• Registered: 2007-12-02
  • Posts: 8

Topic: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

I have callouses and they are quite thick lol but I would really like to find some nice acoustic strings that would give my poor fingertips some relief from playing Christmas music non-stop to my aging Mom.
I have the Martin silk & steel on now but they have a too soft tone. The Martin "Eric Clapton" strings are fabulous but I can't get much time with them.
Am I a major weinie and should I just bear the pain or is there some secret string that you guys/gals know about?
Thanks..and yes, I'm a newbie to this site but it's wonderful.

  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,862

Re: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

kayharley  i have the silk and steel on my accustic and i dont have any problems with the hurting strings, i think possibly you might look at your bridge if it needs adjusting you might have to put a lower one on but make sure it does't alter the strings so they buzz on the neck if this happens theres a truss rod that you need an allen wrench to adjust but before you attempt this i would take it to the music store and let a pro look at it it might be as simple as changing the string height. good luck

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

I use small to medium, at this moment more MARTIN Strings.
Ernie Ball, d'Addario's are great. I have the same problem as you, but I didn't play for 14 days and my callouses are still present, but too sensible. 2 Weeks ago: 2 hours play, now 30 minutes

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • upyerkilt
  • upyerkilt
  • Unofficial king of Scotland
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  • From: Balloch, Scotland, UK, Earth
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 3,290

Re: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

KAyharley

Hi and welcome to the forum

Like russel says, it sounds like your action may need lowered.
I have as probably every guitar player has, wee hard pads at the finger tips.
I find when I stop playing regularly ( less than ten minutes per day) my fingers soften up and when i got to play for over an hour they tend to hurt a little.

Maybe try using extra light gauge string? as well as seeing about the action




Ken

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending
  • From: Almancil, Algarve, Portugal
  • Registered: 2006-09-02
  • Posts: 6,198

Re: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

HI Kayharley,

All the advise given is sound but there is one thing that I felt I should make clear, and that is to decide on what gauge strings you intend to use BEFORE you have your guitar set up and then stick to that gauge. Lighter guage strings put less stress on your guitar than heavier ones so if it is set up for say 12's and you put 10's on it you could then have have fret buzz.

I assume it is the new Guild you mention in a different thread so it will almost certainly need reworking to make the action sweet.

Take care,

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Roger Guppy's Website

  • Registered: 2007-12-02
  • Posts: 8

Re: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

Thanks all...
I haven't received the Guild yet....hopefully by Tuesday.

What I'm playing on is the old SS Stewart (my dad's treasured relic) and there's no way I could have any work done to it...The body has a split in the back and another down the front near the bridge but it plays and right now that's all I have....along with sore fingers.

I play several times a day for at least 45 minutes at a time but the sound gets compromised because of the soreness of my fingertips.

Tell me....do professionals still feel the pain? lol

  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,862

Re: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

kay harley: true story' my guitar was leaning on the corner of the window frame i came home one night after drinking and i tripped and fell on my guitar and broke the neck {my accustic} i went to bed,more like i passed out and when i woke i was devistated at what i did well after i was back to normal i removed the strings and cleaned all the dried glue with a dremmel sander and reapplied more glue and put a c clamp on the area i waited for 2 days till it dried and put the strings back on and tunned it up the strings were buzzing like a hive of angry bees so my friend who plays guitar came over and we discused what to do i was set to get another guitar but he came up with another idea he karate kicked the neck! and busted it again we removed the strings and resanded the glue he made a adjustment on the truss rod and we put more glue and reclamped it 2 days later i removed the clamps and restrung it,tunned it up and it was perfect and has stayed that way, this happened over a year ago so you never know what a guitar can take.

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • From: Sweden
  • Registered: 2007-01-09
  • Posts: 85

Re: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

Hi!
This might be stupidly obvious but...
Im quite a rookie and one thing that helped me a lot (against the sore fingers) was when my friend told me to grab the chords closer to the frets. It's a ton of differens in the force you have to use to get a clear chord if you put the finger far away from the fret or just over it. Put the finger as close as possible to the fret (nearest the body) and you get both a clear tone and less stress on the finger tips.

If you love what you do, there's no need to be good at it...
  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,862

Re: Strings, strings and those hurtin strings!!

the posistion or angle of your elbow in relation to your fretboard is important as is the hand on the fretboard. i find that when making a chord my hand if i take it away from the fretboard looks like the letter "c" my elbo posistion changes with the type of chord i am playing,sometimes it is tucked into my body and at other times it is a 45 degree angle you have to find something that is comfortable for you.

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website