Acoustic Guitar Strings Sound Dead

I started a thread on the general forum trying to figure out why a new set of strings sound dead on an otherwise very responsive guitar. Replacing a set of Infeld Plectrum 10-41's with Pearse 11-50's resulted in really dead sounding bass strings. If anything I'd have ben expected them to be brighter.

While tinkering with it, I discovered that the larger gauge strings kind of curved over the saddle whereas the lighter, thinner Infelds seemed to take a sharper angle as they crossed the saddle. In an effort to sharpen the break angle, I enlarged and deepened the slots in the pin holes. It helped, but not dramatically, so I'm wondering what more I can do. I've attached a picture of the Bridge and saddle to solicit opinions to determine if there's more I can do or why the guitar doesn't respond to heavier strings.

Excessive break angle IMO and looks like the saddle may be put in backwards (hard to be sure of course) but the saddle ramp should be on the peg hole side.

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Woods hands pick by eye and ear Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above

That is good. Still with the way the bridge is ramped there is such narrow contact point of the thicker, stiffer, string on the saddle. Also, but not likely, the higher tension on the top can choke the sound of some guitars somewhat (you could try lowering the tuning some and see if it rings out better). Below is more typical of the saddles on my guitars (picture from Frets.com website)

I had a problem where one of my strings sounded dead and muted, so I took it off, and turns out the string got twisted. When I untwisted it, it sounded good again.

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When the string has thick winding, and makes a sharp break over the saddle the winding can be pushed together on the under side, limiting the amount the string can curve. It will actually rise in front of the saddle for a little way. It can't vibrate properly there in the 'vertical' polarization, but might be able to 'horizontally'. In that case the string could actually end up making two different pitches at the same time, and it won't sound clear.

Increasing the break angle is only likely to make this worse. What you need to do is round off the saddle in back of the contact point to accommodate the winding. The less break angle you have the less curve you need to accommodate.

Changing the break angle in itself should not alter the sound of the guitar so long as the strings are kept at the same height off the top. I did a very careful experiment on that, and will stand behind it. So far as I can tell, 12-15 degrees of break angle is 'enough'. Any more than that just increases the tipping force on the saddle that's trying to break out the front of the bridge slot. So long as the string has enough break so that it doesn't roll sideways on top of the saddle when you pluck it, it should be fine.

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A little bit. Judging from where it is now it probably will improve it though you probably won't notice it. You also changed the intonation points by changing the string gauges (due to inharmonicity) and probably raised the action which also changes the intonation points. I.E. don't worry about putting a better contour on the saddle top.

The guitar is a McKnight Mini-Mac with a redwood double top. With other strings, the guitar is incredibly responsive; that’s why I had initially used the Infeld Plectrums for their mellowness.

Does not seem to be a stock saddle. Pictures of that guitar I have seen show ramp up on the peg side of the saddle, for example on this website:

The Fix For Choking Bends — Haze Guitars

Thanks for that. The saddle in those pictures does seem to show a ramp on the pin side of the saddle. Mine is original to the guitar, but all of the relief is definitely on the other side, apparantly trying to move the intonation point as far as possible. It's definitely not stock as this guitar has an extra wide neck and string spacing.

Yeah if the guitar was working fine till you changed to those specific strings I would suspect the strings. Try another set. How old were the Infeld strings?

You will notice that as the string exits the bridge pin hole each string is either touching or nearly touching each pin. I work diligently to increase this mechanical coupling of the string to pin to slot on every guitar I build. When you widened and lengthened the slots you increased the break angle and moved the strings away from the pins which decoupled what I worked so hard at making right in the first place. This modification was unnecessary. I’ll email you shortly.These strings are worn out and should be replaced. The bronze has turned brown/black in areas. New strings will sound much better. Click for larger image.

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The strings on your guitar are not a permanent part. When you first buy your instrument, they usually don't mention you should change them out once in a while. The strings should be treated as a disposable item. You're expected to change them frequently.

Knowing when to change your strings is going to be something you have to figure out for your individual situation. It varies from player to player. If you're using standard steel strings with nickel or phosphor bronze winding: expect to change them anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months at a time. If you're using coated strings: you may get away with a few months longer. Pay attention to the signs of bad strings listed up top, however. Setting a schedule is nearly impossible when there are so many factors involved. If you're unsure, we can tell you.

Nylon strings will last substantially longer than steel strings. Those used on classical guitars and ukulele take a long time to stretch out, break-in and start to stay in tune. It would be a real hassle to change these strings too often. Our advice is that if they're holding up pretty well, leave them on until the sound starts to deteriorate. If you run your finger underneath the string and feel indentation marks from the frets, that's a sign they're worn out.

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Note: Nylon strings are not intended for guitars built for steel strings. They do not fit the nut or bridge properly. The neck is much too narrow for the fatter strings. They won't play well or sound nearly as good as the steel strings. If you want to put easy-to-play strings on, consider Extra Light Phosphor Bronze or Silk & Steel Strings. We stock both of these. Also, if your guitar has high action, bring it by for a setup. We'll make it easy to play with proper strings on it.

Never put Steel Strings on a Nylon String guitar. The guitar is not built with proper bracing to withstand the tension the steel strings apply. The top will flex and bend out of shape. The bridge will eventually rip off the top. The neck can twist or bow to the point it's unplayable. The standard nylon guitar strings all have a nylon core. The three lower strings are wrapped with metal, but they are still nylon strings.

Posted by zodaries14

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