Putting glue on your fingers

[Jazzdogg]

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.

I'm curious because your technique is remarkably unlike my own (flats on fretless basses), would it be possible to achieve a comparable sound using lower "action" and a lighter touch, especially with roundwounds?

Re: CA glues aka superglue, I've had it on my skin after applying it as an adhesive, I've used it to stop bleeding, and to toughen blisters. A thin film seemed to wear away quickly while playing. Temporary CA patches on blisters often made the blisters stop leaking, but not for long. As a temporary CA "suture", it provides an unpleasant bite, and is expedient, but short lived; a properly applied bandage provides better wound care.

 

[Turnaround]

What’s the best glue for metal?

J-B Weld.

 

[Dust2Dust]

ok, . . . I'll play along . . . I've accidently superglued myself to damn near everything else, so why not just go ahead and glue myself to my bass strings

 

[deepestend]

"When Stevie Ray Vaughan's fingers would get all chewed up and sore, he would put Super Glue on his fingertips, then stick his fingers to his forearm, let the glue dry, then rip his fingers off his forearm, taking healthy chunks of skin off his forearm to cover the sore spots on his fingers."

 

[faulknersj]

Man…I used to get blisters and tear up my finger tips when I first started playing…it was like a full contact physical sport lol…

But damn am I glad that Inlearmes what I consider that days to be ‘proper’ technique which to me means my fingers never hurt and barely even try anymore and I get great sound out of my basses…

That’s wild to me but I guess Les does do some crazy s#%* so maybe he needs that stuff for his right hand?

 

[FugaziBomb]

I'm curious because your technique is remarkably unlike my own (flats on fretless basses), would it be possible to achieve a comparable sound using lower "action" and a lighter touch, especially with roundwounds?

I think of my technique as a "fret bounce". I dig in really hard and get a lot of bite from the string, almost like a slap. I'm not a huge Rush guy, but I know I've heard some some stuff Geddy did that sounds a lot like my tone/technique. I couldn't imagine getting that sound that I like with a lighter touch.

I should say that it's only one part of my technique. There are times where I play with a lighter touch as well - usually in the EDM/reggae dub sounding stuff we do, but we also go to really heavy parts as well where I use OD and that bite to sit in the mix with distorted guitars.

 

[LowActionHero]

I used to use NewSkin if my fingers were sore or I felt a blister starting

 

[Swerve]

"When Stevie Ray Vaughan's fingers would get all chewed up and sore, he would put Super Glue on his fingertips, then stick his fingers to his forearm, let the glue dry, then rip his fingers off his forearm, taking healthy chunks of skin off his forearm to cover the sore spots on his fingers."

Ed Gein would be proud.

 

[HolmeBass]

I only do it to close wounds, usually blisters that pop. CA was developed as a wound closure technology during the Vietnam Nam war, I have heard.

 

[PNW Tony]

What’s the best glue for metal?

JB Weld

 

[klyph]

That’s wild to me but I guess Les does do some crazy s#%* so maybe he needs that stuff for his right hand?

He taps on a fretless in a loud rock band. I’ll bet CA glue helps a lot with that.

 

[devnulljp]

I used to use NewSkin if my fingers were sore or I felt a blister starting

A fw of you mentioned that -- I find it just comes off after about 5 min of playing.
Might give the CA glue a go next time

 

[sdjfoh]

Is this where someone mentions using a compressor?

 

[el murdoque]

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?

There is, or was, a product called "Rock Tips" which was superglue made for just that purpose. I've used that, as well as regular super glue.
Think of it as artificial callouses that wear off while playing.

 

[Rabidhamster]

"When Stevie Ray Vaughan's fingers would get all chewed up and sore, he would put Super Glue on his fingertips, then stick his fingers to his forearm, let the glue dry, then rip his fingers off his forearm, taking healthy chunks of skin off his forearm to cover the sore spots on his fingers."

Forearm skin is the secret to tone

 

[Rabidhamster]

I like it enough but can’t stand leaving it on and the solvent scrub wrecks my callouses and cuticles. Fine for cuts etc, it’s less uncomfortable.

 

[Gervais Cote]

What’s the best glue for metal?

 

[Drredplate]

What’s the best glue for metal?

Araldite “chemical metal “ obviously

 

[Pirate Captain]

Mark King would wrap his slapping thumb in electrical tape because his heavy callouses kept splitting

 

[lethargytartare]

Ed Gein would be proud.

Lol...came here to say exactly that!