Arm Rests?

[Rockyjohnstone]

I've noticed some players use these. Curious as to the benefit. Is it just comfort, or does the arm rest help improve tone and response by keeping the arm mass off the body of the instrument?

[Raggle Taggle]

I have standardized to McClung armwrests on all of my mandos. For me they elevate my wrist to a more ergonomic position. More than just comfort, better efficiency.

[George R. Lane]

The McClung is a great rest. I highly recommend it.

[OldSausage]

I can take 'em or leave 'em. I've asked this before, what on earth makes an arm rest great. It's just this little smooth piece of wood attached to your mando. Seems like anyone with some woodwork experience could knock one up in 15 minutes.

[Rockyjohnstone]

Sounds like player preference. If an increase in efficiency can be gained by some, that's worth looking into. I need all the help I can get in the efficiency department.

[Phil Goodson]

I have standardized to McClung armwrests on all of my mandos. For me they elevate my wrist to a more ergonomic position. More than just comfort, better efficiency.

Exactly the same for me!!

[J Mangio]

Never used one; I believe it's to keep the mandolin from digging a groove into your forearm...I use a 6" wrist band for that.

[greg_tsam]

I can take 'em or leave 'em. I've asked this before, what on earth makes an arm rest great. It's just this little smooth piece of wood attached to your mando. Seems like anyone with some woodwork experience could knock one up in 15 minutes.

Try it.

[greg_tsam]

Well, maybe Old Sausage isn't so far off the mark in the fact that they are a piece of wood fixed to a violin chin rest. Simple enough but I use one and think it makes a difference. I know my Tone-Gard rocks. Maybe I'll take off the armrest and see what happens beside oiling up my finish where my arm meets the corner of the mando..

[Londy]

I have a question regarding both the armrest and the tone-guard. How to these attach to the mando without leaving markes, scratches or other damage? Was thinking about getting both for my new Collings which is shipping this week!!!
(I think im going to crap my pants when I finally see the box at my door. Been waiting almost 5 months).

[Mike Bunting]

I have a question regarding both the armrest and the tone-guard. How to these attach to the mando without leaving markes, scratches or other damage? Was thinking about getting both for my new Collings which is shipping this week!!!
(I think im going to crap my pants when I finally see the box at my door. Been waiting almost 5 months).

Better takes your pants off when you open the door!

[George R. Lane]

To each their own. I love my McClung and as far as making one, I am not a woodworker and it would take several tries and plenty of cussing before I got it right. I also tried the wristband, didn't like the feel. Neither the MCClung or the Tonegard have left any marks on my mando.

[Charles E.]

I can take 'em or leave 'em. I've asked this before, what on earth makes an arm rest great. It's just this little smooth piece of wood attached to your mando. Seems like anyone with some woodwork experience could knock one up in 15 minutes.

More like a half hour to forty five minutes.

I like them quite a bit and think they keep my arm from damping the top.

[Loretta Callahan]

Don't need one for my arch tops; invaluable for my flat top. Doug Edwards makes wonderful arm rests. Pretty insulting, or perhaps joking to think it takes 15 minutes. I did my own refinish; took a long time.

[John McCoy]

I've noticed some players use these. Curious as to the benefit. Is it just comfort, or does the arm rest help improve tone and response by keeping the arm mass off the body of the instrument?

I got a McClung for my Weber a couple of months ago (almost to the day). I was taking a chance, hoping that it would be a little more comfortable than the tailpiece digging into my arm, which wasn't as big a problem for me as some folks seem to have. I didn't expect much change in tone. I'd had a Tone-Gard since July and it had opened up the instrument wonderfully.

When I first used the armrest, it was actually a little uncomfortable because it changed the angle of my picking; so there was an adjustment period: about long enough to play four 2-octave scales :) . But now I'm much more comfortable with it.

But it really did open up the tone; response across the entire range of the instrument (I routinely play up to the 15th fret) improved immediately. For that alone, I'd say that it's worth having.



I have a question regarding both the armrest and the tone-guard. How to these attach to the mando without leaving markes, scratches or other damage? Was thinking about getting both for my new Collings which is shipping this week!!!...

