Increasing string gauge to reduce breakage: Does it work?

[Bacchus]

So,

I generally play .013s with high action on all my guitars, but I have a few that I like to keep set up for the widdly-widdlies and will play .011s on them with nice low action. I notice that I break strings on these guitars more often when bending, which got me thinking:

Surely a thinner string is being held at a lower tension and is more elastic, so ought to have more give in it before it breaks under bending? If I want to stop this from happening should I be looking at heavier strings or lighter strings?

I think the answer here might be a but counter-intuitive. Heavier strings are obviously less likely to break from heavy picking (hence my preference for them in the first place) but if the breaks are occurring under bending, does that indicate that the string is too light or too heavy for its intended purpose?

[Sloan]

First check all contact points on your guitar.

[paul_]

What Sloan said.

If the guitars with .011s used to have .013s on them, that's likely the problem. Odds are you'll need nut work (repair/replacement) to step down two gauges and might have iffy saddles from long-term manland too.

[theshadowofseattle]

Physics, dude. If you've got thicker, more dense strings, the amount of force to break them goes up a lot more than the force required to pull them into concert. It's not a 1 to 1 ratio.

Example: It takes a lot more force to hold high-tension wires taut than 13's, but that high tension doesn't make them break at a lower force than the 13's would.

[Bacchus]

I know that set up is an issue as well, I'm wondering about perfect world type conditions, though.

Physics, dude. If you've got thicker, more dense strings, the amount of force to break them goes up a lot more than the force required to pull them into concert. It's not a 1 to 1 ratio.

Example: It takes a lot more force to hold high-tension wires taut than 13's, but that high tension doesn't make them break at a lower force than the 13's would.

That's what I was hoping or expecting.

But tell me professor shad, why is the steel used on thicker strings denser than that used lighter strings?

[NickS]

But tell me professor shad, why is the steel used on thicker strings denser than that used lighter strings?

Indeed.

Science alert.

► Show Spoiler

Assuming for a moment that the strings do use the same type of steel, tensile strength of a material is measured in force per unit area. The force required to break a string depends on the cross-sectional area. So a .011" takes around 50% more pull to break than a .009".

[theshadowofseattle]

Damn, I didn't catch myself on that one. I was assuming for a moment that the thickness involved more windings per unit length for some reason.

Nick nailed the science behind it; my high tension wire analogy is still valid, so there.

[Bacchus]

Assuming for a moment that the strings do use the same type of steel, tensile strength of a material is measured in force per unit area. The force required to break a string depends on the cross-sectional area. So a .011" takes around 50% more pull to break than a .009".

But how much more tension is required to get the heavier string to a given pitch?

[NickS]

But how much more tension is required to get the heavier string to a given pitch?

I'm sure some science nerd around here has the answer to that.

[theshadowofseattle]

Light Gauge 6-string (data from D'Addario):

Diameter Tension
Note inches mm lbs kg
E4 0.012 0.30 23.3 10.57
B3 0.016 0.41 23.3 10.57
G3 0.024 0.61 30.2 13.70
D3 0.032 0.81 30.5 13.83
A2 0.042 1.07 29.9 13.56
E2 0.053 1.35 26.0 13.15


Medium Gauge 6-string (data from D'Addario):

Diameter Tension
Note inches mm lbs kg
E4 0.013 0.33 27.4 12.43
B3 0.017 0.43 26.3 11.93
G3 0.026 0.66 35.3 16.01
D3 0.035 0.89 36.8 16.69
A2 0.045 1.14 34.0 15.42
E2 0.056 1.42 29.0 13.15



Heavy Gauge 6-string (data from D'Addario):

Diameter Tension
Note inches mm lbs kg
E4 0.014 0.36 31.8 14.42
B3 0.018 0.46 29.5 13.38
G3 0.027 0.69 38.4 17.41
D3 0.039 0.99 45.2 20.50
A2 0.049 1.24 40.0 18.14
E2 0.059 1.50 32.2 14.60

[theshadowofseattle]

So, from that data, about 12% more force.