Hand/wrist pain and guitar neck size

[Andy G]

Hi guys,


I just wanted to make a post about an issue that I've been dealing with for some time now. Over the last year or so, I've been getting a lot of pain in my fretboard hand and developing what seems to be carpal tunnel syndrome. I've always been a very heavy handed and aggressive player and use a lot more pressure than is really necessary, and I've also had a lot of hand pain issues in the past, but these shooting, stabbing pains are something new - not muscular aches or arthritis, this feels more like a nerve thing - and also getting hand cramps.


I realised that I've been getting these pains ever since I bought my guitar - the Ibanez RGR with the super wizard (ludicrously thin) neck. Guitars like that seem to be designed for thumb in the middle of the neck and perpendicular fingers - the shred style, which I don't do. I usually play with the thumb over the neck and angled hand - a more old school style, and I'm very much aware that the neck just doesn't fill my hand up. And from what I've been reading, it seems that super thin necks DO cause a lot of people hand problems.


Anybody else have any experience or thoughts on this?

[Tatosh Guitar]

Sorry to hear this Andy. Pain while playing totally sucks.


This is the main reason I have avoided Ibanez guitars like the plague since I was in college. I could never get used to those necks the moment I first put my fingers on them. This was before I really knew anything about guitars, they just felt off.


The two guitars I use the most are sorta strat based. My fat strat has a warmoth neck, with their regular / most popular neck shape and a compound radius. My Charvel is pretty similar, compound radius as well. Not thin but not baseball bat either at all, and both very confortable to play. I haven't played a super thin neck in years and quite frankly don't see the point at this point. I too play with my thump on top, like you do, even when I do fast / shreddy licks.


I would try switching to your white strat for a few days and see if the pian goes away.

[Dinosaur David B]

Well, I already know you're selling the guitar (which may completely solve the issue), but you might want to get your hand checked out in case there's something more going on in there. My bassist is having a minor cyst removed from his wrist this week because it's causing him pain when (and after) he plays. Took an MRI to find it, I think.


My other old mantra is going with lighter strings is always easier on your hands, but especially as you get older.


Obviously if you switch to other guitars/necks and you no longer have the problem, you've solved it, and learned something. If not . . .


I've been fortunate that my hands don't seem to care much whether I use thin or thick profile necks (and the neck profiles on my guitars are all over the place). But I don't have any that would qualify as SUPER thin. I've ALWAYS used 9s, and the most I tend to play in one spurt is probably an hour at a time. That said, I've had a lot of tendonitis in my life. Fortunately not in my hands yet. What I get is shoulder and back pain/fatigue if I'm wearing an 8lb+ guitar for more than an hour. But that usually goes away in under an hour after taking the guitar off.

[Andy G]

Tatosh Guitar said:


Sorry to hear this Andy. Pain while playing totally sucks.


This is the main reason I have avoided Ibanez guitars like the plague since I was in college. I could never get used to those necks the moment I first put my fingers on them. This was before I really knew anything about guitars, they just felt off.


I too play with my thump on top, like you do, even when I do fast / shreddy licks.


I would try switching to your white strat for a few days and see if the pian goes away.


[/quote]
Thanks for that. I wasn't aware of the reputation of super thin necks until relatively recently. I've had several Ibanez guitars before - my guitar at work is also an Ibanez RG, although it has a Wizard II neck, which is not excessively thin. Looking back though, I don't think I played any of them for any great length of time. Not long enough to develop hand problems anyway. I don't have that white guitar any more, but I do have a normal Fender Strat, which I'll play for now.



Dinosaur David B said:


Well, I already know you're selling the guitar (which may completely solve the issue), but you might want to get your hand checked out in case there's something more going on in there. My bassist is having a minor cyst removed from his wrist this week because it's causing him pain when (and after) he plays. Took an MRI to find it, I think.


My other old mantra is going with lighter strings is always easier on your hands, but especially as you get older.


Obviously if you switch to other guitars/necks and you no longer have the problem, you've solved it, and learned something. If not . . .


I've been fortunate that my hands don't seem to care much whether I use thin or thick profile necks (and the neck profiles on my guitars are all over the place). But I don't have any that would qualify as SUPER thin. I've ALWAYS used 9s, and the most I tend to play in one spurt is probably an hour at a time. That said, I've had a lot of tendonitis in my life. Fortunately not in my hands yet. What I get is shoulder and back pain/fatigue if I'm wearing an 8lb+ guitar for more than an hour. But that usually goes away in under an hour after taking the guitar off.




[/quote]
Good point with the string gauge Dave. I was thinking of going maybe half a gauge lighter. I do a lot of string bending, so I'll feel the benefit. My guess is that the problem is coming from bending - as there was no neck wood to fill the curve of my hand and act as an extra support, my thumb is taking all the weight of the bend - as it's the only thing opposing the fingers pushing and pulling the strings.

I'll try to give it a rest for a few days anyway. If it keeps coming back, I'll definitely go and visit the doc.

[deanulve]

Andy, bummer you are having pain

Mine was shoulder

Solution was scalloped fretboards and thin strings...Billy Gibbons 7's to start

With a standard fretboard you do not realize how hard you are pressing down on the strings

Took a while but am able to also play standard fretboards now as well pain free

[Andy G]

deanulve said:


Andy, bummer you are having pain

Mine was shoulder

Solution was scalloped fretboards and thin strings...Billy Gibbons 7's to start

With a standard fretboard you do not realize how hard you are pressing down on the strings

Took a while but am able to also play standard fretboards now as well pain free


[/quote]
Wow - scalloped fretboard and 7s would certainly force you to lighten up! Thanks, it's a good suggestion - something I tell students who have intonation issues (due to skewing the strings and overbending) is that rather than using heavier strings to stop it happening, they should try using 8s to exacerbate it - then they'd be force to learn control (or sound awful!), I guess it's the same principle!

[Bytor]

Andy G said:


Hi guys,



Anybody else have any experience or thoughts on this?


[/quote]


I think I may be older than most folks here so yeah, I definitely had a bout with this and I attributed it largely to an Ibanez RG652AHM also with a ridiculously thin neck. I've moved to 9-46s in Eb on everything I own and I rarely, if ever, touch the 652 anymore.

[Tatosh Guitar]

My shoulder has been my main enemy since I broke it 3 years ago. Sometimes it isn't much of an issue but sometimes it's enough that I am unable to play for more than 10 minutes.


That said, since the death of my baby boy I haven't played much, due to the whole depression and all that. And that seems to have helped a bit, so for the last week, which I grabbed the guitar again, it has been almost a non factor. I can honestly say that only once was I forced to stop, and I have been fine besides that. So the whole resting thing can help overcome pain in general.

[Andy G]

Bytor said:



Andy G said:


Hi guys,



Anybody else have any experience or thoughts on this?


[/quote]


I think I may be older than most folks here so yeah, I definitely had a bout with this and I attributed it largely to an Ibanez RG652AHM also with a ridiculously thin neck. I've moved to 9-46s in Eb on everything I own and I rarely, if ever, touch the 652 anymore.



[/quote]
Interesting to hear that you had the same trouble with a 652. I've now sold mine, but don't have a replacement for it yet. It'll most likely be a Gibson or Gibson-type instrument, with a thick neck and short scale.



Tatosh Guitar said:


I can honestly say that only once was I forced to stop, and I have been fine besides that. So the whole resting thing can help overcome pain in general.


[/quote]
I haven't played for a few days, so I'll see how it goes. Fingers crossed!

[deanulve]

Good luck guys, hope you can find ways to be pain free