Old injury combined with increasing age

[Zwitsal1989]

So when I was young someone didn't see the parked car I was in and they rearended us, leading to a shoulder injury I have to live with.

Thanks to my right shoulder being busted I could no longer play sitting down so it was standing only from that point on with the bass slung low.
Tbf a stool worked somewhat if I hung the bass next to me, just awkward.

Now my left wrist has been giving me a hard time as I'm getting older.
It's not digging the low hanging fretting.
I've gotten by thanks to the music I played not being all that technical, well most of it.

Now I'm no longer playing with folk just at home but no matter what height I hang my bass at something is going to hurt, and if I play just a bit to long it requires some time to recover.

I'm at a loss I've tried all kinds of heights I've tried different kinds of basses.
And I'm just here hoping someone just so happens to have an answer to my conundrum.
As I'm genuinely starting to feel like quitting is the only thing left to do.
Maybe keep 1 bass and Amp to occasionally punish myself with.

Tldr : Old shoulder injury (right shoulder) so have to wear the bass low. Increasing hand pain (left hand) from wearing it low.
Is there a solution?

Genuine hail Mary.
Sorry if I respond slow, I'm not uninterested just allot happening atm.

 

[pingvuiini]

Maybe try uke basses?? Small, light, cheap and tons of fun!

 

[dmrogers]

I'm sure you have probably thought about all different options. I would like to throw out some suggestions:

* Maybe buying a smaller, lighter bass with a smaller neck. Like maybe a Mustang or a Precision Bass Lyte.

* I have issues due to polio that really wrecked my body, so, sometimes I play with the stance that Robert DeLeo uses. The bass is hung low, but the neck is almost upright. He kinda plays it like an upright bass. I just find what feels good and do that for a while. I use a very wide strap as well.

* Have a "bass holder" constructed for your bass. I've seen them used for electric and acoustic guitar. A good metal crafter could put something together and you could have some adjustment built-in.

I hope this helps.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Try one of the performance stands so you can position it in front of you while playing. No pressure on your shoulder.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Try one of the performance stands so you can position it in front of you while playing. No pressure on your shoulder.

Like what The Fearless Flyers are using...

 

[Zwitsal1989]

@pingvuiini I had never considered one of these and I genuinely think that should work.
Ima say not my style? But I'm not passing on a solid option and I will be trying one.

@dmrogers i have tried some different sizes yeh it's funny enough how I ended up with thunderbirds, somehow their ergonomics worked for a long time.
And I'm definetly going to give that Robert Deleo stance a shot.
I haven't played fingerstyle in some time, but being able to play beats not being able to play at all.

Thanks for your responses, and im optimistic about being able to keep doing what I love.

 

[Zwitsal1989]

@buldog5151bass @FrenchBassQC

Ah thanks for the tip, but to be more specific it's when I angle my shoulder forward to pluck or strum strings it pinches off something under my shoulder blade.
I can see a stand being very supportive but in my specific case I would still have to angle my shoulder.
Sorry I should have been specific about my shoulder issue.

 

[Wasnex]

Depend on the range of motion you have available.

Things to try.
1. Bass that balances with headstock at a higher angle. IME, the height you wear the bass sets up a compromise between your left and right wrist. Too high is hard on your plucking wrist and too low is hard on your fretting wrist. Due to your injury, there is no good compromise with a typical bass guitar.
2. Bass that sits vertically on an end pin

a. upright (fretless)​

b. electric upright...these come in upright scale and bass guitar scale. Caveat: Most EUBs are fretless.​

c. Takamine TB10 (also fretless)​

3. Not certain, but a bass with a longer reach to the nut may help in some ways...and may make it worse in others. Some basses mount the bridge away from the edge of the bass's body. This pushes the reach to the nut further out.

This is an old Daion PowerMark XB (notice how far in the bridge is on the body)

The extended reach to the nut makes it harder on my body, but I wear my basses fairly high. No idea if the extended reach would help you or not.

 

[Zwitsal1989]

@Wasnex ahh yes I have used mostly thunderbirds for some time, I geuss due to everything being further away.
Thank you for your suggestion and it's nice to know there's more options available

I have tried @dmrogers tip of using it like an upright and it's going to take some relearning but it does work 0 pain.
I'm going to have to relearn to play without looking because when I look away and just play I slowly lower the neck and wreck my wrist
Gonna have to keep an eye on keeping that neck up.

So far I've only tried with a Tbird but if it doesn't work with the others there will simply be a culling and I could look into one of those electric uprights.

Again thanks everyone for pitching in, I'd been struggling with this for a while and wasn't sure to bring it here but I'm glad I did.

 

[Zwitsal1989]

I'm sure you have probably thought about all different options. I would like to throw out some suggestions:

* Maybe buying a smaller, lighter bass with a smaller neck. Like maybe a Mustang or a Precision Bass Lyte.

* I have issues due to polio that really wrecked my body, so, sometimes I play with the stance that Robert DeLeo uses. The bass is hung low, but the neck is almost upright. He kinda plays it like an upright bass. I just find what feels good and do that for a while. I use a very wide strap as well.

* Have a "bass holder" constructed for your bass. I've seen them used for electric and acoustic guitar. A good metal crafter could put something together and you could have some adjustment built-in.

I hope this helps.

For me the "Robert Deleo" stance solved my issue.

Thanks everyone for responding, it was all incredibly helpful

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I'm sure you have probably thought about all different options. I would like to throw out some suggestions:

* Maybe buying a smaller, lighter bass with a smaller neck. Like maybe a Mustang or a Precision Bass Lyte.

