitar strings break?
Electric guitar strings break a little more frequently than other guitar strings, as electric guitars create additional tension and pressure on the strings because of electricity during playing. It leads to the fact that the life of the strings is really being reduced, and quite rapidly, that’s why you need to buy strings made of strong material in advance.
Electric guitar strings need to be chosen in a particular store for electric guitar. In the store, you can find strings that are ideal for your musical range and can also last as long as possible and not just a couple of months.
Also, the lifespan of electric guitar strings depends on you, how well you take care of your electric guitar, and how you play. If you constantly play too aggressively and at the same time the strings are under constant electrical stress, then do not be surprised that at some point they can stop working.
How often do acoustic guitar strings break?
Guitar strings on an acoustic guitar are guaranteed to work well for about three months. You must understand that they are guaranteed not to break for 3 months if you properly take care of them.
However, acoustic strings cannot be used longer than this period. If it seems to you that they are not broken at all and work perfectly, then they will simply start to sound bad. Acoustic guitar strings will lose their sound purity over time.
If your acoustic guitar strings are constantly breaking and always before three months of service, then it is worth understanding whether you are tuning acoustic guitars correctly.
How often do classical guitar strings break?
In classical guitars, as mentioned earlier, nylon strings are used. The material of these strings makes it possible to prevent the process of breaking guitar strings, and a classical guitar for a long time without replacing nylon strings will be able to maintain a fairly good and clear sound. However, string breaks not only from time but also from improper care.
If you play your guitar aggressively all the time, pull the strings too tight, or store them near sharp objects, then don’t be surprised that strings will break too quickly. Also, nylon strings should be changed at least every six months to maintain the purity of the sound while playing.
How often do bass guitar strings break?
In the case of bass guitars, guitar strings should break extremely rarely, as bass guitars have thick strings compared to other types of guitars, which is why the situation when strings break is rare for this particular type of guitar.
However, this does not mean that you can use strings in bass guitar for several years of active play and not break strings. As soon as you feel that the sound is getting worse, you need to change the strings immediately so as not to damage the structure of the guitar itself and the controllers that help to stretch the strings.
Is it normal for strings to break while playing?
Most often, it is active guitar playing that causes the strings to break, especially in an acoustic and electric guitar since if you just leave the guitar in storage, the strings will not be able to break on their own, however, if there is extreme pressure on them, this is quite possible, especially in the case with the thinnest D string.
Similarly, classical guitar nylon strings can break on their own due to improper storage; however, they can come close to breaking and when you play they can break abruptly. When a string breaks while playing, it can cause a very uncomfortable feeling, especially if you play not with a pick, but just with your fingers.
Can guitar strings break while bending?
Of course, your guitar string can break during bending. Especially if you are a beginner and don’t know how to properly bend the strings, they can simply burst from too much tension and thus indicate that there is either a problem with the controllers or simply with the string itself.
You should always check the condition of the guitar and during bending, if you are a beginner, use a special application. The app helps you tune the strings correctly by the usage of the audio receiver, the application can analyze the sound vibrations of each string.
How to prevent strings from breaking?
For you to enjoy playing the guitar for as long as possible, you need to learn ways to prevent a string break. Below you can find things that can help you focus on what causes breaking guitar strings.
Change guitar strings
To begin with, you need to change your guitar strings regularly.
It helps to make sure you always have your strings ready to play and that you can play any tune.
Old strings, not only can they break at any time even with proper care, but they will also create unpleasant sounds that will spoil the sound of the melody.
How often you need to buy new guitar strings can be found in specialty stores that focus on guitar strings, and you can also find special accessories, such as a case for the guitar.
Maintenance
Learn how to properly maintain your guitar and your guitar strings in good condition, try to always check the tension, and check parts of the guitar.
Also remember to focus on the cleanliness of the strings, as dirt causes even coated strings to wear out faster. If you notice that one string is too tight, check the other strings as well.
If you have stopped playing guitar and just store it somewhere, then choose a storage location where the guitar will not be exposed to irritants, such as sunlight, and there will also be no sharp objects near the strings.
High-quality strings
Moreover, it is very important to always ensure that the guitar strings you use are of good quality.
Even the thinnest strings made from quality material, such as steel guitar strings, will last longer than thicker strings made from poor-quality material.
Always select the right stores, where the goods are verified, and you can get a full description of the material from which your string is made, as well as a guarantee of its performance with good care.
Try also not to order strings from the Internet, but to select them in physical stores, as it is easier to understand live whether the strings are really of high quality.
Heavy gauge strings
Always choose guitar strings with heavy gauges because firstly, they are much easier to work with, and secondly, heavy string gauges help you extend the life of your guitar.
You can also find heavier strings in specialty stores.
However, once you get the hang of it and can play these strings comfortably, it will become much easier for you to consistently use these strings to create a melody and still be confident in the quality of the strings.
Guitar pick
A very important thing to have confidence in guitar strings is to select a guitar properly. In case you have chosen a low-quality guitar, quality strings will not help.
It’s also essential that the new strings you buy are perfect for the type of guitar you have, whether it’s an electric, acoustic, classical, or bass guitar.
In case you select the wrong string type for your guitar type, your guitar string breaks will become an increasingly common problem.
Check guitar setup and check contacts
Always try to check the parts of the guitar, especially those parts associated with guitar strings because if they are in poor condition, the strings will wear out just as quickly.
Try to pay attention to the sharp edges of contacts and strings.
If you see that there is some kind of breakdown in the guitar setup, it is better to immediately contact a specialist or just go to a professional store.
In particular, check the condition of each guitar string before starting to play, so as not to hurt your hand if the string breaks.
Guitar Techniques
Learn to play guitar as less aggressively as possible, using techniques that won’t put too much pressure on the guitar strings. The best option would be to use a pick because firstly, you do not have to manually hit each guitar string, and secondly, you do not have to feel pain in your hands.
FAQ
Is it common for guitar strings to break?
Guitar strings can break over time, and this is completely normal. You should always pay attention to the maintenance of the strings, whether you have a good place to store the guitar, you know everything about the guitar type and the material from which the strings are made.
How long do guitar strings last before they break?
For each type of guitar and the types of guitar strings, this figure is different, but usually, string life can last from 2 to 4 months, guaranteed with good care. But if you have an electric guitar, and you need to constantly play it aggressively, then this figure can decrease to a month.
How long should guitar strings last?
Guitar strings for different types of guitars and made from different materials have completely different string lifespans, which makes it difficult to give any exact number for all the types of strings and guitars, however, most often the strings, with good care and proper storage, are guaranteed to reproduce a clear sound for about 3 months.
Conclusion
Playing the guitar is an insanely interesting and exciting activity, and for many people, it becomes not just a hobby, but an occupation of their life with which they can reproduce their thoughts in songs. However, the biggest problem for both beginners and professionals is the string life, which ends abruptly, since it is impossible to play on a broken string.
We hope that after reading this article you know what are the types of string materials, how the process of strings breaking can be influenced by guitar type, and can guitar strings break while playing and bending. What’s more, you now know tips that will help prevent string breakage.
