When was the last time you broke a string?

[WalMan]

Was at a gig last night for the band I often dep with and saw something I've not seen in a long while. The bass player broke a string, or more to the point I think the windings let go over the saddle about a third of the way into a song.

From the sound of it they weren't really old strings that should have been changed ages ago, so it was probably a string malfunction.

Now I do seem to recall having strings go in the past, but not for a looooooooong time, so as the title says... when was the last time you broke a string?

[Pete Academy]

About 30 years ago.

[discreet]

Never while playing. Have snapped one when changing strings at home by absent-mindedly turning tuner in wrong direction until string snapped! What a stupid git.

[Blademan_98]

I have never broken a bass string whilst playing. Or a guitar string for that matter!

Edit: Just not trying hard enough........

Edited November 5, 2011 by Blademan_98

[apa]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1320522351' post='1428020']
Never while playing. Have snapped one when changing strings at home by absent-mindedly turning tuner in wrong direction until string snapped! What a stupid git.
[/quote]

I dont think your alone there discreet lol. One did go about 20 years ago on me and Ive got my GDAE's muddled up on occasion lol

A

[discreet]

[quote name='Blademan_98' timestamp='1320522662' post='1428025']
Or a guitar string for that matter!
[/quote]
What??!! GET OUT!!

[Blademan_98]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1320522841' post='1428032']
What??!! GET OUT!!


[/quote]
I don't use a pick so I don't hit the strings hard enough!

[Dom in Dorset]

Last week, I was setting up my new fretless using some old strings (they had to be taken off a few times to remove high spots from the board)
I broke two in fact.
I can't remember ever breaking a string in normal circumstances.

[EssentialTension]

My son broke a string on my Decade this afternoon.

I broke one at a gig about three years ago.

[kevin_lindsay]

Last time I broke a string was back in the early 1980's on my first bass - an Antoria Jazz cope with a terrible bridge. Steel straight edge saddles so it created ahorrible severe break angle

[Lozz196]

In about 1987

[chris_b]

[size=4]I carry my old set of strings with me just in case, but I've never broken a string. How do you do that?[/size]

[neepheid]

In what appears to be a common theme, I have never broken a string while playing. I broke a flatwound E string when I was fitting it because I used too long a scale and was trying to wrap the fat part around the tuner. It said "I'm not doing that" and promptly broke.

[gjones]

Weirdly, the last, and only time I've ever broken a string was when I was tuning up at home. I can't ever remember breaking a string while gigging and I must have played a few hundred gigs. I still keep a set with me just in case though.

Edited November 5, 2011 by gjones

[RhysP]

I've never broken a bass or guitar string whilst playing.

I recently went through 3 packets of GHS Bass Boomers when stringing up my Bogart bass for the first time - those string clamps take a bit of getting used to. Got it sussed now though.

[Adrenochrome]

About 4 years ago in rehearsal when drummer and guitard were too loud. Never in a gig,

[spike]

1985 or thereabouts

[arthurhenry]

About three years ago, only one I've ever broken on a gig in 25 years. The A string went on the penultimate note of Radar love at the end of the first set - perfect timing!

[charic]

Never in any circumstance but then I play heavy gauges. Maybe the few to break strings having been playing lighter gauges?

[AttitudeCastle]

I broke the C and F strings of a 7 string at the same time but the bridge was the cause as the guy who owned it had modded the bridge. Poorly.

Other than that, never not even while tuning.

I spoke to a guy who said he breaks B and E strings every 5 or 6 gigs. My first thought how?!

[thisnameistaken]

1997.

But I broke a lot of strings in 1997. I was young.

[winterfire666]

it was a frosty morning in january 1995, i remember it well, 2 days after my birthday. i was playing on my new 5 string when the unthinkable happened.
The core of B string snapped at the bridge end and with much horror i watched as the windings uncoiled before my eyes.
unfortunate but not the end of the world i thought, untill i realised thet it was sunday morning and i had no spares!!!!
AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

at that moment i vowed never to break a string again (or be without spares at a weekend)
it took many years to overcome my torment, but we as bass players must be strong willed and vigilant in the face of adversity.

[Doctor J]

I think it was 1990.

[leonshelley01]

Had an A string let go about 6 months ago at a rehearsal. My own fault, the strings were old and well past it, but we were due to gig a week later so thought I would wait to replace them.

[bassace]

on a double bass never, but once the tail wire let go on a gig so does that count as four?