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Post by winger2 on May 5, 2017 10:38:50 GMT
I am just learning the guitar, unfortunately with arthritis in my hands and wrist; so I have difficulty not muting the E string with my hand because my wrist doesn’t bend as well as it should. I was wondering is there any bolt on neck acoustic guitars; and would it be possible to get a customised new neck so that the space between the E string and the neck edge is wider to make allowances for my difficulty. Thanks.
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Martin
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Post by Martin on May 5, 2017 10:43:49 GMT
Hi there winger2 and to the forum. Sorry to hear about your arthritis causing playing problems. Rather than resorting to a new neck, might the issue be addressed by changing the nut slots to suit your string spacing better, and perhaps using a notched saddle with the required string spacing at the bridge?
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on May 5, 2017 11:32:36 GMT
Welcome aboard, winger2. Martin's suggestions seem to offer sensible, and cheaper, options... or, of course, since you're just starting out, you could swap to any of the instruments for which that wrist flexibility isn't so crucial - banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, ukulele
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on May 5, 2017 11:43:53 GMT
Hi winger2 - welcome! Yup, agree with Martin that a new nut is the way to go - quick, easy and cheap. Might also be helpful to seek some advice form a teacher re posture/guitar position in case it might help lessen the problem - your wrist/fingers can't adjust, but the guitar postion can, which might just do the trick. Keith
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Post by fatfingerjohn on May 5, 2017 11:48:28 GMT
Hi,
Don't give up yet. I teach a group of U3a oldies, many of whom are in their late 60s/70s and have some degree of restricted hand/wrist movement and they slowly adapt and enjoy what they can do. It's also true that the more practice you do the easier it may get as your mobility does usually improve a bit. It depends how much of a problem it is.
You will find that the string spacing varies from guitar to guitar which includes the distance from the string to the edge of the fretboard; its only by a fraction but it might just make a little/all the difference; perhaps you could go into a guitar shop with a good range and just try a few. The width of the fretboard itself also will affect it; widths between 43mm and 48mm are pretty common. Short scale guitars might also help a little, as might low tension strings; there are threads on here about both of these.You may have to hunt for the right combination of these things and find the 'right' one for you.
Martin has given some good suggestions and failing all then Leo might have a longer term solution.
Good luck
John
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on May 5, 2017 13:06:28 GMT
One other thing to try is changing the way you hold the guitar. I have found that the classical style, with the guitar resting on your left knee with the neck angled upwards, greatly reduces the strain on your left hand.
Brian
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Post by creamburmese on May 5, 2017 19:14:19 GMT
I was just about to say 'hold your derision" and suggest the classical position. Where, I might add, bending the wrist is not highly thought of - although practicing was what did my elbow in, my wrist is perfectly fine!
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Post by winger2 on May 6, 2017 11:11:31 GMT
Thanks for all the above advice; examining it the part about width of the fretboard 43mm and 48mm is interesting; my guitar that I found in the attic (an old EKO 1954) has only 42mm at the nut. So maybe it’s time for another guitar, basically I should be looking as wide neck as possible to allow for any nut adjustment? Would a short scale also benefit me? Any suggestions of guitar makes and models that tick these boxes would be appreciated, £400 max, thanks again.
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Post by vikingblues on May 6, 2017 14:08:57 GMT
Tricky one, and sorry to hear of your issues. The way you are holding the guitar and maybe trying a change to a nut with an amended string spacing are good ideas. I have arthritic fingers and there's a number of factors that combine to make a guitar more or less playable for me. I originally thought that a small guitar with a slim neck, narrow fretboard width and short scale would be the most comfortable option as there would be less stretching all round but I was wrong. Low tension strings (rather than just narrower gauge ones) have helped a lot. On fretboard nut width 3 of my 4 steel string acoustics have 43mm. I also have a 46mm that is OK for me but the natural position of that guitar when I sit with it on my leg has the neck higher than my other guitars and I think that helps as the left arm, wrist and fingers end up much less strained. By the way, one of my narrower nut width guitars has the same string spacing as the wider nut one - so a nut width measurement can be misleading in same ways if you're just thinking about how far fingers have to move. The fretboard radius can also play merry hell - I tried almost identical Guilds recently and the one with the 16" fretboard radius was so much harder to play for the left hand that the one with the 12" radius. Classical guitars with their flat fretboard and 52mm are an agonising experience for me - stretching the little finger across that extra distance to the lower strings while fretting higher notes near the nut causes screams of pain! A neck profile that has the most comfortable natural position of the thumb to enable the fingers to most comfortably curl round and meet the fretboard is very important I feel. Not as simple as just a slim neck or chunky neck though because the fretboard width plays a part too along with the neck shape / profile. Plus as already rightly in this thread how the guitar is held also affects the issue, and that can depend on the body shape and proportions and scale length too. I have found, for example, that a hard V profile on a neck means my thumb slips too far to the bass side of the neck and my fingers and joints can't cope with the extra bending and flexibility needed to get round to the fretboard. That either means an uncomfortable position for the thumb, or a very shallow angle of fingers coming into the fretboard increasing chance of muffled / muted notes on the higher strings. Mark PS In terms of general comfort and lack of stretching I've just recently got a Guild Jumbo Junior at just under £400. Short scale (23 3/4" / 603mm). It's rather in the style of a Taylor GS Mini and a lot cheaper. Very easy and comfortable playing experience.
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Post by winger2 on May 6, 2017 21:38:27 GMT
Thanks this is all great info; I am fortunate in one aspect, that is I have long fingers but they spread rather badly, I bought a ‘yoga hand’ £36 but it is helping to slowly stretch them apart. Another restrictive aspect is that my fretting pinkie is now fused into a C shape which no longer bends; basically I am restricted to just three fretting fingers, to add to the mix. I get advice from various friends who play and they try out various sitting positions on me. The easiest shape is for me to have the guitar pointing forward while sitting ,as this takes the strain of the wrist but my major problem is I that cannot get that important C shape with my hand while holding the guitar so my hand mutes the E string most of the time. Therefore the suggestion about a new/customised nut sounds good, but surely I would require a wide neck to have the room to be able to push the strings away from the E side of the neck?
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Post by creamburmese on May 9, 2017 13:27:03 GMT
Maybe you could post some pictures? I'm having a hard time visualizing what might be the best approach. I would comment that the hand position for playing classical guitars with the neck up is essentially perpendicular to the fretboard - there's no way you could reach the stretches using the angled position favored by steel string players. My guess is if you were able to use the classical hand position your stretch issues might go away, although it feels really weird when you first do it. Incidentally you might check out the positions of Scott Tennant and Michael Chapdelaine - they are internationally known classical guitarists (although Chapdelaine does steel string mostly these days) who have modified the classical position substantially to accommodate physical issues.
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