Fingers

[Jonesthebass]

For left hand look at your set up, how high the strings are sitting, also consider how hard you are fretting. You'd be amazed how little pressure you need with a properly set up bass.
For right hand...... Turn up your amp. You like the thwack of a hard pluck cos you can't hear yourself. Try turning up the amp and playing lighter. We've all been there walking off stage and inserting fingers into a pint of iced water! Light touch allows you to play more nimbly too.
Good luck with sorting this out.

[seashell]

Just been to a jam and my fingers are throbbing right now. :-) It's a good feeling though - like when you feel stiff after a good workout. :-)

[KevB]

Some have also suggested using superglue (let it dry [i]before[/i] you start playing though ) to form little patches over your finger ends. I've worked in labs all my life so before we used disposable gloves quite so much you soon built up a resistance in your fingers from contact with all sorts of oragnics, acids etc!

[geoffbyrne]

Never had blister probs with bass - I use the flats of my fingers rather than the tips, but when I regularly played guitar I had callouses on which I could stub out cigarettes - and did for a party trick. Don't have right hand probs either.

G.

[Delberthot]

I was probably still getting blisters 10 years ago and that was after 18 years of playing. I just get really excited when I play.

Even tonight I've taken the top layer of skin off my right index and left pinky.

I still don't play as hard as I used to but instead turn myself up so that I can play lighter and have dropped the string height significantly compared to how I used to have it.

[bassmachine2112]

hiho,get off your finger tips and flatten your fingers across the board,1 finger per fret and thumb behind the neck pointing towards the head stock.
Dont have to move arm up and down neck just swivel on your thumb you can cover a lot of ground without moving your arm-economy of movement.

[chris_b]

Sorry but 1 finger per fret is an "old wives tale".

1 2 4 is a better fretting hand style because it entails less stretching on the lower notes. I wouldn't use 1 finger per fret until I was much higher up the neck.

[Ziphoblat]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1431252943' post='2769156']
Sorry but 1 finger per fret is an "old wives tale".

1 2 4 is a better fretting hand style because it entails less stretching on the lower notes. I wouldn't use 1 finger per fret until I was much higher up the neck.
[/quote]

+1
Could be my short arms and fingers, but when down around the first few frets if I try and use one finger per fret I can feel that my wrist is contorting into an unnatural shape.