Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

Quencho092

Quencho092

New member
my strings wont stop breaking at the saddle of my am dlx strat. I hate this, and i personally think that this specific strat trem really reall sucks compared to the vintage design. The saddles in the vintage one have the rounded off spot where the string is run to the nut, in the 2 point trem, there's one big carved canal for the string to go through. There's much more that could go wrong there IMO.

What do you guys recommend? My B string has broken 2 times in the past 2 days, one was before my school band audition and i had to settle for some other kid's crappy 100 dollar ibanez...had an extremely low action compared to my blues style high strat action. The only strings that break are my B and E strings, the others tend to unwrap sometimes, which also really sucks.

I heard of the teflon trick with the tubing. Maybe i can give that a go. Anybody have a thin teflon tubing reel that they could cut 1 inch off of and mail to me?

Do they sell offset vintage style saddles for strat bridges? Mine are offset as are all american strat bridges.

Is there any way i could fit a vintage style bridge onto my strat? I hate this amercan 2 point syncro bull****!!! :yell:
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

Here's some solutions.

Take some very fine grain sandpaper, fold it so it's got a rounded edge, then run it along the top edge of the saddle where the string goes across. This may deburr the metal, so there's no sharp edge cutting into your string.

In my experience, a set of 10's is the least likely to break. 9's break because they're thin, and 11's break because they have more tension and less resilience.

Learn to lighten your touch on the instrument, so you aren't being too heavy handed on the strings with your picking hand.

Switch from a heavy pick down to a medium, and see if you're still snapping strings.
I prefer heavies, but have also snapped more strings using them.

If none of those options work, buy a set of Graphtech stringsaver saddles. Be sure to buy the offset ones where the bolt isn't straight up the middle. I have my strats setup with Graphtechs on the plain strings and stock saddles on the wound strings. It looks a little funky, but IMO it makes a strat sound the best. You still have the belltones on the wound strings, and a bit of icepick is removed from the plain strings.
You won't break strings anymore. If you use all 6, it won't negatively effect your tone. I just do it my way, since I still like the sound of metal saddles on the low notes.
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

+1 Sandpaper seems to help alot in these situations.
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

do they sell individual graphtechs anywhere online? I'd just need 3 for the plain strings.

Thanks for the tips GJ, i really think they should go back to the vintage designs for the bridge, or at least use smoother simpler saddles. Nothing is more annoying than strings that keep breaking during practices with the band and gigs!!
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

+1 for GJ... this is what I did after breaking strings every 3 songs live...
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

i just sanded the crap out of the saddle and sprayed graphite powder on it. I got this pure oil lubricant and poured it on the nut, and cleared out any dirt from the strings with floss.

If this doesn't work, im going for the saddles. If that doesn't help, i'm getting a reissue '62 bridge.
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

I have found that simply applying pencil "lead" (ie, graphite) to the saddle and nut helps my Floyds immensely!!!
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

i have a simular problem with my jem, the Thick Strings E, A, D snap quite easy and quite often and i have even snapped strings that have been on the guitar for just a few days, i had the guitar only 5 weeks and im snapping them regular but there doesnt seem to be anything rough at the bridge saddles where they snap. i use daddario 11-49 tuned to CGCFAD its gone to the point where i snap at least one heavy string every time i play with my band so now i just use my strat that uses the same strings same in the same tuning and also has a locking trem

any ideas?
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

i applied some, but it stopped sticking to the metal. What HB do you use?
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

+1 on the sandpaper solution. It really sounds like burrs in the saddles (that sounds like a cowboys nightmare :chairfall )
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

I had the same problem with my MIM strat and psuedo vintage trem. Sandpaper didn't help much, but Graph Tech saddles did the trick.

I like GearJoneser's idea of only using the Graph Tech saddles on the plain strings.

The "new" Ferra Glide saddles from Graph Tech cost more, but look normal. They just have the nice, slick compound for the string path.

4756_1lg.jpg


These little critters called Phantom String Locks have a screw in the saddle itself to lock the string down should reduce string movement at the saddle and might be a good alternative to the Graph Techs:

0283_1lg.jpg


Hope this helps.

BTW, if you decide to buy a set of 6 Ferra Glides, you might be able to find someone here who would buy 3 of them. I'd offer myself, except the offset screw won't work with my MIM Strat.

Chip
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

I might buy a set of those Ferra Glide saddles, and sell a set of my regular Am Std Graphtechs. Those look like the ultimate strat saddles!
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

Are the Phantom String Locks designed for string through bodies or are they top loading?
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

Boston Joe said:
Are the Phantom String Locks designed for string through bodies or are they top loading?
Click to expand...

AFAIK the Phantom String Locks are specifically designed for Strat tremelo bridges. I guess the idea is to lock the string to the saddle so that there's no string movement between the saddle and the ball-end in the trem block. Here's the StewMac ad copy:

"Direct-replacement machined brass saddles featuring special oval-tip allen screws that lock the strings in place. They help cure tuning problems and improve sustain."

If you have a hardtail string-thru, you don't have the movement issues of a tremelo bridge. Something like the ABM Wilkinson bridge where the saddles lock down to the bridge makes more sense in a hardtail. G&L and Schaller both have bridges with a cam screw on the side that locks all of the saddles together after you intonate the guitar.

Chip
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

All the above suggestions are real good. I have changed to graphite on almost all my guitars (2 out of 3 strats, SG, LP and 335). Haven't had to change them on my Teles yet. On a Strat another good thind to try is to slide the string through 18 gauge wire covering and slide the wire covering up to the saddle from the back. SRV and many other players have done this for years. It will definatley minimize breaking strings!
 
Re: Strings keep breaking at the saddle..can teflon help?

hey GJ, let me know if you want to sell your graphtechs. Ill buy them on the spot!
 
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