Putting glue on your fingers

[bassdude51]

Generally speaking, guitar players use their finger tips for noting. Generally speaking, bass players use the flat "meat" part of the finger for noting.........and not their finger tips. Thus, bass players shouldn't be having skin or finger tip issues because of playing.

Super glue on the fingers? Better look super glue up on Google. It could be toxic or carcinogenic or not a good thing to do health wise.

 

[Polfuste]

Cyanoacrylates poisoning: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

 

[gln1955]

Forearm skin is the secret to tone

What's the best skin for Texas blues?

 

[Faith Nicole]

I suppose I could see it sometimes in extreme conditions. I'm a weekend warrior and the only time my fingers get sore at all is if I'm overtired and pressing too hard. I'm all for the 'turn up, hit softer' procedure. I have more trouble with my index finger getting tired. I've been working on two finger usage on my non-fretting hand. Somedays it works well, others it feels foreign and I miss notes.

 

[Ostie]

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.

I did this to my finger with a box knife a few weeks ago. Went to the ER and the PA, who happened to be a family friend, glued it back in place with CA glue. Probably very expensive medical grade CA glue. I had to keep my finger dry for a week, but the CA glue started wearing off anyway.

I mostly play mandolin, and the double courses of strings on mandolin family instruments wreak havoc on your fingers. I’ve got callouses on top of callouses. Still, after a four hour gig, I can feel my fingers complaining.

 

[Major_Rager_4MF]

I pluck too hard. Always have. Metal bands, pop cover bands trying to make people dance. I dig in hard. If you’ve seen the movie Signs, Joaquin Phoenix character talks about swinging at every baseball pitched at him, even the curveballs that make him strike out: “it just feels wrong not to swing.” My brain relates. When I’m on stage and in the moment, it just feels wrong not to attack those strings aggressively. And using a pick never felt natural to me. So my fingertips suffered. If I start a gig with solid callouses on my plucking fingers, they will be gone by the end of the night, and maybe another layer or 2 under that. Forget about back to back gigs. Most of my career I’ve played with guitarists who are way too loud, the type who if they can hear the bass at all on stage turn up another notch or 2. AJFA syndrome: “the bass should be low enough that you can barely hear it, then turn it down another tick or 2”. I am currently/finally experimenting with IEMs but not yet where I need to be. So I have developed a couple habits to compensate over the years. One, I grow out the nails on my plucking fingers so they are about the same point as the tip of the pads. This helps protect the fingertips, as the last thing the string scrapes off is the nail tip, not the flesh. I discovered surreptitiously that this has another benefit, in tone, giving me something between a dull fingertip and a crisp pick. Now, even if I didn’t have callous issues, I would still do this for the tone. Two, i glue my plucking fingertips at every gig. If I don’t, my nails will get worn down and my fingertips will suffer. I apply the glue heavily, to the tips and the space between the tip and the nail. It’s like little percussive hammers lol. I actually like the tone, and it’s sustainable for hours at a time and night after night. And if I want something less aggressive (damn ballads lol), I can use the side of my finger pads. If not for superglue, I could not play more than a gig a week probably, vs the 3-4 I do now in peak season. Lifesaver. I guess not for everyone but to each their own

 

[Gervais Cote]

My drummer used to do such things when he was playing bass.

He also boiled his strings, paint his bass body with a can of automotive spray paint, put some motor oil on his bone nut……………..

Now that he almost only plays drums, he puts a pillow in his bass drum, tape some fingers with black electric tape, drilled some holes in cymbals and so on………………….

Me ? I just keep playing straight and wait for him a beer in hand until he’s done with his magic tricks !

 

[groovaholic]

I have dry skin and live in the Midwest, so split fingertips are an unfortunate fact of life in the winter.

I don’t use superglue on a regular basis, but it can be a lifesaver for gigs and rehearsals.

Best case, but more expensive, get some DermaBond - it’s a sterile CA glue intended for use on the skin.

 

[SkylineFiver]

In his instructional video, Rocco said he used hand lotion to smooth things out.