Most comfortable guitar body type for playing sitting down

[TedBPhx]

I play the 175 far more than the Strat. It isn’t uncomfortable just not as.

[Brion]

17" and 18" guitars with a 3"+ depth are most comfortable for me. I have one of each. My es-175 and Eastman AR 371 are fine, but the bigger guitars work better for me. my Gibson Johnny A is a great guitar, but I just can't get comfortable with it sitting down without a strap. as I'm always hunched over it. The body is just too narrow for my height. My es 335 is pretty comfy sitting down as well.

[lawson-stone]

I came up playing dreadnought acoustics in coffeehouses during the "Great Folk Music Scare" of the 1970's (when it almost caught on!) so I'm accustomed to a big guitar, and I always used a strap. So a traditional archtop like an L5 or ES175 is perfectly comfortable, being actually a bit smaller than what I spent decades of my life playing. I have to say that the ES175 is likely the complete sweet-spot for me as far as overall comfort goes.

[golfus]

My most confortable guitar is a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion. I think it´s a lll. I play mostly sitting down for my own safety. It balances perfectly and the neck is very confortable for me. Low weight.

[zigzag]

No guitar is comfortable for me sitting and resting it on a leg. The classical playing position is most comfortable, but I'd rather just use a strap and have the guitar slightly elevated off of my lap. That way the guitar is always in the same position, sitting or standing. The depth of the guitar doesn't really matter that much, but I've always preferred the body shape of a 335.

[archtopeddy]

Air Guitar. Comes in any color and shape you can imagine; lightweight, and inexpensive. Only down side -- Gets a bit boring after a while.

[Tal_175]

A very instructive video showing how using a strap can make playing sitting down so comfortable and stable. Just compare how Julian Lage and Randy Vincent hold their guitars. Throughout the tune Julian Lage keeps changing his position, temporarily finding relief but getting tension again and shifting. Using one of his foot as a foot rest, then crossing legs, then lifting guitar vertically up playing it almost in double bass position, resting the guitar on one leg and hunching over etc. etc. etc. All in the course of one tune.
Randy Vincent on the other hand never needs to change his position. He is completely stable and looks very comfortable just concentrating on the music.

[Mecena]

Strat alike bodies for me.
ES and (semi) hollow are too big for me.

[oldane]

A 17" thinline is the most comfortable for my body build. 16" is a bit too small. For acoustic rhythm playing, I like to have the guitar lying more horizontally (actually about 30 degrees from horizontal) on my thigh (like Freddie Green) and in this position my 19" Triggs is very comfortable but a standard 17" is also very much OK for this. The relatively small upper bout of the Triggs no doubt helps the comfort (as opposed to a post 1940 S400 which has a larger upper bout and wider waist).

[Greentone]

17" by 3" or 3-3/8" archtop. A Heritage Super Eagle OTOH, is also very comfortable.

[Greentone]

Standing, however, a Stratocaster is far and away the most comfortable guitar ever.

[guavajelly]

Right now my main guitar is a GB10, which feels comfortable – a bit small maybe (I'm just about 6' tal). I had an eastman AR905 (16") before which felt a bit deep (the compensated for the smaller size by adding depth) so right now I am loosely looking for a little bigger guitar but with the same depth as the GB10.

[Joeontheguitar]

I play in the chair that I work in too. If I put my right foot on the right knee rest, even a Les Paul plays without hunching. Very, very comfortable. Also a joy to work on. I've been doing this for more than 10 years and it's great. It's called the Varier Variable (formerly know as Stokke)

[Greentone]

I finished a stack of grading this morning and went on Thanksgiving break at my university. I rewarded myself by getting out all of my guitars and putting them through their paces.

As I suspected, the two L-5CES sized archtops I own are very comfortable. However, I was surprised to find that even more comfortable to play when seated was my Heritage Super Eagle. The 18" x 3" body is exceedingly comfortable for me to play in the seated position. Also, the neck is perfectly playable from the nut up to the fingerboard body extension.

I always thought this guitar comfortable, but hadn't compared it side-by-side with the two 17" x 3-3/8" guitars, back and forth, until today. Big surprise for me.

[Doug B]

Tele's seem OK to, but I haven't spent a lot of time with one recently.

John

I would imagine that you would be more comfortable with one of the more recent Tele's with a belly cut, forearm contour and maybe even a chambered body?

[fep]

Strats are the most comfortable of the guitars I have.

[Bflat233]

The most comfortable guitar I own is the Eastman Romeo.

[bluejaybill]

I am a bit surprised at how many folks talk about playing on the couch- that has to be ergonomically the worst place to play/practice, to me anyway! Is it that important to watch TV while playing? To each his own I guess. I surely wouldn't pick a guitar based on how well it performs on a couch!

I almost always play on a variable height stool that I found in an antique store, I think it was for drafting? But I find that using a strap generally helps. And my latest archtop (Borys) at 16" and 2.75 I think is perfect for jazz. I used to like ES's too. I had an L5 that was fine as well. I don't mind Martins either, though not crazy about Dreadnaught size.

I have a Les Paul and I find it kind of tough sitting down. Telecasters and Strats are fine sitting and standing, but I don't like to play jazz on them.

I guess I'm saying I like them all! Not necessarily all for jazz though.

[Hammertone]

Standing, however, a Stratocaster is far and away the most comfortable guitar ever.

Strats are comfy, but Explorers are even more comfy. They are remarkably well-balanced, and come with built-in elbow rests.

[rpjazzguitar]

The Comins GCS-1 feels fine. So do Strat types. Most archtops feel awkward on my right arm - too big. I've never played a small archtop.
Godin guitars have a too-short lower bout for my comfort. They keep slipping off my leg.

[pcjazz]

Forshage Orion.

[TedBPhx]

My new Taylor 814 Builder’s Edition is the most comfortable flat top I’ve ever played. The beveled cutaway and armrest along with the hard to describe compound neck carve are very comfortable. No sharp edges anywhere with the chamfered ebony binding all round. And they did something to the taper - not the neck, the body feels different as if the back is angled slightly.

Still not as comfy as my Strat though.

[hotpepper01]

I play in bigband(s). If it is not Latin or Rock, I play while sitting down. In typical big band tunes, say four in a bar, I like to use a 25.5 inch scale archtop. The scale lenght is for me more important than the body depth. With the 25.5, I can find the positions blind, ie looking at the score and not having to look where my LH is on the neck. I sit on a bar stool and have my guitar on my lap. I have a couple of favorites, being a Gibson L5CES or L5CT, vintage Gretsch 6122 or a Vestax DA New Yorker, depending on my mood and the playlist of the day.
Today I took my 1977 Gibson L5CES. But to answer the OP question, I have not come across anything more comfortable like my own 2002 Gibson "Hutch" L5CT in cherry. Of course the color contributes a lot to the comfort ....But, how non comfortable and relaxed can one be with this kind of setup?

[Guy In Lyon]

Telecaster

[Tal_175]

Strats and Teles are comfortable. But offset guitars are even more comfortable for me.