Breaking a string at a gig - has this happened to you?

[Toddy54]

Only once at a gig, about 20 years ago, A string. First and only time ( touch wood ).

[hubrad]

I once broke two strings in the first set of one gig.. that's when I gave up boiling strings!

Hardly ever break them these days, but always carry a spare set - even for the double bass. 'Twould feel like a lame excuse for messing up a paying gig.

[Stag]

I broke an A once with my old blues / Cream band... not good when most tunes were in A or E. I didnt havea spare either, long time ago now... not enough money for spares.... so ended up basically looked like Wooten flying up and down the neck playing blue / 12 bar patterns. Highly amusing for our guitarist.

[the_skezz]

Never in a gig, though I've broken an E string at home (was right when I was starting, my tuner was crap and kept telling me to tighten the string way further than it should have been tightened. Me, not knowing any better at the time, did as it told me and ended up breaking it). Never broken one since, though I do carry spares to gigs just in case.

[velvetkevorkian]

Never broken a bass guitar string. Once broke a DB string in rehearsal but it was an old tired school bass with strings older than I was. Don't take spares, but I have enough extra strings on my basses I'm sure I'd be able to work something out.

[Sarah5string]

I've never broken a string, full stop. *touches wood*

[spike]

Happened to me once over twenty years ago, D string I think. I remember feeling really pleased with myself because I was able to finish the set with only 3 strings.

[Heathy]

I occasionally used to break an E when I played a Kubicki. Luckily I always had a set of 'boilys' in the gig bag.

The Kubicki was a fine instrument but changing the strings was a real pain.

[Clarky]

[quote name='Heathy' post='856493' date='Jun 3 2010, 08:10 PM']Luckily I always had a set of 'boilys' in the gig bag.[/quote]
Is that what they mean by 'boil in the bag'?

[Clarky]

Statistically speaking, so far 98% of respondents in this poll have a less than 1:20 chance of breaking a string on a gig. That settles it for me. I will continue on my mean, lazy way and not bring a spare set of strings!

[Colledge]

i broke a string at a gig a couple of years ago (E) and i had no spare bass and for some reason couldn't find a spare e string so strung up an a string in its place... did the job. also that must have been the fastest string change ever.

ive seen mastodon 3 times and the bassist / singer broke a string on all 3 occasions. i think he gets a bit too carried away.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Linus27' post='856328' date='Jun 3 2010, 05:33 PM']Yep, all the time in my driving guitar punk pop days. Used to break a string every 4 or 5 gigs but then I did play fairly heavy with a pick. Not heavy as in heavy music, heavy as in I play heavy. Got quite good as being able to improvise the bass lines with one less string. Quite a weird feeling when a string breaks. String goes all floppy and it feels like everything goes to jelly as both hands try to make contact with a solid string and trying to find the right note on a different string

I have found that now I play with fingers more, I still dig in really hard and get a clanking sound as the strings hit the frets and pole pieces on the pickups. I tend to hit down on the strings rather that pluck them upwards. I guess its different if not ideal [/quote]

+1

Back in my old band, I used to use light Rotos with a fairly heavy ish pick, and play REALLY fast, and when we were on tour the adrenaline often hit me onstage so id dig in far too much. Snapped a few E's and A's doing that.

It will probably happen again. Recently Im playing much calmer music, but Im missing that massive adrenaline rush of playing ridiculously fast on a Precision. Cant beat punk.

[TimR]

I broke an E string many years ago. I'm sure it was a boiled one. No spare, managed to borrow a bass from the support band.

Always carry spare strings (keep last set taken off), and spare leads (1 instrument, 1 mains).

I broke a tuner on NYE tuning up before going on, My E! I had a spare string, but not a spare bass. Completely restrung the bass during the next song so that the E was where A should be etc... Played the rest of the gig doing mental gymnastics.

[Doddy]

I went through a phase a few years ago where I was breaking strings every few weeks.They were
nearly always E and A strings too.....apart from a couple of B strings.
At the time I was playing more rock stuff in a loud band and was hitting the strings pretty hard. I still
play pretty hard at times-although not as hard as I did-and,touch wood,I've not broken one in about
3 years.

[acidbass]

Broke an E string playing Higher Ground once at home, but never at a gig thankfully.

[Tegs]

Once turned up to dep for a rubbish blues band with a grouchy alcoholic singer and took the bass out of the gig bag and all four strings were broken! Couldn't understand it 'till I remembered the 4x10 falling over in the back of the car, the corner
landed on the neck and bust all four at once I guess that doesn't really count though...........

[johnnylager]

Clarky, could you please add [i]Probably, but I can't remember[/i]?

[Clarky]

[quote name='johnnylager' post='856823' date='Jun 4 2010, 08:28 AM']Clarky, could you please add [i]Probably, but I can't remember[/i]?[/quote]
done!

[JTUK]

An A string so long ago, I can't remember how I dealt with it.

I probably bluffed through the song and changed it as I always carry spare strings.
I always clean my strings up and re-use them as well so this may make them weaker..if you don't take care winding them on correctly..
I take a spare bass mostly now anyway.

I don't think breaking strings is any excuse..shouldn't happen often at all AFAIAC..

[pantherairsoft]

Broke an E once at a gig… Ironically whilst supporting the band I now actually play bass for.

Half way through the 2nd track. I had neither a spare bass or a spare string… But the bassist from Aphemia at the time had a spare which he threw my way and I managed to restring and retune on stage in front of everyone by the end of the track and the bass re-joined by track 3.

It was a disaster and looked uber unprofessional…

Not something I wish to repeat again!

Edited June 4, 2010 by pantherairsoft

[Fat Rich]

Regularly had strings break when I used to use Rotosounds in the late 80s but never on a gig.

I assume the quality is better now, they'd usually break while tuning them up for the first time or I'd come back to the bass the next morning and find one broke in the night. Add in the regular dead or corroded strings in a set and I stopped using them even though I loved the tone.

Switched to Ernie Balls and never had a problem.

[hubrad]

[quote name='Clarky' post='856503' date='Jun 3 2010, 08:18 PM']Statistically speaking, so far 98% of respondents in this poll have a less than 1:20 chance of breaking a string on a gig. That settles it for me. I will continue on my mean, lazy way and not bring a spare set of strings![/quote]
Tightwad!!

[Clarky]

[quote name='hubrad' post='856903' date='Jun 4 2010, 10:04 AM']Tightwad!! [/quote]
Well, I play flats (TI and Pyramids) and they are over £30 a set ... so yeah!

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='drewk_ie' post='856317' date='Jun 3 2010, 05:27 PM']Ah yes, the 'ol bass breaking string... I do remember back in the early ninties I used to break an E or A string at every gig... and my figures used to blister and bleed... God that was an expensive and sore time !! But I put that down having in adequate amplification and trying to keep up with the volume of the guitarists.

These days though only once in a very very blue moon! [/quote]

Same here.

[Adrenochrome]

I broke a couple many years ago (more than 10). Never happened since I used proper amplification.