Finger Pain vs. Neck Shape

I had some minor discomfort in my finger after completing my stat parts-caster. I figured I was just playing more than usual due to having a new guitar. Thus, I more or less ignored it. After a wile I put the guitar away, got out my tele, played that for a week or 2. Then got out my other strat and played that for a week or 2. By that time the pain was gone. Well, this weekend I got out my strat parts-caster and played it over the weekend. Now my fingers hurt..

The parts strat has an '08 USA strat neck that has a thinner depth than my other 2 guitars, a flatish 'U' shape. I'm thinking my finger dont like that profile. Its also a tad bit wider. I figured it would be good to have different neck profiles as an aid to prevent such pain.

Can anyone share similar finger pain stories?

Should I pass this neck on to the next guy/girl?

that should read, "minor discomfort in my fingers on my left hand, index and ring for the most part.

I have issues with certain neck shapes, usually necks that are narrow and thin. I initially thought it was arthritis the, after MRIs, found out that I had brocken my wrist pretty badly many years ago and ignored it!

The neck my early '90s Korean made Danelectro U2 (very small and thing), 2001 production Les Paul Jr (thin w/o much of a shoulder) and my 2005 Hw1 Strat (small C shape) were all a problem for me.

The big ass boat neck that I have on that Strat now, the "'50s round" neck on my ES135, the full shouldered '60s at the 1st fret to '50s at the 12th fret neck on my Gray Moore Sig Les Paul. the .900"-.940" soft V on my Tele and even the wide, thin, but broad shouldered neck on my Carvin DC150 are all great for me!

I tend to stick with fairly slim necks as I've got short stubby fingers & a fat neck does affect the amount of "reach" I get on the fretboard. I find that my 50's CV Tele causes me the most hand pain (even more than my Les Paul Studio with allegedly '50's neck profile) and I think its down to the overall shape, not just depth - My Tele has an average depth neck but quite broad shoulders to the curve and I think they are the cause. Does that make sense?

I put the 'pain guitar' away. Fingers feel better already. I will give it one more set of strings and see how it goes and try to be reasonable about my length of time with it. Maybe pulling out something that I have not played in a wile and then picking away for 2+ hours is not a good idea.

I find that necks that are too thin front to back are uncomfortable, because the palm of my hand is not supported.

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Originally Posted by KYChucky

I put the 'pain guitar' away. Fingers feel better already. I will give it one more set of strings and see how it goes and try to be reasonable about my length of time with it. Maybe pulling out something that I have not played in a wile and then picking away for 2+ hours is not a good idea.

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You might want to look into what's really causing the pain, like the old injury in my case.

Sometimes your hands like certain shapes and not others. No reason in the world to play a neck that causes hand pain.


Mine are quite finicky due to aging and Uncle Arthur.

Thin and wide? Nope.

Medium chubby and vintage width?

Oh yes.

How many of you experiencing finger pain are doing the following?

Playing with three fingers rather than four - playing with three increases the lateral angle the finger makes with neck, which lateral (sideways) forces can hurt the finger joints. Finger joints are not designed to handle much sideways force. Neck shapes make a big difference in this angle. Playing with four fingers may make more neck shapes available to you.

Playing with the palm behind the neck - this puts the fingers at a mechanical disadvantage, especially if your palm is pressed to the back surface of the neck. The fingers have best mechanical advantage when curled and high off the fingerboard rather than low and more flat to the fingerboard. Primary contact with the back of the neck should be the thumb and secondary contact should be the part of the hand below the fingers against the edge of the fingerboard.

Left arm too straight - elbow angle should be close to 90 degrees, which means keeping the guitar fairly high (and unfashionably) up on your body. This helps get the wrist and hand plenty extended below and around the neck so the fingers can approach the strings more vertically.

Slinging the guitar "Johnny Cash" style (too far to your right) with the neck pointing forward - the entire left shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand all work better mechanically if you sling the guitar to your left "Jeff Beck" style. This means putting the guitar body centered over your tummy with your picking hand right in the center of your tummy.

Except for piano players that stand and dance when playing, or horn sections that dance, twirl, and wave around in synchrony, the electric guitar is probably the most animated and artistic instrument as far a looking cool or aggressive or intense when playing. This tends to take one away from the best positions for preserving easy pain free playing.

The very worst thing a guitar player can do is what everyone expects to see - guitar slung low below the belt, legs wide apart, knees locked straight, and player's upper body leaning forward - the classic rock guitar player's stance. The low guitar hurts everything from the shoulder to the fingers, including some the player's technique. Standing legs apart and leaning forward hurts the player's back, especially with the low guitar hanging on his neck.

The ideal stance and guitar position is just the opposite. Feet together, knees bent, upper body leaning slightly back, and guitar slung up high on chest. This also allows you too take some of the strap pressure of off your neck by letting the guitar rest against your upper body, and you can further relieve the pressure of the guitar strap on your neck (soft tissue) by moving the strap out to the edge of your shoulder (hard tissue) - another advantage of the "Jeff Beck" style of holding the guitar out to your left side.

Unlike many other instruments where beginners are trained formally about posture, position, and playing techniques, many of we guitar players (myself included) were self taught. Some people naturally settle into the shapes that best support and promote easy painless playing, but many others don't and find later that they have habits to break.

Anyway, just hoping a run through some of the mechanics may help some sufferers find some solutions to their problems.

thanks for the mechanics notes - Im actually fair with all that. Ive been playing the Pain guitar almost all the time...guess I got used to it. Or started warming up a little...no bending for the first few mins.

I know that playing with the thumb on the back of the neck is the right way. However, I also like to occasionally wrap my thumb around and fret notes on the 6th string. Additionally, I don't get very good leverage for bends with my thumb on the back of the neck, and I have trouble with bend accuracy. So, I play with a combination of thumb on the back of the neck and otherwise.

its all good now. I think it was just tendinitis. Rested and played my way out of it.