String Snap PTSD

M3Ukulele said:

That is too bad.........never a nice thing.......but now both ukes are gaining some history. WhT gauge for strings were they? Were you tuned to C6?

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jer said:

Hm. In the first pic I see a tiny little white speck.. In the second pic I see a white spot that looks like glare from light when the pic was taken...or am I missing something?

Here's a tip: Use masking tape or painter's tape (NOT another kind. This has to be something that goes on and comes off easily and will not hurt a finish). Put a strip or two of that down behind the bridge when you change strings. Alternately you could lay a soft piece of cloth there if you could get it to stay in place during the change.
Also, cut off the ends of the strings sticking out at the bridge. It's the string ends that will cause some of those marks.

If that little white speck bothers you that much, you could take a brown marker of the right shade and carefully dot it then quickly rub with a soft cloth....but I'd suggest trying it on something else first as you seem really picky about the look of the instruments.
I take really good care of my stuff too, but sometimes you can worry so much it takes away the enjoyment of the instrument. I mean is it a display piece or a musical instrument?
That's one reason I usually don't own expensive ukes or instruments anymore. I would tend to worry too much over the care of them. Just some thoughts.

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BigJackBrass said:

Ouch. I've never reacted well to things like that (indeed, I've never been able to bear creasing the spine of a book).

A few years ago I read about kintsugi, the Japanese method of pottery repair using gold. The philosophy behind it is that by deliberately highlighting the damage it celebrates the ongoing life of the pot. Scuffs, chips and breaks are part of the story and part of what makes a particular item unique. It made me look differently at wear and tear and accidental damage, accepting that it was part of a growing history.

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Kenn2018 said:

This is akin to the first dent you get on a new car. You dread it until it happens. After that you accept that something you use frequently is going to get a little wear and tear.

Your dings are barely visible. (I understand, you'll always know it's there.) They're learning moments. If either of them really bother you, a good repair shop can try to steam them out and then repair the finishes. (See StewMac video.) But I'd recommend just fix the finishes.

I don't understand why your strings broke. Unless you way over-tightened them.

I've only had one string break for any other reason. (It was an early Aquila Red.) And I use very thin fluorocarbons.

It's easy to be an octave high if you don't have a reference sound.

If you have more than one uke, use the one you're not restringing to get you in the neighborhood of being in tune. Then use your tuner to fine tune. Or use an online tuner with a tone to provide a target.

I tighten the A-string (and high-g) slowly. As it gets taut, I let it rest and stretch while I tune the other strings. Then tighten some more. Until I get there.

I will deliberately over-tighten a step so that the string will stretch and settle faster overnight. To A#.

If you use a low tack tape to protect your top, do not leave it on more than a few minutes. Especially masking tape. It will leave an adhesive residue. I don't know if they even sell it anymore, but Drafting Tape was the lower tack version of masking tape. Your tape needs to be fresh as well.

If you worry about it in the future, you can apply a small strip of clear plastic below your bridge. Like a piece of a phone screen protector. LFdM tenors do this on their tenors. It may affect the finish, so once it's on, don't mess with it. Pickguards can be removed by a luthier or repair tech, I don't know about screen protector materials.

Sorry it happened. It's a bummer.

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Rllink said:

I don't worry about wear and tear. I mean, for a moment, but it is bound to happen. Let go and move on, and don't dwell on it. But in eight years I have never broken a string on one my ukuleles. Interesting that it seems to be a common occurrence for some.

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Puglele said:

I prefer the bridge style you loop the string through 2 holes and tie it. I usually don't have problem with them. The most common style is you type a knot on the end of the string and pull them through the sloth. This is where I have problems with usually. Sometimes the knot is not big enough and it slide up and snap.

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