Bass causing plucking hand pain - confused

[Guest MoJo]

At the weekend, I bought back the Yamaha BB425 that I sold in May. Once back home, I soon remembered why I sold it. After about 40 minutes or so, I start to get pains in my plucking (right) hand. I can't understand why. I play it in exactly the same fashion as my P-bass and my Ibanez P/J, anchoring my thumb on the neck pickup or one of the lower strings. It's got me beat. I really like the 425 and want to get to use it as my primary bass but can't do so if it's causing discomfort and pain. Has anyone else experienced this and how did you resolve it?

[4000]

I have nerve issues in my right arm and can’t play a great many basses these days because they cause me terrible pain whilst playing. The worst are the traditional Status shape and Jazzes. It’s just something to do with the body shape and how my arm rests (I can’t really float the arm because of the aforementioned nerve issues). I can get away with a P but not a J.

It could just be a minor difference in how you hold your arm due to the body shape affecting nerves, tendons etc. (Or it could be something else entirely). You could try adjusting your hand position but depending on the cause it may not work. 

[fleabag]

The only time i've had right hand pain is when playing a rather larger than i'm used to fretboard.

The vinatge Aria Pro ll SB900 i  have is a dream to play. But this is quite narrow for most players, having a 16.5mm string spacing

[Elfrasho]

What kind of pain?

 

Weirdly, I get a sore thumb on the plucking hand on some basses, after playing for a bit.

[Drax]

String tension? Had numerous hand / wrist tendon issues over the years, generally caused by a combination of scenarios. If you've got a weakness it can be something as innocuous as a higher tension string set that triggers it.. 

[Coilte]

As 4000 mentioned above, the problem is probably to do with the design/body shape of the Yamaha.

Generally speaking...no matter what the brand of the bass...playing with the thumb on the pick up causes the wrist to bend somewhat severely. Over time this can cause injury problems such as CTS. So, even if the problem is not apparent RIGHT NOW with your other basses, there is a possibility that in time, these too, will cause injury problems due to being played with a bent wrist.

You could try learning the "Floating Thumb" technique or the "Moveable Anchor". In both cases the wrist is straight, thus minimising the risk of injury.

 

 

[Guest MoJo]

3 hours ago, Elfrasho said:

What kind of pain?

Feels like the tendons on the underside of my fingers

[Guest MoJo]

4 hours ago, Coilte said:

As 4000 mentioned above, the problem is probably to do with the design/body shape of the Yamaha.

Generally speaking...no matter what the brand of the bass...playing with the thumb on the pick up causes the wrist to bend somewhat severely. Over time this can cause injury problems such as CTS. So, even if the problem is not apparent RIGHT NOW with your other basses, there is a possibility that in time, these too, will cause injury problems due to being played with a bent wrist.

You could try learning the "Floating Thumb" technique or the "Moveable Anchor". In both cases the wrist is straight, thus minimising the risk of injury.

 

 

 

Might have to give this a try

[Dan Dare]

19 hours ago, MoJo said:

Feels like the tendons on the underside of my fingers

Sounds as if you may be using too much force. Do you have to use a different hand position on the Yamaha? I'd experiment with varying that. It may be that a thumb rest, positioned to suit, will help.

[Guest MoJo]

51 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

Sounds as if you may be using too much force. Do you have to use a different hand position on the Yamaha? I'd experiment with varying that. It may be that a thumb rest, positioned to suit, will help.

I have seen a Yamaha BB for sale recently that had been fitted with a thumb rest. Perhaps a rest between the pickups may help

[Dan Dare]

Got to be worth a try. If you like the bass, it will only cost a few pounds to buy a rest and try it. My fretless is a Yamaha BB - PJ configuration. I find it similar to play to my Fender fretted PJ and Jazz in terms of hand position. However, I tend to play just above the P pickup - towards the neck rather than the bridge - so rest my thumb against the edge of the fingerboard.