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日本語 (Japanese)
An essential part of classical guitar playing is the footrest and other supports of guitars. While there is no definitive version, there are a variety of products on the market. I’d like to give you a summary of the products I’ve used or researched, as well as reviews of the ones I’ve used.
Major categories of guitar supports
First, I would like to categorize the guitar supports currently on the market according to their characteristics. The ratings are my own subjective opinion.
| Type | Product name | Price | Adjustment of angle, etc. | Stability | Ease of Carrying | Effect on finish | Other |
| Footrest | Footrest | ◎ | ○ | △ | ○ | ◎ | De facto standard, cheap and available everywhere. |
| Side mount type | Guitar rest (vise) | △ | ○ | ○ | ◎ | ○ | Surprisingly troublesome to disassemble/assemble |
| Guitar rest (suction cup) | △ | ○ | ○ | ◎ | △ | Surprisingly troublesome to disassemble/assemble | |
| Aria Guitar Support | ○ | △ | △ | ◎ | △ | Cheap, small | |
| Tenuto Guitar Support | △ | △ | △ | ◎ | △ | Greater adjustment range than Aria | |
| Ergoplay | △ | △ | ○ | × | △ | Small in size, but takes up a lot of space as luggage. | |
| SageWork Guitar Support | × | ○ | ○ | ◎ | ◎ | Magnetically attached type | |
| HB Guitar Support | △ | △ | △ | x? | ○ | Guitar support attached to the side with a vise. | |
| HB Guitar Support Light | △ | △ | △ | ◎ | ○ | Guitar support (small version) attached to the side with a vise | |
| Woodside Guitars Guitar Support | △ | ○ | ○ | ◎ | ○ | An evolution of the guitar rest | |
| De Oro Guitar Support | △ | △ | ○ | ○ | △ | Leather strap and metal frame for long life. | |
| Back-mounted type | Guitar Lift | × | ◎ | ◎ | × | △ | Expensive but comfortable to use |
| guitar folk | △ | ○ | ○ ~ ◎ | △ | △ | Less expensive than a guitar lift, but with less adjustment range. | |
| Koyunbaba. | △ | ◎ | ○ ~ ◎ | × | △ | Low-cost guitar lift | |
| Side mount type | Dynarette | △ | × | △ | × | ◎ | The safest way to affect the finish |
| Oasis Guitar Support | △ | × | △ | × | ◎ | Low-cost version of Dynaret | |
| G.Prop | × | △ | × | ○ | ◎ | Type that can be placed on a V-shaped body | |
| Flatsons FA-80A | ○ | × | △ | ○ | ◎ | Air-inflated version of Dynarette |
This shows the variety of products available. I’d like to add new ones as I find them.
FYI, there is another method that does not require a footrest or support:
Introduction to individual products
From here, I would like to introduce the features of each individual product. I’ve also included reviews of the ones I’ve used.
Footrest
This is a traditional guitar support. To raise the head side of the guitar higher, place your foot on the platform to raise your left foot.
The advantage is the “cheap price “. You can get a cheap one for less than 1,000 yen. Moreover, you can get them at any music store that sells guitars, not just classical guitar stores.
They come in a variety of materials, from wood to iron and aluminum. The aluminum ones are light and easy to carry around.
Cons.Bad for your back. This is the point. I also hurt my back with it and got back pain and hiccups.
Raising the left leg causes the body to twist, and continuing to do so for a long period of time can cause back pain. However, there are people who get back pain and people who don’t, so because of price and availability, first-timers should try the footstool first.
Side mount type
The most common type of support that replaces the footrest is the type that attaches to the side of the guitar. A variety of products are sold.
Guitar rest
This is a guitar support device that replaces the traditional footrest. The guitar rest is attached to the side of the guitar with a vise or suction cup. At the end of the bar is a piece shaped like the side of a thigh, which supports the guitar.
It’s easy on your back because you don’t have to lift your legs to raise the head of the guitar.
I used to use it too:
It’s definitely gentle on your back, so it’s nice. It is also easy to take apart and carry around .
However, whether it’s a vise or a suction cup, you need to be careful with painted surfaces. I used to use a vise type one on my shellac coated instrument. After a while of use, the pinch marks were left behind (small and inconspicuous, though).
Also, disassembling and reassembling is a pain in the ass. It takes up an unexpectedly large amount of space when it is still assembled. The height of the guitar can be changed by changing the length of the rod parts, but I was not satisfied with the fact that this rod is rather expensive.
However, it is a product that has been on the market for many years and has a good reputation among professionals who use it.
Aria Guitar Support
This is a very portable product When folded, it looks like a single piece of wood and takes up very little space. The price is also reasonable.
However, its adjustment range is narrow. Also, since it is a suction cup type support, be careful with guitars with weak finish .
Anyway, it is recommended for those who value less luggage.
