Self explanatory really ... can't practice anymore tonight, doggone it!

Guess this would be how I know when it's time to restring the guitar, huh?

You can still play it if it's missing a string.

Lifes tuff

Reminds of Tom & Jerry. Jerry's country singing Uncle Pecos would break a string on his git-fiddle and would have to go pull one of Tom's whiskers.

This is yet another step in your lifelong journey.
Wait until you slice a finger open when one breaks in the middle of the neck. ( rare). Great fun !

Tom & Jerry is the greatest cartoon ever.

indeed.

You broke one practicing at home by yourself?

Only time I've broken them is when I was playing in a club and channeled the still alive spirit of Jimmy Page and got a little rough with it.

It is a beating though.

A few years ago, I attended a guitar clinic by Josh Williams at an Argyle Bluegrass festival. He told about how he kept a set of strings individually packaged in his back pocket on stage in case he broke one. I'm thinking, yeah right, since it takes me quite a while to change a string.

Sure enough later in the day when he was on stage performing, I saw him break an E string mid song. He gave a break to the mandolin and fiddler and during this I swear he actully changed the string and tuned it up and finished the song when the fiddler was done. Awesome talent, one of the great flatpickers out there today.

All it takes is a sidewinder, which every experienced club picker knows about. I used to keep a 9 and an 11 on top of my amp ( in the package of course.) Now I use a 10 and they dont break near as often.

quit hittin so dang hard.

We saw the Quaby sisters and the guy playing with them kept breaking strings. I couldnt figure it out. He broke about 4 strings playing cowboy type music.He changed them quick. It was like he got a bad batch of strings or something.

oh yeah and use a paper thin pick for elecric.

I use a thicker one for acoustic.

I play metal with VERY light gauge strings, and use a VERY thick pick. If you're strumming, use a thin pick. If you're trying to play technical stuff or very fast stuff, you need a thick pick. The ones I use, and have been for over 10 years now, are made by Dunlop and called a Jazz III.

That's not always true about using a thick pick for technical stuff. It depends upon the player's personal "touch", and how is guitar is set up. I use a .55 delrin for everything. But I also finger pick too....along with the thin pick. I can "bite" down on a string with either my index fingernail and pick at the same time or using the other 3 fingers if needed, using pulls. It just depends upon how you learned to play at a young age, I suppose. It's worked for nearly 50 years for me, and I'm as fast, clean and accurate as most anyone using a thin pick.

Zeek...here's a site that I find helpful for beginners like me. It has familiar tunes with chords and lyrics. Might not be your cup of tea, but I thought I would offer it up.
Folks Songs with Lyrics and Chords

Look, I dunno why it busted ... was just trying to handle a 12 bar blues ... again ... over an hour tonight, and have had some four to five hour practice sessions in the last two weeks.

Maybe I just wore the thing out?

What kind of strings are you using?

Awesome, thank you!


Um, they're the strings that were on the guitar when I bought it ... ?

Was the guitar new?

Yes, bought it brand new

I know you can spend more, and certainly listen more to the guys far more experienced than I, but I have found that a set of Ernie Ball's strings sounds fine, and they are less expensive than a lot of the other choices.

My advice, altho unsolicited, is to always have extra strings around.

I started out with extra light strings, but now I have guitars with 10s, 11,s 12s, and 13s. I just put whatever the manufacturer recommends for their guitar. Other will differ.

Well, the kid who works at the local pawnshop (NOT where I bought the guitar) said that a set of strings is about $6 & he would be glad to restring it when I buy them ... although at some point I'll have to learn to do it myself ...

I'll ask about the Ernie Ball strings.

I like elixir strings for electric. On my cheap acoustic, I use Martin strings. Quality strings not only sound better, but are easier to play.

Eb 10's are what I use for Dpd. I buy a dozen at a time on sale. Less than $50 normally. I change every 40-50 hours of play time. But that's what I was taught and it works for me. Zeek ill teach you and give you a set. Pm me your number. I'm free this weekend.

Zeek-you ever get over towards Bedford? I can give you a couple sets of strings free. They are the 9's-42 strings. Could also give you some pics and teach you to change the strings.

Zeek pm me your address and I will at least send you a set to try they are the D'Addario 9-42 strings. I have a few extra sets.

I've always had good luck with dean markleys on electric. I like the classic one but found the"blue steel" ones good too. I use regular gauge. I don't like light strings.

Acoustic, I fell in love with elixirs and have stayed with them. Heaviest you can stand to play. More bottom end, more tone.

Remember when you use effects to get a great clean sound first. You add effects. sthe bad sound is still there. The effects might make it worse.

I will recommend a great little amp for practice
small rooms. The vox pathfinder is a great little.amp

It has a lot of punch and has a send out to run to the snake.

Thank you to all - I've sent a couple PMs out.

I have an electric guitar - a Fender Squier. It was the only left-hand guitar I could find for under $200 new, as I didn't want to pour alot of money into this if it turned out that I wasn't good or didn't have the interest etc.

Have the interest, working on the ability