You can go to the websites for Tone-Gard (http://www.tone-gard.com/) and Hill Country Stringworks (http://hillcountrystringworks.com/armrest5.html) (maker of the McClung armrest) and see how these things attach.

The Tone-Gard grasps the sides from the back in just three places, and the contact points are padded. The armrest goes on with violin chinrest hardware. If you follow the instructions for mounting them, neither should do any major damage to your instrument.

It's entirely possible that long-term use might cause some finish wear; I can't comment on that from experience because I haven't had either too terribly long. But I haven't seen any mars at all.

But I figure that I bought my mandolin to be played, and some playwear is inevitable anyway. Looking at it from another angle: The armrest protects the top of my instrument from finish deterioration from the perspiration on my arm, and the Tone-Gard protects the back from button and belt buckle scratches; so whatever minor damage they might cause over the long haul may well be compensated for by the damage not done with them in place.

[Doug Edwards]

I can take 'em or leave 'em. I've asked this before, what on earth makes an arm rest great. It's just this little smooth piece of wood attached to your mando. Seems like anyone with some woodwork experience could knock one up in 15 minutes.

It takes a little more than fifteen minutes.

98191

[OldSausage]

Oh look of course I didn't say anyone could make one as nice as yours in 15 minutes, I just said one could make a smooth piece of wood which could serve as an arm rest in 15 mins.

[Big Ed]

[QUOTE=Rockyjohnstone;1133091]I've noticed some players use these. Curious as to the benefit. Is it just comfort, or does the arm rest help improve tone and response by keeping the arm mass off the body of the instrument?[/QUOTE

Attached arm rest to protect finish of mandolin from sweat, wear etc. Comfort is a bonas, why not have one?

Ed

[JeffD]

Never used one; I believe it's to keep the mandolin from digging a groove into your forearm...I use a 6" wrist band for that.

Me too. It also protects the finish from arm sweat etc., during the short sleeved season.

See also Ron Thomason

[greg_tsam]

Oh look of course I didn't say anyone could make one as nice as yours in 15 minutes, I just said one could make a smooth piece of wood which could serve as an arm rest in 15 mins.


Try it! lol.. I'm challenge you to make an armrest in 15 minutes no matter what the level of fit and finish. I think it would be fun to see what you come up with.

[OldSausage]

Right, I will. I have to say right now that I am terrible at woodwork of any kind, so there's a good chance the result will be hilarious. Any votes for what I should make it out of? Oh, and where's the cheapest place to buy the hardware?

Also, I would like to make it clear that I am not some kind of weird arm rest hater, in fact I have one on my main mando, and to me it seems just very slightly better than not having one. Mainly my question was trying to find out if there was anything beyond being pretty that people looked for in an armrest, or whether the function of elevating the fleshy part of ones lower arm by a few millimeters and marginally improving comfort are the only goals.

[f5loar]

I've been using arm rests of all makes and sizes for about the last 4 years and I like them. I think it helps relax the arm allowing more attack on the strings, more ease of movement. Can't say which brand I prefer as makers do not put their mark on them but I'm partial to those Dude handcrafted maple ones in hand rubbed cremona finish. Here you can see me in action with a smaller arm rest on an older Gibson F5 mandolin. The very last of the video you can clearly see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS8OduSZWL0
And here you can see me with a bigger arm rest on my Kentucky 1000:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=_-zPwvvvAxs&feature=endscreen
PS: I use to use the sock/tennis band thingy but the material would catch on the tailpiece cover and make a mess of shreaded threads and threads would catch on it. I was ripping into the high 1st part of Rawhide at the original Big Mon 1951 speed when my sock string caught the cover and slung it off hitting a nice sweet little old lady on the front row in the breast. She thought I was making a "pass" at her. Since then I no longer wear socks on my arm when picking. They kinda look sillly too. And you get asked "did you sprang your arm?" question a lot.

[JeffD]

They kinda look sillly too. And you get asked "did you sprang your arm?" question a lot.

