Guitar String Snares?

T

Texas Slim

Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
566
Ok, stupid question time. My son has been going through a lot of guitar strings lately, especially the a and e strings. So my question is, would these strings be good for snares? They have a small brass ring on the end that the string could be threaded through which looks like it would make a perfect slide.

Anyhow, I thought I'd ask before I throw out the latest batch of broken strings...
 
Guitar strings are pretty strong. It would surprise me if they didn't work well.

Do you mean the high or low E? Pretty much the only way to go through the low strings on a guitar quickly is if there is something like a burr on the saddle breaking them.
 
if he's breaking the a and e, he must not be touching the other strings. anyway, they should work if he's breaking them near or behind the nut. may be a bit stiff.
 
He's using Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings. The 9 is just too easy to break but it looks like a pretty nice little snare but I also thought they might be a little too stiff. On the other hand, it's such a fine guage, it seems like it would work.
 
Texas Slim said:
He's using Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings. The 9 is just too easy to break but it looks like a pretty nice little snare but I also thought they might be a little too stiff. On the other hand, it's such a fine guage, it seems like it would work.
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Ernies are good strings. They're not what I use, but they have no faults. Smaller string gauges than .009 are sold, but not in too many places.


9s aren't easy to break. No good (quality and condition) guitar string is. I've been playing guitar for over 9 years and I've never once broken a string on an electric guitar no matter how hard I played. A good brand for people who break strings is SIT. Not only are they good strings but they also throw a free high e and b in every pack.
 
i'm not a fan of of the ernie balls. i always use dean markley blue steel. when i have to do without, i'll settle for ghs boomers.
 
I also use Deans, although I've never tried their blue steel line.

There's just something subtle about the sound of fresh DM strings that feels more alive to me than everything else I've tried.
 
Well, he's 11, has only been playing seriously a few months and got a Strat for Christmas. But I think he's broken most of them tuning it. I'll check into some of the other brands mentioned here.
 
let him discover on his own. if he's new he won't hear or feel a difference between darco's (cheap) and d'addario's(expensive). it will get expensive later, so take it easy on yourself now. what amp you get him?
 
Texas Slim said:
I think he's broken most of them tuning it.
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Does he have an electric tuner? If not make sure he gets one. Building a good ear doesn't happen overnight.

Most guitar strings sold today are actually very good. Don't worry too much about picking out strings- it's almost impossible to make a bad purchase provided you don't do something like get nylons for an electric.


For a while I used old guitar strings as a kind of radio antenna "expansion pack". It looked funny, but worked extremely well.
 
I use elixers on my acoustic, their tone lasts a long time because it has a thin, durable plastic coating over them that keeps debris from your fingers out, which is what kills the tone. Not sure if they make them for electric though.
I have thought of using my old strings for snare, the loop in the endit is ideal.

Oh yeah, if he's breaking strings when tuning he may be tuning it too high, did you get him an electric tuner? They work great.
 
I always used D'Addarios cause they sell individual gauges. I build my own sets as follows....11 14 16 28 34 42.

I play like Albert King, using lots of string bends. I break strings constantly, especially high E strings. They last about 3 hours of playing before snappage occurs.

If you wanted to build a snare dough......get a bit heavier unwound string...like a .22 or so unwound. They are EXTREMELY tough.
 
I stopped playing for 12 years, just started again in November with a borrowed acoustic. In the 90s I was playing a B.C. Rich Warlock with a Floyd Rose Vibrato System on it and constantly broke the G and sometimes the D. I was using GHS TNT Boomers, 10s. Playing Creeping Death by Metallica was usually the end of a D string... :D
 
If you are breaking strings a lot the slots in your nut are probably not cut right.
Get the guitar setup by a luthier/guitar tech and that shouldn't be such a problem.
Maybe get a graphite nut installed,you can get graphite saddles for the strat trem too which will also help. You should stretch you strings a little before tuning up as well.
Stewart Macdonald has lots of good aftermarket goodies and tools
if you are a do-it- your-selfer. I've bought a lot of stuff from them in the past five years,
they are a great company!
:)
 
i never break strings, and i play with heavy vibrato and lots of bends. shred guitar. also use a 1.5mm gator pick, no forgiveness to the strings there.
 
Might have been something wrong with the guitar. GHS might have gotten better. Don't know! I don't remember breaking a string when using the Floyd Rose, it was always during picking some heavy monster stuff. :)
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I never would have guessed there were so many guitar pickers/players/shredders here. I think he's broken three strings (since Christmas) but I replaced the whole set after the last break. So far, the Earnie Ball strings are holding up. But I was looking at the strings I took off his guitar and got to thinking about snares. I think I may just keep the brass nut and crimp it onto some heavier wire I have for salltwater fishing rigs. If I ever get a decent snare put together, I'll post something up.

I picked the boy up at guitar lessons tonight and noticed his music school sells just about every brand of strings that have been mentioned here but NOT Earnie Ball. Hmmmm. I think I'll look at the Dean Markley Blue Steel strings, mostly just cuz I like the package. :) I bought him the guitar and his Grand Dad bought him an amp-- a Behringer. I was a little bummed cuz I was really looking forward to getting him something with TUBES but this digital amp has a built-in tuner and loads of digital effects which the boy seems pleased with so all is well. I guess I'll look for a Marshall or Fender amp after he blows this one up! Of course, as kids will do, he already has his eye on his "next" guitar, a Les Paul. He's eat up with Les Paul. But I'm trying to turn him on to PRS. Well see.

And hey, VonFruitcake, he's been brought up on a steady diet of Albert King, Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughn so he likes to bend, or whammy, just about every note he plays. Ever heard für elise bent??? lol
 
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