Locking Tuners And Breakage

[bowermang]

The variax 69 is my first guitar with a tremolo bar.  I didn't recognize that it also came with string locks until my strings began breaking. I've had the guitar about 4 months, playing it probably 2-4 hours a week and over the last week, 4 of the strings have broken.  I know that some players change their strings all the time, but is there a way to keep from going through 3-4 sets a year?

 

Also, I've restrung in the fashion I was taught, 2-3 winds around the post and I understand that for locking tuners, I should pull the string straight through the post, lock it down and cut off the excess.  supposedly tuning is more accurate.  Any suggestions?

[radatats]

Also, I've restrung in the fashion I was taught, 2-3 winds around the post and I understand that for locking tuners, I should pull the string straight through the post, lock it down and cut off the excess.  supposedly tuning is more accurate.  Any suggestions?

 

Locking tuners DO NOT get any extra winds around the post.  As you said, pull straight through and tighten down, then tune. 

 

3-4 times a year is very reasonable by the way... Unless you beat your strings to death, they should be OK if you restring correctly...

 

[clay-man]

Are they breaking at the pegs? Like he radatats said, you don't need to wind extra around the posts if it's locking.

 

My 600 used to have a string breaking problem but that's because the action was so high at an angle it would choke and cut the strings over time. Lowered my action and haven't broken a string yet, always change dead strings before I break them now.

[phil_m]

I have broken my high E-string a few times on my JTV69, but it's not been that frequent. I attribute it more to my playing hard at the time. It broken at the saddle whenever it did happen.

 

I would also that if you play the guitar with any frequency 3-4 sets a year is really not that many string changes.

[Charlie_Watt]

I have never seen a string break at the tuner on any guitar.  They almost always break at the bridge.  The locking tuners do not require winds around the peg.  That is one of the great features of them.  You can change strings 10X quicker with locking tuners.  And they should not contribute in any way to string breakage.

[clay-man]

I have never seen a string break at the tuner on any guitar.  They almost always break at the bridge.  The locking tuners do not require winds around the peg.  That is one of the great features of them.  You can change strings 10X quicker with locking tuners.  And they should not contribute in any way to string breakage.

Maybe if you use a trem a lot, that's the only thing I can think of. Any place that is a sharp angle with the strings put on it can cut the string overtime, but the nut should prevent most of the vibrations really going to the tuners, so yeah.

[TheRealZap]

i've broken many at the nut... mostly in a locking nut FR style guitar...

 

I have never seen a string break at the tuner on any guitar.  They almost always break at the bridge.  The locking tuners do not require winds around the peg.  That is one of the great features of them.  You can change strings 10X quicker with locking tuners.  And they should not contribute in any way to string breakage.

[Charlie_Watt]

At the nut yes but at the tuning peg?  IT makes a smooth bend around the peg and the peg should keep the string from breaking at the sharp bend at the locking hole.  My locking tuners usually end up with about 3/4 of a wrap around the peg when I string them.  I intentionally start a bit loose so they get that much of a wrap.  My 69S came with almost no wrap on the strings and none of them broke before I replaced the.  Playing style has a big difference in string breakage.  Some players are much more aggressive and they suffer more broken strings than others that are gentle rhythm players.

[TheRealZap]

same here... never at the tuning peg, always at the nut or saddle.

 

At the nut yes but at the tuning peg?  IT makes a smooth bend around the peg and the peg should keep the string from breaking at the sharp bend at the locking hole.  My locking tuners usually end up with about 3/4 of a wrap around the peg when I string them.  I intentionally start a bit loose so they get that much of a wrap.  My 69S came with almost no wrap on the strings and none of them broke before I replaced the.  Playing style has a big difference in string breakage.  Some players are much more aggressive and they suffer more broken strings than others that are gentle rhythm players.

[bowermang]

the strings have been breaking right at the tuners.  I think maybe they start to slip a little and won't stay in tune, then snap as I'm trying to get them back in tune.  Also, I have wound my four replacements in the old fashion.  Do they need to come off the guitar?

[edstar1960]

the strings have been breaking right at the tuners.  I think maybe they start to slip a little and won't stay in tune, then snap as I'm trying to get them back in tune.  Also, I have wound my four replacements in the old fashion.  Do they need to come off the guitar?

 

Are they snapping at the point the locking mechanism holds the string in place or after the final wind of the string as it straightens up to go down through the nut?

 

If they are snapping at the locking point then maybe there is a sharp edge on the locking shaft that is biting into the string and making them easily snap off once they have been tensioned and loosened a few times?   I assume you are just hand tightening the locking mechanism at the back of the tuners just enough to keep string in place?   Check out the locking shaft to see if it does have a sharp edge to it.