Well there is some truth to that. I just tell them it covers my psoriosis and they leave me alone. :)

[azflyman]

I have a mando with one that I have had a few days, two mando's without. Right now it just feels weird but the jury is still out, I think it might grow on me. I don't know if it makes any difference in sound as it has never been off.

[bratsche]

I can take 'em or leave 'em. I've asked this before, what on earth makes an arm rest great. It's just this little smooth piece of wood attached to your mando. Seems like anyone with some woodwork experience could knock one up in 15 minutes.

I've made all of my own. They took more time than that, only because all of the sanding and polishing was done by hand.

Benefits: preventing soiling and wearing the finish down on the instrument and tailpiece; keeping my hand and wrist farther away from the top and therefore keeping me from damping the bridge, as I do without it - resulting in better tone.

bratsche

[fredfrank]

I have a Dudenbostel armrest on my mandolin. I figured that would be as close as I'll ever come to owning something that came out of Lynn's shop.

[Astro]

I think whether they benefit and how much they benefit comes down to an individual's anatomy.

For me, they make a big difference. Without them I have to curl my wrist a tad to get into picking position and with the armrest my wrist is more relaxed and straighter in the picking position. I also have the Mclung and supposedly mine is a new version with a slight angle that helps further in this regard.

Meatier forearmed folks may not have this problem because they will have a straighter angle to the approach.

Also, since I dont have much meat on my forearm, the contact where it hits the sharp edge does feel better with the armwrest.

Anatomical variations likely has something to do with why some find them necessary and some don't.

The cut off athletic sock on the forearm sounds like something I would try but fortunately my wife usually stops me from looking ridiculous. Except that time at the beach when I wore a jock strap over my nose for sun block. Sure, now I regret those family pictures.

[Randi Gormley]

I know someone who rests her right hand fingers on and under the strings in front of the bridge and I was wondering if an armrest might correct that problem by raising up her hand a bit. Right now, I suggested she post a bit to raise her hand, but I thought an armrest wouldn't get forgotten like the posting sometimes does. Does an armrest raise up the right hand angle, or is it mostly too far back toward the elbow for that?

[Timbofood]

Gee. Tuner, armrest, tone guard, drink holder, strap, pick holder, jump seat, pickup, car to carry it all ...
Getting as mechanically enhanced as banjos.
That being said, I have never used one and have no deeply held opinion about them. Just seems like one more thing to make sure stays in proper contact.
I guess if it gives the sense of improvement than, it's fine.

[AlanN]

Bought and tried one after all the buzz a few years ago. Not for me.

[Dan Margolis]

I have Bell armrests on my two mandolins. They are comfortable and help to open up the sound.


See also Ron Thomason As an aside, I've belonged to this forum for years and I've hardly ever seen Ron's name mentioned, although he is a GREAT mandolinist (and guitarist, bandleader, singer, raconteur).

[MandoTyro]

What about an Octave Mandolin - armrests out there for those instruments?

[Mandobart]

Overall, I like arm rests. I have Steve Bell arm rests on my mandola, OM and mandocello. Very comfortable, don't really know if they do anything for tone. My Morris F4 has a nice rest made by the builder. Also very comfortable.

I was travelling with my beater Ibanez last week, which I added a cumberland acoustic armrest to shortly after I bought it in 2008. That CA rest is very Uncomfortable, especially compared to the Steve Bell items. So they are not all equal.

I've also made two arm rests. It is easy to make a comfortable rest that matches the contour of the instrument. It is not quite so easy to attach the hardware correctly to keep a good grip on the instrument.

[CES]

What about an Octave Mandolin - armrests out there for those instruments?

Unfortunately I can't remember who makes the one I use on my Weber Hyalite OM and am not home to check...I like the look, and it didn't seem to effect tone either way, but I had trouble getting it to stay on, so it sits in the case pocket now. I don't know if this issue was user error (they're not hard to work, so I hope not ;)), design issues, or maybe that it just isn't a great fit for my OM. Maybe I'll play with it again tonight...

But, yes, they do exist for OM!

