Uhm...I need help with my guitar...

1st problem: One of my strings broke and now its ball point is stuck in the back of the guitar in the hole where the string goes.

Any solutions?

Can you post a pic because I'm not quite getting what you're describing...?

Ill try but I dont think I'll be able to get a very good light.

Edit: Yup, either its too dark out or we just have a bad quality camera.

Post a pic of the guitar from further away. I'm not even sure what sortof setup you have from that angle. What kind of guitar is it?

Its a Fender Squier. I think. They're called stratocasters too, apparently.

its a Fender Squire Strato, possibly a 05 model?

Anyways, consider this a good time to change all your strings, so take em all off, which should then make your rear and front bridge come off of the guitar, then take something like a pen and poke it out. If you cant get it out, take it to guitar center or somewhere and they'll fix it for you.

Just a bit of fun technical info a "Squire" is actually an entry-level Strat (Stratocaster), just like in the old days you were a Squire before you became a Knight.

That being said, I'd recommend getting a paper clip and folding it out a few times, leaving the last curve in there so you can hang onto it. Come in through the front side of the bridge (picture below) and work the string's ball out the back. It's okay to give a little pressure, the bridge can only move so far, you won't break it unless you push with all your might (if that's the case, take it somewhere instead of doing that). It should come out with just a little force. What usually happens is they get turned sideways and wedged, so try poking around on different corners to see if you can find the side that will un-wedge it.

Like DarthRogueKnight said if you've been playing more than 20-40 hours on those strings you may want to just re-string the guitar. THIS tutorial is an easy-to-learn tutorial. The only thing I would add is that once you're done removing strings to push your whammy bar down some and slide something the thickness of a credit card in about 1/2 inch (under the right side of the picture below). Keep it there until you have your guitar strung and tuned up. That way when you use the whammy bar you have 'drop' (lower a note) AND a little 'pull' (raising a note). Just be sure never to pull on the bar too hard, just little pulls -- otherwise you'll break a string again (:D)

Oh, and sorry if you knew all of this already, but I figured I'd cover it.

It's okay to give a little pressure, the bridge can only move so far, you won't break it unless you push with all your might (if that's the case, take it somewhere instead of doing that).

lol, I think the paperclip would break before the bridge did, Fender has been known to make some pretty tough brodges.

Anyways, changing stings is also a good time to do a nice little checkup on your guitar (at least I do one every time I change strings). If you play it often (or like me, play it 10-12 hrs a week at random concerts) You should change strings about every month, but if you just pick it up and play it every once and a while, there isnt much need to change strings unless they break. Changing strings can be a little difficult at first, but you an get a string winder at Guitar Center that can help you wrap the string around the knob at the top of the guitar.

Some other good things to do while changing strings:
Make sure your sound and tone knobs don't go farther than they are supposed to when you turn them to min and max. If they do, it can cause the string allowig them to turn to break, and thats really hard to fix. If they do that, just take th knob off, and use a wrench to tighten the bolt underneath it.

Check your pickups to make sure they both work correctly.

Check your jack to make sure it doesnt short out.

And last but not least, buy some nice shiny polish to make your baby look nice!

Hope that helped.

DarthRogueKnight wrote:Some other good things to do while changing strings:
Make sure your sound and tone knobs don't go farther than they are supposed to when you turn them to min and max. If they do, it can cause the string allowig them to turn to break, and thats really hard to fix. If they do that, just take th knob off, and use a wrench to tighten the bolt underneath it.

Eh? You mean the wires under the pickguard or something?

Turns out I had a lot more things wrong with my guitar rather than just a broken string. Its at the guitar shop now where I take my lessons. The counter dude is fixing it now.

It had a tuning peg loose, which made the 3rd string rattle, the nut was crooked, the strings were too high, and I dont know if this is a bad thing, but while me and my teacher were at the workbench to restring my guitar, he said the bridge was raised, and I never noticed that before.

Yeah, Im awful. I did 2 strings wrong.

Lets see...I got an out-of-the-box guitar kit from Target. First the strap that came with it failed, then the amp that came with it failed, then the amp cord that came with it failed. Is my guitar next?

redgroupclan wrote:Turns out I had a lot more things wrong with my guitar rather than just a broken string. Its at the guitar shop now where I take my lessons. The counter dude is fixing it now.

It had a tuning peg loose, which made the 3rd string rattle, the nut was crooked, the strings were too high, and I dont know if this is a bad thing, but while me and my teacher were at the workbench to restring my guitar, he said the bridge was raised, and I never noticed that before.

Yeah, Im awful. I did 2 strings wrong.

Lets see...I got an out-of-the-box guitar kit from Target. First the strap that came with it failed, then the amp that came with it failed, then the amp cord that came with it failed. Is my guitar next?

A raised bridge is only bad if it is raised too high. if it is too low, the strings will hit the fretboard and rattle. If you keep doing checkups on your guitar, your guitar will long outlast a guitar that hasnt been cleaned, worked on, and had strings changed. There isnt much that can cripple a guitar beyond repair, its built mostly of replaceable parts. (Unless you are Slash, running around smashing les paul's to pieces! )

Eh? You mean the wires under the pickguard or something?

They may be under the pickguard in some guitars that have one (I got a custom Les Paul without the pickguard, I just don't like em.) but as said, i wouldnt know, my Volume and Tone knobs route straight to the electronics by the jack. Bing said, i actually wasnt talking about the electronics, i was talking abou the string that when your knob reahed its min/max rotation(10 or 0) it makes the knob stop turning.

What do you mean by the string that makes the knob stop turning. You're losing me there.

Teancum wrote:What do you mean by the string that makes the knob stop turning. You're losing me there.

When you turn the volume on your guitar to its maximum volume, when the knob reaches maximum, it stops, and the only way to make it go farther is by forcing it. That is because it is controled by a string, that, when it reaches its limit, stops it from moving. if you berak that string, the knob can move freely with no limit.

I don't know what kind of guitar you're talking about, but Strats use Potentiometers which contain no strings whatsoever. In fact in my 15 years of playing I've never heard of a volume/tone control that has strings.