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We will have a 50 years reunion / Pop 60's in Bergen, Norway, May 31 and June 1. I have not played guitar since we retired in 1965, and now I have sore fingertips and calluses after only playing a few tunes at the rehearsals we've had so far. Is there any good advice on what I can do to make it less painful, so I can give my best and enjoy playing The Shadows tunes again? For your information, I play rhythm guitar and we have got fabulous feedback after the rehearsals we've had so far, so we're looking forward to this performance

Daily salt water soak.
What guitar are you playing ?
What's the action like ?

Don't press!

It can sting for a few seconds, but surgical spirit on cotton wool rubbed into the fingers will cure and harden - I use it when needed and it works !

Surgical spirit does the job well.
John H

Low action and 9s strings!

9s for Shads stuff? Don't think so!

Tab wrote:9s for Shads stuff? Don't think so!

Why So?

I've got various guitars with 9's 10's and 11's on, Fender, Burns, Parker etc and there's more difference in the sound one guitar to another than there is if I change string guage.

I picked up an interesting youtube A/B string comparison on two strat one with 9's the other with either 10's or 11's the general conclusion was that there wasn't a huge amount of difference.

With lighter strings you can have a lower action and that will effect the sound as well, but for me, body timber, pickups, amps and the speakers you choose have far more effect on sound than string guage.

You have to play a bit more carefully with 9's on because the lighter guage is likely to get pushed sharp more easily.

For the absolute purist I guess if you have the correct guitar for each tune played through the same amp and echo as at the time then string guage completes the picture, but of course what you can never re-create is the sound of a young mans fingers on the fret board and pick when you're a touch super annuated!

The guy plays rhythm - so no probs with 9s for Shads stuff!!!!!

A coat of superglue works wonders... Just be careful...