Sweaty Hands

[Slipperydick]

For the last few gigs, I've had sweaty palms, especially my left hand. I dont mean just a little, I mean to the point where my fingers are sticking together. I have suffered with really dry skin on the backs of my fingers/ knuckles sometimes,but I dont think theres a connection. I dont get excessively nervous before gigs - not usually anyway - so I dont think its that.

I've been playing the same Bass for years without problems, so its not a reaction to the laquer or anything of that sort.

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas, or suggestions of how to reduce it. Using a towel and wiping my hands during a set doesnt seem to help much, and as we tend to play 2 or 3 numbers at a time, straight off without stopping, its not always an option .

[guyl]

Driclor from Chemist or Boots

Not something you want on your bass strings, but put on your hands at night when going to bed. After a few nights it makes a massive difference.

[Gust0o]

Is it your hands sweating, or elsewhere? I quickly rediscovered sweat bands when playing live.

Might gloves work for you?

I'm thinking out loud now. I normally have a small golf towel and wipe hands and bass neck as needed.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='Gust0o' post='1218736' date='May 3 2011, 03:53 PM']Is it your hands sweating, or elsewhere? I quickly rediscovered sweat bands when playing live.

Might gloves work for you?

I'm thinking out loud now. I normally have a small golf towel and wipe hands and bass neck as needed.[/quote]

Old Beer towel hanging off the mic stand, wipe hands a lot. Seems to be all you can do. The green bass in my avatar is rapidly losing all it's finish due to my sweaty paws.
Tried sweat bands, but by golly they made me even hotter, and I'm getting a bit old to be taking my shirt off now.
If there are solutions it would be nice, as if I do a double header weekend, I usually end up with nasty sweat rash between the fingers of my left hand, itchy.

[Ross]

I don't really care if I soak my bass in sweat, it gets a full clean after every gig anyway and it's inevitable.

However driclor is amazing stuff.
I use it on my back, pits and a few other bits to combat the insane sweating if it's even mildly humid.
Be warned, this stuff HURTS when you first start using it, I'd describe it like an itchy burn, like a really bad stinging nettles sting. It smells like vodka though which makes me happy.

[Rayman]

I sweat like a glass blowers arse (nice) during gigs. The drummer and myself are terrible, we look like we've been in a sauna at the end of a gig. Not much you can do for that, I've looked into it, but for hands you can try the suggestion above, and in extreme circumstances you can have an operation to stop it. A girl who used to sing with us suffered with sweaty hands, and she was mortified with embarrassment, and used to wear gloves. She finally had an op and was cured.

There is a powder you can get, and could well be the stuff mentioned above, but I understand it's pretty unpleasant stuff in terms of the chemicals there in. So I just have a towel.

Edit; a doctor explained to me that if you sweat, you sweat. It's healthy (although embarrassing) and good for you as long as you top up with fluids. If you do use something to stop sweating in a certain area, it [i]can[/i] make other areas of your body worse as the moisture still needs to get out. So if you use Driclor on your back, and pits etc, you're gonna need a change of undies at half time

Edited May 3, 2011 by Rayman

[Gust0o]

You could go down the Jason Newstead... ask Alembic nicely if they'll waterproof the electrics for you, as you sweat buckets. Worked for him.

What is this Dricolor business?

[Rayman]

[quote name='Johnston' post='1218794' date='May 3 2011, 04:37 PM']Can you not get Botox on your sweat glands or something daft these days??[/quote]

Yes you can. It's quite common to get botox injections in the face around the forehead etc to help stop sweating, but I'm not sure how effective it is.

[waltsdog]

Not read all the replies so someone may have said it already, but you can buy liquid chalk for climbing or weight lifting which would sort this out and it shouldn't harm anything else or leave a residue.
Here is a link [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yoga-Mad-Liquid-Chalk-250ml/dp/B000U2AQR0"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yoga-Mad-Liquid-Ch...l/dp/B000U2AQR0[/url]

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Gust0o' post='1218736' date='May 3 2011, 03:53 PM']Is it your hands sweating, or elsewhere? I quickly rediscovered sweat bands when playing live.[/quote]
+1 to that. Maybe very "80s" but who cares if it works.

[L_Bass_Dog85]

I'm a culprit to sweaty hands, including everywhere else, especially performing live! Don't worry about it, use wristbands, towels etc like stated above. Also, if your self conscience about it people will notice. Carry on like you don't care and wipe down when there's time to do so. Talcum powder is another option, just not that manly!

Luke

[Slipperydick]

Thanks for the replies. I dont fancy the sound of Driclor, already got dry & itchy skin on the backs of my hands, wonder if using Betnovate has made the sweating worse.

I dont sweat much elsewhere, at least not compared to others. It seems to come from between my fingers where they join my hands for some reason. I already use a beer towel, still got the same Guiness one since 1977 bit like a lucky charm, but the sweats only really been a problem for the last few weeks, so I wonder if its an age thing. might try talc, johnsons baby stuff dont smell too much iirc.

Sweat bands, well my wrists dont sweat, and they wouldnt look right with the black suit would they ?

Bass-Dog85 is probably right and I'm just a bit too self concious about it.

[Delberthot]

I don't sweat a great deal but even a small amount can make my fingers stick to the strings so for years I've always pointed a small fan at my hands

[jhk]

What helps me on hot stage is a `clamp on` fan halfway up my mike stand which blasts upwards past my hands and onto my face to help keep temperature down and also dry out sweat!!!

[Grassie]

If it bothers you that much, and is causing you genuine discomfort with itchiness, go to the doc's. You never know - you might get your problem solved quicker that way. I would stay away from talc - that will get in all the nooks and crannies of your bass, and royally f*** it up.

[niceguyhomer]

Sweaty hands..and erm....one slipperydick - what's going on here?

[niceguyhomer]

[chrismuzz]

On the opposite side to this, I find that sweaty hands make my hands slip too much! Even being too liberal with fast fret makes my playing clumsy though lol

[Slipperydick]

[quote name='Johnston' post='1219309' date='May 3 2011, 10:43 PM']Atleast it's [b]sweaty not sticky [/b][/quote]

No - slippery !

Edited May 4, 2011 by Slipperydick

[Gust0o]

Oi oi!

[xilddx]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=90264&hl"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=90264&hl[/url]

[Ross]

Could you wear less clothes?

[Slipperydick]

[quote name='Ross' post='1220649' date='May 5 2011, 09:27 AM']Could you wear less clothes?[/quote]

What do you suggest I leave off ?

Maybe once upon a time I could, but nobody wants to see a 6 foot, 17 stone sweaty old git jumping about with his shirt off.

[I.dunno]

I always had hand sweating problems: hyperhidrosys. It is possible to cure this (in a chirurgical way, etc.) but it costs a lot of money. So I wash my hands with Marseille soap (the real on, not the liquid one) before playing bass and it helps me to sweat less, and somedays, thaks to the Marseille soap, I don't sweat at all. It might help you too. But if you never sweat like today, you should go see a doctor, shouldn't you?