new strings, new bridge?

[Emdprodukt]

I have a big problem with braking strings. I'm using D'addarios EJ21 12-52 with a wounded G string and I brake my strings like every week (most of the times it's the A string). It's getting expensive. really I tried almost everyting and came to the conclusion that my hands swet too much. I thought maybe it's sharp edges on the saddles but they got filed and my strings are still breaking way too often. I had a very hard picking but started to learn to play softer. no change. Now I think it's a mixture of the bridge, sharp edges and my swetty hand. I even use lube to protect my strings... doesn't help.

I play a LTD-MH1000 which has a gotoh tune-o-matic bridge like this:

http://www.thomann.de/de/gotoh_ge103bb_tuneomaticbridge_lespaul_black.htm


this is what my bridge looks like after one year. look at the edges of the saddles and the color! I clean my bridge and my strings everytime I play (I play a lot) but I never seen a bridge beeing played down so fast. It's like my swet is like acid for it or can I still hope it's the quality of the bridge itself? could you recommend another bridge?

Any help would be appreciated. thanks!

 

[Sloan]

I bring three guitars to shows since I average 2+ string breaks a show. It has a lot to do with the saddles and stuff. I played a show last week on a guitar with a bigsby and a roller bridge and didn't break one string which was amazing because they're Elixers that have been on the damn thing for 6+ months (they have grooves in them where the frets are - fucking OLD). The other guitarist plays a Telecaster with the GRAPHTECH saddles and I've yet to see him break a string, and I've borrowed it for jam nights and didn't break one either.

The fact that your breaking a set of .12's is alarming. Turning your amp louder and playing softer should help.

I haven't had any experience with the TonePros bridges, but they may be worth looking into.

Another "trick" is to take a piece of the insulation off of electrical wires and put them on your strings where they make contact with the saddles.

 

[Sloan]

Also, check out a roller bridge, should work for a hardtail just as well as a bigsby equipped guitar I would think.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges...e-o-matic_bridges/Schaller_Roller_Bridge.html

 

[Emdprodukt]

I was thinking of getting graph tech saddles but I don't think it's possible to put them into the gotoh bridge because the nut is fixed.

I have the feeling that if I play even softer it's not tight anymore. I was thinking about a rollerbridge aswell, but they're so damn ugly... , of course that shouldn't be the reason not to try them. I played one a few years back and can remember I had the problem that my strings slipped out of the rollers...

I want a high quality bridge that has no sharp edges. Or a bridge in which I could put GraphTech saddles or something. Something that helps :-D

 

[Executioner213]

String your guitars like Zakk Wylde, if you got a stop tailpiece...backwards throught the bottom and wrapped over the backside of the tailpiece. Creates less downward pressure on the saddles, resulting in less breakage at the bridge. I don't know if that model of LTD has that or string-thru body setup, so it depends on that.

Graph tech saddles will probably help, should have nothing to do with what kind of nut you have.

Nobody is going to notice whether it's a rollerbridge or not except you, unless they are two feet away from you while you are playing. Nobody is going to make fun of you for using a roller bridge, especially if you have a practical purpose. If they do, then fuck em...if you can play, thats all that matters. John 5 plays fuckin telecasters, so who cares!

I've been more and more perplexed on how many people I've noticed lately that don't play all that hard. Meshuggah is one I think of right off hand...they seem to play rather light, yet the riffs are thunderous. Its all in your style.

 

[Emdprodukt]

my guitar has a string-thru body setup. that rollerbridge thing was more like a joke so I'm considering this solution aswell. about the nut: I don't think it's possible to get out the saddles because the nut is glued to the screw. I will see if I can release it anyway.

thanks for your help!

 

[006]

I think he is talking about the little nut on the other side of the bridge that holds the saddle adjustment screw in place. Empd, you can remove the saddles, the nut is like soldered to the bridge, but the screw should still come out. If it's not, then it just has a ton of buildup and grime on it that is holding it.

You can order GraphTech replacement saddles for your Gotoh bridge. When I had a small collection of Les Pauls I had upgraded all of the saddles to GraphTech. You may want to look at, as already mentioned, a TonePros Tune-O-Matic bridge man. My EC-1000 came with one and I'm more than happy with how it's held up over the years since I bought it. About 200+ shows, and countless hours jamming, noodling and recording with that guitar. I loved it so much I sold off my Pauls, haha. I'll never get rid of this axe. Ahem...anyway, sorry to go all lovey-dovey about my guitar.

Yeah dude, it's nuts how your bridge is so corroded already, you must *really* sweat, haha.

