Hand size...

[Schnozzalee]

7.5" - I'll play any neck profile and 33/34" scale only.

 

The only profile with a 34" scale neck that I haven't been able to get around, is that of a G&L L2500.

[Geek99]

On 27/02/2011 at 21:59, untune said:

Just curious on this one... I hear people saying all the time 'I play a precision because I have big hands etc etc' and I'm curious just how big are big hands?? Haha... I read a forum post somewhere where somebody said his hands measured 7.5" from wrist to the end of his middle finger, and he said his were small... so I measured mine and they're pretty much the same, 7 and a half.

Now if anyone can resist the onslaught of jokes about measuring yourself, just how big are big hands exactly? http://basschat.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/%3C#EMO_DIR%23%3E/laugh.png

Mine are 7.5” too and I wear large gloves 

other things slightly on large size so maybe you do have big hands ?

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, iivyt said:

wait are my hands just tiny then??? Mine are 15.5 cm wrist to middle finger tip (6.1”) I am a 16yr old girl tbf

is this why I struggle sm with fret jumps 😭😭

Normal female hands. However I’ve seen truly petite women wrangle a p bass for a full show, see Enid from Girlschool as an example 

just get a shorter scale bass like 32” or a Hofner

lady I know has very small hands but is buying a Harley Benton beatbass

[Hellzero]

Mine are 21 centimeters and I wear size 11 gloves ... I think these are called paddles, so don't mess with me. 🤪😉

 

The stretch between my thumb and middle or ring or pinky is totally consistent and is 24 centimeters on the left hand and 23 centimeters on the right hand.

 

Between thumb and index it's 20 centimeters for the left hand and 19 centimeters for the right one.

[Rosie C]

57 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Mine are 21 centimeters and I wear size 11 gloves ... I think these are called paddles, so don't mess with me. 🤪😉

 

 

I just measured and they're 18cm. My bass teacher's fingers are each 1" longer than mine, and it's a similar story with my nephew who is a classical guitarist. I'm a bit of a Ritchie Blackmore fan, and I'm sure on videos I see him using his thumb to fret on the E string - which must make his hands huge-normous! 

[LeftyJ]

I'm somewhat tall (1.96m) and subsequently my hands are also somewhat large: 21 cm like @Hellzero's. Add to that 15 years of manual labour (working in soil and groundwater surveying, making boreholes of up to 7 metres deep by hand for sampling) so they're not just long but somewhat chunky and callous too (though it's gotten less after spending most of the last 4 years working in an office). I can get around on most types of neck, but I much prefer a solid Jazz Bass-like C-shape with a nicely curved compound radius fingerboard - preferably a radius of no more than 10" at the nut, coming down to a flatter surface towards the bridge for a more even plucking height. 

 

In recent years I've come to appreciate shortscale basses a lot, and I'm equally at ease on the shorter fret distances as I am on a 34" bass - they're just so much fun to play!

[Geek99]

28 minutes ago, LeftyJ said:

I'm somewhat tall (1.96m) and subsequently my hands are also somewhat large: 21 cm like @Hellzero's. Add to that 15 years of manual labour (working in soil and groundwater surveying, making boreholes of up to 7 metres deep by hand for sampling) so they're not just long but somewhat chunky and callous too (though it's gotten less after spending most of the last 4 years working in an office). I can get around on most types of neck, but I much prefer a solid Jazz Bass-like C-shape with a nicely curved compound radius fingerboard - preferably a radius of no more than 10" at the nut, coming down to a flatter surface towards the bridge for a more even plucking height. 

 

In recent years I've come to appreciate shortscale basses a lot, and I'm equally at ease on the shorter fret distances as I am on a 34" bass - they're just so much fun to play!

Donald trump is taller and his hands are tiny so it doesn’t always work that way 

[Hellzero]

Agreed @Geek99 as I'm only 1.82m tall.

[Rodders]

10.5" or 26.67cm hand span when at full stretch, from tip of little finger to thumb.

Wedding ring was custom made, never had an issue with a bass being too big, but picking up pennies off the floor and fine stuff like soldering is a no. 

[franzbassist]

From wrist to tip of middle finger is 20.5 cm

Hand span thumb to little finger is 23cm

Piano span from first to little finger is 21.5cm

 

I like 5 strings with wide necks and 19mm spacing at the bridge.

[Chienmortbb]

I think too much is made of size. Look at some o the young kids playing full sized basses on YouTube. For example https://youtu.be/3w0JZpaHDz4?si=l8B4BtWctE0mQ_mt

[chris_b]

Unless we are  Oompa Loompa's or have an injury, hand and finger size or shape shouldn't be a problem.

