Dynarette cushion and other guitar supports... who likes 'em

[edwardcav]

anyone out there use a dynarette cushion? or guitar supports by gitano or the a-frame?

GSI sells them here, I wanna know if anyone out there has used them. I am now also looking for an alternative to the footstool.

Do they (in particular the dynarette) balance the guitar without touching them? I ask because I have seen guitarists that sit the guitar almost upright just on their lap with no support mechanism at all. I have tried this but my thumb has a hard time balancing and supporting fretwork at the same time.

The thing I enjoy about the footstool is that there is no effort to keep the guitar in that position. Do guitar supports allow you to play around the instrument like a footstool does?

[nikpearson]

I switched to an 'Efel' support as I found my back would feel stiff after playing for 30 mins or so with a footrest. It feels very simlar to playing with a footrest but obviously both feet can be kept flat on the ground, and your spine straight. The rest does support the guitar and requires little or no adaptation in technique.

The Efel is very cheap and easy to take on and off. Similar supports will probably have the same advantages. I've heard that the Dynarette cushion can be quite difficult to use although I haven't tried one myself.

[Keelor]

Do they (in particular the dynarette) balance the guitar without touching them? I ask because I have seen guitarists that sit the guitar almost upright just on their lap with no support mechanism at all. I have tried this but my thumb has a hard time balancing and supporting fretwork at the same time.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand that... o_O

I have been using a gitano for about 2 or 3 years, and I think it's the best support I have ever had. I have also a footstool, an Efel and an "Ergo-play".
The gitano is more convenient and more comfortable than the others. As for me, the position is not only more stable (huh ? Is my grammar correct ?), but facilitates the work of the left hand.

The Efel is also a pretty good support for the same reasons (it's quite similar), but it's less "flexible".

So, in my opinion, these supports are better than the footstools. I don't understand very well this sentence : "The thing I enjoy about the footstool is that there is no effort to keep the guitar in that position.". You won't have difficulty with keeping the guitar in position [if/when/tick the correct answer :/] you use an Gitano.

I can't say anything about the Dynarette, I have never used that.

[steve v]

I've recently started playing again, after enduring years of tendinitis, and I'm currently trying the Dynarette cushions and an Aria guitar support as replacements for the footstool, since there may be a connection between the tendinitis and the twisted spine caused by the footstool. But even though I know the flat-footed position is "better" for me ergonomically, so far I'm not happy with either of the alternative support systems that I've tried. The Dynarette cushions have a tendency to move around on your leg, and the guitar also moves around on the cushion itself---and when it moves on the cushion, it can create a leather squeaking sound, as well as making the playing position a little more unstable than it is when using a footrest. Since the movement is over the course of several minutes, however, it can be compensated for. Another disadvantage of the cushions is that minor height adjustments are made by shifting the guitar forward or backward on the cushion (since the top of the cushion is slightly angled) or by shifting the position of the cushion on your leg, but in either instance that alters the way I'm used to holding the guitar. All in all, it creates an ergonomically better sitting position than a footstool, but at the sacrifice of a little bit of stability.

The Aria support clamps on to the guitar, and even though the clamps are covered by a very forgiving soft plastic, that feature makes me a little uncomfortable. I have nightmares about over-tightening the clamp and creating stress cracks, as well as wondering what kind of marks the clamp could leave on the guitar's finish. So far, the position it puts the guitar in seems even more unstable than the Dynarett cushions, as the right leg doesn't seem to be involved as much for support, and thus the guitar feels like its swaying on a fulcrum. I'm still playing with positioning the clamp, though, so maybe that problem will be alleviated.

I haven't tried a Gitano or any of the other supports that use suction cups, as I've been worried about the effect that the cups will have on the finish. Two of my guitars are french-polished, so I won't get near them with either a suction cup or a clamp.

[snetzley]

I started using a Gitano guitar support a couple of months ago. I find it very comfortable. It puts the guitar in the "correct" position. And it doesn't slide around at all.

Sharon

[edwardcav]

Looks like Gitano will be the go for me. What I meant by the other paragraph:

I have seen guitarists who sit flat footed play with an angled guitar, just sitting on their lap without the aid of a support device. I have tried this, and recommend people out there to try it to understand what I mean, and found that my left hand seems like its balancing the guitar as well as fretting notes. This drastically reduces performance with the left hand; you become slower, less accurate and more prone to stress on the thumb. Does the gitano or other supports have the same or similar feeling?

the reason I like the footstool so much is that I don't need to balance the guitar. I just play the guitar and my thumb is thankful. Is the Gitano very sinilar to the fotstool, in that sense?

[Axel]

I have been using a footstool for a long time. I once heard about footstools having the ability to create a sense of loss of balance, and I felt like this was happening to me, so I was anxious to switch to an alternative.
I have seen people use the dynarette, and couldn't help but think how uncomfortable it might be to use a solid support like that.
A friend of mine then showed me his leather support and I was very interested in it and bought it off him.
It's called the NeckUp Guitar Support. You might want to look into it. Since it's leather made it actually folds into the shape of your leg. It just feels like it stays in place and I'd think it would feel better than solid supports, but that is just an assumption as I haven't tried the others.

[adrian]

The Neck-Up Guitar Support can be found here (http://guitarsalon.com/store.php?it=ACNECBL-01614).