Ouch! My wrist!

[Swampish]

It's not the shape of your neck. A few millimeters of differences isn't going to cause forearm pain in one situation and not the other. If anyone implies this, they're crazy. A couple of things that MAY be applying:

• Get a strap that grips, so that the bass neck isn't diving and parallel to the floor. If I had a dime for all of the issues this would solve for people on this forum. Holding the bass neck up while also fingering the frets is not comfortable. You might just be used to it, but it doesn't have to strain.
• Raise your bass on your strap. You said its center is below your belt buckle? That could be putting unnecessary strain on the forearm, especially if you have short arms. You could be having to reach down AND flexing your wrist backward to reach the frets. No bueno for the long term. My buddy used to play in a punk band and wore his bass super low for the look, but ended up having to take a few months off because he was playing through pain. It shouldn't hurt to play.
• Related to above - Straight wrist. Your hand shouldn't have bend back toward you in most positions.
• Play octaves with index and pinky. In most cases, this is the best choice, especially on the first five frets. Sure, I can reach the octaves with my index and ring, but why strain?

If you're having to ice your wrist and you're unable to rotate your arm, it is not the construction of your bass. It's not the fingerboard radius, or the string spacing. There are adjustments that need to be made. The bullets above are just some things could help. There are many more.

Great points and the one that hits closest to home, I believe, is point 2. Part of the issue is that I use 2 straps, one for my main bass and one for my backup (which I used for the new bass) and it seems like the main bass strap is a bit, not a lot, higher than the other. Thanks!

 

[Swampish]

My wrists were a lot stronger from all the workouts when I was single. Are you still single?

Lol! No, maybe that's the problem!

 

[JRA]

If you're having to ice your wrist and you're unable to rotate your arm, it is not the construction of your bass. It's not the fingerboard radius, or the string spacing. There are adjustments that need to be made.

 

[Cutter8]

View attachment 3529361

Go away... batin’!!!

 

[SoCal80s]

The dimensions of each bass will be different (where the strap buttons are, how long the top horn is, how wide the body is, etc.) so comparing where one sits compared to the other is irrelevant. Each one may need a different strap length. Get a strap just for that bass and set the length to where that bass can sit at a height and angle that is not straining your joints.

 

[aekisz]

This happened to me from playing upright (right hand, though)and it took three months for me to heal enough to play. I think it was aggravated by some work-related repetitive strain injuries but it completely took me out of action. The precipitating incident was an unamplified jam session where I was picking extra hard to be heard over a piano and guitars

 

[JohnDL]

I'm sure some will say that your technique is bad, or you need to correct your playing position or something... but, I don't know.

Can't really comment about your particular basses, but I can tell you my experience...
I played a tele bass for a long time that has a big neck. 1.62" at the nut I think, but it's big front to back. Lot's of chunk - baseball bat.
Now I play a Jazz. 1.5" at the nut, but also is fairly thick.
I've never had any problem with either of those basses. The tele is obviously "harder" to play - but in the way that can make you approach your lines in a different way or whatever.

Now, I've had a few different P basses. Including a very nice AVRI 1962 P Bass. That bass in particular, but a few of the P Basses, caused me pain, exactly like you describe. Pain in my wrist, hand, and all the way down through my forearm. I sold that AVRI P, and a couple other P Basses because of this.

Maybe changing your bass height, or the angle of the neck, or your right hand position will fix the problem,,, but man, I just want to pick up a bass that I like, play it without thinking about it, and not feel any pain.

That AVRI P Bass has a wide nut -1.71" I think, but it also had a very "flat" neck. Very thin from front to back. - That's what I blame it on. Or maybe the way the body is shaped works into the way I position the bass,,, who knows.

What I've decided is that I'm not looking to rework my form or retrain myself,,, I'm looking for a bass that feels good in MY hands, the way they are. One reason I've committed to never buying a bass without playing it first.
I'm not gonna buy and play a Ric, just because. I'm going to play a Rick because I played it, and it feels great in my hands - and then after that, looks cool, and is a Rick, and sounds cool, and all the other stuff.

There is SO much variation in neck shape - even between the same models.

I've always owned and played Jazz basses which I find comfortable so long as they are standard and not long neck versions. Recently I bought this beautiful 1978 Aria Pro 2 TSB 650. It's the same scale as my standard jazz basses but slightly more compact. The neck dimensions are quite different. Well for the for the first week or two it really made my wrist and hand ache, yet on the face of it I thought it would be easier because the nut end of the neck seemed nearer to my body. I persevered gently, the pain went away and now it does actually seem like an easier bass to handle than my jazz basses. In the end I think it was the different neck dimensions that initially caused me pain. I'm well over fifty but did get used to switching from bass to bass with no pain. Best of luck dude.

 

[mrcbass]

I'd be inclined to go back to your old bass for a bit (after you've healed) to try to determine if it is the bass or just coincendental timing. If you can play your old bass for a couple of days without pain, there may be something about the new bass that is contributing and you an start experimenting with strap length, setup, strings etc. If the pain comes back on your old bass, then it's something else.

