Break angle
The angle at which a string leaves the nut, the saddle or a tuning post, and how sharply it changes direction there.
Steeper angles press the string harder onto the contact point, which improves coupling and transfer of energy, and stops the string rattling in its slot. Too little angle and the string sounds thin, slips sideways in the nut, or buzzes; too much and it can bind, making tuning unstable and eventually breaking at the saddle. On electrics the angle over the saddle is set by bridge height and tailpiece, and on headstocks by string trees, stagger or the number of wraps on the post.
Example: raising the tailpiece on a set-neck electric reduces the angle over the saddles and is a standard cure for strings breaking there.
See also
Related
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