• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Bassist talk

Blisters how do we beat them?

  • Idk

    Votes: 17 25.0%

  • Band aids

    Votes: 2 2.9%

  • There’s more options

    Votes: 50 73.5%
  • Total voters
    68
#44
bill81255 said:
Puncture the blister, drain, let dry. Do it at bedtime so it has a few hours to toughen up a bit before you play again. Use a string lubricant (e.g. FingerEase) until callouses develop. IME, playing flats or rounds doesn't matter. It's really just a matter of time. Avoid playing "Locomotive Breath" by Jethro Tull. :D Super glue is great for cracked skin around fingernails for me.

The Bar Band Bassman
Click to expand...
I do this, or have done this. Puncture right at the very edge. Use super glue to harden the loose skin flap. You want to keep it around for a few days as protection for the soft skin under the blister. Eventually it has to come off though.

Lighter touch, better monitoring, and a quieter band all help too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bill81255
#52
When I started playing, my technique was nonexistent, I played enthusiastically but with very little control, and when I became excited I plucked way too hard and pressed down the strings with far too much force from my left hand. I had a cheap bass with a warped neck, which made matters worse.

When my playing become more controlled and nuanced, I stopped getting blisters on electric bass.

I doubt I've had a blister while playing in more than 50 years now.
 
#55
If it's an urgent situation, I've had good results by keeping a bandaid on overnight, and if you really need to play on it, use super glue to cover it. Sometimes, if the skin hasn't fully fallen off, I'll use nail clippers to put a small cut on the far side (furthest from where your finger initially makes contact with the string) and drain the blister before continuing to play on it. I only really have experience with upright blisters though, so might be different for electric.
 
#58
Killing Floor said:
Glue? Yes it does. I have lifer calluses from bass but if I play too much guitar those plains shred my 2 outer fingers because the position is different from bass, I’ve gotten slices at the edge of a callus. Super Glue.

Not joking, I believe it was originally used as a field suture. It works.
Click to expand...

I've kept super glue in my gig bag for 45 years.

Not because of tearing calluses and blisters, but mostly plucking/picking-hand dry-weather skin cracks from thumb pressure resting on pickups and fingers/thumbs squeezing guitar picks tight for pinch-harmonics and chicken-picking.

Haven't picked up a guitar in months; Guess I better get back on it or run the risk of blisters on the bending side of my fretting fingers: Got a paid guitar recording gig next month; Not concerned about 4 hours of studio work, only the time leading back to it getting my guitar chops back. Sure wish the BL could've used me on bass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Killing Floor
#59
They're part of the deal early on while you're building up the strength/endurance just to play the instrument. BUT - they shouldn't happen often once you have some years under your belt. I rarely got blisters from electric bass UNLESS - I was not able to hear myself and was digging in too hard, I was using heavier gauge stainless steel strings, or the action of the bass was uncomfortable and I was fighting the instrument. On double bass, it's a whole other world of building up calluses and endurance. I got them bad in my first few months - blood blisters even - but after a while it took a bass with (again) super high metal core strings (Spirocores mostly) to bring blisters on. Super high humidity on a gig can also make blisters happen a bit more easily. I eventually settled on synthetic core strings for double bass over the years (Obligatos, Kolstein Heritage, and D'Addario Zyex) and it alleviated a lot of the tendencies to get blisters, for the most part. Light gauges and more flexible core types are a big help.

I have NEVER done the Super Glue trick. It's toxic, and a burst blister is an open wound. It can/will get infected, and putting super glue in there is mainlining toxins into your body. Your best bet is to find as sturdy of a fabric (not plastic) bandage as you can, and wrap it in a way that you can still play even with the bandage on there (seams/wraps on the top part of your finger). Sometimes I even did 2 bandages for extra padding. The bandage will wear out, so have more on hand to replace them on a set break. In severe cases, you may have to take a break while they heal.

Bottom line - find the setup, string type, and amp settings that allow you to play without having to dig in too hard to be heard. Most of the time, that's the root of all blister problems. We're playing music - not in combat. Don't fight the instrument more than you have to.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back