Need fingertips fixed soon!

[GBarnstable]

If you are using the same string set consistently, it is time to try some different string sets. Each have their own feel and tension as well as sound. A compression wound set of strings may give enough growl but be easier on your fingers, not to mention your frets.

 

[moody]

Picks aren't my thing. I even go fingerstyle on guitar.

I played classical and electric guitar with my fingers for years. I thought that picks weren't my thing.

I played bass for many years with fingers.

I now play bass with a pick.

My wrist is stuffed and I can not play bass with my fingers. With a lot of work I have gotten to the point that I do not miss it. I am a better and quicker pick playing bass player than I ever was with fingers.

For the style of music that it sounds like you do I would suggest giving it a try. I'll recommend the same big stubbies that were mentioned in an earlier reply.

 

[Misfit Wookiee]

I haven't used it in a bass guitar standpoint, but when I used to bowl I used New Skin liquid bandage for blisters. I've wondered if it would help with calluses, but have no experience with it in this context.

 

[Justinian]

Hydrate, and make sure you're getting enough vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals. Other than that, sometimes you just have to play through it, it has happened to most professionals at one time or another.

 

[Rocktometrist]

Beating a dead horse here, but: I suffered from blisters for years. Same problems you had--blisters would heal, callouses would form, then I'd play a gig and the callouses would rip off halfway through the first set, exposing baby pink skin that would get shredded as the night wore on. There was blood, there was pus, there were expletives--hell, there was probably a little bit of crying here and here. LOL

I tried everything. Lancing blisters, draining them until they start to heal, and then allowing the skin to harden worked best--but I think the fact that blisters separated the layers of skin eventually meant the skin "delaminated" and the callouses peeled off (usually when i was amped up at a gig, as described above).

The ONLY thing that worked for me was better technique and a lighter touch. It took some wood-shedding, but in the end it improved my playing AND stopped the blisters, so it was time very well spent. I haven't blistered up in a long time.

In the short term, I recommend super glue just to get you through. Bring a tube with you to the gig so you can reapply as needed. It won't work all that great, it will peel off, and it will stop you from feeling the strings, but it was the best half-assed solution I was ever able to come up with. (Liquid skin is also a viable alternative. It doesn't work as well and smells terrible, but is easier to apply/reapply.)

 

[BazzTard]

turn up your volume and learn to pluck softly

OR try flatwound strings.

 

[Ewo]

Nose grease has been used for ever by orchestra musicians.

Another good spot is behind the ear, where it attaches to the skull.

 

[Doner Designs]

Light touch, lower action, more amp power. You might need a new amp depending on how much power you are running. No reason you can't gently caress the strings and still get a thunderous tone, but it takes a lot of power to do it cleanly.

 

[Matthijs]

I read a popular scientific article on blisters the other day. They are caused by friction within the upper layers of your skin. The main factors are whatever is causing the friction and how susceptible your skin is, wich is mainly genetical and influenced by the moisture content of the skin(sweat).

So: reduce the outside source of friction (technique, setup, stringtype, grease) and reduce the moisture content within the skin: towels, baby powder and/or denaturated alcohol work.

Ime liquid skin and super glue never worked, but that just might be me. What did help is making soms changes in my sound to prevent me from digging in harder and harder because I felt I wasn't cutting through enough. With the right mids for the mix you can relax a bit.

 

[CGremlin]

Picks aren't my thing. I even go fingerstyle on guitar.

Aside from changes in your technique, I think picks are going to be your only other option. Have you tried a set of finger picks, like you might use on a banjo?

 

[Slevage]

You're working too hard

 

[Gearhead17]

"As for fingers, it's not necessarily technique because I can hammer away at any 4 string with that speed for days without blisters, but the low b string on a five banger gets me. I'm actually going to fix up another one of my four strings and use that because the lowest we go is D. But for this week I just need something to cover my fingers so I can play. I know switching to slimmer strings will prevent further damage."

Technique issue here - you can't play the 5th string like you play the 4th string. The 5th string requires a lighter touch. It also might be due to the angle you are plucking the string at.