Best of luck!

 

[oldcatfish]

I just recently started playing my new/used 2004 Stingray. My other primary basses are an American Performer Precision and a Sterling Ray34 (which, in theory, the new Ray will replace). To date, I've had no issues with any of my basses in terms of impacting or damaging my hands or wrists. However, after doing a couple of practices with the new beast, I experienced some pretty severe tendonitis in my left (fretboard side) wrist. Swelling in the forearm, could barely rotate my arm to playing position. So it's been several days of no playing, icing the wrist and keeping it elevated all of which is helping.

Now, I'm wondering is it likely something distinctive about the bass that lead to this or would it have happened no matter which bass I played? I never had the issue with the Sterling, which is VERY similar.

Is there anything specific about the Ray's neck/shape that could account for this? Maybe need to raise the bass height so I play it higher? I play low-ish, but not that low (body is centered just a notch below my belt).
Thanks for any enlightenment!

I used to own a 5 string Peavey bass that would flare up my carpal tunnel syndrome, big time. I ended up selling it because I wasn't thrilled with it anyway. It wasn't worth it to me to take the chance of it doing permanent damage.

But one thing that did temporarily work for me, was to practice while wearing one of those over the counter carpal tunnel wrist braces on my fretting hand. It forced me to see where I was straining my wrist and I modified my technique. If you're determined to keep the offending bass, that is the first thing I would do to sort out what is actually causing the issue.

 

[Samatza]

Get a new strap for the new bass. First sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and your back straight.
Play the bass in a position that is most comfortable then adjust the new strap to keep the bass in that sitting position, when you stand it shouldn't move much from there.
I've done this with a couple of basses even though they are of similar size the slight differences add up to make it uncomfortable on the same strap as my other basses.

 

[Remyd]

I was advised that if I wanted to play the DB, that was an absolute necessity as any bad technique with the doghouse could lead to long term/permanent damage.

Even good technique does this to many/most of us eventually. It's better on BG because of the mechanics - 10x less physical effort to play and a much different approach with the amplification system taking charge of the loudness.

Most experienced bass players have given at least some of their earthly body to the groove in some way or another.

 

[Remyd]

But one thing that did temporarily work for me, was to practice while wearing one of those over the counter carpal tunnel wrist braces on my fretting hand. It forced me to see where I was straining my wrist and I modified my technique.

Worked a treat for me when I had tendonitis. Highly recommended.

 

[maturanesa]

Are you probably holding the neck because it dives?

 

[phillipkregg]

It could be possible that the new bass and your wrist problems coinciding at the same time may just be coincidence, and you may actually be getting tendinitis.

It’s probably worth seeing a doctor just to be on the safe side.

 

[Sonicfrog]

Pay very close attention to your wrist position when you fret notes. I always try to wear my instruments bass, guitar, mandolin, etc in a zone where I don't have to flex my wrist at all when playing. I can't say to play exactly at the height I do cause the physiology of each individual is different. But play with instrument height and find a comfort zone.

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[teh-slb]

Are you saying your belt buckle is visible when wearing your bass?

 

[OogieWaWa]

String height /action higher, particularly the nut height? Heavier / higher tension strings? Is the top of the bass tilted away from you or closer to you than the rest because of the way it hangs and your shape? (That would have the neck tilted one way or another, particularly if it tilts back more, so that your wrist is rotating further.)

"Doc, it hurts when I do that.". "Well, then don't do that!"

 

[dmt]

With one of my basses, in order to avoid wrist/forearm problems, I have to limit how I play somewhat. And I’ve had two guitars that have caused me major wrist/forearm problems. Major.

All my other basses and guitars (of 22 total) have been fine.

Someone can definitively say "It’s NOT the instrument", but in my 35 years of playing experience, sometimes it is. YMMV.

Maybe you can work it out with the strap and/or playing angle, or limit yourself from doing certain things (on this bass) that you do freely on other basses. Maybe this bass just isn’t gonna work out. Heal up, experiment cautiously and find out.

My main advice is to get professional treatment now so that the issue doesn’t become chronic (you do not want chronic pain). Avoid overdoing it on the meds though (anti-inflammatories, cortisone and painkillers). Rather, rest, rehabilitation and physical therapy along with some initial medication support if needed may be a good way to go.

 

[micguy]

In about 4 decades of playing, I have noticed that my basses seem to move Northward (up) about an inch a decade. What we can get away with when we're young, at some point no longer applies, and it's a moving target. Although it may not be the only factor, I suggest raising your basses (all of them) at least a couple inches (4 inches less strap length). Yes, it will fell awkward for a while. Having lost a decade of playing to wrist issues (not repetitive stress in my case), I am very protective of anything that might interfere with my playing.

 

[jlepre]

Could be neck dive, but I doubt it with a Stingray. do you use a thin strap that can slip on your shoulder? I use a wide strap with padding and rough material where it makes contact with my shirt.