I've just had the D string break at the bridge again. This is the second time in a few weeks, so I think maybe there's a slightly rough patch on the bridge that's abrading the string. There's definitely a grove worn in the black finish, so I can see a bit of the light wood underneath. Before I restring, would it be worth me trying to do something to smooth things out a bit? If so, what?

I can think of three options:

Stick something over it. (Small piece of gaffer tape or micropore or something.)
Do a bit of very careful sanding.
Apply a few coats of PVA glue.

Anyone got any other ideas?
If not, which of those three is the best way to go?

It may not be a bridge problem at all. I couldn't detect anything sharp or rough - it may just be a bad string (it's the same one that broke before - as it broke so near the end I just re-attached it) and it's presented tuning problems since I first put it on the guitar - it's never settled properly.

Thanks,

T.

I think you are right, and a tiny bit of micropore sounds like an excellent idea until you get to a luthier.

Viohazard's guitar has a few...quirks, but as a classical player, I don't recall him ever breaking a string, and some of them stay on a good long while!

Since guitar strings are not all that expensive, why not buy a new D string, do the tape thing, and see if the problem recurs?

Rather than going for the sticking things on approach, how about using a pencil to put a layer of lubricating graphite on the spot where the string meets the bridge, and see if that does the trick?

Thanks guys. :-)



It's the slightly worse-for-wear guitar that I've had since my 14th birthday. Attention from a luthier would almost certainly cost more than the guitar did, so it's going to be a DIY job all the way.



I don't change mine unless they break and it's usually the D that snaps. What's different now is that it's going at the bridge instead of the second fret (the expected place), and it's happening faster than I'd expect it to.



*grin* I've got a couple of spare Ds in hand already - I know it's the one that's most likely to break, so I keep them around). So I'll put one of them on once I've done something to try to sort out the bridge. Then I'll see how long the replacement string lasts and where it breaks (which it will do sooner or later).
I'll have to replenish my stockpile of D strings soon though and will try some of the brands that people have recommended on other threads. I'm not convinced that this isn't a string problem rather than a bridge problem, but I may as well try to fix it just in case.



KJ>
Thanks - I hadn't thought of that. I think I'd rather try something like that before anything permanent or sticky.


I don't know the proper name for the bit where I think the problem is - it's not the actual bridge itself, but the bit I knot the end of the string round. It may be the actual bridge, but the most worn part is the other side of the knot bit.
I'll mark the new string at the bridge so I can work out exactly where it's breaking if it happens at that end again.

T.