tune-o-matic

[epiphoneguy]

Hi,
I own an epiphone les paul and my strings keep breaking at the tune-o-matic bridge..
anyone know what i could possibly do to stop this problem? thanks

 

[Papa]

Welcome To The Forum!!! (pics a must)

Smooth out the slot edges?

Torch tip cleaners. (small round files in many gauges)
Also good for nut slot smoothing and adjustments.
$5.00 from any welding supply store.

A small fine grade triangular file can also be a useful tool for smoothing out rough edges.

Just don't deepen the slot bottoms unless that is what you intend.

or....

...replace the bridge.


Hope others are more help,

Papa

 

[claven2]

Are you strings touching the body of the TOM bridge after they wrap over the saddles and head into the tail piece?

If yes, you could either lower your bridge or raise your tail piece.

An option to consider would be the Faber tailpiece screws, which come with spacers that allow you to adjust the tailpiece height but simulate having the TP tightened down hard to the body, so there should be no sustain loss (in theory).

 

[mrdannyboy]

Try mixing pencil lead dust with vasoline and then putting it in your saddle slots.

 

[JohnnyN]

Very valid suggestions already posted.
Checking is the if the strings are touching the body of bridge is the first thing I would do.

 

[epiphoneguy]

thanks for all the suggestions guys i will surely try them out

 

[TheX]

If the strings are breaking at the saddle, then touching the body of the bridge isn't causing the issue. Mine touch, never had an issue. Proper saddle setup is critical though, especially getting rid of sharp edges.

 

[NJDevil]

Buy a Tru-Arc....greatest bridge ever The Tru-Arc WebPage: no bells, no whistles

 

[Curmudgeon]

Buy a Tru-Arc....greatest bridge ever The Tru-Arc WebPage: no bells, no whistles

Man, he's sure proud of 'em!!

 

[Alty]

Which one or two or all of them or random and under what conditions....?

 

[MrJudd77]

There is also graphite powder that is available from hardware and auto stores.

 

[Alty]

Try mixing pencil lead dust with vasoline and then putting it in your saddle slots.

The idea behind using Graphite is that it is a dry lubricant so not sure adding Vaseline which just is a magnet for dirt and dust and solidifies after a time is a good idea, a lot of modern pencils aren't good graphite anyway and have plastics added for strength so the other materials may have a negative effect, not something I'd do but too each there own.

As Mr J says or try an art shop for Graphite sticks which tend to be all graphite.

 

[Curmudgeon]

The idea behind using Graphite is that it is a dry lubricant so not sure adding Vaseline which just is a magnet for dirt and dust and solidifies after a time is a good idea,

Yeah, Leon, I think you're right. One time I tried Dri-Slide, which is powdered graphite suspended in some type of liquid. I use it to lube the cables on my motorcycle, but it made a mess of my nut and the fretboard in front of the nut. It seemed to attract dirt long after I thought I had it cleaned off. I can't imagine what Vaseline would do.

 

[wwit]

Before just start cutting slots or globbing gunk all over the saddles, get a magnifier and look and see if there are burrs or something of the sort and address that issue before filing or lubing.

Filing and lubing are fine, but see what's wrong first. Fix the problem, not the symptom. A magnifier will let you see even the tiniest burr or flaw. I use a hardware store visor magnifier when I work on my guitars. Amazing as we get older what we cant see without help. But even just a kids handheld magnifier will do the trick to see potential problems. Sometimes all it might be is that the slots need polishing and nothing more. Remember that once you file the groove, you cant put it back. I use the filing cord that StewMac sells as well as just fine ultra fine grit sand paper or my dremel and rouge to polish fret grooves.

Good luck.

 

[Bristol Posse]

If you have burrs or sharp edges you can use the old strings as a "file" they're the correct gauge and they don't cost you anything.
Pull them through the slots a couple of times and then toss them away. Don't use a lot of downward pressure so you're not cutting deeper into the slot

Works for nuts too

Real files are of course better but in a pinch this will work

 

[Unsung Heroes]

Another test for burrs is cotton wool

Brush some across the saddles and you'll see fine cotton wool hairs on any catch points / burrs

 

[notjoeaverage]

I'll usually use a razor blade rapped with 400 grit sand paper and do a couple passes focusing on putting the pressure on the side of the saddle slot, then 800, then a couple passes with the broken string to "polish".