[richardfree]

Got one from The Mandolin Store, for my collings, works great, it is the simple model, black,I find with me it keeps my arm from going numb, and protects the corner of the mando Don't need one with my Loar A mando, just the f style for some reason.. It attaches like a violin arm rest.Really like it. Richard

[Pete Summers]

For what it's worth, I bought a Steve Bell ebony arm rest for my A style mando and is was beautifully made. I found it very useful for keeping my arm at a better pick angle on an arched top mandolin. However, it was less than useful for my pancake mandolin, being more uncomfortable on my arm than the edge of the mandolin itself, so I concluded that arm rests are useful on some models, not so much on others. It's entirely a matter of personal preference and you'd just need to try one to determine if it helps, IMO.

Also, I tried making one myself from a piece of birch wood. I'm no woodworker particularly, but I'm reasonably handy. By the time I cut, filed, sanded and finished the wood, then attached a violin chin rest bracket, I had spent nearly four hours of work. The result was a functional arm rest but not nearly as attractive and finely finished as the Bell. So with that experience behind me, I think that the guys who make these things are certainly not making a killing at 35 bucks a pop.

As for the tone of my mandolin with or without the arm rest, I couldn't really discern a difference. :(

[issuenumber1]

I've had one on my Martin guitar for about 25 years, can't remember who made/sold it. Some sort of adhesive holds it in place. Which may not be smart, but it's never caused a problem, and I never plan to sell it so I'm not concrened about how it looks. I do remember, however, that after installation, the sound opened up significantly...clear as country water.

My 4-year old Collings mando got a Dudenbostel last year. Since it's removeable, I was able to A/B the sounds. No question, it improved the sound. Love it.

I don't think of either as an armrest, although I guess they serve that purpose.

[shortymack]

I dunno, I guess I think that if it was really a necessity or made that much difference it would be on all mandos straight from the builder.

[azflyman]

Except that time at the beach when I wore a jock strap over my nose for sun block. Sure, now I regret those family pictures.

Thanks for helping me clean out my sinuses with coffee, I really needed that.

[Bernie Daniel]

What about an Octave Mandolin - armrests out there for those instruments?

Yes get with Steve Bell -- I have had him make arm rests for my octave mandolin and my mandocellos as well. Pics below. If you send him a trace of your instrument's bout Steve will contour the arm rest to match it. PM me and I'll give you Steve's email address.

[Bernie Daniel]

I dunno, I guess I think that if it was really a necessity or made that much difference it would be on all mandos straight from the builder.

Really a necessity? Did anyone claim that? I find them to be a really useful accessory but I can play a mandolin without one. On my mandocello the arm rest is a real benefit as it not only raises my arm for better attack but it also prevents the re-curve from biting into my forearm when I play -- they are great.

FWIIW, many classical mandolins DO come with an arm rest straight from the builder.

[f5loar]

For many builders it is an option. It's no worse than clipping on a $20 tuner on your headstock that covers up the builder's logo so nobody knows what you got. It's like a fine string tuner for the fiddle. Those don't come with them new either. Or choosing which string you like best. What you get from the builder new is likely not what you will use later on. You try different things you like it or you don't. Seems many do like adding armrest for more than just looks.

[Dan Margolis]

Once I installed an armrest I never took it off.

[shortymack]

Really a necessity? Did anyone claim that? I find them to be a really useful accessory but I can play a mandolin without one. On my mandocello the arm rest is a real benefit as it not only raises my arm for better attack but it also prevents the re-curve from biting into my forearm when I play -- they are great.

FWIIW, many classical mandolins DO come with an arm rest straight from the builder.

Just MHO , I never said anyone claimed them to be a necessity just that if they were they'd be on ALL mandos no questions asked not a select few or offered as an option. If you like armrests, great! If you dont, great! No sweat off my back.

[Bernie Daniel]

Just MHO , I never said anyone claimed them to be a necessity just that if they were they'd be on ALL mandos no questions asked not a select few or offered as an option. If you like armrests, great! If you dont, great! No sweat off my back.

