Results 1 to 16 of 16

Thread: Need help with finding a guitar string that can tune to high E...

  1. #1
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Tejas
    Posts
    1,065

    Need help with finding a guitar string that can tune to high E...

    I have a 12 string electric I just bought, and the friggin' "high" G string keeps breaking. I'm using Ernie Ball custom gauge 8 string - as recommended. It works for about a week and then pops when I try to adjust the tuning. Even slightly.

    I was told by the guitar luthier at my local shop that they make an 7.5, but I cant seem to find it anywhere online. When I go to look for anything that might work, I see that Elixir has a 12 string set, but the numbers are different.

    How do I find a string that wont break when I tune it up to a high G (two steps above the high E on a guitar)? Why is it I am having this issue? Dont they make 12 strings with a G string that is that high? The guitar came with the two G strings playing the same octave. I knew that wasnt right. So, do I just buy a set of Elixir extra slinky 12 strings and see if it works? People stretch the E's on their guitar far more than two step and the strings dont break. What gives?

    Someone should know the answer to this. In the meantime, I'll strap on another Ernie Ball 8 on the high G and hope it holds for a while.

  2. #2
    Hey Yodelgoat,
    I had a similar issue with my Gibson 6/12 doubleneck....my solution: have your GTR checked-out to see if the nut-groove & bridge saddle are smooth. Once that was addressed, I never broke a "high G string" again.

    BTW: I use D'Addario EXL150's on my 12-string neck.
    G.A.S -aholic

  3. #3
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Where is the string breaking? I agree with SS above about checking the nut slot and the bridge saddle. On cheaper guitars, these are often the culprits for tuning problems and string breakage.

    However, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're using a set with .08 gauge at the high E. This likely means the gauge of the upper octave on the G string is also .08, which is very light, and tuned that high would be prone to breakage. You might actually want to go up a gauge to .09. Ernie Ball makes the 2233 set that has a .09 paired with a wound .2 at the G string. This might prove more durable.

    Check the nut and saddle first, but if you're still having problems, I wound try a heavier gauge string.

    Bill

  4. #4
    hmmm....... using a 009 instead of an 008 sounds counter-intuitive, BUT, the increased diameter "may" prove more durable.

    The set I mentioned above uses an .008 for the high G.
    G.A.S -aholic

  5. #5
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Plague Sanctuary, Vermont
    Posts
    2,481
    There is also the possibility of tuning down a half step or two and using a capo, but I would think the strings should be holding up under normal tuning conditions.
    <sig out of order>

  6. #6
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Tejas
    Posts
    1,065
    Good suggestions, I greased up graphite and so far no breakage. But we shall see. Thanks to all.

  7. #7
    Tuning: for the record, I tune my 12-string up to normal "E" tuning.
    G.A.S -aholic

  8. #8
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Tejas
    Posts
    1,065
    I just bought a Taylor E150 (?) 12 string acoustic. It is tuned down a step. I actually dont like the feel of the more relaxed strings. But I suppose tuning it up to E will add strain to the neck? Do most people use a capo on their 12 strings?

  9. #9
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Quote Originally Posted by Yodelgoat View Post
    I just bought a Taylor E150 (?) 12 string acoustic. It is tuned down a step. I actually dont like the feel of the more relaxed strings. But I suppose tuning it up to E will add strain to the neck? Do most people use a capo on their 12 strings?
    The idea of tuning down a half step on an acoustic 12-string is not fear of neck problems, but rather with the bridge being pulled away from the body, or the body starting to buckle under the tension. In theory, the truss rod will compensate for the neck, but the bodies of 12-strings are vulnerable to this issue, unless it's a trapeze tailpiece.

    When you say "a step," I'm not sure if you mean a full step (so your E string is now tuned to D) or if you meant tuning to Eb, which is a half step. If you are tuning a full step down, try a half step, that should address some of the feel of the strings. I actually really like the 12 string tuned down a half step, I think it sounds meatier. In cases where I really needed to go to standard A 440 tuning, I would use a capo. But when I had a 12-string acoustic, I'd mostly just play it by itself, so tuning it down worked fine and I'd only capo if I wanted to change the key.

    tuning down may or may not work with your electric 12-string. Using a capo, you might lose some of that "jangle" 12-string electrics are known for. You might like that sound, you might not. Your electric is presumably a solid body, so the body buckling isn't an issue. You should be able to tune it to pitch. Hopefully your graphite and lube job will work. You didn't mention where the strings were breaking, at the bridge, at the nut, right in the middle? That may give a clue as to what is causing the problem.

    Bill

  10. #10
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Tejas
    Posts
    1,065
    They were breaking at the nut - or even higher. Sorry I neglected to say that. I've gone through probably 6 strings already. They last a day or two then, "pling!" some of then have been up near the tuner itself, leaving just a couple coils around the tuning peg. Weird that they would break that high up.

  11. #11
    Moderator Sean's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    2,934
    I've used a 9 in place of a 8 on my 12 and it worked fine.

  12. #12
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Plague Sanctuary, Vermont
    Posts
    2,481
    The string may not be sliding over/through the nut nicely. Could be a bur or in need of Nut Sauce.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    <sig out of order>

  13. #13
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Quote Originally Posted by Plasmatopia View Post
    The string may not be sliding over/through the nut nicely. Could be a bur or in need of Nut Sauce.
    Precisely what I was thinking. That problem really implicates the nut, and some filing and/or graphite or Nut Sauce will likely help.

    Bill

  14. #14
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Leicester, UK
    Posts
    699
    Quote Originally Posted by Sputnik View Post
    The idea of tuning down a half step on an acoustic 12-string is not fear of neck problems, but rather with the bridge being pulled away from the body, or the body starting to buckle under the tension. In theory, the truss rod will compensate for the neck, but the bodies of 12-strings are vulnerable to this issue, unless it's a trapeze tailpiece.

    When you say "a step," I'm not sure if you mean a full step (so your E string is now tuned to D) or if you meant tuning to Eb, which is a half step. If you are tuning a full step down, try a half step, that should address some of the feel of the strings. I actually really like the 12 string tuned down a half step, I think it sounds meatier. In cases where I really needed to go to standard A 440 tuning, I would use a capo. But when I had a 12-string acoustic, I'd mostly just play it by itself, so tuning it down worked fine and I'd only capo if I wanted to change the key.

    tuning down may or may not work with your electric 12-string. Using a capo, you might lose some of that "jangle" 12-string electrics are known for. You might like that sound, you might not. Your electric is presumably a solid body, so the body buckling isn't an issue. You should be able to tune it to pitch. Hopefully your graphite and lube job will work. You didn't mention where the strings were breaking, at the bridge, at the nut, right in the middle? That may give a clue as to what is causing the problem.

    Bill
    I tune my Faith 12 down a whole step to D. Sounds massive, and the reduced string tension is fantastic for playing tricky fingerstyle. It's the real key to that Leo Kottke sound (who I believed actually used to tune all the way down to C#).

  15. #15
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Tejas
    Posts
    1,065
    So far, the pencil lead has gotten me through several tunings in E. thats what I needed. thanks for the tips!

  16. #16
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Quote Originally Posted by Yodelgoat View Post
    So far, the pencil lead has gotten me through several tunings in E. thats what I needed. thanks for the tips!


    Get somebody to put a nice bone or graphite nut on that guitar and you'll be in business!

    Bil

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •