String breakage. Keyless. 25.5

Pete McAvity · From: St. Louis, Missouri USA

Awright. There are plenty of threads on 3rd string breaks involving the 25.5" scale Keyless Excel Superb. I'm well versed and have contributed to many of them.

Now.

I've broken a recently purchased SIT 5th string .018. Do not know where (on the string) the break occurred. Replaced with an older SIT .018 which has held.

Two weeks later, popped a recently purchased .014 SIT 4th string at the top of the changer finger. Contact area on finger looks and feels smooth, roller nut spins easily. Chalked both breaks off to a bad batch. Swapped in a .014 D'Addario NYXL. Got to pitch fine. raised 1/2 step about a dozen times & brought back to pitch fine. Raised a full step and POW. Broke at the roller nut.

WTF. NEVER in 12 years have I ever had anything but the .011/.0115/.012 3rd string break on this guitar, now 3 othrs in less than a month. Granted- I bring the .011 up to pitch REEEEAAL slow, like over the course of a day or two, before SLOOOOWLY depressing the B pedal til I'm there (and it HAS to be an unobtanium George L reinforced .011PG)

Possible culprits:

1) Most if not all brands source their steel from the same place & when bad batches happen they happen to everyone everywhere, every brand. Jim Palencar has posed this theory based on his experience with streaks of breaks.

2) I'm doing something different. I have recently gotten into the habit of bringing the tuner end up so the ball end is level w/ the roller, pulling the string manually to a coupla steps shy, then locking & pulling to pitch. This sometimes leaves the point where the braided reinforcement on the ball end touching the roller nut, but not OVER it. I'm wondering if this small length between the braiding & the apex of the roller nu is a high tension point, this may be a weak point of the string, or both.

I suspect my issue is a combo of these two factors. How do you keyless guys, particularly long scale, keep from popping strings?

Thanks,
-Pete
_________________
Excel Superb D10, Sarno Black Box or Freeloader, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.

They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!"

Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

I converted my 25.5 to a 24.25. Couldn't be happier. NO detectable loss in sustain or tone. A very detectable loss of stress!!!

Pete McAvity · From: St. Louis, Missouri USA

I know, Sonny. I’m not ready to Jenkins my guitar yet, but the option is definitely on the table.
_________________
Excel Superb D10, Sarno Black Box or Freeloader, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.

They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!"

Larry Allen · From: Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii

Aloha Pete, I have 3 25.5” Excels, I’ve been using NYXLs for years and haven’t broken any. (Knock on wood!) before that I used Cobras and had minimal breakage on 3.. went to .012, .. Shocked

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Excel steels & Peavey amps,Old Chevys & Motorcycles & Women on the Trashy Side

Lee Gauthier · From: Göteborg, Sweden

I play a 25.5" Excel. I tune down to D normally, but the main thing I did was to avoid breakage was to go slightly lighter with all the string gauges. I used a calculator to get everything as close to 24lbs of tension iirc. Using the same gauges I used on my 24.25" I'd great breakages every now and again. But it varied, I prefer NYXLs and never had one break, but I can't always get them were I live and other brands weren't as reliable for me. I like the tone and pedal action a bit more with a lighter set too so a win win in my case, but I don't know how much thinner you can go with E9 before they sound weird.

Mike Vallandigham · From: Martinez, CA

I wouldn't be surprised if the cause wasn't crappy metal stock.

This is happening in the engine world - new flat tappet cams are going flat a short time after initial break in at an alarming rate.

Everyone mostly agrees that it's inferior metal blanks coming in from you know where.

FWIW, I have a 25.5" Keyless Excel and I've broken a few 0.011" strings, but maybe only once a plain 0.022". I fixed the 3rd string breakage with some filing/sanding in the string keeper area.

Also, I always hear that all the strings we buy all made at like two places. A bad batch could extend across many "brands"

Mike

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