Originally I got an armrest to keep my forearm off the mandolin sound board -- but then I discovered really the main benefit they bring to me is to flatten the angle of my right forearm across the front of the mandolin by raising it up 1/2". That seems to free up my wrist motion and facilitate picking. That's a good thing IMO -- so yup I do like'em! :)

[David Rambo]

I use Doug Edward's armrests, and in addition to what everyone has said about arm angle, it also has helped protect the finish from my sweaty arm. Doug made matching armrests for both my "A" style and my "A" style octave mandolins. I think it has helped my to play for longer periods of time with less muscle fatigue.

[Timmando]

I recently installed a McClung with the new angle and it keeps my arm from resting/hitting the sharp corner of the tailpiece. Before I put the armrest on, I stuck some velcro (the cloth piece) on the tailpiece to cover the sharp edge, but now with the armrest I don't even hit the tailpiece. Also it is a beautiful piece of solid curly maple and makes the mando look more expensive! I'm not sure yet if it helps my picking position, I just know that it was an improvement and I don't expect to take it off. It was alot cheaper than putting on a different tailpiece that didn't have a sharp edge. (which I may still do eventually anyway!) BTW...I don't think I could have made a tailpiece this nice in a day, considering all the cutting, shaping, sanding, staining, finishing, attaching the hardware that needs to be done...these are a great deal for the price.

[JollyHangman]

I have a John Pearce armrest on my Guild D35 acoustic guitar. I highly recommend armrests. I'm told that without the armrest your arm rests on the upper part of instrument's body and may muffle the natural sound. The armrest takes your arm away from the body.
John Pearce died years ago, but the company www.jpstrings.com still offers the armrests

[JollyHangman]

I would recommend the John Pearce armrest. Easy to install (just take the adhesive cover and apply to instrument. www.jpstrings.com

[JollyHangman]

I think having an armrest is a matter of personal preference. Builders should offer installing an armrest as an option, but not as part of the instrument. Again, player/picker personal preference

[eastman_315]

I have JP armrests on both my Martins & think they do more than keep the sweat off. I just ordered a Cumberland Acoustic armrest from the Mandolin Store for my Eastman 315. I wish John Pearce made an armrest for mandos. I'd have bought one in a heartbeat!

Take care,

Frank

[Ed Goist]

I have JP armrests on both my Martins & think they do more than keep the sweat off. I just ordered a Cumberland Acoustic armrest from the Mandolin Store for my Eastman 315. I wish John Pearce made an armrest for mandos. I'd have bought one in a heartbeat!
Take care,
Frank

Frank (or anyone else who owns a Cumberland Acoustic armrest), how tall is the rest? It's funny...I can find the length and width dimensions of this rest on dealer sites, but not the height, and that seem to me to be the most important spec. Thanks much in advance.

Oh, and Frank, now that you've had the CA rest for ~4 months how do you like it on your Eastman? Thanks again

[Darrell D]

Will a armrest work wirh a toneguard?

[shortymack]

Dan Voight makes a great looking armrest, it wraps around the corner instead of sitting on the edge which makes a lot more sense IMO.

[Mike Bunting]

Will a armrest work wirh a toneguard?

I use a McLung armrest from Hill Country Stringworks and there is no problem at all using my tone guard.

[Iron]

I also use a McLung and Tone-Gard, fit is fine.

[Big Ed]

Arm rest protects instrument finish from sweat etc. Pick guard protects instrument from scratches. Cool or not I use both.

[Michael Weaver]

From the builder.......



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[Verne Andru]

I recently put a McLung on mine. It holds my arm away allowing the top to vibrate better for a fuller tone and it feels good on the arm.

103812103813

[Londy]

I just installed my first arm rest I purchased from Doug at Hill Country String Works. Take a look at the pics, it matches the Collings finish perfectly. I also prefer the black hardware and think this looks good as well. From a distance, you cant even see that it is on the instrument. I must admit, I really like the feel of this rather than playing without one. I also notice I am not resting on the bridge which is a good thing.

103816103817

[bratsche]

I must admit, I really like the feel of this rather than playing without one. I also notice I am not resting on the bridge which is a good thing.

I just finished making two more last week. One for a recently acquired instrument, and the other because I was getting sick and tired of sharing one armrest between two instruments. :)

Now I can finally just pick up either one and play it, without having to remove it and replace it constantly.

