{"id":4503,"date":"2013-08-05T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-05T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/?p=4503"},"modified":"2013-08-05T10:57:23","modified_gmt":"2013-08-05T15:57:23","slug":"weird-but-true-some-players-are-allergic-to-nickel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/gear\/hardware\/strings\/weird-but-true-some-players-are-allergic-to-nickel.html","title":{"rendered":"[Weird but true] Some players are allergic to nickel"},"content":{"rendered":"

I call this weird-but-true because bass players who encounter this issue usually have no idea<\/em> they’re allergic to nickel at all and just “tough it out” when in reality there’s no reason to do that.<\/p>\n

Being allergic to nickel is in fact a real thing and is normally associated with jewelry<\/a>, such as having to stop wearing a wedding ring due to the gold having some nickel content in it.  But it affects bass players as well because the fret hand is touching metal whenever playing.<\/p>\n

Obviously, using nickel-wound strings<\/a> wouldn’t be a good idea for those allergic to nickel, but fortunately there are other choices you can use so your fingers and hands don’t get all swollen up.<\/p>\n

Stainless steel<\/strong><\/p>\n

An example of stainless steel is DR Hi-Beams and Low Riders<\/a>. Rotosound also does stainless steel<\/a> as well as Fodera<\/a> and several other brands.<\/p>\n

Coated<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elixir fits the bill<\/a> here when it comes to coated strings. However, be aware that the coating will eventually wear off.<\/p>\n

Tape<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using tapewound strings (you can see these in our D’Addario section<\/a>) is usually a bit of a drastic move and sound totally different compared to stainless steel or coated, but it is an option.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, if you have to stop using strings with nickel content due to an allergic reaction, you will have the most choice switching over to stainless steel.<\/p>\n

Extreme-extreme course of action: Wearing gloves<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bass player Scott Devine wears gloves whenever playing not due to an allergic reaction but rather because of a neurological condition called Focal Dystonia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’m showing this to prove that even if you have to go gloved, it can be done:<\/p>\n