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Got a new bass and have wrist pain? Here are some tips that can help

If you encounter wrist pain when you buy a new bass guitar that has a different neck compared to what you’re used to, this is absolutely not something that exclusively happens to the over-40 crowd. Far from it, actually. Anyone can get wrist pain from a different style of bass guitar neck.

Common pain description:

A “dulling” pain where soreness is felt in the fret hand wrist, similar to a mild sprain, and takes anywhere from a few hours to a few days to heal.

Common incorrect cause of pain:

“I must be playing wrong.” Possible, but doubtful. If you were 100% comfortable with your previous bass and never encountered wrist pain before, having the new bass doesn’t suddenly mean you’re playing incorrectly.

The reason you’re getting wrist pain is probably because your new bass has a thin neck on it.

A few universal truths about guitar necks

“Thin” has never and will never automatically translate to “good”

Many players believe that thin necks are the best kind, and that the thinner it is, the better it must be. That’s an incorrect assumption, as there are many players who actually prefer “baseball bat” style thick necks.

The simplest example I can give of thin vs. thick that everyone can relate to is a cordless phone vs. a smartphone. When holding a thick cordless phone, you don’t get wrist pain. Ever. But for many, holding a thin smartphone for even as little as 10 minutes really makes the wrist hurt because there’s almost nothing to grab on to, forcing you to large-pinch the phone.

Why does the pain happen? Because the pinching action causes strain from the extra force needed to hold the thing in place.

Similarly, on a thin guitar neck, if you’re pinching due to neck thinness where a good amount of pressure is being exerted by your thumb on the back so you can hold down strings via your other fingers on the front appropriately, yes you will most likely get wrist pain from that.

There will be some guitar necks that your fret hand simply will never “agree” with

Some bass guitars, no matter how well-built, how expensive or how well set up they may be, will have necks that your hands just won’t like no matter what.

Sometimes a big-and-bulky neck just feels better and more natural, but when it comes to exotic builds, the thicker necks can be a bit tough to come by. Why? Because a thin neck is oftentimes used as a selling point for an exotic build.

Players see “thin” and go on the assumption that thin is not only beautiful but also the best-playing thing there is – until you actually play on the neck. At first, sure, you’re wowed by the thinness and yeah, you’ll probably be able to play faster on it. But then you put the bass down and anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours later that damned wrist starts hurting, so.. maybe your wrist is trying to tell you (rather loudly), “I don’t like thin necks; stop doing this to me, thanks.”

Round is not your enemy

I’m not talking about the back of the neck here but rather the fingerboard radius on the front.

Again, on the exotic side of things, many exotic-build necks use super-flat fingerboard radiuses, and sometimes that’s not the best choice for some hands out there.

Fender vintage-spec radius is 7.25-inch. Very round.

Fender modern-spec radius is 9.5-inch (and this is the one many bass players are used to).

Gibson spec both for vintage and modern has a 12-inch fingerboard radius. G&L also follows this spec as well.

Generally speaking, you get into super-flat territory when you go “flatter than Gibson”.

Some players never get used to more-than-4-string bass guitars because they pick a bass that has too flat of a fingerboard

5 and 6-string bass guitars are now generally available to the point where you can actually buy one fairly cheap.

Case in point, the Ibanez SR256:

Ibanez-SR256

This bass has a current street price of around $400, which for a 6-string is pretty cheap, however it has a fingerboard radius of 400mm, which is roughly 15.7 inches..

..and that’s really, really flat.

If you’re used to playing something like a Fender Precision or Jazz Bass and then pick one of these up, the neck is going to feel very different, and probably in a way your fret hand’s wrist won’t like.

Compare this to, say, the Music Man Bongo 6:

bongo6

This bass has an 11-inch fingerboard radius. A whole lot rounder on the fingerboard compared to the Ibanez, and for many a much more comfortable player. It also costs a lot more (about a street price of $1,800-ish).

Some believe all 6-string basses have super-flat fingerboards. Not true. The Bongo 6 proves you don’t need a super-flat fingerboard when you go over 4 strings.

No, you don’t have to spend $1,800 just to get a 6-string with a rounder fingerboard as there are some on the inexpensive side with the rounder radius; you just have to do your research when shopping and look up neck specs on the internet before trying out a bass, which is always a good thing.

Is there a “happy medium” fingerboard radius that would accommodate to most players?

Well, that’s debatable, but generally speaking, if the radius is kept between Fender modern-spec 9.5-inch and Gibson-spec 12-inch, that’s a “safe” radius range to go with. Does this mean you’ll eliminate wrist pain by using a rounder radius? No, because there are other factors involved, but more often than not, going with a rounder radius will at least decrease wrist pain to some degree for many players. Again, that’s not guaranteed, but it is something to take into consideration.

And as far as “happy medium” neck shape is concerned, Fender’s “C” works for most players. On a super-flat/thin neck, more often than not you end up with a “U” shape. An example of this is the ESP LTD B-416 bass, which has a very thin “U” shape neck.

“What can I do to decrease wrist pain on my fret hand concerning the thin-neck bass I already own?”