It's gotten so that it feels like the instrument is "naked" without one... :))

bratsche

[eastman_315]

Frank (or anyone else who owns a Cumberland Acoustic armrest), how tall is the rest?
I don't have a super precise measurement (I'm on the road & am using the side of a leatherman tool to measure), but it looks like it rises about 1/4" off the top of the mando.


Oh, and Frank, now that you've had the CA rest for ~4 months how do you like it on your Eastman?
I really like it on the Eastman. I think it keeps my arm off the top & allows it to vibrate. Also, keeps any arm sweat or other grunge from building up. The ebony looks great, too.

I'm trying to find one that works on the Breedlove KO right now. I do think an armrest lifts my arm a little & puts my right hand in a better playing position. I tried one of the maple CA armrests but it just didn't look right on the natural finish. The contrasting ebony looked better but was still not quite right. I hate to be like that but looks are kinda important to me with the KO. It sure is a pretty mandolin. :-)

Anyway, I do like armrests. I use them on almost all my guitars & have been very happy with the ebony CA on the md-315. I hope I can find one that looks better on the KO, though.

Take care,

Frank

[jimbob]

I'll admit it....no good reason except it's a Dude...I think fredfrank said the same thing a few posts ago...it's cool. I have one on both of my players. To be honest, I do like the way they slightly elevate my forearm off the top of the mando, but it's mostly "cool factor":mandosmiley:

[Clef]

I considered an arm rest, but I decided not to get one.

Instead of using an arm rest, I polish the spot where my arm rests on a regular basis. I've been Virtuoso Premium Polish and it keeps the finish clean and protected. I don't polish the entire instrument on a regular basis, I only polish where my arm rests. By me keeping a layer of instrument polish where my arm rests, I'm not wearing the nitro finish off my mandolin.

[mandolirius]

I just installed my first arm rest I purchased from Doug at Hill Country String Works. Take a look at the pics, it matches the Collings finish perfectly. I also prefer the black hardware and think this looks good as well. From a distance, you cant even see that it is on the instrument. I must admit, I really like the feel of this rather than playing without one. I also notice I am not resting on the bridge which is a good thing.

103816103817

This is the thing about arm rests. I don't find the edge sharp on my forearm and I don't sweat much there. The reason I tried one was that, in combination with a finger rest I could change the angle of my arm so it was more parallel with the instrument and not have to rest my wrist behind the bridge at all. If you want to be a "free-wrister", arm and finger rests can really help.

[Ben Cooper]

Ahhh, all my questions about arm rests have been answered by reading this thread. Well, almost all. I have two left. Where are good places to purchase arm rests (manufacturers, etc)? Second... where are the pics of Old Sausage's home made arm rests? Would like to see it! Could be the next big thing!

[mandolirius]

Ahhh, all my questions about arm rests have been answered by reading this thread. Well, almost all. I have two left. Where are good places to purchase arm rests (manufacturers, etc)? Second... where are the pics of Old Sausage's home made arm rests? Would like to see it! Could be the next big thing!

http://www.hillcountrystringworks.com/

[Stephen Porter]

Ahhh, all my questions about arm rests have been answered by reading this thread. Well, almost all. I have two left. Where are good places to purchase arm rests (manufacturers, etc)? Second... where are the pics of Old Sausage's home made arm rests? Would like to see it! Could be the next big thing!

I've seen several places on the net to purchase various armrests--Google will bring them up. Additionally, mandolin maker Dan Voigt has a nice version (http://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/67549) that he's advertising on the Cafe Classifieds. He also discusses his design in the Equipment forum. (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?92869-New-Voight-arm-rest-design)
.

Here's a pic he sent in response to my inquiry. They look pretty nice to me and are competitively priced @ $38/shipped. (NFI.)

HTH,
STP

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[mandroid]

it cured the sharp corner on the bound edge .. Mandolin by Jiri Lebeda.

