Home » RSI magazine » Ask the Experts » String breakage patterns

String breakage patterns

Q: I read somewhere that if your string breaks in the mains it means one thing, and if it breaks in the crosses it means something else. Can you enlighten me?

A: As far as we know, you can’t make any but the most crude diagnoses based on whether the mains break first or the crosses, if for no other reason than the wide variety of string spacing on different stringbeds. Assuming that the breakage is from wear, and not from “framed” or off-center hits, you can make recommendations based on which string consistently breaks first. For example, if the mains always break first, you can either switch to a more durable main (such as a polyester), or to a less durable cross (which includes the same string in a thinner gauge).

From the July 2006 issue
Permalink