Anyone who’s ever consistently tuned a guitar knows the feeling- one second you’re turning the peg, the next you might hear something like a sound effect from an old cartoon and be looking at a broken string.

Guitar strings break when tuning for a variety of reasons, most commonly when the string is at the end of its life, but they can also break due to issues with the guitar, improper use, or lack of maintenance. Proper care can help your guitar strings last longer, and strings showing their age should be promptly replaced. 

Whatever way a string gets broken, there are a few questions that come to mind when it happens. Did I do something wrong? Was the string faulty to begin with? Wait, do I have a replacement string ready? Why do strings break when tuning anyway? Keep reading to find out more about what causes your strings to break and how to keep that from happening for as long as possible. 

Why Guitar Strings Break During Tuning

Guitar Strings break for a number of reasons, from faults in the string to problems with the instrument. Even the pick you use to strum the strings can affect how likely they are to snap. The best way to determine why your strings in particular snap are to examine where the strings snap and how often they break. 

Issues with the Strings

Guitar strings are made of steel or nylon. Steel strings are susceptible to oxidation (Source: Fender.com)- in other words, they rust. Normal air exposure will take quite a long time to rust your strings, but the oils from your skin will spread onto the strings and speed up the process. 

Rusty strings are weaker and are much more likely to snap under tension- especially as you increase said tension while tuning. Older strings will also be weaker and more likely to break, so keep an eye on them as they get longer. 

Strings that aren’t properly installed are also more likely to break because they’ll move in ways they weren’t designed to, creating weak points from tension and stress that isn’t going where it’s supposed to. 

Strings that aren’t stretched properly when first put on the guitar may also be more vulnerable to breaking or having their sound deaden early. If a string is chipping or fraying, it needs replacing sooner rather than later if you want to avoid them snapping while you tune. 

Issues with the Guitar Itself

Anywhere the body of your guitar interacts with the strings is where the string can be damaged to the point of snapping while tuning or playing. We’ll start at the top and work our way down on what parts of the guitar can damage your strings. 

The tuning pegs are the first place where problems can occur. If debris or dirt works their way into the opening of the tuning peg where the string goes, problems that lead to strings snapping can occur. Additionally, rough spots on the tuning pegs can wear down your guitar strings. 

Next is the top of the neck of the guitar, the nut. This part of the guitar is responsible for lining up the strings properly down the body of the instrument, and problems there can alter the way the string sits on the guitar and cause additional wear and tear. 

The Frets along the neck of the guitar are also a potential problem. If they’ve become sharp or rough, they may be grinding down the strings every time you play a note or chord. I have a guitar that this happened to.  I would break the high E string on the same fret after a short time of playing. I took it to my favorite guitar tech and watched as he took a file to the offending fret in order to remove the burr.  After that the guitar quit breaking strings.

Finally, the saddle where the guitar strings rest at the bottom of the guitar is yet another place for burrs, rough spots, or other issues that can cause your strings to snap mid tuning. 

For more on the causes of snapping guitar strings, check out this article from Fender.com. 

If your guitar is always breaking strings in the same location or area make a mental note of it so you are better able to help someone diagnose the root cause.

How to Avoid Broken Guitar Strings While Tuning

The only way to never have a string snap on you is to replace it before it can every time- and most people will slip up once or twice. Still, the best way to keep strings from breaking on you is to take good care of the strings and the guitar they’re strung on. 

Breaking a string every once in a while is totally normal, but if you find it happening all the time, start examining if they all break in about the same place or when you do a particular action. This can provide a big clue to potential problems. 

String Care

Taking good care of your strings start with putting them on the guitar properly at the start. Make sure you know exactly what type of set up your guitar has before stringing your guitar so you can use the right methods to put the strings on. 

To prevent the issues with oxidation we mentioned earlier, clean your strings regularly. Special solutions for cleaning guitar strings do exist, but even a quick wipe down with a cloth will do wonders to extend the life of your strings and prevent snapping. 

Stretching a new set of strings when you first put them on will also help keep strings sounding good and surviving every tuning session for longer. Here’s a humorous article from Guitar World that teaches you how to stretch your strings and tells a story to prove why you should.  

Guitar Maintenance

Lots of guitar maintenance can be done by the average player, but some should be left to professionals or experienced guitar DIYers. Working on the saddle, for example, is best left to people paid to do the work (Source: Ernie Ball).

Cleaning the hole or gap where strings attach to the tuning peg will remove dirt and debris that can damage the string and is a good idea anytime you’re restringing your guitar. The nut should also get a cleaning when it’s empty, and if you find spots that are rough or sharp, they can be carefully sanded down to protect your strings. 

Frets and the neck of your guitar can be similarly checked and filed down if there are problem areas that could damage your strings. If you’re not comfortable with working on your own guitar, check with your local music store to see if anyone there has experience. 

How Often Should I Replace my Guitar Strings?

There are several factors at play with how often strings should be replaced. Someone who doesn’t play their guitar often might be able to go years without replacing the strings, and there’s probably someone out there who replaces the strings before every gig they play. 

If a string is discolored, fraying, or chipping (usually this will be a steel string), then it should be replaced ASAP. 

If the sound of your guitar starts to deaden or the strings won’t hold tuning properly, that’s also a sign that the strings need replacing sooner rather than later. As someone who has made this mistake- double-check what kind of strings you have before buying replacements to avoid getting a whole new sound when you didn’t want one. 

Final Thoughts

While I take a lot of joy in playing guitar, snapping strings, I can do without, and I’m sure you agree. Installing strings properly, taking good care of them while they’re on, and doing regular maintenance on your instrument all help you avoid breaking strings. I can’t promise you’ll never have a string snap on you again, but I do hope these tips will make it a much smaller problem in your life.