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Callus's

B

Bassmann135

Nov 10, 2008
21
0
Massachusetts
#1
I have been playing bass for about 4 years and I have developed some good callus's on my right hand index and middle finger. However, over the past couple of days the callus on my index finger has started to peal. I finally got frustrated and pulled of a section. Will my callus come back and is it usual for them to peal with intense playing?

-Thanks
 
#2
Never, never, and I mean ever pull, pick, or peal your callus's or blisters.

Yes, it will come back. Your finger may take on a "custom" shape, and it may take a very long time to become the normal shape again.

yes, it is normal to wear on your callus's.

I recently took a long time, about 6 months, off playing (not enough time to lose my callus's as they are very well established) and then I was practicing up for a band audition and I played so much I raised a 'hot spot' (didn't really blister up as the callus is so thick) .... it took weeks for the thing to appear, and then it hung around for weeks. It was over a month and a half from the time I felt the hot spot and knew that the damage was done, untill the calus/blister started to crack and let go. I resitsed the urge to pick or peel and healed just fine and there was no pain at any point, I played all through that month and a half woth no problem. IF I had given in to urges to pick at it, I would have exposed a sensitive pink area of fresh skin that wasn't ready to take on the world yet and I wouldn'y have been able to play that day.

If you just leave your fingers alone, and never pick at callus's, blisters, or shedding skin hang-y things they will always heal just fine on there own and you can keep playing bass everyday. Pick, and they heal sometimes with wierd shapes (flat spots, craters) and you'll cause pain that will prevent you from playing.

Resist the urge to pick and peel.
 
#8
i played bass for a couple months before i played with a band at my senior farewell concert. at the time i had blisters, after the show they tore and my fingers bled.
made my strings look cool though.
mine come and go, but never get bigger than they were. a bass player should have some.
now i have some basic calluses, but i have heard crazy glue works.
 
#12
i don't really get callouses (or visible callouses)

my fingers feel a little 'thicker' now, but are still somewhat soft. my fingertips never feel pain anymore from playing though, they seem to have lost 'pain'.

i don't know what's up but i like it, my fingers are presentable but don't feel the pain :P
 
#13
The only kind of maintenance that ought to be done on calluses is with a small sheet of fine sandpaper. Not harsh enough to rip up the skin, just rough enough to wear down the sharp points. The missus appreciates the attention:p Think of it as a manicure for your calluses!

And yes, they always come back... unless you cut off your finger. Of course, that's a problem of another caliber, now isn't it?
 
#14
MantisBot said:
The only kind of maintenance that ought to be done on calluses is with a small sheet of fine sandpaper. Not harsh enough to rip up the skin, just rough enough to wear down the sharp points. The missus appreciates the attention:p Think of it as a manicure for your calluses!
Click to expand...

Yes, I also sand my finger tips... but instead of sandpaper I use this thing my wife has in the bathroom... it's a fingernail file with all different levels of roughness from course to smooth depending on what side you use. It's awesome for sanding your finger tips... and I to assume that my wife appreciates this bit of maintenance/hygein.
 

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