* I have issues due to polio that really wrecked my body, so, sometimes I play with the stance that Robert DeLeo uses. The bass is hung low, but the neck is almost upright. He kinda plays it like an upright bass. I just find what feels good and do that for a while. I use a very wide strap as well.

* Have a "bass holder" constructed for your bass. I've seen them used for electric and acoustic guitar. A good metal crafter could put something together and you could have some adjustment built-in.

I hope this helps.

P-Lytes FTW. Or a Cowpoke.

 

[BigJohnAZ]

I'm sure you have probably thought about all different options. I would like to throw out some suggestions:

* Maybe buying a smaller, lighter bass with a smaller neck. Like maybe a Mustang or a Precision Bass Lyte.

* I have issues due to polio that really wrecked my body, so, sometimes I play with the stance that Robert DeLeo uses. The bass is hung low, but the neck is almost upright. He kinda plays it like an upright bass. I just find what feels good and do that for a while. I use a very wide strap as well.

* Have a "bass holder" constructed for your bass. I've seen them used for electric and acoustic guitar. A good metal crafter could put something together and you could have some adjustment built-in.

I hope this helps.

He could call Alex Lifeson, I believe he invented it.

 

[RomanS]

He could call Alex Lifeson, I believe he invented it.

Bill Wyman used to play like that waaay before that...

BTW, that's the stance I use with my Guild Starfire bass - it has a huge body, so wearing it low is much more comfortable for the right hand; to make it comfortable for the left as well, I wear it so the neck is pointing up at a steep angle.

 

[fu22ba55]

Try double bass. (upright bass / kontrabass)

Both writsts are much more neutral.

I had to switch to double bass when electric was too painful and I never went back to electric.

Might not work w your particualr injury, but worth a shot.

 

[wompwomp]

For me the "Robert Deleo" stance solved my issue.

Thanks everyone for responding, it was all incredibly helpful

I'm also obliged to play standing up (my back is pretty twisted after a too-late cancer diagnosis). tbh it has been rough sledding lately i've hardly been able to play.

when I do I use the same stance as ol' Robbie DeLeo there, nearly vertical neck sort of like pushing against the upper horn strap. I made a thread awhile back regarding using a swivel eyelet to facilitate the posture on that upper horn.

 

[grubdumpling]

I've been using the robert deleo stance (or whoever did it first), but what makes it work even better for me is a strap pin mounted on the neck plate. Learned that from an epi eb0, the most comfortable bass I'd ever played. Made the changes to my mustangs and have been very comfortable since, just replaced one neck screw with a carefully selected longer one. I also moved the strap pin by the bridge about 4 inches up, so that the whole instrument hangs naturally in the same position as it would while seated holding it like a classical guitar.

 

[Erik Stokley]

Light weight basses with strap buttons located to the back or lower horn can help get the bass into an almost vertical position, leaving both shoulders and wrists in a kind of neutral playing position. I've had luck playing thunderbirds when dealing with quervains tenosynovitis in my fretting hand.

 

[LHbassist]

So when I was young someone didn't see the parked car I was in and they rearended us, leading to a shoulder injury I have to live with.

Thanks to my right shoulder being busted I could no longer play sitting down so it was standing only from that point on with the bass slung low.
Tbf a stool worked somewhat if I hung the bass next to me, just awkward.

Now my left wrist has been giving me a hard time as I'm getting older.
It's not digging the low hanging fretting.
I've gotten by thanks to the music I played not being all that technical, well most of it.

Now I'm no longer playing with folk just at home but no matter what height I hang my bass at something is going to hurt, and if I play just a bit to long it requires some time to recover.

I'm at a loss I've tried all kinds of heights I've tried different kinds of basses.
And I'm just here hoping someone just so happens to have an answer to my conundrum.
As I'm genuinely starting to feel like quitting is the only thing left to do.
Maybe keep 1 bass and Amp to occasionally punish myself with.

Tldr : Old shoulder injury (right shoulder) so have to wear the bass low. Increasing hand pain (left hand) from wearing it low.
Is there a solution?

Genuine hail Mary.
Sorry if I respond slow, I'm not uninterested just allot happening atm.

Have you spoken to your doctor about this situation? I remember getting a Kenalog shot for a sinus issue, and it nearly eliminated my back pain. I don't like Steroids, but- I'm 73- and pain, with most of us in this bracket- is constant companion. And, Steroids WORK. Sometimes, my friends tell me they got a Cortisone injection for issues like you describe- and it really helps them. It can only help- at this stage, what have we to lose?
May your pain subside....

 

[mambo4]

Now my left wrist has been giving me a hard time as I'm getting older.
It's not digging the low hanging fretting.

As mentioned: sling low, angle the neck high. Bridge low, nut high.

 

[oren]

@Wasnex ahh yes I have used mostly thunderbirds for some time, I geuss due to everything being further away.
Thank you for your suggestion and it's nice to know there's more options available

I have tried @dmrogers tip of using it like an upright and it's going to take some relearning but it does work 0 pain.
I'm going to have to relearn to play without looking because when I look away and just play I slowly lower the neck and wreck my wrist
Gonna have to keep an eye on keeping that neck up.

So far I've only tried with a Tbird but if it doesn't work with the others there will simply be a culling and I could look into one of those electric uprights.

Again thanks everyone for pitching in, I'd been struggling with this for a while and wasn't sure to bring it here but I'm glad I did.

I was going to suggest that you try playing a real upright bass - no weight on your shoulder and a much more ergonomic left hand position. Some definite learning curve, but lots of reward!