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Posted by: GuitarNewb Aug 19 2009, 04:31 PM

Saw this hand excersiser in a guitar world months ago. Has any used or heard good about it. Website is prohands.net was going to use while at work

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Aug 19 2009, 04:37 PM

Hmm I'm interested in hearing opinions on this as well...I was looking to get a similar gadget!

Posted by: edguy Aug 19 2009, 04:49 PM

I tested thi at the MEINL Guitar festival. I can say it's a good tool for building strength in your fingers. As far as i can remember you can set it to different resistance or there are different versions of it. I tested the Gripmaster i think that was the name

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 19 2009, 04:58 PM

I don't believe this will help you much unless you're playing a trumpet Just practice guitar and you'll be fine

Posted by: Jesse Aug 19 2009, 05:10 PM

I got one of those, lol not the same, but other brand.

I got one of those, lol not the same, but other brand. Gripmaste

Posted by: Fran Aug 19 2009, 05:19 PM

I bought a gripmaster (it's similar) a couple years back. Didn't use it much in the end... (couple days )

Posted by: edguy Aug 19 2009, 05:21 PM

The Gripmaster is from prohands I think. her is the link http://prohands.net/Prohands-Music/products/gripmaster.php

Posted by: mattacuk Aug 19 2009, 05:36 PM

I'm with Emir on this one!

Infact, look how far Emir got without this contraption and just his trusty guitar

Im sure this thing does strengthen your fingers, but with the correct guitar exercises you can;

1.Strengthen Fingers

2.Practice Scales

3.Practice Stretches

4.Learn Sequences

and much more, all at the same time

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 19 2009, 05:47 PM

I agree

Posted by: Fran Aug 19 2009, 05:49 PM

Yup, you are right, it's actually one of their models. I believe they didn't call them "prohands" two years back, they had a sepparate website.

I also agree a guitar is the best thing to do, and if it's not available (vacation/plane travel etc.) I think a http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Shredneck is also better to have than a gripmaster.

Posted by: GuitarNewb Aug 19 2009, 06:29 PM

Well I'm a correction officer and I work alot of 16hour shifts. Cant bring in a real guitar into the prison. So I'm going to take a chance on it. I'll let u guys know what I think.

Posted by: Gerardo Siere Aug 19 2009, 06:34 PM

I think it is not going to help you in any way as youre not practicing actual guitar moverments. And most important, it isnt required lot of strenght to press the strings, ussually we are trying to get ri of the extra strenght we are using. Stretching, equilibrium and flexibility are far more important to play the guitar.

Posted by: itsjim Aug 19 2009, 07:02 PM

I have a heavy tension gripmaster that I have been using for martial arts and it certainly improves your grip. However I haven’t really noticed this stronger grip improving my guitar playing much.

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Aug 19 2009, 07:13 PM

Cool let me know how it works.

For me this device in theory looks useful! It should help build individual finger muscles and dexterity. Of course guitar is there to practice certain movements but I guess there is nothing wrong in exercising hand muscles and finger dexterity when you don't have the instrument at hand.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Aug 19 2009, 11:33 PM

This is good thing, but I don't think it can improve actual guitar playing technique. Could be useful for some warmups tho, dunno..

Posted by: AdamB Aug 20 2009, 12:14 PM

I use them at work, I have been doing for about 2 years now. They're good, but my advice would be to start on the light tension and work your way up else it won't do you any good.

My hands do feel a lot stronger after using these, though it's hard to say if it's actually helped my playing or it's practicing that has done the trick, but it can't hurt.

-Adam

Posted by: Santiago Diaz Garces Aug 20 2009, 07:16 PM

There's nothing better than take a guitar and start to practice.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Aug 21 2009, 07:56 PM

Amen

Posted by: slash48 Aug 22 2009, 12:16 AM

I agree 100 percent with Gerardo, extra streangth for guitar realy never helps at all considering it's not cordinating your fingers at all.

Posted by: Matt23 Aug 22 2009, 11:28 AM

Maybe you could try a http://www.shredneck.com/.

Posted by: Vasilije Vukmirovic Aug 22 2009, 02:27 PM

I don't trust those gripmasters much, it's better to spend your time with guitar then with that mechanical device.
Maybe 5 minutes daily is enouhg!

Posted by: audiopaal Aug 23 2009, 01:04 AM

I have a Gripmaster.
Helps build strength in your hand/fingers, so you have less problems playing for longer periods.
Works fine for me at least

Posted by: mattacuk Aug 23 2009, 10:24 AM

You realise with all these guitarists using prohands will have such strong hands, then could probably kill a man, or possibly even a Bear with there bear hands

Posted by: Marek Rojewski Aug 23 2009, 10:34 AM

As some other people I would advice a shredneck instead of the gripmaster. But in truth when You don't have a guitar and want to improve Your guitar playing, there is nothing better than learning theory... But it needs much more thinking, and I know how hard thinking is on a 16 hour shift, so a shredneck could do a trick:P

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Aug 23 2009, 02:31 PM

I agree with Emir on this one. Stick to practicing guitar and everything will build naturally from time to time!

Posted by: AdamB Aug 26 2009, 09:08 AM

I think that, whilst I'm at work I can't really use a guitar or shred neck, but I can have this thing in one of my hands, so I use it. It can't make me any worse, so why not? I still practice hours every day, but if there is something that even gives me a small edge that I can do at a time when I physically can't be playing a guitar and have my mind occupied so can't be thinking about guitar or theory, then I'll at least try it.

Posted by: Farmer Joe Aug 29 2009, 08:08 PM

Practicing on the guitar for at least a few minutes is definitely the best way to strengthen fingers.
But I have one of these gripmasters, I use it at work most of the day. I bought some caps that snap right on to each individual finger grip that has raised grooves to simulate guitar strings. They hurt a bit at first, but now I'm used to them and they help maintain calluses on the finger tips. I never use it at home when I actually have my guitars around, but when I'm at work, or if I have to go on a boring shopping trip with my girl, I take it along and just squeeze away lol.