Jake E. Lee has opened up about how his growing arthritis struggles have affected his playing, while also reflecting on the “fun” he's experiencing of having to reinvent his approach to the electric guitar and the gear he uses.
For many guitar players, the thought of arthritis is the stuff of nightmares. Arthritis is the breakdown of the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of our bones, with joint inflammation, pain, and stiffness all common side effects. For those who experience it in their hands and wrists, it can be a serious hindrance to their ability to play guitar.
Lee suffers from it in his right wrist, and in the past it has forced him to be selective over the songs he plays. But he’s in good spirits about it – he’s seeing the positive side of the challenge.
“It's a lot of strengthening, stretching, and steroid shots,” he tells Guitar World of his recuperation, which includes recovering from multiple gunshot wounds from October 2024.
“The cartilage is basically gone,” he expands. “I can't feel it; it's bone on bone. I've had to adjust my playing style to where I'm using mostly the elbow on the right hand, trying to use as much elbow movement as I can, while keeping the wrist movement down to a minimum. The only operation they had available was to fuse the bones together. My wrist would be pretty much locked in. I didn’t want that.”
The pain, he says, isn’t the top of his concerns, quipping, “I've had back issues forever, and wrist pain isn't anything compared to that.” But he’s also had to tweak his setup to aid his adjustments.
“I usually use a heavy pick, but I went to a lighter one,” he says. “It forced me to have a lighter touch with my right hand, and that's been interesting. My left hand is a little bit weak, so lately I've been playing with seven [gauge strings] to force myself to have a lighter touch.
“And it's interesting because Billy Gibbons uses sevens, and that's what Tony Iommi and Brian May use, I think, and they don't have a problem with getting a good tone.”
The parallels with Iommi are obvious. The accident he suffered – which cost him the tips of two of his fingers and his ability to play a Les Paul – saw him needing lighter gauge strings to make playing easier. Gibbons, meanwhile, found that thinner strings gave him more fluidity across the fretboard.
“It's made it interesting. In a way, it’s like learning to play guitar again, even though I know how to play it,” Lee adds. “I'm having fun. Mentally – and as far as theory – I know exactly what to do, but I have to teach my left and right hands to accommodate me.”
Speaking in the new issue of Guitar World, the former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist revealed he played Kirk Hammett’s legendary Greeny Les Paul backstage at Back to the Beginning.
Lee’s full interview features in the latest issue of Guitar World, alongside Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel’s comments on selling guitars for cheese.
Head to Magazines Direct to pick up a copy.
