I've finally realized that I'm really only getting about two days of good play out of my strings before they start getting all bent up and skronky.

Main axe is a 2007 esp/ltd m100fm, jumbo frets of course. It's standard-tuned with Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46s.

Does this mean I just gotta change strings every two days, or do I need to use different strings? Any suggestions / recommendations would be appreciated.

I've never heard of anyone having this problem like ever. Jesus do you have files for fingers

the strings you are using are good. maybe look to going to a thicker set.

Slinkys would go dead on me pretty quickly when I used to play them - I recommend switching to Dean Markley or D'Addario. I didn't like GHS either.There are probably other decent brands but I've only used Dean Markley and D'Addario extensively. Maybe switch to 11's or a light top-heavy bottom set as well. Slinkys and GHS weren't sounding fresh after about 10 hours of play-time. How many hours per day do you play?

Do you stretch the strings when you put them on? Make sure they're wrapped neatly ~3 times around the tuning peg, pull on them, re-tune them, and repeat that until they stay in tune.

Typically 1 to 3 hours Monday through Thursday, then about 4 to 5 hours on Fridays & Saturdays.

I had been blaming the guitar, thinking I needed the frets dressed, but then this past Friday I was playing a gig starting with a fresh pack of strings and I realized the frets are fine. By Sunday those strings were all fucked up and honking.

Thanks guitartheist, these seem like potentially viable suggestions.

What exactly do you mean by "damage"? Like you're slapping them repeatedly against the frets?
Or do they simply rust fast? Do your hands sweat profusely while playing? If that's the case, then I have only one recommendation: Elixir Polywebs. That's the highest available gauge for the polywebs (sadly) but it matches your set. Definitely check them out and make sure you string your guitar properly. Very long-lasting.

What's happening is the strings actually get bent places on them, I guess by the frets, when I dig in and do bands and vibrato. I tend to use wide vibrato.

Here are two examples of me playing:

http://timmehworld.com/guitarfun/wat2c.mp3
http://timmehworld.com/yeah2.mp3

I'm not a sweating a lot. I do have sort of oily skin, but the strings aren't rusting, they're getting ding'd up. On the lower strings, you can actually see little bent places, after a few days of play.

I will certainly consider going to a heavier gauge (I have some other guitars that are set up for lower tunings, with much heavier strings, a wound 3rd string, etc), and trying different brands.

You're quite clearly mishandling the strings. I don't know how you do your vibrato, but it should never make anything like "bent places" in your strings.


Wut? Stretching decreases strings' longevity, if done excessively. It only helps with tuning stability.

yes clearly. I will try to be more gentle.

Only if done excessively. The strings are going to slip a bit around the tuning peg, it wears the string less if it is done in a short period of time and brought up to tension as soon as possible.

There are a few articles online that mention the physics behind it, though none explain it in simple terms.
http://www.noyceguitars.com/Technotes/Articles/T3.html (second to last paragraph)
http://books.google.com/books?id=PlQnMs2DTfUC&pg=PA130 (page 130: breaking strings)

That's news to me. I've always avoided doing it at all. I have locking nuts, so the tuning stability is not really an issue (except when I do open the nuts, the strings can be as much as two semitones off tune).

I've always stretched my strings. it's not like you are picking the guitar up from the strings themselves. just pulling them a bit to tighten them around that tuning peg more so.

That's elementary. Stretching your fresh strings will help them stay in tune, regardless if you have locking nuts.

I suggest that you have a luthier or someone who repairs guitars for a living check out your frets, if they need any work. I don't think that the strings get little dents in them because of you bending them as it would almost require you to press on both sides of the fret.

Interesting you would say that, because, yes, I absolutely use multiple fingers for bends and vibrato. Gives you great control of pitch. I think you'll find that the use of multiple fingers for bends and vibrato is a technique that is common as dirt.

Guys, honestly, I think think we have a case closed here; jumbo frets damaging cheap strings. I was doing a session this morning, and I asked the engineer (who is a fine guitarist) if he ever encountered this problem. "All the time! Drives me crazy!" he said.

I think that's a bit vague and doesn't accurately encompass the problem. I have jumbo frets on my main guitar (ESP MH) and the strings I use cost me under $4/set shipped (SIT 10-46). I have never had a problem with this setup. I didn't have the problem with the same Ernie Ball strings you use either.

The hardness of the frets and strings seems to be the underlying issue. I don't know the stuff too well, is anyone better versed in this than me?
Warmoth has a bit of info, including hardness ratings of their frets: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/necks/fretsize.aspx

I know it's common to use two or more fingers to bend a string, but you really don't do it like this do you?

Index finger - fret - middle finger

A more normal approach would be to use both fingers behind the fret.

Besides, I have jumbo frets on my RR1 and I've never broken any strings because of the frets. I've hardly broken a string at all.

I use D'Addario strings and I've never had any issues, and I play fairly heavy-handed. I used Ernie Balls once, and I hated them. They sounded dull after a day. You might be pressing on the strings too hard, also. You only have to press hard enough to get the string solidly against the fret, any more is excess. I second the recommendation to switch to heavier strings, I use 11-56 and my guitars stay in tune, the strings last a good long while without sounding dull, and overall I have no complaints.

I actually went from D'Addario to Ernie Ball because I found D'Addario to sound dull and lifeless. I played on D'Addario for well over ten years before the switch.

I just moved into D'Addario some time ago since only they had a gauge available in local stores that I was looking for (12-60), and they sounded excellent for two weeks and then quickly lost all life and clarity. My pickups are crappy and have a muddy sound, and D'Addario may be better suited for brighter sounding guitars or higher-output pick-ups (I could imagine using them in a Gibson SG or a guitar with EMGs when playing heavier forms of metal). No visible damage whatsoever, though.

If you prefer a more bass sound on your strings, then GHS is apparently the way to go.

With these old, washed up D'Addarios, my C-standard guitar sounds like a fucking bass. New strings of any sort will obviously rectify this, but mainly I want strings that maintain their clarity longer.

I spent roughly $60 on strings the other day. Going to try DRs on my E-standard guitars. For now, going to keep putting the Ernie Ball 'Not Even Slinky's (with an added wound 24 for the 3rd string) on my A-standard guitars, since I find I don't experience the same problems on the heavier strings. I hope it goes well with the DRs.

I use not even slinkys on my D standard guitar. I dig the tension and clarity.

Yep. They are very spagetti-like in A-standard, and you pretty much have to use the wound 24 for the third string or it's just an un-tunable mess. I'm lucky to have a good luthier setting these guitars up for me, he's got them sounding great.

I've been using DR Tite-Fit strings on my standard-tuned guitars for about a month.

The fact is, they sound great and last a lot longer than the Earnie Ball Slinkys.

Yeah, EB strings suck unless you can change them every other day or so.

Have you considered Elixirs? I get about a year of use out of them

I really, really hate coated strings. A lot.

Like I said, I'm having a great experience with the DR strings.

Issue solved.