~006

 

[Tommy Gun]

I put the TonePros stuff on my V's... Well worth it. I was having the same exact problem wih breaking strings, plus I was starting to get intonation issues. I got the TonePros bridge system for that one guitar, and a month later just went ahead and got it for my other V as well, even though the bridge on the 2nd one was still pretty new. I recomend these bridge to everyone. They work beautifully. Seriously, everything they say about them on the TonePros website is TRUE! Never been more satisfied with something for my guitar. Just make sure you get the "pre-notched", if you get it. The "pro-install" comes with untouched saddles and you have to either have it professionally installed, or hammer in the notches yourself. And I don't advise it. The guy at Guitar Center, who ordered the 1st one for me, screwed up and order the "pro install". I notched it myself and it's fine, but it's a pain. I ordered the "pre-notched" for the 2nd guitar and it's perfect! Anyway... good luck.

 

[Emdprodukt]

Yeah dude, it's nuts how your bridge is so corroded already, you must *really* sweat, haha.

~006

yeah it's not natural. god damn sweat. I guess I will order a TonePro bridge and see what happens. if it's not working for me I will get the graphtech saddles...

 

[Emdprodukt]

I think he is talking about the little nut on the other side of the bridge that holds the saddle adjustment screw in place. Empd, you can remove the saddles, the nut is like soldered to the bridge, but the screw should still come out. If it's not, then it just has a ton of buildup and grime on it that is holding it.

the nut is not soldered to the bridge. it's moving with the screw.

 

[006]

Eesh, I'm guessing the design is just weaksauce. Usually the nut is soldered to the bridge itself, it is on my TonePros and my old Pauls too, that way you can adjust the saddles with one tool instead of two. See if you can get a tiny little set of wrenches, from like an electronics or maybe computer repair store, something along those lines. Maybe even look around on here for a set. Or if you have a tiny wrench or even a small pair of pliers, hell even a pair of tweezers may work. That screw and saddle can be removed man.

~006

 

[Emdprodukt]

yup, now I need to find out which graphtech saddles I need. I have to order them (no good music store around here) and I know they have a lot of different version that fit to different bridges.

 

[hourglass]

When you decided to go with monster strings did you have the guitar professionally setup?

If your saddles still have the factory grooves for the .009-.042 set that your guitar shipped with I'm sure that's why you're breaking strings so often.

The corrosion and discoloration have nothing to do with it. I played in a band with a guy whose sweat completely destroyed the black powder coat on his Ibanez edge tremolo. He didn't break strings any more often than anyone else. Tho he did have to change them more often since his ultra-acidic sweat made them go false a lot faster.

ryan

 

[Tommy Gun]

That's a little different man. Floyd Rose style bridges and their saddles are shaped a little differently and are therefor mostly unaffected by corrosion. When a Tune-o-matic bridge starts to corrode, there is a tendency for burrs and jutting edges to form and cause strings to break. The string gauge daoesn't have anything to do with it. I've used everything from 9's to 14's, depending on what tuning I wanted. And I've had those gauges on Floyd's, Tune-o-matic's, Kahler's, and even Gibralter Quick-change bridges. Changing gauge never caused strings to break. But, Tune-o-matics are sensitive. And I especially do not like the Gotoh versions.

 

[Wolfeman]

You say your MH-1000 has a Gotoh bridge? Mine has a Tone-Pros.... How old is it?

By the way I bought a Tone Pros with graph tech saddles, and a graph tech nut for my baritone, and haven't had a string break yet.... And I keep my strings on forever.....

But I also don't have satan's sweat.... I've never seen a bridge quiet like that before. That's pretty fuckin wicked!

 

[006]

Oh shit, yeah man I didn't catch that before. The LTD Deluxe series should all come with TonePros bridges. Regardless of the year they were made. My EC-1000 is from the very first run and it has a TonePros locking TOM. In which case it's even more weird that the nuts on your bridge aren't soldered...mine are. Wolfe, can you tell if yours are?

~006

 

[Emdprodukt]

I have that guitar for about a year now and got it new back then. I didn't even think about that but yeah... you're right, there should be a TonePros Bridge. What the heck is going on!? Anyway... I can't seem to find a black TonePros Bridge in any german onlinestore...

 

[006]

I believe you can order directly from TonePros, no? Check this page for the contact information for international sales. I'm sure they can hook you up with somebody locally. On top of that, if it's a store that has a repair tech, show the bridge to him and tell him what is going on. He may be able to straight up replace it through TonePros warranty service.

~006

 

[Emdprodukt]

Why should TonePros give warranty on Gotoh products? thanks for your help, dude!

 

[006]

Well, that was assuming that you had a normal MH-1000...haha, j/k. Seriously though, you should have a TonePros bridge on that bad boy...would be extremely odd for it to be a Gotoh. However, stranger shit has happened. I would contact ESP first. See where that gets you. Then contact TonePros and tell them whats up. I'm sure they would think it is weird that ESP is manufacturing guitars and advertising their bridge, but using a Gotoh instead. Thirdly, find a tech in a shop that is recommended by TonePros and/or ESP. This is just the way I would go about it.

But, if I were in your shoes, I would've already flipped my lid after finding that I didn't have the bridge that I paid for.

~006