Could 3/32” break my hand?

[PiousDevil]

I’ve had my new Yairi DYM60HD for about a week now, and for almost that same amount of time have had nagging pain in my wrist, and what started in my pinky and ring finger carpals is now in the thumb tendon.

My other most played guitars are my Yairi DYMR70SB with a 1 13/16” nut, and my D18 with 1 1/4” nut. New guitar has a 1 23/32” nut. Neck profile seems the same as the other Yairi, which is very comfortable.

I havent been playing more than usual. In fact i’ve been busy and playing less than usual.

What gives? Am I just suddenly old?

[Fngrstyl]

Maybe the action at the nut is higher on this guitar? Neck profile same? different? Hands(fingers) are so sensitive. We can notice the most minor differences with action, nut width and neck width obviously. ....

[Brucebubs]

Try going metric and see if that helps.

[PiousDevil]

Originally Posted by Fngrstyl

Maybe the action at the nut is higher on this guitar? Neck profile same? different? Hands(fingers) are so sensitive. We can notice the most minor differences with action, nut width and neck width obviously. ....

If anything the action is lower than I like. Neck profile is the same as my other Yairis.

[PiousDevil]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Try going metric and see if that helps.

From my cold, dead hands. . .

[PiousDevil]

Bumped for the medical opinions of the masses.

[stringjunky]

Is the depth from the back of the neck through to the top of the frets the same? Do you feel like you are squeezing the same distance between your thumb and fingers when fretting compared to your other guitars?

[Pitar]

I know zip about D18 guitars but did you mean to type 1-3/4"?

On the hand issue, you're ranging between 23, 24 and 26/32nds of an inch between guitars, with the most recent being 23/32nds. How you manipulate your fretting hand between guitars is probably the same (muscle memory). Is the scale length of the new arrival the same or longer? Extending a bit away from the body can ask the wrist to adapt to a new angle, even if slight, and that might place a kink on a nerve bundle that was not previously experienced.

Anecdotal - I use a capo to bring my arm closer to my body to learn new stuff. As I become adept at playing them I move out to the pitch I prefer. I've just always done that to lessen the wrist angle during tune development. Early on I found myself feeling spent when trying to make the wrist adapt to a progression that tasked it with supporting a hand that was performing many fast changes. I called them my training frets (like bicycle training wheels). That's why my fret boards were always evenly worn up to the 7th fret. While not a recommended method for teaching new students, it should have an honorable mention as an option for the physically challenged.

[PiousDevil]

Originally Posted by Pitar

I know zip about D18 guitars but did you mean to type 1-3/4"?



On the hand issue, you're ranging between 23, 24 and 26/32nds of an inch between guitars, with the most recent being 23/32nds. How you manipulate your fretting hand between guitars is probably the same (muscle memory). Is the scale length of the new arrival the same or longer? Extending a bit away from the body can ask the wrist to adapt to a new angle, even if slight, and that might place a kink on a nerve bundle that was not previously experienced.



Anecdotal - I use a capo to bring my arm closer to my body to learn new stuff. As I become adept at playing them I move out to the pitch I prefer. I've just always done that to lessen the wrist angle during tune development. Early on I found myself feeling spent when trying to make the wrist adapt to a progression that tasked it with supporting a hand that was performing many fast changes. I called them my training frets (like bicycle training wheels). That's why my fret boards were always evenly worn up to the 7th fret. While not a recommended method for teaching new students, it should have an honorable mention as an option for the physically challenged.

I definitely meant 1 3/4”. I havent taken the time to measure the depth, but my hand is feeling better so I think I’ve adjusted. I am also spending more time capoed, which may be indeed helping, thanks!

[Rodger Knox]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Try going metric and see if that helps.

That's just silly, everyone know Whitworth is better.

[Twoosy18]

For your hand or wrist pain, try finger, wrist, elbow stretches and icing after playing (read Joe Satriani does that after concerts).

Try lighter gauge strings for a month or two if you don't wanna just put the guitar down for a week or two to let your muscles recover.

Have action set as low as possible - James Taylor says, "Set it just before the (strings) buzz."

[thechariot1x]

Do you play with a guitar strap, and if so is it strung low, or when you play do you tend to keep your wrist bent up (or flexed) alot? Only reason I ask is that a surgeon friend of my dad's told him that if you tense up your wrist alot when playing, or do either of the above mentioned things you can cause carpal tunnel syndrome which will get progressively worse over time.

[jazzguy]

lightly stretch before playing your guitars. I helps immensely.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Rodger Knox

That's just silly, everyone know Whitworth is better.

To be sure and it is little known, but from personal experience the electro shock therapy from grabbing both the bare positive and negative ends of any hot Lucas circuit is vary palliative

[stringjunky]

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

I definitely meant 1 3/4”. I havent taken the time to measure the depth, but my hand is feeling better so I think I’ve adjusted. I am also spending more time capoed, which may be indeed helping, thanks!

If a capo helps up the neck then the neck is probably too narrow at the nut from the back of the neck to the top of the frets.