anyone here play any of those ergo guitar designs?

[Keira Witherkay]

in last while i been having my interest peeked by the ergonomic guitar designs like the Klein's
not even sure why they suddenly appeal to me.... but never tried one ...YET!!!

so yes the urge for headless ,hollow body ergo shape ... seems a practical step towards a comfortable instrument

any feedback appreciated

btw i will most likely if i decide to get one, I'll have one of my luthier friends do something for me in that design

but been seeing some interesting designs in my research online

[srlank]

Due to a lot of neck/back problems, awhile back I obtained a cheap Raines ergo guitar, and I use it a lot for practice at home. So I spoke to a local luthier recently and put a down payment on a build. Having the Raines is helping me communicate to the luthier some of the things that I like, and some that I would like to change interns of comfort e.g. angle and length of neck, etc. It's very much in the beginning stages, and it's taking a lot of time to get going; mostly due to my schedule.
Besides the guitars you have pictured in your OP (which all look great, and I particularly like the Canton), I also like the physical design of Strandbergs. Though they are not jazz guitars per se, they look really comfortable and might be a good design for a personal build.
I'll be interested to hear where you go with this. Best of luck!

[Patrick2]

Keira; Talk with rpguitar (Roger). He has one or two of Chris Forshage's ergo guitars.

[ChanellBainbridge]

hmmm....seems a bit weird to me...but still... good design.!!

[rpguitar]

Actually I have three... including the dark orange one in the bottom right of your post, Keira. That one is chambered and weighs 6 lbs; I also have a solid body and a one-off acoustic archtop model. The last one is not headless, so it requires the picking arm to anchor it to the lap like any other acoustic guitar. But they all have the neck-up geometry which is, truly, a great thing.

I owned a Klein for some time before I got the Forshages. Marc Why from the forum here also had both a Klein and a Forshage and will sing its praises.

Recently I've been suffering a bit with a rotator cuff injury, and the ergonomic guitars are among the absolute most comfortable to play. Not that I play them all the time because of that, of course... just too many other great instruments must be consorted with. But they definitely do what they claim to be designed for!

[mr. beaumont]

I too have been getting very interested in one of these. For performance, I've recently switched to playing with the "neck up" and i can already see how big the benefits are...

[Steve Z]

A friend of mine had this Victor Baker ergo build... (Dave Mosick | Washington DC Jazz Guitarist)

One of the best ergo designs I've seen.

Photo Finals! Special Ergonomic archtop guitar for Dave Mosick!

[marcwhy]

I had a Klein, but sold it to get a Forshage.

For seated playing, there's nothing better than these types of designs; for standing, the Forshage is light as a feather, so I can play for hours with no problem.

Keira, there are several other posts here on these guitars, so definitely spend some time looking around.

Enjoy the hunt!

[Keira Witherkay]

thanks guys will definitely check it out........more closely ....as marcwhy said i do see the huge advantage for seated playing...and i always sit at gigs......

unfortunately living here in Johannesburg at the moment i am going to have to commit to someone building something for me.... to try maybe even a "rough demo model" as afraid i know there are no ergo guitars here at the moment that i know of .... otherwise it must wait till i travel abroad again ...

thanks for the input will keep researching and keep ya posted if anything develops.......

maybe i can convince murray kuun (excellent luthier who lives nearby and i know) to build me a prototype ...

[docbop]

I wish Warmoth or one of the body/neck companies would make ergo model parts. When I worked in the music store we had one of the Ovation ergo guitar and it was nice, not a Klein but nice.

[Dave24309]

Check out Tim Miller. He plays ergo guitars (quite nicely).

[Woody Sound]

Keira; Talk with rpguitar (Roger). He has one or two of Chris Forshage's ergo guitars.

Benson-style right hand technique must be impossible or at best awkward on these.

[brendanguitar]

My Klein is up for sale on eBay: RARE Klein BF 96 Custom Electric Guitar Built by Lorenzo German | eBay
It's a great guitar!

[Gilpy]

I've always been curious about these ergo designs and can see some advantages over a traditional design.

