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Putting glue on your fingers

Fynn

Fynn

Jan 6, 2022
1,152
1,406
25
Germany
#1
I just saw the new video on Primus youtube channel, which is the first part of the drum audition documentary they've been working on.
I noticed a couple of things, but one thing stuck out to me quite a bit more than everything else. Les put super glue on his fingertips before they started playing.

I've seen a lot of weird stuff bass players do to their fingers before a show, and I feel like I've heard about the super glue thing from some other player before too. I believe it was Billy Sheehan where I first heard about it.
My assumption, and I believe Billy said this, is that it keeps your finger tips from getting destroyed with rough playing. Potentially maybe it also helps with sweat, or just genearlly playability.
Has anyone seen this done before, and what was the intended effect?
 
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#2
I'd seen similar in the late 80s where people were using New-Skin liquid bandage in place of CA glue. The intent was to (a) protect the fingers from heavy playing, and (b) add a more percussive attack when playing fingerstyle.
I did try it, and realised that it wasn't for me. It was a bit brighter, but it felt weird.
 
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#3
When I was playing uke basses with the silicone rubber strings I applied CA on all fingers that came in contact with the strings. This made the strings less prone to annoying stickiness. Talcum powder was another remedy. Although the rubber strings had a nice blooming sound to them, their installation was a heinous procedure and I am very thankful that the uke bass market has moved on to steel core strings and magnetic pickups.
 
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#4
I've got a pretty heavy right hand technique and after a long night my fingertips will be grey. I dunno if it's bruising or whatever, but I get why someone would put some CA glue on theirs for protection
 
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#5
FugaziBomb said:
I've got a pretty heavy right hand technique and after a long night my fingertips will be grey. I dunno if it's bruising or whatever, but I get why someone would put some CA glue on theirs for protection
Click to expand...
Grey fingers sounds to me like new strings. I've had this with many different strings before, where if I play a new set a while, my fingers will turn grey/black ish. I always just assumed it's some sort of residue from the manufacturering process, because after the strings have been played for a while, it goes away.
Or are you talking about old strings too?
 
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#7
Fynn said:
Grey fingers sounds to me like new strings. I've had this with many different strings before, where if I play a new set a while, my fingers will turn grey/black ish. I always just assumed it's some sort of residue from the manufacturering process, because after the strings have been played for a while, it goes away.
Or are you talking about old strings too?
Click to expand...
Could be. I keep my strings pretty fresh.

Edit: worth noting that my fingers are usually pretty sore at the end of the night. I dig in pretty hard. I kinda think of my technique as "fret bounce." Best way I can describe it is kind of a Rush type tone I get from it.
 
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#12
A couple years ago I cut a finger on my fretting hand. It was sort of an oblique cut that left a flap of skin half attached. I put a few layers of CA over it and got though a couple gigs that way. It's not something I would do otherwise on either hand.
 
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#14
ThudThudThud said:
I'd seen similar in the late 80s where people were using New-Skin liquid bandage in place of CA glue. The intent was to (a) protect the fingers from heavy playing, and (b) add a more percussive attack when playing fingerstyle.
I did try it, and realised that it wasn't for me. It was a bit brighter, but it felt weird.
Click to expand...
I just used New Skin the other day. After the second set my finder was getting ripped up - it adds enough of a layer to stop the pain and get through a set.
 
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#16
Fynn said:
I just saw the new video on Primus youtube channel, which is the first part of the drum audition documentary they've been working on.
I noticed a couple of things, but one thing stuck out to me quite a bit more than everything else. Les put super glue on his fingertips before they started playing.

I've seen a lot of weird stuff bass players do to their fingers before a show, and I feel like I've heard about the super glue thing from some other player before too. I believe it was Billy Sheehan where I first heard about it.
My assumption, and I believe Billy said this, is that it keeps your finger tips from getting destroyed with rough playing. Potentially maybe it also helps with sweat, or just genearlly playability.
Has anyone seen this done before, and what was the intended effect?
Click to expand...

I never had any luck with these kinds of gimmicks. I just played a lot and now my fingies are indestructible, even though I don’t practice remotely near as much as I used to years ago.
 
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