Blisters Questions (flats to rounds)

[micahbell]

Usually I play a P-Bass strung up with flats. I can play this for hours on hours day after day without any troubles.
A short while ago I couldn't use my P and was forced to play one of my auxiliary basses with rounds, and it just tore into my fingers. So, my questions:

Is there anything I can do to kind of cure this? Do I just need to practice more with the rounds?

If you get bad blisters a few days before a show, what do you do?

If your fingers are killing you mid show, what can you do?

Thanks guys.

[Revvv]

I play rounds, and yet I ended up with a blister under my calous. I practiced non stop for hours for a show.

The only thing I can tell you to do is to drain the blister and let it heal. Superglue your fingertips.

[G00D+~VIBES]

+1

Drain and super-glue.

You can try other stuff, but you'll find this is the answer.

[L-A]

I find I get blisters if I start playing on flats after a long time playing rounds. The opposite is also true, so I guess the answer is that you'll get used to it, and blisters will stop.

[Fergie Fulton]

Never drain a blister, the serum(the liquid in the blister) is there for a reason. Draining a blister is opening the injury up to infection.

Blisters are caused by friction, so reduce the friction and lessen the chance of blisters. (see in the health related sticky for information on blisters and calusses). If your fingers feel sore, a little bit of super glue spread thinly over the area will protect it. This glue will wear off or crack during the playing so you may have to repair it. That in itself should be an indication of how hard you are playing and the friction you are creating.

[mastersrhythm]

Originally Posted by Fergie Fulton

Never drain a blister, the serum(the liquid in the blister) is there for a reason. Draining a blister is opening the injury up to infection.

Blisters are caused by friction, so reduce the friction and lessen the chance of blisters. (see in the health related sticky for information on blisters and calusses). If your fingers feel sore, a little bit of super glue spread thinly over the area will protect it. This glue will wear off or crack during the playing so you may have to repair it. That in itself should be an indication of how hard you are playing and the friction you are creating.

Sometimes you just have to do it though. If there is time to let it heal, then yes let it heal. But, to tell you the truth I have never had time to let my blisters heal for very long before I had a gig.
If you play on a blister, it just gets worse and spreads out further under the skin with or without the superglue.
If you have a gig or really need to practice for one, just pierce the blister with a disinfected pin at the tip rather than the back of it (so you don’t rip it further while playing), put some hydrogen peroxide to clean and if you need the superglue then go for it.

Everyone gets blister now and then. My last one I imagine was around two years ago, and then two years before that. Sometimes you just play too hard, gig or practice too long, or get busy doing a project that does not require playing your bass, then "darn" you have to build a callus again!!

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by mastersrhythm

Sometimes you just have to do it though. If there is time to let it heal, then yes let it heal. But, to tell you the truth I have never had time to let my blisters heal for very long before I had a gig.
If you play on a blister, it just gets worse and spreads out further under the skin with or without the superglue.
If you have a gig or really need to practice for one, just pierce the blister with a disinfected pin at the tip rather than the back of it (so you don’t rip it further while playing), put some hydrogen peroxide to clean and if you need the superglue then go for it.

Everyone gets blister now and then. My last one I imagine was around two years ago, and then two years before that. Sometimes you just play too hard, gig or practice too long, or get busy doing a project that does not require playing your bass, then "darn" you have to build a callus again!!

Never had a blister in over 35 years of playing, and again don't drain a blister unless you understand what you are doing.
Just giving you all a heads up because the way it is talked about is that it is a normal thing to do. If it gets infected you'll wish you had left it alone.

[mastersrhythm]

Originally Posted by Fergie Fulton

Never had a blister in over 35 years of playing, and again don't drain a blister unless you understand what you are doing.
Just giving you all a heads up because the way it is talked about is that it is a normal thing to do. If it gets infected you'll wish you had left it alone.

I guess everyone is different, but YOU and I'm sure others are an exception to the rule. Most people do get blisters playing guitar or bass in their lifetime. You must have a very light touch if you have NEVER had one.

I have been playing for around 30years and YES I have had many blisters over the years. Probably 1 every couple of years, and probably 10-15 that I have had to drain and never had an infection. Most likely because I sanitise the pin and the hole before and after.

Just make sure to sanitize before and after if you need to drain the blister.

[MarkTAW]

I drain my blisters with a sterile pin, with luck it turns into a sort of callous that I can play on until a real callous builds up.

