Luke Hand Adjustment period...

[Lucidology]

Using guitars with wider necks most of my guitar playing life... playing the Luke's neck has facilitated a physical transition based on the economical ergonomics of the Luke...

In other words, my left hand grip has gone (is going) through an very noticable adjustment period...

Luckily enough, I've had three days off from gigging (I play in three bands, am a hired gun, work for many clients recording in the studio, plus do solo & duet jazz gigs) ... so I decided to not play any guitar for the duration of these three quiet days and give my left hand a rest. ...

I've been experiencing cramping going back & forth between my Godin Nylon String, Hollow body Jazz Box, and always back to the Luke (When the weekend comes I often play two gigs, afternoon events and happy hours, then to gigs in Nightclubs & Bars...)

Now because of the Luke's ergonomics, it seems as though I'm working with a slightly different group of hand muscles (specifically one's I haven't really put much into use before...??) Our fingers don't have muscles, only motor nerves.. so the cramping I've been experiencing has only been in the gripping part of the hand itself.

Now that I've rested my hand, it feels stronger... as if though the gripping hand muscles emphasized when playing the Luke have finally had a long enough rest period to start proper development (since the've been going through a non-stop gigging-workout period...)

Has anyone else experienced a similar type of hand adjustment phenomena? Or am I totally off the wall here...(i.e. Crazy )

 

[kbaim]

Insightful comments.

I'd say the Luke neck requires a lighter touch than playing thicker/wider necks and there does seem to be adjustments that have to be made.

It seems like stretches across frets are easier on the Luke.

Sounds like your playing the crap out of 'em as much as anyone on these boards.

 

[pauldogx]

I'm certainly no expert---but I used to have similar problems when I had my own painting contracting buisness and painted all day and then played at night. I would get cramping and also it would take awhile for my hands to work fully in the mornin. After I quit paintin it went away---ya just gotta give your hands a break once and awhile. Alot of the mechanics at the dealership where I work now have similar hand and wrist problems from overuse.

 

[Jimi D]

I had a number of issues with hand cramps when I owned my Luke. It was my first EBMM, and I bought it when I was playing JEM and Universe guitars pretty much exclusively (and had been for years). I found that switching back and forth between the Ibanez JEM neck and the Luke neck actually caused me pain. To my regret, I let the Luke go rather than my stable of JEMs, but it was the beginning of the end of my love affair with very wide, very thin "shred" necks - once I found the Axis, my JEMs were eventually sold off for a new stable of EBMMs. I, personally, am still unable to do both, however - I can't play wide/thin necks today without cramping up... hurts like hell after a few hours...

 

[Lucidology]

Wow, it's an amazing thing to realize, how one trains themselves to play with a certain kind of neck for years. Yet start to play a neck that is unfamiliar, but easier to play on, still requires an physical adjustment period.

Thanks for the words you guys. By reading about your experiences, I don't feel like an odd ball...