There are several reasons why guitar strings break. It is important to recognize exactly where the strings are typically breaking, so you can get to the root of the problem and keep it from happening again. There are four common types of breaks: bridge breaks, mid-neck breaks, nut breaks, ball end breaks.
Bridge Breaks: A bridge break can occur when the saddle is too sharp and the string stretches over it, causing the sharp edge to dig into the string, thus causing it to break. It is important to insure the saddle does not have a sharp edge and if it does, you will want to have it smoothed out. Lubrication can also be applied to the strings at the pressure point to help insure it stretches smoothly over the saddle, which will keep the string from breaking.
Mid-Neck Break: If your strings are breaking mid-neck, you’ll want to have your frets checked. Make sure the frets are not bad or worn since this is a common occurrence that causes many guitar players to continue to break their strings. If the fret is bad or damaged in any way it will need to be replaced. If the fret is just abrasive, it can be polished to smooth it out or file and bevel the fret edges.
Nut Break: It’s a rare occurrence for the string to break at the nut. Most are made of bone, composite, or plastic that will not cause the string to break. However, if the nut is metal it can cause the string to snap if it has a rough edge. It can be filed down, but not excessively or you will change the height of the strings.
Ball Break: Rarely the ball end will break on a string. This is simply due to how the string was manufactured and may have received too much curve, causing wear on this sensitive part of the string.
It’s important to remember that everyone breaks guitar strings from time to time. If your strings are very old they are more likely to break, so try to change your strings on a regular basis (1-3 months depending on how much you play). If you have questions on how to properly change strings, watch our videos: How to Change Strings on an Acoustic Guitar | Electric Guitar | Nylon String Guitar.