Tenuto Guitar Support
This product is an advanced version of Aria’s guitar support.
Compared to Aria’s, the four suction cups increase stability, and the increased adjustability makes it suitable for a variety of people. The size is comparable.
I also used it, and it was good except that the part against my thigh was slippery:
FYI, a higher version called Tenuto Pro is sold overseas, but it is not available in Japan.
Ergoplay
This is a type of support that attaches suction cups to each of the two bumps on the side of the guitar.
Instead of attaching it to a small area of the guitar, it provides high stability. The height is adjustable.
The drawback is that this product is not foldable. It looks like it can be changed to a single piece of wood in the picture, but it is not. So, carrying it around is a hassle.
There is also a higher price version, the Trestle model, which has more adjustable parts.
See also this article for details:
SageWork Guitar Support
This is a strange kind of guitar support. Instead of attaching it to the side of the guitar with a suction cup or vise, it is attached to the guitar with magnets. Magnets should be pre-installed on the inside of the guitar. And this support also has magnets, and the magnets clamp the sides of the guitar to hold it in place.
It used to be called Barnett Guitar Support.
The part of the body that comes in contact with the guitar is made of finish-friendly material, so it is safe for guitars with weak finish like shellac. It has many adjustable parts and can be folded to make it smaller.
In Japan, it used to be available at a guitar store, but with the closure of it, it is now required to be purchased from the official website or from Strings by Mail.
HB Guitar Support
There are two types of guitar supports: the HBLight, which is similar to the Aria guitar support, and the HB, which is similar to the Ergoplay.
Both are not yet available in Japan, but you can buy them from eBay.
Woodside Guitars Guitar Support
This support is an advanced version of the vise type guitar rest.
The clamp part is slanted so that it can be used on guitars with raised fingers, and the angle of the clamp part can be adjusted more widely than the angle of the bar part.
See this article for more details:.
De Oro Guitar Support
No plastic is used at all. Support made of leather straps and metal frame .
This will give it a longer lifespan and a longer use.
The variety of designs is also very attractive.
See the following article for more details.
Back-mounted type
This is a new type of guitar support that has recently emerged. It’s an eye-opening, Columbus-egg concept that attaches to the back of the guitar.
GuitarLift
This is the first guitar support to be attached to the back of the guitar.
This makes it highly stable and has a wide range of adjustment.
I’m currently using it too, but the adjustment range is so wide that I haven’t fully adjusted it yet (lol):
Stability and adjustability are good, butsince the main body is a large board, so portability is not so good. However, it is a thin board, so if you can put the sheet music in it, you can take it.
(Postscript) The suction cups have been renewed to make it a little easier to carry around.
Also, since it is a suction cup type,be careful with weak paint.
Guitar Fork
This guitar support seems to have been inspired by the GuitarLift.
The GuitarLift has suction cups in all four places where it attaches to the guitar. The guitar fork has a stick in the bottom two places plus three suction cups. With the GuitarLift, you change the position of the suction cups, but with the guitar fork, you change only the stick.
Compared to guitar lifts, they are less expensive and smaller in size.
It is available at Guitar Shop Aura.
Koyunbaba guitar support
This is a guitar support that can be called a low-cost GuitarLift. The price is less than half, which is quite reasonable.
For more information, please refer to the following
Click here for a comparison review with Guitar Lift:.
Side mount type
This type is used on the side of the guitar, not fixed to the guitar. Most of them have no effect on the finish.
Dynarette
This cushion is used between the guitar and the thigh.
The part that comes in contact with the guitar is leather, and the part that comes in contact with the feet is non-slip cloth. So it is sosafe for finish of your guitar.
However, there is no part to adjust, so it may or may not fit your body . Some people use a footrest in combination. Also, it is inconvenient to carry as it does not get smaller .
I used to use it too.
Oasis Guitar Support
It is a low-cost version of Dynarrete
The difference is…I don’t know. Is it that Dynarret’s patent has expired or something?
It is available at Guitar Shop Aura.
G.Prop
This is a recently released guitar support.
It is a guitar support that opens in a V-shape, with one side on the guitar and one side on the thigh. It is easy to carry because it folds up, and it is gentle on the finish because it is not attached to the guitar with suction cups, etc.
According to the manufacturer’s website, however, if you put too much force on it, it will change its shape. It is said that this allows for relax play, but on the other hand, it may mean that it is less stable.
The price of over 10,000 yen is also a concern, but I would like to try it once.
Flatsons FA-80A
In contrast to Dynarret, which is inconvenient to carry, this product has air inflation system for easy carrying of the support.
See this article for details.
How do I determine the height and angle of the footrest or support?
This is also a very difficult problem. Please refer to the following article for more information:
Many choices, many preferences.
There are so many options, but there is no definitive version yet.
That’s how different people’s playing postures and physiques are.
I hope you can find one that suits your needs.
