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Has anyone tried one of these armrests for acoustic guitar????


onewilyfool

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I've seen these before and have been tempted to try them. Not so much for the sound but for protecting the finish. Not sure I like the look or cost. I'd like to see it as a soft cloth instead. I wear an armband to help keep the sweat off that area.

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Yes, I use John Pearse arm rests on my every day player and I have done for five years.

 

There are reasons to consider buying the rests and reasons to avoid them. I will detail this as briefly as I can.

 

The Pros: Better right hand position for finger style -- It keeps sweat off the guitar top -- better top vibration, but you won't really hear a difference.

 

The Cons: If you expose your top to UV light through sunshine or other means a shadow will eventually form -- The rests do not actually fit many guitars without modification -- The woods used are not necessarily instrument quality so it can be very difficult to find a rest that works on your guitar aesthetically -- The rests are manufactured in India, so one has to wonder about whether the price is fair -- The finish is oiled, not varnished, so it can get dry looking if you don't maintain it but a plus here is that you can modify it and easily finish it with some teak or tung oil to match the areas you haven't worked.

 

I use these rests on two guitars. One is a Martin OM-21 and the right handed standard rest fits the body shape just fine. The other guitar I use the rest with is a parlour guitar - 0 body - and the rest had to be modified substantially to fit the guitar shape.

 

I have never found a Pearse arm rest that fits the shape of a D-28 or J45 without modification. If you don't do a bit of woodwork, or don't have a friend who can help you, don't buy one of these rests for a standard dread or slope shoulder guitar.

 

It is much better to buy these in person at a dealer's store. If you buy them on the Internet, you run the risk of getting one that looks far different in person than in the photos and might not match your guitar. A good rule of thumb aesthetically is to buy the same or similar wood in a rest that you have for a bridge and to avoid placing one on a guitar with a decorated edge - like herringbone - as the break in the decoration looks amazingly bad.

 

guitars_200741.jpg

 

DSCF0004.jpg

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I I sold the guitar last Sunday so I can't experiment.

 

OK TW

 

One door closes another opens!

 

Are you going to make a bid for Scotts Dove or is that "Slash" / Zak Wylde Epiphone LP copy on its way to Wilson Towers?

 

BR

 

J

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I don't like the look of it.. I wouldn't want to ruin my J45's burst..

 

If you have a dark burst, an ebony rest (they make a junior size that is very thin) can blend right in. I tried one on my AJ (didn't stick it down, just had a look) and I think it would have been just fine.

 

Still, I think they fit in much better on a very plain guitar like the OM21 because they draw the eye immediately, so they need a plain background.

 

From a functionality perspective, however, especially for finger style - I really like the rest a lot.

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I've got one on my Larrivee OM and my Lakewood. I like it. It allows the top to vibrate more freely. If laying your arm across the top of the guitar muffles the tone at all...then the armrest will help. I think it helps more on a smaller body guitar.

 

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I know while playing standing up and having your guitar hang on a strap -being pressed up against a beer belly by the inside of your forearm will dampen the sound projected. I don't see how adding a layer of dble sided tape and strip of wood would change the forearm part of the equation. I am not an acoutstical engineer, didn't take physics, I'm just not believing this. I'd get fosilized walrus pecker pins with turqoise insets before I glued this to my guitar's face!

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Actually, the only area of the armrest that touches the guitar is a thin strip that is stuck to the binding. The rest of the armrest comes up and out towards the top from there, not touching the guitar at all. Otherwise you might as well just tape your arm to the top!

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guitars_200754.jpg

 

These arm rests are great - especially for finger style. They improve your picking hand position, keep the sweat off the guitar top and allow free, uninhibited vibration. They are very easy to remove and I have used them every day for five years. They are best suited to plain guitars with simple decoration levels - if you put them on an abalone or herringbone trim they look like a brick in a jewelry store.

 

The cons: If exposed to lots of UV light, a shadow can form under the rest -- On standard guitar shapes they usually require modification, sometimes rather extensive -- They are not well known enough as a useful tool so they can make resale more difficult unless you remove them -- They are slightly expensive considering they are manufactured in India.

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