Hand/wrist pain and guitar neck size

[bourbonsamurai]

one reason i like Fender style guitars vs. Gibson is, they have a variety of neck profiles that Gibson simply doesn't, even if you're spending a LOT of cash on an R9, or something. have you considered trying an assymetric neck? SRV or EVH style? the thicker side of the neck against your palm may provide helpful support

[Tatosh Guitar]

bourbonsamurai said:


one reason i like Fender style guitars vs. Gibson is, they have a variety of neck profiles that Gibson simply doesn't, even if you're spending a LOT of cash on an R9, or something. have you considered trying an assymetric neck? SRV or EVH style? the thicker side of the neck against your palm may provide helpful support


[/quote]
That's the reason Charvel was the stuff on the 80's and why Warmoth is still around. Nobody offered so many neck options and you are basically warranted to find something that fits your hands.

[eduardoritos]

Sorry for you pain, Andy.


I've never suffered any pain in my hands/arms, maybe thanks to my family experience and talking (many of my relatives are piano players). I've always be carefull about taking some rest on my playing sessions, so I did with the apropriate hand position. The worst thing for your left hand (I think) can be bending strings and barre chords on a flat fretboard.


About string gauge, Billy Gibbons claim for using 0.07''.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlZ7CzJ2VOs

[Eclipse II]

I developed horrendous pain in my fretting hand years ago. I used to play an Ibanez 540S which has the original super thin Wizard neck.

What I found was that I was playing with my thumb behind the neck all the time and I was pushing really hard with my thumb. The fleshy part of my hand just below the thumb became excruciatingly painful. As a result I could only play for ten mins or so and gave up playing altogether for nearly 20 years.


Fast forward and I play my Eclipse or a Tele with my thumb over the neck and the tension (and pain) have gone.

[Tatosh Guitar]

Eclipse II said:


I developed horrendous pain in my fretting hand years ago. I used to play an Ibanez 540S which has the original super thin Wizard neck.

What I found was that I was playing with my thumb behind the neck all the time and I was pushing really hard with my thumb. The fleshy part of my hand just below the thumb became excruciatingly painful. As a result I could only play for ten mins or so and gave up playing altogether for nearly 20 years.


Fast forward and I play my Eclipse or a Tele with my thumb over the neck and the tension (and pain) have gone.



[/quote]
Back in the mid 90's I only had one guitar. A cheap strat clone, who as far as I know, had a great neck. Right around that time I started jamming with a guy who has a total Ibanez freak. He was also into prog metal and a total Petrucci nut. This is a guy who could play circles around me, he had most of the stuff from Images and Words down to a t. He also played with proper shredder technique, which means thumb behind the neck and all that.


Playing his guitar cemented my idea that Ibanez just weren't for me. My strat just felt much more confortable. Not long after he told he was suffering for what he thought was some sort of arthritis. His fingers actually were starting to get oddly shaped. Whether this was a genetic condition or due to his selection of an axe, I will never know. Also, keep in mind were were 21 at the time, so make of that what you will. I had never even thought about that until this day.


In the end, I was the one who talked him into looking at other guitars. He eventually got a Strat (my suggestion), a Charvel, and a few years ago I learned he actually got a Gibson Les Paul Traditional. He still plays as far as I know so I suppose that issue with his fingers got sorted out as well.

[Andy G]

eduardoritos said:


Sorry for you pain, Andy.


I've never suffered any pain in my hands/arms, maybe thanks to my family experience and talking (many of my relatives are piano players). I've always be carefull about taking some rest on my playing sessions, so I did with the apropriate hand position. The worst thing for your left hand (I think) can be bending strings and barre chords on a flat fretboard.


About string gauge, Billy Gibbons claim for using 0.07''.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlZ7CzJ2VOs





[/quote]
Thanks Eduardo. That video was very interesting - I'm already using lighter strings, but after watching that, I might go lighter again - it was really helpful, thank you! =)


I sold my Ibanez and I have a new guitar with Gibson scale length and I'm using 9-42 gauge strings in standard tuning - I used to use 10-46 with Strat length. I haven't been playing for a week or two and I think that has helped. The new neck profile is the Gibson "slim-taper" (I think that's the 1960s profile?) and it fits my hand much better than the Wizard necks ever did.


The Gibson scale length helps as there's not so much stretching needed. And I can do the wrap-around stringing to reduce the tension a bit more too.

[Andy G]

Eclipse II said:


I developed horrendous pain in my fretting hand years ago. I used to play an Ibanez 540S which has the original super thin Wizard neck.

What I found was that I was playing with my thumb behind the neck all the time and I was pushing really hard with my thumb. The fleshy part of my hand just below the thumb became excruciatingly painful. As a result I could only play for ten mins or so and gave up playing altogether for nearly 20 years.


Fast forward and I play my Eclipse or a Tele with my thumb over the neck and the tension (and pain) have gone.



[/quote]
That's interesting to hear and sounds similar to a lot of other stories I have heard. That shape of neck seems to stress different muscles/tendons. Some folks don't seem to have a problem with them, but I would guess that they are very relaxed players who don't apply much pressure and don't do much bending. I'm not one of them...


Great to hear that you don't have those problems any more! I hope that I'll be saying the same thing too!

[Andy G]

bourbonsamurai said:


one reason i like Fender style guitars vs. Gibson is, they have a variety of neck profiles that Gibson simply doesn't, even if you're spending a LOT of cash on an R9, or something. have you considered trying an assymetric neck? SRV or EVH style? the thicker side of the neck against your palm may provide helpful support


[/quote]
Thanks for the suggestion. I've never really thought about asymmetrical necks before. I'm not even sure if I've ever played one before. It seems quite logical though to shape the neck more like the crook of a human hand, from the angle that people tend to play. The thicker part of the neck would offer support, without the need for the same amount of wood on the other side, making it a baseball bat neck.


I went with a Gibson slim taper neck in the end. Gibson consider that a "fast neck" - and I suppose it is, compared to their 50s necks, but it's a lot bulkier than the Ibanez necks and seems to fill my hand fairly well.


I don't know if it's a factor, but I always went with very flat fingerboards in the past. The Ibanez I sold had a 17" radius. And I have a Strat neck with a 20" radius (I don't use it any more). Around 12" seems about right for me.

[eduardoritos]

I use a 9.5" Radius fingerboard very easily for all purposes

[iplayLouD]

Back in 07, I bought a CIJ Fender Strat, and that thing had a surprisingly skinny neck. Tendon issues quickly followed. Today, I like my necks to be baseball bats where possible. Love the feel and it's easy on the tendons for some reason.