As for covering your fingers, have you tried "New Skin"? I have used it for cracks in my fingers and I have been able to survive gigs. New-Skin Liquid Bandage | Walgreens

 

[onda'bass]

In 20ish years of playing, only had blisters when I fisrt started. You are playing to hard thats all

 

[lfmn16]

In 20ish years of playing, only had blisters when I fisrt started. You are playing to hard thats all

As others have said - let the amp do the work. If you are getting the type of blisters you are describing, you are playing waaaaaaay too hard. You may want to rethink your reluctance to use a pick. For aggressive repeated 16th notes, it's a great tool to have in your pocket.

 

[Owens W]

Am I doing it right?

 

[onda'bass]

Ahahah ^^^^

 

[Deleted member 261632]

Am I doing it right?View attachment 677578

That's gross... My piece of advice would be to alternate between picks and fingers. Fingers for the grooving songs, picks for the fast(er) ones. It works for me, but it might not work for you.

 

[DredFetus]

I have thought about using rubber tips also kind of like tony iommi but i was going to try them on my playing to make my finger tips longer

I also have problems with my fingers once in a while. Not due to playing but due to the fact that my hands are always drying out and splitting from contracting. Also have nail problems but dont want to go to get pedicure lol.

 

[LouBass]

I've tried a lot of things... superglue does the trick for me. You do need to learn to not hammer so hard with your fingers though as it won't save you from deep/blood blisters. What it will save you from is the erosion of non-callused skin and it will reduce wear on the calluses you have (which helps you build and maintain them imho). I also find I get a slightly harder attack than with raw skin, especially if I'm using the no-drip stuff. YMMV

 

[Dan Bass]

I have a problem developing callouses, and even when I have them they peel away while playing.

I'm a bassist used to playing jazz, motown funk, alternative rock, etc... Now I'm in an old school speed/thrash metal band and my plucking fingers are really struggling. I develop huge blisters after each rehearsal. I made a thread about this before and followed most of what was said, and I am still struggling.

For the first gig I tried tape over my fingers. It was hard to feel the strings, made me clumsy, and slipped off with sweat within a few minutes.

Next, for developing callouses, I followed your advice on here and drained my blisters with a sewing needle and waited for them to harden. The skin eventually calloused, but even that flaked off during rehearsal and left raw skin again.

Then, one of my band mates said I have to leave the blisters alone until they harden, so I did. For the next gig, I put about five layers of superglue on my fingers. Once again, it made me clumsy and flaked off after two songs, shortly afterwards my blisters popped during the gig and I barely made it through the setlist...

I have a festival to play in a few days and probably a rehearsal the day before. I need a solution that will work this time. Currently, my middle finger has a huge circle of missing skin from a popped blister, and only red fleshy skin there. My index had a blister that just disappeared this morning, but the skin is soft and painful now.

I heard of rubber fingertips, and I found several items including gorilla tips. Can anybody who has used rubber fingertips share what brand they used and how they performed? They have to withstand extremely fast plucking, especially on the low B string.

Any other suggestions are welcome too.

Maybe you should try fast fret or finger ease, it makes your fingers slippery. Wipe it on your strings before and after each use and put some on your finger tips, you can play way faster without your fingers getting sticky. Also I have been jammin Bass for 31 years I used to get raw fingers because I would press down on the fret board to hard and pluck way to hard and aggressive, over the years I have found I can get the same sound with little effort. I rarely use fast fret anymore, what I have been doing for a long time now is lower my action quite a bit, it chokes your strings a bit if you pluck to hard, don't, turn it up louder and don't pluck it as hard you can jam like Steve Harris of Iron Maiden clickin & clankin loud and aggressive sounding with little effort. If you don't like that clear clanky sound turn the treble down a little bit and you can sound like GodSmack kind of Bass sound with little effort. With my action lower I still can sound real aggressive and strong sounding but with less effort and easier on my fingers, I have not gotten a blister or raw fingers in a very long time a I jam every day about 2 hours at least or longer if I got the time.