I play hard to get fret clack into my sound, especially in the rehearsal room, where the bass sounds pretty crap. Live, on stage, I don't have to play as hard.

The best way to not get blisters is to play softer.

The next best way is to play hard for a few minutes at a time to build up callouses. E.g. Practice hard & practice short.

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by mastersrhythm

Just make sure to sanitize before and after if you need to drain the blister.

Thats the information that is relevent not just drain and get on with playing as has be offered with no real information to back it up. I know that you mentioned it already with Hydrogen Peroxide as the disinfective but it needs to be known that it is this process if keeping the blister area clean and disinfected that is the key after it has been drained. The pin or needle needs to be disinfected and if possible two small holes made. One to let the air in and one to let the fluid out, as to minimise the risk of tear or lifting at the edges.These are many good medical disinfectants available from surgical spirit to alchohol wipes. Always handy to have alchohol wipes handyand some super glue in your gig bag or fittings case.

[mastersrhythm]

Originally Posted by Fergie Fulton

Thats the information that is relevent not just drain and get on with playing as has be offered with no real information to back it up. I know that you mentioned it already with Hydrogen Peroxide as the disinfective but it needs to be known that it is this process if keeping the blister area clean and disinfected that is the key after it has been drained. The pin or needle needs to be disinfected and if possible two small holes made. One to let the air in and one to let the fluid out, as to minimise the risk of tear or lifting at the edges.These are many good medical disinfectants available from surgical spirit to alchohol wipes. Always handy to have alchohol wipes handyand some super glue in your gig bag or fittings case.

True...and make sure to wipe your a$$ with the other hand for a while as well!!

[mcapote]

spray the bass strings down with some finger ease

[MKoby]

It's really ugly to see infected fingers.
Altogether too many stupid stories on how it happened.

Pain is the bodies way of saying stop.
Blisters are the next reaction against mistreatment.
It is a gamble to poke things into blisters and hope they might get better faster.
Tissue loss happens.

If you insist, keep jabbing pins and needles into those blisters.
You are ensuring my job security.

[L-A]

Wait for a day and the blister will harden one way or another. If needed, a little superglue can go on your finger and endure the friction instead of your skin, but to me this is something to do preventively, not once the damage is done.

[stflbn]

Personally I just do not understand the whole blisters issue. I'm 44 years old and been playing since I was 12 and have never had a blister on either hand from playing bass. Rounds or Flats. No real calluses either. Of course I've never broken a single string playing either in that time.

I guess I must be doing something wrong.


.

[Gearhead43]

Pee on your hands.

[Greevus]

Had many blisters, cuts, wounds, etc. Not a light touch guy at all. If you must continue playing, the blister's gonna pop anyways, so poke a hole in it and drain it. I've taped my fingers in this condition and used super glue. Both suck and are a mess, but whichever pain level works best for ya. I would say if you have a day or two, then let the water stay in for a day, then drain and leave the skin ON. It will harden and then peel away when it's ready. Of course you don't want infection, but I've been doing this most of my life and never had the infection set in. Best advice is play rounds for practice MORE. It will toughen your tips AND make the flats a breeze. Or you could just commit to ROUNDS. hee.

[DogBone]

Originally Posted by micahbell

Usually I play a P-Bass strung up with flats. I can play this for hours on hours day after day without any troubles.
A short while ago I couldn't use my P and was forced to play one of my auxiliary basses with rounds, and it just tore into my fingers. So, my questions:

Is there anything I can do to kind of cure this? Do I just need to practice more with the rounds?

If you get bad blisters a few days before a show, what do you do?

If your fingers are killing you mid show, what can you do?

Thanks guys.

I've found this exact scenario was a good excuse to spend some time getting comfortable playing with a pick.

Also I'll say it...string the backup bass with flats!

[JimmyM]

Funny, but I had the opposite experience. I wear more blisters with flats than rounds.

What do you do if it happens in the middle of the show? You either pick up a pick, or you just bleed all over your bass and look really cool! You'll get used to rounds if you use them more often. But no law says you have to.

Speaking of super glue, Stevie Ray Vaughan would put super glue on his fingertips, then press them into his arm, and yank his fingers off his arm, taking chunks of arm skin with it. He was a real man!

[Gearhead43]

I've never had problems with blisters on electric bass, but slappin' the upright will do it if I am playing alot.

I worked on motorcycles for a living for a long time and my hands are still toughened from wrenching.