L09

[DonW]

I have a wonderful L09 Larrivee. When I play alot I am getting some pain and tingling in the fretting hand...some say this is due to the 1 3/4" fretboard that is almost flat. Anyone come across this issue?

[Danny]

  It's called "getting old"

[DonW]

I think you're right....Hahaha!

[cke]

More likely some arthritis or tendonitis. There is nothing that extreme or weird about how Larrivee necks are made. The ideas about nut width or fretboard radius are likely troll comments or just bunk.  So much silly crap mythology seems to adhere to the guitar world than almost anything I can think of. The remedy depends on what it actually is of course. Thumb wrapping caused me some bad pain for almost a year. I stopped doing that then changed the way I do it. Try to be gentle with your hand for a while and let it heal.

[broKen]

I know new tricks are hard to learn, but repositioning your guitar may help.

[Mikeymac]

At 55, I'm also starting to experience some pain in my hands when I play - mostly in the joint of the finger or thumb that is pressing hardest against the back/sides of the neck. I also think part of it is the beginning of arthritis (which my mom has in advanced stages).

Hate this, but adjusting technique does help.

Getting old"er" has it's pros and cons... 

[DonW]

Thanks to all...I do think you are right about some of this radius and neck width stuff being bunk. I love my L09 and wouldn't want to part with it...someday I will get another guitar when I've got 5K to spare which might be never!!!! This L09 is a lot of guitar for the money. I do believe that wrapping the thumb is an issue too. I am playing almost all finger style now and am having to learn the proper placement of the thumb...hard to relearn after 50 years of wrapping and strumming chords...but I'm doing it a lot of the time now...I believe that will help too.Thanks so much for all of your input.

[ducktrapper]

Ha! If it doesn't hurt you must not be doing it right. I was playing my L-09 last night and man I LOVE that guitar! Mississippi John Hurt's Candy Man and Doc Watson's Doc's Guitar are a couple of my favourite pieces to play on it because my poor old fingers can just fly on that neck and it sounds sooooo good.    

[DonW]

Great to hear that as I am playing John Hurts "Louis Collins" and "Spike Driver Blues"...also Doc's "Deep River Blues".......love that stuff.

[ducktrapper]

Great to hear that as I am playing John Hurts "Louis Collins" and "Spike Driver Blues"...also Doc's "Deep River Blues".......love that stuff.

Oooh thanks for reminding of Deep River Blues. Haven't played that one in a while. Think I will.   

[cohenj]

I have the same problem.  In all likelihood, it's probably less a function of the finger board radius and more a function of the neck profile.  Wide and round is not very good for people with arthritis, tendonitis and other muscle/tendon afflictions.  A thinner and more V-shaped neck could potentially ease some of that discomfort, but you won't find that on a Larrivee.  Just for sh-ts and giggles, go to a guitar store and try a Martin D-18 Traditional, or a  Taylor, just for the neck profile, and I think you'll see what I mean.

P.S.  I play a Larrivee D-50 and have the same problem.  I'm looking at switching over to using a telecaster for gigs, just so that I can make it through the third set without cramping up...

Best of luck,

Jeff
http://www.cohenj.com/
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-jeffrey-cohen.html?tab=artwork

[DonW]

I have been to a good acoustic shop and have tried Taylors, Martins, Santa Cruz, Goodall, Collings, Etc.....Wow they are all less stress on the hand...the sound of the Larrivee was far superior to the Taylors and the Martins too in that price range...at the time I bought it, I didn't know what the salesman meant when he said.."the Larrivee is a great guitar...may be a little harder to play"...now I know what he meant...still I think half of my problem could be solved with improved hand position and of course winning the lottery so I can get that easy guitar that sounds as good or better than my L09. I'm in love with my L09...just need to take it easy on the bar chords. I use this guitar for fingerstyle almost exclusively and have an old 1981 Ovation legend that I use for strumming bar chords when I get together with the gang...actually the old Ovations sound quite nice...they were sold without electronics back then because they were great acoustically...nothing like the L09 but nice...and a very skinny neck with big radius.

[Mikeymac]

Maybe you could take it to a good luthier and have him slightly reshape the neck for you. It's been done before.

[broKen]

Is it possible a setup could do you some good? Perhaps lowering the action a bit could help.