3rd string keeps breaking

[Josephus Vroomans]

Last week my 3rd string (G#, 011P) broke. The SIT stringset is a couple months old.
I tried replacing it with, and broke three strings in a row. All SIT 011P strings.
They break near the tuning post. What can I do about this?
My steel guitar is a Stage One, which I've had over 10 years. Never had this problem before.

[Sam Inglis]

Are you holding the B pedal down as you bring the string up to pitch?

[Jim Cooley]

Check for a burr around the hole in that tuning post. If you find one, try removing it with some very fine grade sandpaper or emery cloth. Have you lubricated the nut roller shaft recently? Loosen all the strings and make sure the nut rollers rotate freely on the roller shaft. Put a very small drop of light lubricant (I like TriFlow) where each roller contacts the roller shaft. Rotate each nut roller just a little, maybe a half turn, then retune the strings back up to pitch. It is also possible that you have strings from a defective production run. Try a different brand of the same gauge string. Some might advise you to switch to a heavier gauge string. That might help in some cases, but is only a band aid fix. String gauge is usually not the problem, especially if you are using the guitar builder's recommended gauge. Since you haven't had this problem in ten years, it is not likely the cause of your problem anyway.

[Larry Phleger]

I had the same problem on my Mullen PRP U12. I discussed this with the late Herby Wallace. He suggested that I wind about 12 wraps around the capstan when I replaced the string. I've been doing that ever since, and have had no further problems with excessive third string breakage.

[Roger Crawford]

Go to the Mullen website, they have a great tutorial about the third string. I do it that way and have never broken a third string. You might consider going to a 12 gauge, too.

[Bobby D. Jones]

Check the edges of the cross hole in the key capstan for burrs, A burr can cause problems.

Cut the string at least 2 keys, Past 3rd string capstan.
Wind the string tight each wrap laying smooth against the previous wrap till the string is wound past the hole and on solid smooth shaft.

Be careful, A fresh string breaking is dangerous.
Happy Steelin.

[Josephus Vroomans]

Thanks everyone. Yesterday I put on a new string, making sure there's enough wraps winding around the capstan. So far so good...

[Donny Hinson]

For that third string, you need at least 7 or 8 wraps on the tuning post.

[Rich Cottle]

Alot of people including Jimmy Day have switched to D-9th , solves the problem and not too many people will want to play your guitar

[Damien Odell]

I had the same issue with SIT, went through more than 20. I've since changed brands and no issue. I believe SIT had a bad run of inferior strings and they're probably still out there.

[Alan Murphy]

I am having the same problem on multiple different brand steels using SIT and GHS

I have just ordered some 11 thou D'Addigios NYXL They have a high carbon content and I believe about 30% higher tensile strength which should really help.

Carbon steel will rust easier but they are tin plated, and the recommendation is to use a lint cloth to wipe down the strings before and after playing

Paul Franklin uses a 12 thou in his D'Addagio signature set, so an 11 thou should be even less prone to breakages

I will report back here in a few days my experience

[Dave Mudgett]

To diagnose string breaking problems, it is absolutely essential to know where the string is breaking. My take, in general:

If it's breaking at the keyhead, I'd be looking at more string winds

If it's breaking at the roller nut, I'd be looking at a friction or burrs at the roller nut, or possibly making sure there's straight string pull at the nut

If it's breaking at the changer finger, I'd be looking for irregularities in the changer finger.

If a reasonably new string is breaking in the middle of the string or at the ball-end, I'd definitely be trying a different brand/batch of strings

None of this is guaranteed - strings can break for various random reasons. And if you're playing a lot, two months is a long time to leave a 3rd string 11-gauge on there without the expectation of breakage.

On this:

Paul Franklin uses a 12 thou in his D'Addagio signature set, so an 11 thou should be even less prone to breakages

Not necessarily. Remember that although the tension of a 12-gauge string is higher (tuned to the same pitch), the tensile strength is also, roughly, proportionally higher. So they are approximately a wash, unless you push the tension way into the nonlinear zones for tension and/or tensile strength. I deal with slide guitar 1st strings at very high tensions that push these limits sometimes, and I never exactly know which is gonna be better, breakage-wise, between an 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, or 12 plain string. But if the issue is a burr or something else that is weakening the string, I usually find that the heavier string works better, as counter-intuitive as that may sound at first blush.

[Josephus Vroomans]

My G# strings were breaking at the stringhead. I think more winds solved the problem. And the new string I used was not a SIT but a D'Addario PL011 High Carbon Steel.