I have only tried Soliver's armrests. I now have 2 of them and am quite happy with both.
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I have only tried Soliver's armrests. I now have 2 of them and am quite happy with both.
Seems there is an armrest out there for everyone. I'm not sure there really is a best. As others have said, find the one that works for you. I have three Cumberlands. I keep going back for another. They work great for me, and the folks at Cumberland are very pleasant to deal with.
I got one from Dan Voight of Voight Mandolins, when I was at Swannanoa a couple of years ago. He's got a nice design that covers the top part of the hardware.
I love my McClung on my MT2. For my first build I decided to make my own and I'm pretty pleased with it. It wasn't hard, and I could tweak it to my desires. It was in padauk and turned out quite attractive.
I'm using a banjolit one. It's great. They'll probably all do what you need them for though.
McClung !
If the truth be known, all the brands listed here are great quality. I buy from Soliver because he's as local as I can find for this item, besides making a great arm rest. I try to shop as local as I can for almost every thing I buy. Admittedly, sometimes that's not possible. Soliver is located in metro Atlanta and he makes an excellent product. The ambrosia maple arm rest he crafted for one of my Breedloves is outstanding.
No, I'm not affiliated with Soliver in any way.
+1 for McClungs. Beautiful & comfortable armrest.
I like the ergo-design of many of the boutique armrests, a number of them look very comfortable.
But when I look at them, to my view, they're visually pretty overwhelming for such a small instrument. Perhaps it's because I come from the 5-string banjo world where armrests are pretty necessary and they tend to be large and showy, but while I really like the concept of an armrest for mandolins and guitars, I like a small, innocuous armrest on a mandolin, primarily to keep arms off of the instrument tops. As such Cumberland has been my choice
Here are mine (the F-9 in ebony, the MK in rosewood, to match fingerboard and bridge woods on these instruments):
Attachment 181447 Attachment 181449
Attachment 181448 Attachment 181450
Really like the feel of the McClung the best. Soliver makes good ones, too. The Cumberland edge is too sharp to be comfortable with my forearm. Don't know why that is. Might be better if I reshaped the edge.
Unfortunately, none work on the Kalamazoo as the body is too deep. Will have to order one with viola hardware, I guess.
The arm rest made by Soliver for my Blevins octave has an viola hardware.
Attachment 181474
I just placed an order for my first armrest from Cumberland Acoustics to use on a Crystal Forest A/N I just acquired.
Normally I’m not a fan of armrests but the mandolin has abalone inlayed around the top end, and I want to protect it from sweat and wear down the road.
Attachment 181480
Hi Joey,
My Crystal Forest is one of the instruments I have a Cumberland Acoustics armrest on. Works great. I like that it's on the small side so it doesn't look overly large on the A/N mandolin. These CF mandolins are really pretty, especially your new one. The CA armrest won't diminish that beauty, or detract from it.
Bob
Thanks, Joey. I hope you and your family have also enjoyed their holiday.
The CA armrest does not detract from the tone of my CF at all. Due to the thin cork strip where the armrest meets the top, the armrest is mostly suspended over the top. The cork strip is so narrow that it is only touching the edge of the top over where it would be attached to either the sides or maybe the kerfed lining. For that reason, I don't think it could diminish the tone.
I think this feature is common to most if not all armrests and as demonstrated by the reponses in this thread, each has its fans. There probably is not a bad choice among the many mentioned. In the case of the CA on the CF though, we know it will work well because you and I have matching instruments. I just hope you like the way it looks and feels on your instrument. It's kind of minimalist, which is just what I like in an armrest.
I was thinking though, maybe you should check with Terry to make sure he thinks the finish has cured long enough so the armrest won't make an imprint or stick to it. He might suggest you hold of for six months or so. He certainly would be the authority!
Best wishes,
Bob
I've heard that some cork strips have damaged the finish because of the chemicals used in processing the cork. I never had the problem but I switched to leather several years ago. Even the leather shoe/boot laces will work and they're available just about everywhere.
I have McClung arm rests on both my Flatiron and my Sumi. Doug Edwards is really great to work with and offers some beautiful arm rests to compliment your mandolin’s finish.
I am with Mark and those who love the McClung. Doug does a great job making a very comfortable AR and he matched the color and grain of my Collings MT. I also have a wonderful ebony Cumberland Acoustic armrest on my F5. These are both excellent, depending on your shape and angle preferences.
Thanks for the support. I have the best customers. I’ve been at this about 15 years.
The Cumberland for me, because my aesthetic leans to the simple and unadorned look (Think Gibson F9).
Plus its smaller size doesn't make it seem bulky or out-of-place on my A mandos.
Since they all perform the same, it's pretty much looks preference for me.
I have 2 McClungs and had a Cumberland. None of them contact the rim of the mandolin properly. The rim curves down and the brackets are attached to the wood that angles them up. The contact area of the armrest is not optimal as only a small edge actually touches the instrument. I would like me to find an armrest that is made correctly.
So you want an armrest which touches the top in a large area and restricts vibration of the top?
Are your armrests falling off of the mandolins??
Very interesting how well these armrests are working for so many other people.:confused:
Maybe a picture of the problem would help.