I had a Carvin Holdsworth which, while not really an "ergo", was a headless lightweight semi-hollow. I liked that guitar, but couldn't love it.

The problem was that the guitar was so lightweight and lacked the mass where the head would be that I had to make a conscious effort to keep the guitar from moving around when I played it. And there wasn't enough body to really hold it in place. So, even though it was well balanced, I couldn't forget about it and just play.

I like the idea of a lightweight guitar, maybe these ergo designs are a little more stabile?

[Takemitsu]

Michael Sankey is thinking (and building) a lot about ergo guitar. Go to his website maybe you get ideas.

[goldenwave77]

Jody Fisher used to play a Klein, I believe, and it sounded great, rich and full but very "articulate" with great note definition. I think he's now playing a conventional type guitar. You may be able to contact him directly for his experience.

I'm not nearly in the same class of player as you two, but I like to rest my arm on the edge of a thicker 16 or 17" inch guitar, but I have long (37" sleeve-length) arms. YMMV, as they say.

[Jabberwocky]

Ergo guitars aren't so ergo on the subway or when you're looking to rest it on a stand on stage someplace where someone won't step on it. Nice bit of industrial visual design where one looks like Byork strangling a swan. Mostly, ergo guitars are a solution looking for a problem. They are attention-seeking but that wears off pretty quickly.

Try a Neck Up. https://www.neckup.com

[Jabberwocky]

Michael Sankey is thinking (and building) a lot about ergo guitar. Go to his website maybe you get ideas.

Pretty ridiculous designs. I can imagine the tuning machines digging into your right-hand or catching your sleeve. And talk about re-stringing without gouging out bits of that spruce top eventually. How about trying to maintain a consistent string break angle behind the bridge on those tuning machines?

Looks great as an exercise in visual design and gets people talking about visual design. But as a guitar? It is all about looks trumping function. It is really looking for a question that nobody is asking. Clearly, Michael Sankey does not play guitars. Does he?

For a lightweight headstock, Ken Parker got it right.

P.S. I don't have a lot of money so I can't afford to spend it on frou-frou just to see if it works. Some things just look like bad ideas to me from the get-go. Most "ergo" guitars are with all due respect to those who choose to own and play them.

[rpguitar]

All due respect taken and reciprocated but I disagree, Jab. Well, I can't comment on the Sankey designs above other than the acoustic one looks beautiful. Not sure about the tuners; I see your concern although I imagine he took that into account somehow.

The headless Klein/Forshage Orion design is so lightweight and compact that having one in a gig bag on the subway, or in an airplane, is a treat. Definitely a solution FOR a problem rather than as you describe it. Yes, they can be a bit awkward on certain stands and they do not hang up on hooks. But they do lean against things very handily.

In short I don't see them at all as weird or goofy. They are extremely comfortable to play and always lightweight, even the solid bodies.

[Jabberwocky]

Just messing with ya, rp. I forgot my meds.

[Takemitsu]

Clearly, Michael Sankey does not play guitars. Does he?

He does.

[Keira Witherkay]

well my ergo build is underway .... the first prototype per my specs is about halfway done , just made with pine at moment to see how it sits and handles but should be a working prototype in next few weeks ...in fact i have a "fitting tomorro to get the upper and lower bout sorted

we approached it from scratch ... to suit my specs and 1st just got kinda a typical steinberger middle section built (but with a standard tuner setup at the body end so headless but not steinberger double ball end type and then gonna flank it with upper and lower hollow 'wings" oh and did i mention we gonna try make the guitar fold ... and have a detatchable lower bout /wing so final length when travelling will be the length of the fretboard ...

i have enough guitars that sound great for gigs...so this one is aimed at more of an experiment to see if my madcap idea's for travel will work.... and so more of a dedicated travel guitar ... where space is a premium but still with full 24.5 inch scale length so totally giggable too without compromise


now can't wait till tomorrow to see how it's coming on
i will post some picks once there's something to show.....

[SDavis]

I have a Canton Equinox and a Forshage Orion 7 string currently. I have had 2 other Orions, and 2 are currently being built. I love them. Personally, I would go with Forshage.