Guitar Tendonitis

Anybody out there use 9.5 – 44 electric guitar strings?

I usually us 10s. I have tendinitis issues and I want to play more + no matter how much practice…lower fretted bends are a struggle – I could do it years ago but now I can’t.
Are the 9.5s a much of a change from 10s?

I’ve been playing for years btw – so I’m not just trying to find an easier way to play guitar….but really I am – 15+ year experience.
I use a Fender style guitar in standard tuning.

Sure, if I were you I’d definitely try lighter strings. Just remember that the guitar probably needs to be adjusted somewhat to play well with a different gauge (changing to lighter or heavier strings).

And sure enough, Gibson type guitars have s shorter neck scale than Fender. This makes the distance between the frets slightly shorter. The end effect is less reach and somewhat less string tension. As a consequence, some players find the shorter scale guitars quite a lot easier to play.

Another option is to use your current string set up, tune a half step down and then clamp an unobtrusive capo (like a Shubb) on the first fret. The guitar will still play in concert pitch, but you will have eliminated the longer first fret. The string tension will be the same though, and you may have to adapt your playing a little, since the neck and the positions will feel a little different.

Just a side note – you have had your guitar properly adjusted? Some guitars are harder to play simply because they haven’t been set up professionally. The first fret capo option will often times also make the action on the nut more easy on your hands.

If you do decide to try out a shorter scale guitar, and don’t want to brak the bank with a Gibson, you may want to take a look at the Agile brand. They have some outstanding deals from $250 and upwards: http://www.learnelectricguitarnow.net/agile-electrics – I have both some quite expensive Gibson Les Pauls and some Agile guitars, and these lower end instruments comes so close it is really scary. Sure there’s a difference, but not anywhere near $2,000+ worth of difference.

Another good brand to test out is Jay Turser. Again, they have some good Les Paul style guitars, but not quite the materials quality of Agile.

Wish you all the best, and please do feel free to contact me through my avatar if you have any questions.

Guitar Lesson – Healing Tendonitis

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