The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
Reply to Thread Bookmark Thread
Posts 1 to 24 of 24
  1. #1

    User Info Menu

    Has anyone tried one of these (or something similar). I'm thinking of getting one to replace my Dynarette cushion. I like the way that it would push me more upright.

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...%21rec%21CA%21

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

    User Info Menu

    I really like the Sageworks - not sure if it would work on electric, though.

  4. #3

    User Info Menu

    I ended up choosing the 'Guitar Lift' classical guitar support.
    It definitely takes the weight of the instrument off my ancient neck, which is a great benefit for me.
    I had previously tried another classical guitar support from across the pond, but since I'm not a small person
    and the archtops are generally around 8 lbs, I was not able to make it work consistently.
    I bought the medium size Guitar Lift after making a template off their measurements and then making a guesstimate.
    The original contour at the bottom is a perfect fit for a classical players left knee area.
    Not so much for my right thigh!
    So I had to trim the leg contour area and foam(?)bumper for my right thigh.
    Bottom of lower bout touching mid to upper right thigh. Upper bout top is around mid to upper sternum height.
    I have the body at an angle to my chest and leg, but not quite to the extent of Freddy G or others.
    I was trying to approximate/duplicate how the guitar worked with my long term guitar strap orientation.
    I also like the neck angled upward, so the nut is nose high or so.
    Took me a bit of experimentation to get it aligned. Suction cups work well. Easy to move and re-attach.
    Pre trim photo and post trim on a 17' body. I also use it on 16" bodies.
    Hope this is of some help.
    YMMV.
    Have fun!
    Classical guitar supports-guitar-lift-pre-cut-jpg
    Classical guitar supports-guitar-lift-post-cut-jpg

  5. #4

    User Info Menu

    Just a cautionary note.I had the Ergoplay and the suction cup damaged the finish on my guitar,so if you are using it on a high end guitar be aware of this.I went back to my trusty old guitar stool.

  6. #5

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
    I really like the Sageworks - not sure if it would work on electric, though.
    I had the Sageworks for a few years until one of the magnets eventually came loose and was rolling around inside my guitar. My classical guitar is a hand made Bill Brunton with very intricate lattice bracing inside and the last thing I want is a magnet knocking those braces loose. I ditched the Sageworks in a hurry. For now, I have the cushion that the OP is looking to replace. Maybe some day I will just get strap buttons installed and use a strap as I do with my other guitars, acoustic and archtop. I just don't trust all those contraptions that people come up with for classical guitar support.

    Tony

  7. #6

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by nyc chaz
    Just a cautionary note.I had the Ergoplay and the suction cup damaged the finish on my guitar,so if you are using it on a high end guitar be aware of this.I went back to my trusty old guitar stool.
    When I bought an Ergoplay it came with some things to stick to the guitar to stop that from happening. I never used them though, my classical guitar not being expensive.

    The Ergoplay is good, and necessary for me owing to cramps and a numb leg the footstool would give me.

  8. #7

    User Info Menu

    Is this for classical? I've tried a bunch of different ones and so far I find the Woodside to be the best. I've tried cushions, A frame, foot stool, murata. I haven't tried the one you mentioned but relying on suction cups on the back of the guitar would make me nervous. Those things comes loose.

    The Woodside is really stable and you can position it in a lot of different ways. You can also raise it much higher than a cushion if desired.
    They make different versions. This one is for slimmer jazz guitars. I use one for classical. Not sure why the link below says "just a moment" but it goes to stringsbymail, other places sell it too.

    Just a moment...

  9. #8

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Helliger
    Is this for classical? I've tried a bunch of different ones and so far I find the Woodside to be the best. I've tried cushions, A frame, foot stool, murata. I haven't tried the one you mentioned but relying on suction cups on the back of the guitar would make me nervous. Those things comes loose.

    The Woodside is really stable and you can position it in a lot of different ways. You can also raise it much higher than a cushion if desired.
    They make different versions. This one is for slimmer jazz guitars. I use one for classical. Not sure why the link below says "just a moment" but it goes to stringsbymail, other places sell it too.

    Just a moment...
    No, It's for electric guitar

  10. #9

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    No, It's for electric guitar
    What kind? An Ergoplay wouldn't work if it's for like a slim solid-body guitar e.g. a Fender.

