Question for the group - Armrests

[deadedith]

Yeah my perspiration is definitely a type of 'dampening' :-)
DaveB

[Tony_in_NYC]

Yeah my perspiration is definitely a type of 'dampening' :-)
DaveB

HA!!
I like the look of integrated bevels as an arm rest, but that is more for comfort than dampening. I can not get myself to like the add on arm rests. Plus, I only play for me. I used to play for my kids too, but since they both can move on their own now, they never stay in the room. No amount of arm rest will keep them in the room, unless it is big enough to block the door.

[MuddyFox]

@muddy - Good one! Can I use that?

Absolutely.

I don't see myself ever getting good enough to have it make an actual difference to my audience.
Like Tony, I play for myself because others have legs, a wee bit of free will and a survival instinct.

[Darryl Young]

I've never played a guitar with an add-on arm rest. Does it fit in the case with this on or do you have to remove it to place in the case? Most of my arm touches the edge of the soundboard that is already dampened by the lining/sides. It would make very little difference I think......and likely not noticable to a person out front listening even if the player can hear a slight difference.

[MuddyFox]

Does it fit in the case with this on or do you have to remove it to place in the case?

Well it depends... first of all, whether an armrest is detachable. There are suction cup ones, even magnet ones. These are naturally removed and stored elsewhere in your case.

Then it would somewhat depend on your actual case and size of an armrest (they come in different sizes).

Having said that, of the two that I've played, one was in a gigbag so no issue there and the other was in the hard case but there was quite a bit of play as it wasn't an original case.

Overall, I think you should have no problems space-wise.

[enalnitram]

the way I look at it is like this: it sounds great when Doc Watson and Tony Rice and a buhzillion other people play without those things. sometimes it's as if marketers somewhere are tying to think up ways of getting people to think they can buy a better sound rather than just relying on a tried and true way to just make it happen: with your fingers.

sorry to sound kinda brunt but I get all riled up about these things sometimes!

[kencierp]

I agree with Martin -- I've been to plenty of live performances of the masters including Chet (yes on acoustic) Earl Clew, Alex Degrasi, Murial Anderson, Glen Campbell (the back-up player of choice going back to the 1960's) etc. Not an armrest in sight. Its one of those things I feel is a boutique builder's sales gimmick. If you can play --- you can play $.02

[deadedith]

I disagree. There is an audible benefit to allowing the top to vibrate to its potential; I can hear it and so can others, my wife for example. Is it a HUGE difference in sound - no, but it is real. It's probably more noticeable to the player than anyone else. In concert, those guys mainly use transducers anyway, and have expert soundmen, and the best equipment, etc.
That is my last kick at the dead horse...:-)
DaveB

[Ken Hundley]

I do happen to like the look, and agree that, if installed properly, they can enhance the sound of the guitar, but also agree that my playing (and to a worse extent, my singing) have a far greater impact on the sound of the guitar than my arm does. (man, I should get into politics). I look at it like this....someday, I may try to make an arm rest and see if it is a keeper. Some other day, I may try the bevel. Think of all the advances in a golf club, you shouldn't be surprised in how people try to "buy their game" like they buy their sound. Arm rests, to me, go the same route as trying to buy that vintage sound, rather than earn it by playing the instrument for years.

[kencierp]

Planning and constucting the guitar with the armrest as part of the design is really pretty cool. I must admit that my personnal opinion is a little skewed because I know that, for example, the John Pearse add-on actually de-values an instrument. So for me that's a problem. I guess they are not that easy to remove and in fact damage the finish -- but the point would be if they are an improvemnet why would they need to be removed? I must add that I really know "jack" about armrests