The string clamps will have weakened the string where it is held. You'll have a kink in the string, probably causing buzzes, and it will break very quickly.

 

It works, and it depends on how tight you lock your nut, how sharp the angle is to your string tree, and how much abuse you've given the string at the first few frets, too. If you do a lot of low fret bending you've weakened the string at the nut contact point. If you over tighten the nut it smashes the strings. Usually I tighten the nut enough to grip the string but not compress it. I'm not doing "slack the strings" dive bombs. But it definitely works. Either way it should always be strong enough to finish a gig.

 

In my case, it's an ibanez Jem so the strings basically go straight back to the tuners with minimal angle. I can understand how the fatter strings would be kinked more easily (it's really noticable at the saddle), but it'd be nice to be able to do this to extend the life of even the unwound strings (they break a lot more often).

-J

 

I just cut off enough that the strings dont have kinks in them anymore. Ive never experienced any problems tonal or otherwise. Heavy playing *four plus hours a day* will at least in my case render strings pretty much useless in around two weeks or so. But thats just in extreme cases my sweat really corodes metal badly.

 

if i break a string while practicing at home I tend to restring the whole guitar. Reusing broken strings is kinda useless. Sure if they were like $5 a string. But they're not.

But to extend the string life I wipe them down after each play and spray on some Stuart Box Kwik Fret (spray on a cloth then wipe the strings down). Makes them nice n' slippery, and eucalyptus smelling. I've also found it helps them last longer (corrode less).

wil..

 

I'm not really turned off by the cost of strings (if I was that cheap I wouldn't be playing a jem!) but I HATE the setup, the stretching the string out, the tuning, etc. I didnt' realize that string lubricant actually extends the life of the string...does it? I have Tone Finger-Ease...it's probably the same sorta stuff as Stuart Box Kwik Fret.

My strings always break at the saddle, so I'm not sure how string lubricant can really extend life...correct me if I'm wrong. I didnt' think strings broke because of corrosion because your fingers don't touch where the string breaks anyways (the saddle).

-Jeff.

 

i use to use finger-ease... it's not the same as kwikfret...
I found that finger-ease dries out my fretboard, and makes the strings feel dead very quickly.

If they're always breaking at the saddle, I'd suggest seeing if you can smooth out the saddles (if there are any sharp bits where the strings sit), and maybe take a lead pencil to the bit where the strings sit (use the graphite as a bit of a lubricant).

wil..

 

Strings on a whammy equipped guitar should ALWAYS break at the saddle. I'd be worried if they broke anywhere else

 

Rich, I agree, that's why I was thinking that a busted string doesn't have to be replaced, it could just be loosened, re-clamped at the bridge, and tuned up again. But it sounds like people are saying that the nut clamp will kink the string and weaken it at this point...That makes sense to me, but I still think the weakest point will be at the saddle.

What do you think? is it a good idea to loosen, re-clamp, re-tune? or would you replace the whole string every time?

-Jeff.

 

I did it for years on my Radius, saame reason, didn't feel like going through the whole routine, but, the string will stretch a little so do it before you lock up

 

mine sometimes break there... i guess i'm just weird.

 

http://www.blackdiamondstrings.com/

 

I actually broke one of my high E strings on a double locker at the (locking) nut once, but only because I had broken the high E a few times and when they break they tend to bend down there by the nut, from the shock I guess. So it finally bent too many times after too many reinsertions and snapped.

 

I used to do it all the time when practising in my bedroom,just put new ones on for a gig. I find now my JEM doesn't seem to break strings like i have in the past,so it's not an issue

 

I rarely break any strings, and I do quite a bit of bending and whammy antics. If I do, it's ALWAYS at the bridge. I've re-used a broken string many times. If I don't feel like changing them, I cut a half inch off all the strings from the bridge end and re-insert. The compressed thing at the locking nut never seems to affect me, although they should be weaker there because they've been crushed. The string will be stretched out quite a bit, of course (that's probably why it broke in the first place), and is more likely to break again but it'll do if you're in a hurry (and somewhat lazy at times, like me .)

 

With non-wound strings it's no problem, re-utilize at discretion. The D can also be reused if you nutlock hasn't deformed the string by applying too much pressure. I have done this my whole life. If a string still has life in it, and it's long enough, sure reuse !

If your sweat is corrosive, some people's more than others depending on the acid-level of their excretions, it's a good thing to wipe your strings off with a fine cloth after playing.

Regards,

JP

 

Just leave loads of slack at the tuner end. Then when you break one, just undo it, clamp it down and tune it up, job done.

 

If it's to get through a show or rehearsal, yeah, I'll re-set the string into the bridge lock, since that it usually where they end up breaking for me. After that, though, I'm changing strings.

 

LOTS OF WD40!!

If you break a string, its time to get new strings