  11. #10

    User Info Menu

    I play flamenco and classical as well as other styles of guitar and have been through many types of guitar supports. By far, my favorite is the "Neck-Up". It's made in different thicknesses and has different sized suction cups in case you need to switch from a deep body to a thinline.

    NeckUp Guitar Support

  12. #11

    User Info Menu

    I have been using this on my Manouche guitars as I cannot bring myself to drill holes in them for a strap:
    Amazon.com

    Not very expensive but it works well for my purposes.

  13. #12

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Sabicas
    I play flamenco and classical as well as other styles of guitar and have been through many types of guitar supports. By far, my favorite is the "Neck-Up". It's made in different thicknesses and has different sized suction cups in case you need to switch from a deep body to a thinline.
    NeckUp Guitar Support
    I agree -- I find the Dynarette cushion is too high but the NeckUp is easily adjustable. You can use it on either leg. It comes in three versions, one of them narrow enough to use with a Tele or similar. One end goes over the endpin jack, the other attaches to the lower bout with a suction cup. I only keep it on when playing --- I would be concerned about the suction cup marking the finish if I left it on all the time. It's not perfect---the suction cup slips occasionally---but it is the best I have found. I've been using them for nearly twenty years.

  14. #13

    User Info Menu

    I tried a bunch of these for my ES125 thinline and found the Sageworks A-Frame worked best.


    But the suction cups were not 100% reliable and didn't cling well at all to other guitars.


    So I removed the suction cups and replaced them with Velcro, and put Velcro on the back of the ES125 as in the photo.


    This works great! (I enjoy playing guitars more than looking at them, so I don't mind having Velcro permanently attached to the back)


    Now I have this identical setup on my ES125, T-50, and mini-Martin.


    But the first time I gigged with this setup, I was wearing dressier pants than usual, and the support fabric that rests on the left thigh kept slipping down. So I had my wife sew non-adhesive Velcro to those pants in just the right spot, and now everything is 100% secure when gigging!


    An added bonus is that the support can stay on the guitar when storing it in the case. I just detach the upper frame near the neck (the lower frame remains attached) and the whole thing folds in close to the body. It's even slightly less work than putting a strap on :-)




    Classical guitar supports-a_frame_with_velcro-jpg

  15. #14

    User Info Menu

    I almost stopped playing Classical because of neck and arm pain. So I got this support, to see if it helps. For me, I do think it helps because my feet and back and hips can be straighter by not having a leg propped up on the stool.

    This one is held in place via magnets that one non-permanently attaches to the inside. The device has cork feet that touch the guitar on the outside.

    BTW the guitar is a Yamaha Grand Concert. The Grand Concert series are not very well known but they are hand made in Japan. Current models are up to $18,000, though this one is from 1994 and did not cost that much.
    Classical guitar supports-yamaha-guitar-jpg

  16. #15

    User Info Menu

    I have a Mundo guitar support, and it works rather well. Its main attraction is the ability to move around, both the guitar and the player's body, through the ball and socket joint above the base. The socket is magnetic, very strong, and hold the ball very stably. It's certainly not the cheapest option, but I think it's worth considering.

    MUNDO GUITAR SUPPORT – Mundo Music Gear

  17. #16

    User Info Menu

    Jim, I use the Neck-up on my tele when I'm sitting.

    [I've wanted to try these, but they're always "out of stock!"]

    Marc

  18. #17

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by marcwhy
    Jim, I use the Neck-up on my tele when I'm sitting.

    [I've wanted to try these, but they're always "out of stock!"]

    Marc
    I have two! They only work for thin body electrics but yes, the best design, well made castings and crafted in Italy. Two months ago there was a one day window when they took orders, then they sold out instantly. I got a silver and a black one. Love it.

    I am waiting for someone to make a sling and clamp system. The suction cup systems are far from 100% reliable. I do not trust them.
    There was someone who made a clamp one that was adjustable for deeper bodies, but the were located in the Ukraine. They have not had a working supply chain since the war there.

  19. #18

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    I have two! They only work for thin body electrics but yes, the best design, well made castings and crafted in Italy. Two months ago there was a one day window when they took orders, then they sold out instantly. I got a silver and a black one. Love it.

    I am waiting for someone to make a sling and clamp system. The suction cup systems are far from 100% reliable. I do not trust them.
    There was someone who made a clamp one that was adjustable for deeper bodies, but the were located in the Ukraine. They have not had a working supply chain since the war there.
    You guys have me wondering if this is something I should design from scratch. I wonder if there's a big enough market to support the effort?

