mushy Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Hi there, newbie here, just recently bought a Dot Studio and previous to this ive had a Shearton, Les Paul and SG. The problem ive always found with Epiphones is the strings have always snapped far too easily on them therefore holding you back from giving them a right good seeing to! lol. So i just got my Dot Studio yesterday and i was fair away with the look, feel and the sound was immense but low and behold pop goes the thin E within an hour of playing. Now i know this is the most likely to go but on some of my other Epis its been the thickest string or just any random string snapping well before they should. They always snap at the bridge, is this because of the nicks left in the grooves? Whats the best way around this? File them? Buy a Gibson bridge? Lower the bridge? Not sure what guage the factory strings are? Use 10's? Any help much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn1281733995 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 OK. The standard strings are 10's. It sounds like you have a nick or burrrrr on the bridge saddle(s), like you thought. Lightly file or sand it to remove the burr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushy Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 OK. The standard strings are 10's. It sounds like you have a nick or burrrrr on the bridge saddle(s)' date=' like you thought. Lightly file or sand it to remove the burr.[/quote'] ok mate, will do, cheers for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushy Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 OK. The standard strings are 10's. It sounds like you have a nick or burrrrr on the bridge saddle(s)' date=' like you thought. Lightly file or sand it to remove the burr.[/quote'] Do you know where i can get a thin enough file for the saddles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn1281733995 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 All I can suggest is a decent hardware store. You're looking for a small triangular file. You could try folding a piece of 240 or 360 wet'n'dry in half and trying that. That ought to do it. Run a string back and forward thru the saddle to listen for and feel for burrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushy Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 All I can suggest is a decent hardware store. You're looking for a small triangular file. You could try folding a piece of 240 or 360 wet'n'dry in half and trying that. That ought to do it. Run a string back and forward thru the saddle to listen for and feel for burrs. will do, thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerdlap Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I had that same problem, i carefully used a dremel with a VERY fine bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaulgeorge Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 If this keeps occuring on different guitars, Perhaps your technique is a little bit robust. Maybe try hitting the strings a bit softer. What sort of stuff do you play ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 String breaking is a common problem with a new guitar. If it's breaking over at the saddle, you have a burr or sharp casting edge that needs to be smoothed. An emery board is all that is necessary to fix the problem. You can even wrap a piece of fine sandpaper around a fingernail file. Hold it at an angle so the corner of the edge fits in the slot and CAREFULLY and LIGHTLY sand the slot in the bridge saddle. All you need to do is remove a sharp edge. The bridge saddles are not very hard and it takes only a light sanding to permanently fix the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaulgeorge Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Elvis used to break loads of strings 'cos he used to really hammer them, so if you've had this problem on FOUR different model Epi's, it's down to technique IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmitchell Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Great reason for two things that make tone better anyway: Switching to 11's Buying a roller bridge. You can't break a string on a roller bridge. Thicker strings sound better. GFS sells roller bridges to fit TOM bridges for 22 a piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushy Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 cheers for that, i have to say i do like to kick the *** out of my guitar when the moment presents itself and i feel that my guitar should be able to handle that so it might need a little fine tuning. I play rock/grunge/punk. So does take a bit of a beating now and again! But have to say i used to play Indie previously with the previous Epiphones and they were still prone to string snapping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I find that the asian take on the tune-o-matic bridge has a problem with notches on the saddles that are too deep and the wrong shape. The 'V' of the notch strangles the string and leads to tuning and breakage problems. Now, you can buy a replacement, but I've also found that it's short work to rectify the existing bridge's problems. As you can see here, all I do is file the existing saddle flat until there is only the barest suggestion of the original notch left. Problem solved; looks and works just like a Gibson bridge. Now the only 'burr' you have to worry about is the one in your accent! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushy Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 Ha ha Good yin! Good advice mate, will give that a go and see how it goes! Will resort to buying a roller bridge if still not happy! I find that the asian take on the tune-o-matic bridge has a problem with notches on the saddles that are too deep and the wrong shape. The 'V' of the notch strangles the string and leads to tuning and breakage problems. Now' date=' you can buy a replacement, but I've also found that it's short work to rectify the existing bridge's problems. [img']http://www.marantatech.com/Graphix/filedbridge.jpg[/img] As you can see here, all I do is file the existing saddle flat until there is only the barest suggestion of the original notch left. Problem solved; looks and works just like a Gibson bridge. Now the only 'burr' you have to worry about is the one in your accent! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Strum Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Do you know where i can get a thin enough file for the saddles? You might want to look around for something like this for future use. http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Diamond-Needle-File-Set/dp/B000FOIILY/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1216743553&sr=8-3 There are places that sell sets for $100+, but these will serve the purpose if you are not doing daily work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron G Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Anybody familiar with Graphtech string saver saddles? (I'm not but read about 'em somewhere regarding string breakage problem) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmitchell Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Anybody familiar with Graphtech string saver saddles? (I'm not but read about 'emsomewhere regarding string breakage problem) A roller bridge will last longer, graphite wears down over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 You might want to look around for something like this for future use. http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Diamond-Needle-File-Set/dp/B000FOIILY/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1216743553&sr=8-3 There are places that sell sets for $100+' date=' but these will serve the purpose if you are not doing daily work. [/quote'] Although this set is cheap enough. I bought this exact set from a Cummins tool sale. I planned to do some nut work with them to see if I could handle it. I got busy and parted with $35.00 to have the local guit tar shop do the work. I'll go you one cheaper. I bought a package of 4 diamond flat files for filing nails for fingerpicking. Bought them at a dollar store for ... well... a dollar. They're in the 'Health and Beauty aisle. Might be 3 for a buck now what with the price of everything going up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookelputz Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Although this set is cheap enough. I bought this exact set from a Cummins tool sale. I planned to do some nut work with them to see if I could handle it. I got busy and parted with $35.00 to have the local guit tar shop do the work. I'll go you one cheaper. I bought a package of 4 diamond flat files for filing nails for fingerpicking. Bought them at a dollar store for ... well... a dollar. They're in the 'Health and Beauty aisle. Might be 3 for a buck now what with the price of everything going up. I always thought folding a piece of wet/dry emery paper over the broken string was the best way to file/sand any burrs off the saddle or nut, because it was based on the exact thickness of the string in question rather than "the thinnest file I could find. Plus, the only expense is the emery paper, and I keep it around for other things anyway. And it bends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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