Shredneck?

[whyachi]

Ever heard of these? I found them on Musicians Friend while looking for a Planet Waves Varigrip thingy since my physical therapist says it might help.

http://www.shredneck.com/

They're mainly guitars but there is a bass one now, too. Its non-electric, its just for practicing at the office or on the bus or whatever. I can't decide if its a good idea - or worth $70 - and in the YouTube video the guy presenting it was too busy whacking off on a Jazz to really talk about the product much.

What do you think? Has anyone tried one of these? I'm mainly interested because my doctors working on my wrist say I need to keep doing different movements than just typing while I'm at the office and right now I'm just playing with this therapy putty stuff and doing stretches with one-pound weights, and this looks much more inviting and productive.

 

[AndyG]

Wow ... and they say necessity is the mother of invention ....

I couldn't ever see myself wasting money on something like that.  I'm lucky enough to be able to keep a guitar with me at work ... so I've always got something to noodle on.

To me it looks like that would only be good for hammer-on/pull-off type exercises ... and even then  :icon_scratch:

To me, practising, warm-up, and just fooling around always envolves both hands.  If finger strength is what you're after, there are plenty of little gagets out there.

 

[whyachi]

Wow ... and they say necessity is the mother of invention ....

I couldn't ever see myself wasting money on something like that.  I'm lucky enough to be able to keep a guitar with me at work ... so I've always got something to noodle on.

To me it looks like that would only be good for hammer-on/pull-off type exercises ... and even then   :icon_scratch:

To me, practising, warm-up, and just fooling around always envolves both hands.  If finger strength is what you're after, there are plenty of little gagets out there.

The bottom bit is scalloped so you can play normally, and I can't keep a bass in my cubicle. I was just looking for something that would allow me to exercise my wrist, I'm not too worried about finger strength but I have a repetitive stress problem going on. I figured if this had any kind of real value for practicing then I could do it while I'm on the phone at work.

 

[whyachi]

Okay I found a bunch of reviews, all generally saying its a completely silly thing to buy. Oh well.

 

[jimh]

Have you tried one of these?

http://store.daddario.com/category/152456/Vari-Grip_Hand_Fitness_Tool

Could be an option for you?

 

[JaySwear]

i'm actually sitting here reading through forums with this in my hand

it's decent. there are 3 different tensions for them, too. i decided the other day that my fretting hand was just plain weak. i've found barre chords to be really tough lately, so i dug my Gripmaster out of my room and i've been using it while watching TV and reading.

 

[Doughboy]

I have had a shred neck for almost 2 years & it's an amazing tool. When I watch TV, I use it to strenghten my left had & it's worked wonders. It's also great for traveling & even driving long distances. Much better than the gripmaster.

 

[whyachi]

i'm actually sitting here reading through forums with this in my hand

it's decent. there are 3 different tensions for them, too. i decided the other day that my fretting hand was just plain weak. i've found barre chords to be really tough lately, so i dug my Gripmaster out of my room and i've been using it while watching TV and reading.

This is what they had me doing at the therapist. That exact thing. I laughed when I saw they were using guitar-oriented stuff for therapy. I'm getting one of those for myself, but I was looking into something for more movement to keep my wrist relaxed.

 

[MedianMusic1]

I have the Vari-Grip by Planet Waves. I noticed a definite improvement in my ring and pinky fingers just after about a day or so of use. Just like anything else that involves repetitive muscular usage, strengthening and stretching exercises can prevent injury and improve performance. I think the shred neck has its uses too. My biggest problem is relaxing my wrist...

 

[Cagey]

My biggest problem is relaxing my wrist...

Stop in any bowling alley and get a wrist brace.

Bowlers and people with carpal tunnel syndrome use them all the time. They keep your wrist straight whether you like it or not.

The inset in the picture above is showing the aluminum bar that's sorta sewn into the palm of the thing. You can bend it to suit your hand shape.

It'll keep you from bending your wrist to reach around your guitar's neck, which is the cause of a lot of sloppy habits that haunt you forever.

Figure $10-$15.

 

[whyachi]

I use one, they work but you won't like it for a while.

 

[Cagey]

I use one, they work but you won't like it for a while.

Yeah, anyone who's been playing for a while and has already developed bad habits will hate it, and it takes a while for it to do any good. I was lucky in that the guitar teacher I had about 100 years ago was and had been a jazz player forever, and he was a real drill sergeant when it came to posture, ride height for the guitar, finger positioning and usage, etc. Drove me nuts. But, in the long run, it pays off. Makes the difference between saying something is difficult vs. something can't be done.