How many times have you broken a string?

[mep]

1st time was an E String during a gig many years ago. I think I was playing with fingers. Can't remember the song. The string was old and probably had been boled
2nd time was stretching in a new set. I think it was the G string.

[chris_b]

I carry 2 sets of spare strings in my accessories bag in spite of never having broken a bass string.

[Cat Burrito]

Once onstage back in the 90s. I was more of a pick player back then (with a bad right hand technique) and it was the E. Never done it since.

[lee650]

3 times in 26 years of playing! 2 times in my first year of playing over slapping on really cheap strings and once backing a caberet at a holiday park.it was 20 years ago and I was playing light swing and motown at the time 😆

ive just jinxed myself now,better make sure I've spares 😅

[Painy]

I think there must be something wrong with me....
I'd say on average over the years I've probably broken a string about 4 to 5 times a year - normally the A although I even managed to break a 130 low B once. More back when I was playing with a pick and doing 100 to 150 gigs a year. These days playing fingers and maybe 25 to 30 gigs a year it's been about 9 months at a guess since I last broke one so getting better.
My basses are well set up and bridge saddles in good condition but apparently I have particularly corrosive sweat. New Rotosounds would even start to deaden towards the end of the second set on their first gig! Unfortunately for me I prefer the that bright new rounds tone but since I changed to Prosteels it's been a lot better.

[stingrayPete1977]

I had one just decide to come off the ball end and another broke years ago I forget which or how.

I keep spares next to me when playing, I've got loads of free ones that were destined for John Taylor, friend of a friend thing

Edited August 18, 2016 by stingrayPete1977

[4stringslow]

Never, over 30 years of (non-continuous) playing, 99% fingers.

I'm obviously not trying hard enough

[seashell]

Never in 5 years. Which is just as well really as it takes me about half an hour to change one string!
No point in carrying spares - by the time I'd changed the string the audience would have gone home.

[Twincam]

While playing never!

While tuning up 4 times so I voted for 4 times. Twice with new strings twice with old strings.

[xgsjx]

When I used to play round wound strings, probably one every year. There was always one or two songs with a slapped bassline.
Since moving to flat wounds, one D string (which I was gutted at as the strings were only a few years old).
Haven't snapped any singe then though.

[CamdenRob]

Since coming back to the bass a few years back I haven't broken a single one, but back in the days when I was slapping the sh*t out of my bass in a hardcore band it was a regular occurrence... especially as I needed brand new super bright rounds and spent all my money on drugs instead of strings... ended up boiling them several times which never does much for structural integrity.

Edited August 19, 2016 by CamdenRob

[chrisanthony1211]

Never in 20 years.

[Leonard Smalls]

Live? Maybe 5 or 6 times, usually a G. Most of those times were with a raucous punk-funk band...
In rehearsal or just practising - many, many times, all strings, all gauges, mainly slap and pop/finger and thumb style.
Though not so much in the last 10 years - either I've mellowed, my technique's got better, or less rock-climbing means weaker fingers?

[dannybuoy]

Never. Although if it ever did happen, I bet it would be my Yamaha BB1025X. Those new bridges are string through body combined with a really sharp fulcrum resting point at the saddle!

[kusee pee]

Only once and it happened to be at a gig. I was totally shocked, wasn't playing particularly hard or anything. Was an A string and I had to blag my way through the rest of the song. Luckily I had a spare bass 😏

[Paul S]

Once. But once is enough to teach me it can happen!

[BigAlonBass]

Once in 1968, during a rehearsal with a ropey old Copy. (All I could afford at the time) Once in 2002, tuning up a Fender Lyte before a gig. First time, changed the string, second time, just said "sod it" and reached for one of my spare Basses.

[bonzodog]

Once in 28 years and that was in the early days. I was so skint the G string just wore away and I played a few gigs with just 3 strings until I could afford a new string.

[bigjohn]

I used to snap roundwounds every few years. Usually g strings. I used to use picks a lot and strike near the bridge. I've also got strong fingers and will bend bass strings. Then went on Thomastiks, which I had a penchant for snapping the A strings, never using picks. I stopped using those and went onto Labella flats, of which I've snapped a 105 E, but that was within about 5 days of stringing so I think that was a duff string. Not snapped one for a few years now since using the medium Labellas.

[Deep Thought]

I've had a few bottom E's break in rehearsal or at home, but usually really old strings. I have seen a bloke break a bottom E on stage, on a Thunderbird, and it took forever to change it, so I always have a spare bass with me, although not necessarily on stage. I once heard JJ Burnel telling Jason How, CEO of Rotosound, that if he doesn't change strings every gig, he'll break the bottom E for certain.

[Dave Vader]

Another corrosive sweater here (still break guitar strings constantly) I used to break a lot of Bottom Es, with my fingers.

I stopped using rounds, got flats, moved my hand a bit further from the bridge, and haven't broken one in years now.

[EliasMooseblaster]

I certainly went through a phase where they broke more often - never regularly, but I certainly went through quite a few (never an 'E,' but more than my fair share of the other three). Always with fingers, and for that matter almost always with the picking hand...though I do remember a 'G' giving up on me after I attempted to nail a whole-tone bend...

I think the last occasion was at a jazz gig, when the 'D' just failed mid-song. Finishing that set with three strings was an interesting experience. Wasn't long after that I changed my right-hand technique and I haven't broken one since. That was in 2006, if memory serves, so here's to another decade of not needing a backup...!

[Marvin]

Never broken a string playing.

Broke an E whilst fitting a new set of strings. I was tuning up and not really paying attention so the inevitable happened. The string was probably close to an octave above what it should have been when it snapped.

[Agwin]

Twice, early eighties, both Rotosound rounds on my ’78 Precision.
First was a dodgy A that went as I was fitting and tuning it – took it back to shop who replaced it FoC.
Second was a bottom E – Using a pick, first song into a gig with an originals NWOBHM band!
I managed to complete the song by modifying what I played then had a frantic few minutes digging out a spare, fitting it and tuning up.
It was this incident that prompted me to buy a Squier Precision as a spare bass (I figured it would be a lot quicker just to grab another pre tuned bass and just double check the tuning).
Luckily I’ve not had a string go since.

[Johnny Wishbone]

Loads of times, and always the E - probably because it gets used the most. Definitely do it less often these days (last one was a year or so ago) due to more "mature" playing style and slightly lighter gauge pick, but I still play fairly aggressively so it does still happen.