My fret fingers have opened up

[Earl49]

I keep a foam sanding block (120 grit) next to my TV chair, and sand down my calluses regularly when not playing. Don't sand while the grooves are still fresh, btw. Wait until they are gone, like after an overnight break.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by jaymarsch

Thanks for beating me to it, Sax!

Knives - you might check out the Guitar Hands website as he talks about finger sensitivity as well. Don't know if it will help your specific problem but might be worth checking out.

Best,
Jayne

Hey Jayne, I just ordered this product. I usually don't like to use any creams on my hands. In fact just the opposite as I want my hands to be as clean as possible so as to not transfer any oils onto the strings. Actually I wash my hand every single time before picking up the guitar. But from the description of this product, seems like it will keep the fingertips even cleaner.

A couple of questions for you:
When do you apply this cream?
Before each time you play?...
Or just once a day?
Or once at night?

And does washing my hands more often mean that I need to apply the cream more often.? I are often doing other hobbies which might bring dust or oil into my hands. So I wash my hands all the time, especially before touching my guitar.

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

Hey Jayne, I just ordered this product. I usually don't like to use any creams on my hands. In fact just the opposite as I want my hands to be as clean as possible so as to not transfer any oils onto the strings. Actually I wash my hand every single time before picking up the guitar. But from the description of this product, seems like it will keep the fingertips even cleaner.

A couple of questions for you:
When do you apply this cream?
Before each time you play?...
Or just once a day?
Or once at night?

And does washing my hands more often mean that I need to apply the cream more often.? I are often doing other hobbies which might bring dust or oil into my hands. So I wash my hands all the time, especially before touching my guitar.

I also wash my hands before I play my guitars. The way this product works is that you wash your hands, use a small amount of the product (as per directions) and rub thoroughly into your hands. Then wipe your hands on a clean cloth/towel. Wait a minute or two and then your ready to play. This stuff is not greasy at all and absorbs really efficiently so I have not experienced any issue with residue of any kind or noticed any negative impact on my strings or my guitar. I think that you will be able to feel that when you use it.

If I am having fingertip sensitivity than I would use the product (In the morning or at bedtime) in the same way but paying attention to particularly rubbing onto my fingertips and calluses and then wiping off. So, how often I use it depends on how dry my skin is or what the condition of my calluses are. If everything is pretty good then I don't use it daily but I have in the winter when it is drier. So, you may have to experiment to see what works best for your situation and skin chemistry. If you have any questions, I think that you can email them directly and they will respond.

I hope that you find it useful for your situation.

Best,
Jayne

[Blueser100]

Originally Posted by DukeX

Players with this problem need to go see Madge.

I’m old enough to remember that commercial. 🤣

[Paraclete]

I buff callouses down with a very fine emory board or the roughest polishing surface of my 6-way file. Also, I put a thick layer of bag balm on my hands before bed and make a point of getting it under my fingernails too.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Paraclete

I buff callouses down with a very fine emory board or the roughest polishing surface of my 6-way file. Also, I put a thick layer of bag balm on my hands before bed and make a point of getting it under my fingernails too.

I'd been thinking about this since I mentioned Bag Balm earlier in this thread. It seems to work for everything else - why not this?!?! I just keep a sheet of really fine grit sandpaper on my guitar-stuff table and run my callouses over it when they get too rough or grooved. Thats all I need most of the time...

[lkingston]

Are sure you are not just pushing down on the strings too hard with your fretting hand? I know I've had to work to avoid that, especially playing out. Maybe your guitar needs a better setup and you are just powering through it. You should be able to play with just the slightest amount of force from your fretting hand. If you are getting such heavy callouses and grooves in them you may be using way too much force in your fretting hand.

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by lkingston

Are sure you are not just pushing down on the strings too hard with your fretting hand? I know I've had to work to avoid that, especially playing out. Maybe your guitar needs a better setup and you are just powering through it. You should be able to play with just the slightest amount of force from your fretting hand. If you are getting such heavy callouses and grooves in them you may be using way too much force in your fretting hand.

That is a good point, lkingston. I had several teachers over the years who never mentioned this. Of course, I didn't know about set ups and had lousy action on my guitar. It was a revelation when I got a new teacher and that was one of the first things she checked out. Sure enough I was pressing way too hard. It took me a bit to learn how much pressure to use to get a relaxed hand and clean tone.

Best,
Jayne