I'm dealing with arthritis and tendonitis in my left wrist and trying to avoid or stave off surgery to the degree possible. I had two rounds of cortisone shots, and the doctor said if it returns we'll have to talk about surgery as continued shots are harmful to the joint. The pain did come back, but I'm managing somewhat with regular stretching, weight exercises and naproxen. Also doing some TENS, epsom salt, heat and cold but not on a fixed regimen or routine. This is all helpful but not a fix.
A friend suggested that moving to 40 - 125 (from 45 - 130) gauge stings might ease things for my left hand some. I tried it, and while I can't readily measure the effect, the change itself does cause me to focus more on playing with a lighter touch with both hands, which is something that benefits my playing generally. As something that helps (regardless of exactly how much) or simply doesn't hurt, I've changed all of my basses over and kept down that path.
I recently got a new bass that came with a 45 -130 set on it and in the little bit of time messing around with it before changing the strings I realized something that showed up as a major difference...thumb slaps on the B and E strings...
I am by no means a slapper, but playing radio rock/pop covers from 70s to current, there are a few spots here and there that I might do some thumb slaps, RHCP or Bruno Mars or Brick House...it comes up. What I noticed was that those thumb hits sounded great; full and powerful, until I changed the strings. The 40 - 125 thumb hits were neutered. I grabbed another bass and it was about the same. Ball-peen hammer tapping piano string versus a wet fart...okay, that's an extreme exaggeration, but a clear difference.
Do people find that's a cost of moving to lighter gauge strings, or is there a setup change that needs to go along with the gauge change to maintain that strength. I simply hadn't noticed before and I'm sure that's partly because it wasn't at all my focus and it's probably less apparent at gig levels.
If this is a real effect, does it vary in degree with different brands or types? The strings here are D'Addario XL Nickel Rounds and Sadowsky Blue Label Nickel Rounds.
A friend suggested that moving to 40 - 125 (from 45 - 130) gauge stings might ease things for my left hand some. I tried it, and while I can't readily measure the effect, the change itself does cause me to focus more on playing with a lighter touch with both hands, which is something that benefits my playing generally. As something that helps (regardless of exactly how much) or simply doesn't hurt, I've changed all of my basses over and kept down that path.
I recently got a new bass that came with a 45 -130 set on it and in the little bit of time messing around with it before changing the strings I realized something that showed up as a major difference...thumb slaps on the B and E strings...
I am by no means a slapper, but playing radio rock/pop covers from 70s to current, there are a few spots here and there that I might do some thumb slaps, RHCP or Bruno Mars or Brick House...it comes up. What I noticed was that those thumb hits sounded great; full and powerful, until I changed the strings. The 40 - 125 thumb hits were neutered. I grabbed another bass and it was about the same. Ball-peen hammer tapping piano string versus a wet fart...okay, that's an extreme exaggeration, but a clear difference.
Do people find that's a cost of moving to lighter gauge strings, or is there a setup change that needs to go along with the gauge change to maintain that strength. I simply hadn't noticed before and I'm sure that's partly because it wasn't at all my focus and it's probably less apparent at gig levels.
If this is a real effect, does it vary in degree with different brands or types? The strings here are D'Addario XL Nickel Rounds and Sadowsky Blue Label Nickel Rounds.
