Telecaster string breakage

Hi there

A friend of mine has been having problems with a new telecaster. He's not broken a string in 15 years until he got this and he's snapped 2 top e's in the last week. I've had a look for him as its always at the same point by the bridge but I can't see any sharp edges or anything. Is this a common problem with teles? Is there anything I can suggest to him?

Thanks :)

What sort of bridge is on the tele. You would have to think there is some abnormal pressure from something there.

There are heaps of after market options. Replacement saddles or whole bridge assemblies.

You could go to a heavier gauge strings... I haven't broken an 11 yet.. :D

Its one of the standard telecaster bridges with the 3 adjustable screws. I know he plays hard but as I've said, he's not broken one in 15 years so his playing shouldn't be to blame. Could it be catching on the allen screw that adjusts the string height do you think?

One trick that Stevie Ray Vaughans tech used to use was to strip a piece of electrical wire that's slightly larger than the string guage you're breaking... cut it so it's only about a half inch to an inch long.... then when you reinstall the new string slide that piece of rubber shielding over the string.... and put it where the first bridge contact point is... NOT the bridge saddle contact point.... Strat and Tele bridges haven't changed at all in their basic design since they were invented in the 50's.... They both have a contact point where the string comes up through the back of the guitar then makes an angle up to the bridge saddle... It's often a sharp contact point, and one of the most common breaking points for Fender guitars... As Fender instruments age these contact points become rounded and worn... making them less fo a problem... I personally filed mine down when I got my guitar. But the tubing over the string at that contact point will act as a bit of a string protector. It worked for Stevie... Or you can round off the sharp point with a file... Either way. That's probably what's causing your string breakage.

looking at the broken string should pinpoint the exact problem area

I would hope that he would have inspected the string after it broke, and made the assumption that it was caused by the bridge.... Hence the "I've had a look for him as its always at the same point by the bridge" part in the original post... :cool:

Just always seems to be at the same point just on the saddle but theres nothing high or sharp about it like on some strat saddles. I've given the guitar a setup so the adjustment in string height might help. I shall let you know ;)

I took the image above and drew an arrow to the point that's probably giving you the trouble... This a common trouble area for Fender style guitars, especially when you use lighter gauge strings on them. Like I said earlier, you can use some wire shielding slipped over the string to reduce the friction and severity of the contact point... or you can do what I did and just file the point down so it acts as a seat for the string rather than a sharp contact point...

More often than not, when you get a string that's breaking at the bridge it's because of this contact point. Strats and Tele's both have this problem.

Also, the lower the saddles are set, the more severe the angle is for the string at this contact point... that weakens the string even more. So if you have your saddles set really low it may have made the problem worse. Just a few more things to look at. I know you said you got a set-up and that's great!! Hope it's playing better for you... If you have any more probs with breaking strings at the bridge you might want to try a few of the things I suggested, as long as you're interested.

I'll find out this week if I've fixed it so I'll keep you up to date. Cheers!