  20. #19

    User Info Menu

    The unit in your photo looks like a cheap Chinese rip off of the Guitar Lift (GL) discussed earlier. The original is a German made thing and like most German made things.... decidedly uncheap. However, I suppose we get what we pay for? And I have 2 of these GL's and they work great on old and new guitars... but you'll feel better about using it on an old favorite than on some new darling. If your instrument has an oil or shellac finish, it could have adherence issues. For this, they give you plastic stuff to attach to the guitar and then attach the suction cups to the plastic. I'm not a fan of this btw.

    But the GL gives you more choices in how and where to attach it and how to get the guitar optimally positioned IMHO. It's a great unit. Love it for an electric that is too small to hold where I want it and is a VERY good option to using a strap 100% of the time. In probably 99% of all cases, if you don't leave the guitar and suction cups conjoined but instead remove the support and its suction cups from the guitar, you'll not have a problem UNLESS the finish has some issues anyway.

    I have also used Sageworks.... under its orginal name (which I forget). They're good, but if you ever change how you position the guitar, you're kind of toast... kind of hard to undo... and for the record, I've got a pair in my classical I'd love to remove but find awkward as a process to accomplish. And yet it works well and is very secure.

    I've used Dynarette... ugh. We called it the comma.... but it's kind of wobbly. There are vise like things some like. There are also some handy small suction cup things that work well for guitars with the width to make them work on the guitar's side similar to the GL. Check out the accessories under STRINGSBYMAIL or ask Classical Guitar players.... they deal with this in spades, but are usually jealous of the electric player's ability to just use a strap.

    My bottom line is that if aging, sitting, and all that shift your posture at all... you might want something flexible. I think the GL or a strap the best in these cases. But they're not for everyone.

  21. #20

    User Info Menu

    I found a lift by Hamsa, they're in Turkey or Iran and they were a great support but the suction cup was prone to becoming undone. Even one incidence of this discounts it for me.
    I build my own guitars and I built a 15" (close to classical size) archtop with an internal block which I attached the lift arm and sling to. It's solid and it's as essential to my playing as the neck of the guitar.
    Classical guitar supports-screen-shot-2023-03-30-11-05-16-am-pngClassical guitar supports-screen-shot-2023-03-30-11-05-38-am-png
    the most solid arrangement. Period. That's why I'm looking for a good clamp arrangement that doesn't pry itself off. It's bolted to an internal block.
    Last edited by Jimmy blue note; 04-01-2023 at 04:17 PM.

  22. #21

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    You guys have me wondering if this is something I should design from scratch. I wonder if there's a big enough market to support the effort?
    There IS a need. You build a good mousetrap, I'll buy it and recommend it.
    I've done a LOT of R&D. PM me and I'd love to give you my notes on experiments that worked, those that failed and what the proposals with promise are.

  23. #22

    User Info Menu

    If it's for electric guitar you should check this out: https://guitarscientist.com/performaxe/
    I recently bought one of these. I have been using a dynarette for years, but wanted something more adjustable. This works great for me so far.
    It clamps to your guitar and is really stable.

    It won't work on thicker guitars like a 175 or archtops though. When i use it on my telecaster it is on its widest setting, but it works really well for both my tele and my 335.

  24. #23

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by PatrickWD
    If it's for electric guitar you should check this out: https://guitarscientist.com/performaxe/
    I recently bought one of these. I have been using a dynarette for years, but wanted something more adjustable. This works great for me so far.
    It clamps to your guitar and is really stable.

    It won't work on thicker guitars like a 175 or archtops though. When i use it on my telecaster it is on its widest setting, but it works really well for both my tele and my 335.
    Last year I waited over 9 months for the owner to start taking orders. I ordered in the early fall. Within the week they weren't taking any more orders and have been unavailable since.
    If you even want a CHANCE at getting one, write to the owner and when you get a return email, order immediately. Mid April was his next window.

  25. #24

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    Last year I waited over 9 months for the owner to start taking orders. I ordered in the early fall. Within the week they weren't taking any more orders and have been unavailable since.
    If you even want a CHANCE at getting one, write to the owner and when you get a return email, order immediately. Mid April was his next window.
    Seems his production capability is too slow to keep up with the orders. I got on the waiting list in november and got the chance to buy one in january. I bought one as soon as i got an email.