Shoulder pain ?

[squeally dan]

Playing in a wedding band. I am a guitar player but for the past few months I have been the bassist. Looks like I will continue as the bassist.

Anyway, I have been having shoulder pain after an hour set. I purchased a wider and more elastic strap that was recommended here, but still having pain. Any suggestions? Am I just a girly man?

[jallenbass]

This is the only thing that has helped me:

http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap-signature

I can now wear my Stingray Classic 5 all night with no problems.

[intheory]

I need to do this...looks awesome!!

[squeally dan]

I'm using a used early 90s fender jazz bass. Are the heavier than other basses? It sure feels heavy.

[Andyman001]

Originally Posted by squeally dan

I'm using a used early 90s fender jazz bass. Are the heavier than other basses? It sure feels heavy.

weigh it, if over 9lbs, look to trade it in, pain is no fun.

[fearceol]

Are you sure that you are not hunching your shoulders without realising it ?

Next time you practice, play in front of a mirror and observe how you play.

[Jay2U]

It looks like we all have different solutions to the problem. Here is another, which helps me a lot. I wear the bass as low as possible, even if I'm sitting. If it's too high, I'm lifting my right shoulder to play. This causes pain. In my case the actual pain was coming from the neck, however it appeared as shoulder pain, mainly on the right side.

The OP didn't tell whether it concerns the right or left shoulder and if he plays right or left-handed. Of course, you should have it checked by a med.

[squeally dan]

I'm right handed. The shoulder that hurts is the one that the strap goes over (left). That's the one supporting the weight.

[Jay2U]

Originally Posted by squeally dan

I'm right handed. The shoulder that hurts is the one that the strap goes over (left). That's the one supporting the weight.

Then I suppose your pain has another cause than mine.

[dtripoli]

Even though we are skilled on the fret board, playing a guitar and playing a bass require using different sets of muscles. I played exclusively guitar for about 18 months then went back to bass. My chops and stamina were up but I still got shoulder and neck pain for the first few months until I redeveloped the bass playing strength.

[cyclopsbookworm]

Jazz basses are pretty heavy. A bass that's just a couple pounds lighter makes a huge difference. For me, I find that if I'm too stagnant I'll start to get a little pain, but if I change my position or move around a little more that helps.

Another thing I do in-between songs (If I'm playing something heavy) is hold up my bass slightly with my right hand to take the weight off the shoulder for a few seconds. Maybe roll my shoulder around for a sec. That 2-3 second relief can make a difference after a set.

If you were in a metal band you could do the robert trujillo thing and rest the bass on your upper thigh...it could look totally silly though for a more traditional band setting =)

[Russell L]

You may be like me and have an ailment unrelated to playing bass (or so I think that's what's wrong with me). I just deal with it, but I find myself moving my strap around a lot on my shoulder, to different positions. There is a pinched nerve down in there somewhere, or so it feels. Naproxen helps, but is no cure. Try letting a doc look at it. I need to do that myownself.

[Nitrojunkie2]

I agree with most of what's come before: Jazz basses from the 90s are heavy, different muscle areas take time to strengthen. I had the exact same problem when I switched from guitar to bass in a band setting. But a very wide Levi's strap seemed to help quite a bit.

[backup]

i have a this problem with my lemonly heavy squier VM jazz. EVERY time i tell someone (no matter bassist, guitarist or construction worker) to hold my bass for a sec they always go "damn its heavy".
but money is tight and i like the sound.

what i do is 1. hold it with the right hand between songs and sets, breaks etc. 2. sit down when possible. whne im playing jazz or quiter soul i tend to sit down. very helpful and it even looks professional.

however eventually i will try to find another bass.

[cchorney]

You should be able to find a light weight bass without too much difficulty - either via wood choice, body size or scale length (because those typically come with smaller bodies). But try before you buy - part of a bass's sound is due to the wood its made from.

A couple options for basses that sound like what you've got, more or less:
Steinberger small body headless bass - 8.5 lbs
Fender Mustang short scale - 7 lbs 14 oz

You could also get a Kala U-Bass, which has polyurethane strings and sounds like an upright. It weighs very little but is almost a different instrument.

Or you could get a hollow body, but these tend to have their own, thumpy, sound.

It might be worth getting a padded strap, fixing your posture, and getting some physical therapy exercises going first. Cheaper, anyway.