Epidermally Challenged?

This may be just an urban legend, but it is said that Clapton had difficulties maintaining callouses as well. In fact, I think I remember reading some comments here recently.

Sorry, nothing helpful to offer.

Even playing guitar a lot, I don't really build up callouses. Not sure if I don't play hard enough or what. I remember when I started my fingers hurt, and now they don't, but I don't seem to have any hard spots on my finger tips.

I know that I'm fully capable of building callouses too, because when I play drums I get callouses galore, and when I play bass I get callouses on my "picking" hand (fingering hand?) from popping.

So that's my take, maybe it's just that guitar isn't enough to callous you.

Also(!) I think I read on here a few weeks ago that if you wash your hands right before you play, it can hinder callous build up....can't remember the exact thread or context, but it's something to consider.

Yeah, I don't like to have my hands in water before I play, it makes my callouses softer.

I have no idea if this will help with your problem, but I do remember getting a lot of rough spots which would peel leaving soft, tender skin. Now, I often run an emery board or light sandpaper over my fingertips eliminating the rough spots. I haven't had any peeling since.

Your not alone. I've never developed truly hard callouses either and what I do get will peel off after a few days if I don't play. On the up side though is the fact that playing dosen't hurt anymore. Strangely if I work with my hands for a couple of days (ie. carpentry) my palms callous like all get out.

I gave up woorying about it (you could say I don't fret over it anymore :roll: .

If you play every day for a half hour or more and don't develop callouses, then you may have a problem. One word of caution never use hand lotion it will kill callouses faster than anything.

I guess I'm like Narn, I never really developed really hard callouses although the skin is a little harder and I play at least an hour a day.

But my fingers don't hurt ever although they will get a liitle frayed if I play for more than 4 hours or so.

My finger callouses continually peeled for years. Eventually, I realized the peeling had stopped, and though my fingertips didn't seem too hardened, the skin was definitely more resilient and less sensitive. Seems callouses vary person to person just like everything else.

When I first started playing again, I got some really thick calluses. um... But I think it was cause I played too much and actually had blisters. I still get them, just not as thick.

My finger callouses continually peeled for years. Eventually, I realized the peeling had stopped, and though my fingertips didn't seem too hardened, the skin was definitely more resilient and less sensitive. Seems callouses vary person to person just like everything else.

I've had the identical experience. When I started playing, my callouses developed very hard, and looked almost glassy/transparent... then every once in a while one would sort of shear off, and I'd be left with a sore finger for a while. That probably happened for ten years.

I didn't change anything in my playing, but that doesn't happen anymore. My callouses are still hard enough to make a 'clink' against a coffee cup or whatever, but they're no longer glassy smooth. I'll still have an bit peel off at times, but what comes loose now is paper thin, not a shearing of the whole thing, so it doesn't slow me down at all - and a few hours of playing kind of sand down the rough edge.

I had similar problems when I was just getting started. My solution was to change to from 6 string acoustics to 12 string guitars. Not only did they sound better, but my callouses wound twice as wide as the ones my friends had with their 6 strings. An added benefit is what happens once you go back to 6 strings. You suddenly have a huge amount of room between your strings to find your next note.

I halfway agree with the comment on hand lotion, during the initial formation of calluses, but once you have them, find a salve like Burts. Only use it after you have finished playing.

First of all, I had to look the spelling up. Callous is singular, but plural it is spelled Calluses. I guess you learn something new every day.

My fingers peel like that sometimes. But whether you see calluses or not, your fingers toughen up good. The tips of all my fretting fingers are flat and have been that way for many years. Now if I was to play an acoustic with higher action and heavier gauge strings, then I would get those tough calluses. But they would peel regular just like your fingers.

Quit worrying about it. If you can play, you're ok. (Poet didn't know it) 8)

And lastly, you get my vote for strangest thread title in quite a while!