Blisters - leave 'em / pop 'em / superglue ?

[ryco]

Where's the poll for this thread??

I used to leave 'em. But I haven't had a bass induced blister in 30 years. Used to get bisters on blisters playing upright. My teacher accused me of talking the school out in the rain. I informed her it was blood, not rust.

Super Glue is a curious fix. I'm not sure I'd want those chemicals going directly into my bloodstream.

[BellBottomBlues]

Originally Posted by Billy Low

I'm not sure if it's manufactured anymore, but when I was in the military, (due to the job that I had) blisters were quite common and we used a product called moleskin over the blister once we drained it. The product felt like suede with an adhesive backing. It would allow you to continue performing your task while minimizing friction in the affected area, thereby reducing irritation. Some guys would even place moleskin in areas prone to blisters BEFORE getting one in order to prevent the blisters all together!

They still sell it.

You can pick it up most places, I usually bring some with me for camping in case someone gets a blister.

[thesteve]

it seems like I get a blister every time I play a show (though rarely during my band's practices)...granted I've started playing the bass more often than I used to...is consistency just the key to developing calluses? I never felt like I really developed calluses when I was playing guitar every day. I do have pretty soft hands and a reputation for really digging in on the bass and playing hard...

I tried the super glue thing once when I was going into a show with a freshly popped blister...the super glue ended up wearing off and during the time it was on there I felt like I couldn't feel the strings at all.

[BuffaloBass]

Another mil trick is "tincture of bezine". pop the blister, bite a bullet ( it stings to high heaven) , and schmear this stuff on. Calloused in a day. Ask for it at a pharmacy.

[sublime0bass]

there is this guy, lets call him captain jackass, who is a guitarist but also contains drums and "bass equipment" in his house. by equipment, i mean a old pbass copy and a Peavy tube guitar amp, which is essentially like playing through and ODB3 with the knobs turned all the way up. anyway the good captain just leaves this stuff in his moist basement, and the string's feel something akin to 1400 grit sandpaper. so now i have this HUGE blister on my middle finger, but on the upside

i now know what it feels like to play as Jamerson did

[Seussbass]

I never really get blisters anymore, but when I used to I would always leave them and let them heal, or pop naturally.

I've always thought that it made my callouses stronger to leave them.

[BurbsToo]

I was hungry until I read this... thanks. Haha. As I bio major I would advise against popping them if you can. Since your skin is in dead layers, when you pop it, the 1st layer (with the most keratin) becomes separated from the rest of the epidermis, and will peal off. And you lose most of your callus. If you're lucky, your body will just absorb the pus and the outer layer will be saved! Also avoid water when you have a blister because it'll make the skin come off easier. I find that I lose callus, and my fingers hurt like hell after I pop them.

[fryBASS]

Originally Posted by Rattman

I'd have to say.. stay away from slappin' and poppin'.. it really dosen't sound that good anyway. I've clearly found that really seasoned guys that have been playing for years and making money in live music, rarely resort to slappin'. (specifically: electric bass )

If you can very gently poke a tiny hole in one edge of the blister, drain it and cover with a bandaid, you will indeed get a new callus started there.. definitely don't remove the skin... just cover it well.

I never got blisters from slapping and popping, the only time I ever get blisters is when I'm playing my upright bass. I never really play jazz with it much, so whenever I do I end up tearing up my fingers. Just last week I got 3. On my index, middle, and ring. They're better now, but I just leave them alone untill they pop on their own.

[rhcpflea]

dont pick at em or anything. leave em alone and they become hard for good and you can play all the time.

[wespaul]

After several rounds with this problem myself, the following seems to work best for me:

- If it develops during the gig, play through the pain, don't pop it.
- Don't pop it afterwards either. Let your body absorb the clear fluid and/or blood (it ain't pus - if it is, you have opened it and allowed it to become infected). I usually lose the skin over the blister eventually, but until I do, it makes a great temporary callous, and when it comes off, the skin underneath, though tender, is whole.
- If it is stil tender by the time you have to play for an extended period again, a couple of layers of superglue over it will help cushion it some, but be prepared to reapply a few times during the gig. Don't apply superglue to it if it is still in an open, weepy condition.

Your mileage/opinion may vary.

[beelzelboss]

Well, i've had a few experiences with blisters, and not all from playing bass, but i'll focus on the bass ones.
After setting down my guitar for a few months, i picked it pack up and after playing everything i knew, ended up with a HUGE blister on my middle finger, and smaller one on my index finger (this is my fingering hand) and then on my fretting hand, i had a small one on my index finger off to the side for some reason, and one of my ring finger.
(this has happened to me like 4 times) Each time i ended up popping them, and then playing with the skin, making a big hole and then getting a callous three weeks later.
But this last time, i left them alone, didn't pop, didn't do anything to them. A week later to my surprise, i had callouses on all my fingers!

It was great! So thats my story on callouses.
My suggestion, if you are going to pop it, do it small, and hope it dosen't hurt, if your not going to pop it, it should be all better within a week. with a harder callous.

[Kgoodrich]

I usually just pop them with something sharp, drain the fluid and keep on trucking.

[oswaldvon]

i never gotten any blisters from bass playing but whenever i play drums i get a ******** of blisters.
i always pop them, usually with a needle or sometimes i rip them badboys open with my bare fingers.
its twice the fun if you got a friend(or stranger) in the same room so you can gross him/her out with the blood, skin, fluid and what not.

[Projectile]

I find it funny that people think the fluid that comes out of blisters is so gross. I never knew that people had such a strong reaction to it. From an anatomical perspective there is really nothing gross about the fluid in blister. It's not "puss" like the stuff that comes out of an infected wound which is created by bacteria. It's basically just salt water, nearly identical to tears or sweat. It's pretty clean stuff and shouldn't merit any strong reaction.

[WillieJ]

A tip on "callus maintenance" -- I've had a tendency over the years to find my callus will get really brittle, and the top layer will peel off, OR a little edge, kind of like a callus hangnail, if you will, will rise up and I find biting them off irresistable, and then the edge deteriorates, the callus rips, and I'm off into a cycle of building another one.

The fix -- bought a pack of emery boards. When I get a little rough edge pop up, I file it down. Yeah, it's odd, filing your calluses (you feel kinda like a teh old dames in the steno pool or something) ... but I haven't "lost" a callus in over 6 months. It's workin for me.

Other than that, Like most here - I subscribe to the lance on the side, drain and let harden.
I've never been able to avoid blisters -- I guess I just have a heavy hand to start with, but when you get into it, just digging comes natural. And then, viola: blisters!
...until you get a nice callus going.

[Jake of Bass]

Just let them heal by themselves. Your body is really good at doing that so the blister itself becomes the start of the callouses you're after. You'll notice this after a few days.

[almaxwell]

Use a pumice stone on finger tips.