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Jus Lukin
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I used to have this problem from time to time, and never did find a completely satisfactory solution. People always talk about surgical spirit or other alcohol, but that's more of a preventative for firming up the skin a little - if you're already blistering it'll just smart and not do anything useful. Carefully applied micropore tape (wrapped right around to avoid the edges peeling) can work in the very short term, but you'll need to reapply between sets and it changes the feel and sound a little. Almost any other tape produces sticky residue at the edges and makes things feel unpleasant very quickly. And be wary of the idea of pricking the blisters and playing on through the pain - I did this at a party years ago, aided by drink, and the next day my hands were so bad that I had to take two weeks off double bass and do the gigs I had booked with electric bass and a pick...

The main thing for me is just to relax a little and not try and push too hard to project if your hands are already suffering. It's better to be a little low in the mix and playing with good feel than to be wincing and missing notes by the end of the set, IMO.  Running the hand under cold water and drying thoroughly between sets always seemed to help too.

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Superglue! Works every time. Recommended by my guitarist friend who is also a GP. Apparently its very commonly used in surgical procedures now.  Or at least an expensive medical version probably.  But I'm talking about Superglue from a corner shop.

Get it on your fingertips and let it set. You might want to do a couple of coats.

It affects your piz tone somewhat. Makes it slightly more clicky,  but you gain a bit in volume too.  You'll probably need to re-do it a few times, maybe between sets.

I played 24 hours of upright bass over a 3 day weekend, by being greedy and over-committing myself.  Superglue got me through it.

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3 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Superglue can be very toxic to susceptible individuals. Cyanoacrylate can send your immune system haywire. Before you you know what's going on you can be destroying your own gut and developing allergies that dog you for life. Not worth the risk if you ask me.

It's especially nocive if breathed in. Use the stuff in a well-ventilated environment; preferably outdoors, and try very, very hard not to breath in the fumes. B|

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