Sore tips

[dan6652]

Hi, I practice about 1 1/2 hour each day on a Fender CD-140SCE acoustic with Martin 12-gauge strings.

I've been doing this for 3 or 4 years now, and I assume I have built enough calluses (am I wrong?)

Still, my fingertips are getting sore and the string marks (ruts) stay there for a while after I stop playing - see image, taken almost 2 hours after I stopped.

1) How can I deal with the issue? Filing, rubbing?

2) I have a 4 mm gap between the fretboard and the strings at the 12th fret. Does this mean that the neck is bent? Visually it look perhaps slightly out of line with the body, but I am not sure.

3) How long can you guys play each day on 12-gauge?

[Brucebubs]

4.0mm seems quite high - are you measuring like this?



I read this as over 2.0mm but under 2.5mm

[dan6652]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

4.0mm seems quite high - are you measuring like this?

Exactly like that.

[Goodallboy]

That’s quite normal and there’s nothing to be concerned about unless your setup is not correct, and if it isn’t I’d get it seen by a qualified tech.

My guitars are set up well but my finger tips look like I play a lot of guitar, just like yours do.

[jp2558]

I get ruts like that in my fingers even when playing electric with 9’s. It just comes with the territory. I have two Martin’s with 12’s and a Takamine with 11’s too.

[dwasifar]

I have a groove like that on my ring finger pretty much constantly. Nothing to worry about.

[nikpearson]

And that will be making it needlessly hard to fret the strings. As a starting point I’d get a good setup done by a luthier or tech. More typical action would be around 2.5mm on the low E and 2.0mm on high E strings.

This might not prevent the grooves in your finger tips but it will make playing the guitar much easier. The string height at the nut and neck relief will also be checked as part of any good setup.

I’m also guessing that if your fingertips are quite dry then they will take longer to return to normality! Perhaps try moisturising after playing or overnight.

[pegleghowell]

This isn`t what I was expecting from this thread,I think I`ll have to visit the clinic afterall.

[Mr. Jelly]

I run 11-50 strings and after about an hour, sometimes less, my finger tips get sore. My guitars have great action and are short scale. I've been playing for fifty years so I don't think it's going to change.

[AgentKooper]

As others have said, if you’re measuring correctly, that action is way high, and that’s why your fingers hurt. Take it in for a setup.

[bufflehead]

Many of us would consider a 4mm action unplayable.

[Earl49]

Dan, I have been playing for a long time, and rarely on anything lighter than 12's. I played for 2½ hours straight in a backyard jam on Sunday evening, and my fingers still looked like yours several hours later that night as I headed for bed. Your fingers look normal to me. Once you have good established callouses the fingertip becomes hardened and the string indentations will stay there for a while.

I agree that 4 mm is quite high for the low E, making the problem worse. You are also now likely in the habit of grabbing WAY too hard. You only need enough pressure to get a clean buzz-free tone. Anything after that is wasted muscular effort. When 5 ounces is good enough, 5 pounds does not add anything -- except accelerated fret wear. I'm guilty of that, but working on it....

[rokdog49]

My guys are around at 2.5 millimeters, the highest at 2.75.
One thing I would Consider is your technique. Often times folks press way harder than is needed to fret a note. Some styles call for that, but in my experience, heavy pressure isn’t always needed. I have a very strong fretting hand and I can bend a 16 gauge B string up a full step if necessary. Most of the time, I don’t press all that hard though.

[dan6652]

OK thanks everybody for their opinions.

You made me realize that I AM grabbing too hard. (And confirmed my suspicion about those 4 mm).

[AgentKooper]

You may be grabbing too hard, and that's always something worth keeping in mind (along with avoiding similar tension in your strumming/picking hand). I'm guilty of that too sometimes. But I bet those high strings are the main issue. I've been playing .12 -.54 strings every day for years, and the only time I can ever recall my fingertips hurting since I first started playing regularly is after playing guitars with high action, particularly at the nut. I'd have the nut slots looked at as well as the action at the 12th fret.

BTW, I get those dents in my calluses sometimes too, but they don't hurt.