You’ve most likely done some research into this already, so what you’re about to read may be a repeat of what you found out, but it’s all true.

1. Lower the action as low as you can possibly get it

Lower action means less pinching action, meaning less strain on the fret hand, meaning (hopefully) less wrist pain.

2. Use a lighter gauge string set

The lighter gauge strings means you won’t have to press the fingerboard as hard to fret notes, and this should decrease strain on your fret hand.

3. Match the seated position to the standing position (if possible)

If you encounter wrist pain only when playing the bass while standing, adjust your guitar strap so that the position of the bass in relation to your body is the same while seated.

Sometimes it’s not possible to get the seated position from a strap while standing (you may tilt your neck up when playing standing), but the option is there, and it may help decrease wrist pain.

Also remember that you’re probably leaning down and in towards the bass when playing seated whereas you’re not while standing, so you may have to raise your bass while standing quite a bit.

“None of that worked. What now?”

Well, don’t “power your way through it”. If your wrist is telling you “STOP DOING THAT”, you stop doing it, else you’ll cause damage and may even develop CTS.

The next step is to try a bass with a thicker neck that has a rounder fingerboard radius. Run on down to the guitar store, pick up a Fender or Squier Jazz Bass V and try it out. Remember, some Fender/Squier models have the 9.5-inch radius while others like the Squier Deluxe Jazz Bass V Active have 12-inch. Best to start with the rounder 9.5.

Unless a special model, all those Fender/Squier basses should have the “C” shape neck.

Play one of those for a good solid 15 minutes, and you’ll know fairly quickly whether or not your fret hand agrees with the neck or not. Or to put it simply, if you wrist isn’t hurting before, during or after you play on a thicker neck, well, there’s your answer.

And if the Fender spec buzzes too much concerning your playing style (which it might, depending on how you play), put that down and pick up a Gibson EB or a G&L L-2500 as both will have the 12-inch radius.

What happens if you discover the thicker necks agree with your fret hand a lot better?

You either A) Get rid of the thin-neck bass and switch to thicker neck, or B) Significantly alter your playing style.

There’s nothing that can be done to “cure” a thin neck that causes you wrist pain 100%. If your fret hand hurts when playing thin and doesn’t when playing thick, you have to go thicker. If you don’t want to do that, your only other option is to significantly change your playing style to accommodate for the least finger strain possible, meaning light strings played with light touch; do anything possible to decrease fret hand strain, and that will help, but it will take practice and time to get used to.

10 thoughts on “Got a new bass and have wrist pain? Here are some tips that can help”

  1. This is the reason some of players like SX’s over Squires or even some Fenders. They have a fatter neck profile than the “name brand” basses typical do.

    Reply
  2. I have a somewhat rounded neck on my very very flat six string Carvin neck through. It’s a wonder of ergonomic design. It’s my right hand that hurts as a new bassist…..

    Reply
  3. It’s important to remember that the reverse is often true as well, especially if guitar is your primary instrument. I’ve always gotten massive wrist pain from playing thicker necks with rounder fingerboard radii, so I had to switch back to the so-called “speed” necks. The big take away for me is to play anything you’re considering buying for MORE than just 15 or 20 minutes, and give yourself a while after you stop playing it to see if any pain develops afterwards. Get a good feel for what specifications are best for your hands and playing style, and hunt down instruments with similar specs.

    Reply
  4. Can this also be a source of shoulder pain? I’ve developed a very sharp one in my left shoulder that seems to coincide with playing my six-string Ibanez (with a very flat neck) lately.

    Reply
  5. Getting a comfortable and well-suited neck is very important, but to me it beggars belief that you discount technique as a source of hand problems. Technique is EVERYTHING when it comes to hand/finger health, and you should be able to play different size/shape necks without damaging yourself. The adjustments when you change basses could be a catalyst for pain, but again, you should be able to make the adjustments necessary in your playing style to play comfortably. I’ve had hand problems myself, had hand therapy and learned how to play without harming myself. Getting the right instrument is important, but runs a distant second to knowing how to play relaxed and without strain. This article is misleading, irresponsible and entirely unhelpful.

    Reply
  6. Going from my thin neck 6 string to a rounder neck 5 string has proved to cause some slight discomfort in the wrist that went away as I adjusted. What I think is pretty important is getting a good playing position on different basses. Basses sit on straps differently, balance differently… have to take this into account.

    Reply
  7. I have been playing Bass for arround 45 years( I am now 71) I was given some very good advice many years ago when I was suffering with wrist pain.A classical guitarist told me to place the bass neck in the palm of my hand as if I was normally touching my first to fingers with my thumb,then, lower my elbow so that I could slide my hand back and forth along the neck with out any stress to the wrist and fingers. Within two weeks all the discomfort had gone and Has never returned. It shouldn’t make a scrap of difference how flat of round the neck is, the most important thing is to play with out stress to the wrist and fingers.
    i can still play for many hours without discomfort. I play six string basses with wide necks and string spacings.
    I hope this will be of help to those who do have a problem

    Reply
  8. USE PROPER FRETTING HAND TECHNIQUE!!! If there is persistent pain, go see a Doctor. NEVER EVER “play through” the pain.

    Reply

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