[fatt-dad]

I never thought twice about an armrest until I got my Phoenix Bluegrass mandolin. Something about the edge and recurve. Got an armrest and it's great! Dave Cohen built it - I think from a violin chin rest. It was some repurpose job. It works fine with the tone gard.

f-d

[OldSausage]

Ahhh, all my questions about arm rests have been answered by reading this thread. Well, almost all. I have two left. Where are good places to purchase arm rests (manufacturers, etc)? Second... where are the pics of Old Sausage's home made arm rests? Would like to see it! Could be the next big thing!

I'm working on it - video coming soon!

[Ed Goist]

...snip...Where are good places to purchase arm rests (manufacturers, etc)? ...snip...

Strong recommendation here for Steve Bell's armrests. Steve doesn't have a website, but he can be reached here: gsbell26-at-gmail dot com

Here are some pics of a rest he just made for me, as well as his recent inventory of available rests (though some of these have been sold [third column bottom for sure :grin:]):

104670 104671 104672 104669

(Sorry, I should have said here, no financial interest on my part...Just a happy customer!)

[phiddlepicker]

Good gear. I like them, and use them on mando and guitar.....no explanations, no apologies.


I also like a matching abbreviated pickguard. Maybe I'll get matching boots too.:))

McClung was especially sweet on my Gibson Doyle Lawson...sold that for tuition payments though.:crying:

[bratsche]

Yeah, speaking of guitars... I made another ebony armrest for my Baby Taylor OM conversion, but I'm here to tell you (y'all?) that the double-sided adhesive material is nowhere near as good as a good old clamp for holding it in place. I used the genuine 3M super sticky stuff (the kind with which you can lift a five pound gadget by the piece that's holding it), and not some imported fly-by-night imitation. But even so, when I play, the armrest moves about 1/16" forward from the heat of my arm, and must be pushed back into position each time I finish, while it's still warm, before I put the instrument away. Not the end of the world, but a bit of a pain. Anyone else experience such a thing?

bratsche

[bookmn]

I just installed my first arm rest I purchased from Doug at Hill Country String Works. Take a look at the pics, it matches the Collings finish perfectly. I also prefer the black hardware and think this looks good as well. From a distance, you cant even see that it is on the instrument. I must admit, I really like the feel of this rather than playing without one. I also notice I am not resting on the bridge which is a good thing.

103816103817

Your reply caught my eye because I have the same mandolin. Collings advised against using an armrest, but I'm still tempted. Your experience sounds pretty positive in regard to wrist/arm placement.

[phiddlepicker]

"Yeah, speaking of guitars..."

the one on My Gibson J-185 EC hasn't moved in 13 years +/-

but yes, have had it happen on another guitar....can't remember the brand of rest though...I think I have a John Pearse on the J-185

[eastman_315]

. . . when I play, the armrest moves about 1/16" forward from the heat of my arm, and must be pushed back into position each time I finish, while it's still warm, before I put the instrument away. Not the end of the world, but a bit of a pain. Anyone else experience such a thing?
I have John Pearce armrests on 2 of my guitars & haven't had that trouble at all. I've had JP armrests on several other guitars I've had & sold, too. I always use whatever tape comes with them & never had one shift. Maybe the "super sticky stuff" turns to "super slippery stuff" when it gets warm. :-)

Frank

[bratsche]

Kinda makes sense, as they tell you in the forums that the only way to separate things adhered with the 3M stuff is by applying heat (a fair amount). Didn't think my body heat would do anything to it, though.

Oh well - another instance where "shift happens", I guess!

bratsche

[phiddlepicker]

Didn't think my body heat would do anything to it, though. bratsche

You must be playin' it hawt bruddah! Hope you aren't at risk for Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC):grin:

[bratsche]

I don't really think so... and that'd be 'sistah', to you. :)

But I suspect that the high humidity must be an added factor, being in South FL and all that. It's damp enough here that I suspect 'SHC' is quite a rarity in these parts. You'd get SHQ (Spontaneous Humid Quenching) instead! (Picture steam coming out of someone's ears.)

bratsche

[phiddlepicker]

I don't really think so... and that'd be 'sistah', to you. :) bratsche

....and that's why I don't gamble...50/50 odds and ......da houz wins again