 

Bad technique definitely will affect how we play bass and what basses we can comfortably play.

 

Seems it's easier to buy a smaller bass than work on changing our technique.

[Geek99]

If you have arthritis it is one of a very restricted set of options 

[chris_b]

4 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

If you have arthritis it is one of a very restricted set of options 

 

Of course.

[Chienmortbb]

I have tried 30" scale length and hated them. I wonder, as my arthritis worsens in my hands whether a 32" would be a good compromise?

[peteb]

22 hours ago, chris_b said:

Unless we are  Oompa Loompa's or have an injury, hand and finger size or shape shouldn't be a problem.

 

Bad technique definitely will affect how we play bass and what basses we can comfortably play.

 

Seems it's easier to buy a smaller bass than work on changing our technique.

 

Jim Rodford always played a full size P bass, and he wasn't a big guy! 

 

[rushbo]

Oh, the fun we have on BassChat!

 

I've always thought I had teeny-tiny hands and this thread proves it. My measurement from wrist to middle finger is 18cm. I'm 175cm tall, so that's in the ballpark, but still on the small side. I can't say it's ever impeded me in terms of playing the Bass. My favourite necks are the ones you find on Indonesian Squier PJ's which seem to be equidistant between Precision and Jazz width and profile. 

 

 

 

[BillyBass]

Wrist to tip of middle finger: 19.5 cm

Tip of thumb to tip of little finger: 22.5cm 

Tip of index to tip-off little finger: 16.5 cm

 

Many moons ago, two Thai women, sat opposite me in a share taxi, commented on how long my fingers were, not realising I could understand them.  I think my hands/fingers are about average for a European but are longer than an east Asian's.

 

With 4 strings I prefer a shallow neck but the nut width is not so important.  With 5 strings, not sure yet.  I've only played a shallow necked Charvel, with a (I think) 44.5mm nut width and between 18-18.5mm string spacing at the bridge.  I find that comfortable but I'm about to receive a Reverend which has a shallow neck but a 47mm nut and 19mm spacing at the bridge;  I'll shortly find out what I prefer.

[Geek99]

I think I must have large palms and short fingers based on what I read here 

[andruca]

I had never thought of this. I've measured 8.25" (sounds like we're discussing skateboard decks). I of course knew I have big hands. I had indeed measured my hands beffore, just a different magnitude. When I open my hand as wide as I can, I cover 27cm/10.6" between my thumb and pinky tips. I've in fact used such data many times to roughly measure stuff 🤣

 

D3spite mybig paws, I prefer thin necks. I mostly own basses with thin necks (4 and 5 strings). I might not be the skinny neck nazi I was 10 years ago. I try to focus more into discovering basses now, instead of consuming them, but everything else must be nothing short of perfect/desirable for me to deal with a thick neck. One such case is a 1981 Yamaha SuperBass 500S I got some months ago. Awesome, I can deal with the less than ideal (thick, sorta' D) neck profile. It even plays (and slaps) real nice, I've played it for hours in several occasions without the hefty neck being an impediment, once I adapted to how the bass wants to be played.

 

With age, I might be more open to listening to that than forcing my ways on an instrument, big hands or not.

Edited December 4 by andruca

[peteb]

5 hours ago, BillyBass said:

Wrist to tip of middle finger: 19.5 cm

Tip of thumb to tip of little finger: 22.5cm 

Tip of index to tip-off little finger: 16.5 cm

 

Many moons ago, two Thai women, sat opposite me in a share taxi, commented on how long my fingers were, not realising I could understand them.  I think my hands/fingers are about average for a European but are longer than an east Asian's.

 

With 4 strings I prefer a shallow neck but the nut width is not so important.  With 5 strings, not sure yet.  I've only played a shallow necked Charvel, with a (I think) 44.5mm nut width and between 18-18.5mm string spacing at the bridge.  I find that comfortable but I'm about to receive a Reverend which has a shallow neck but a 47mm nut and 19mm spacing at the bridge;  I'll shortly find out what I prefer.

 

I've just checked, my hands are exactly the same size as yours! My little fingers are quite short, so when I play a run I will often (but not always) move my hand position up and down the fretboard rather than play vertically. It depends on what feels comfortable. 

 

I actually prefer 70s style P bass necks (is that about 41mm at the nut), but I'm not too fussed and have a couple of jazz basses with narrow necks that I'm quite comfortable with. You just adapt to the bass you're playing really.