A new guitar seat.

[John Cadd]

Yesterday I made a new guitar seat to help anyone with a bad back from the footstool twist.
This is at present improvised from scrap wood.
Take a normal wooden chair .This will be better if you get rid of the back.A 3 legged chair would be even better.I started with a right angle joint made of two pieces of softwood 2inch square and about 11 inches long.Looking towards the front of the chair this will fit below the seat with two screws so the angle coming upwards leans at 60 degrees to the players left side.That will be (your) right if you are still looking from the front.
The section under the chair has to be shaped to fit flat against the underside of the seat.
( It`s easier to describe if I say it that way .Describing angled joints is a chore)

That leaves the last part to fit.The top of the 60 degree upright needs a small arm poking out away from the player with a 30 degree (horizontal) angle.That turns the "arm" to the player`s right which will match the side of the guitar which will rest on it.
This is also tilted upwards at 20 degrees (vertical) angle.
So,sitting on the chair, the wood will go up left and out and up right.
The section the guitar rests on will need to overhang an inch or two to the player`s right side to leave clearance for the wider bouts of the guitar.(where the upright section rises.)
Dont be shy about fixing a section of plastic rainwater guttering.(semi circular) to give a guitar friendly shape.
Once the surfaces that might contact the guitar are well padded with foam and covered with material you have a lovely relaxing guitar chair.
I also think it sounds better but that might be my imagination.
The guitar is lightly balanced by the player`s right arm and keeps a perfect neck angle .Some height adjustment will be necessary to suit different size players.I can reach out with both hands to move the music and the right arm still holds the guitar safely.
It only took an hour or two from scratch so you will enjoy making one.
All the corners and angles can be smoothed out and made presentable.
This little chair will have a great future.
To start off get in the best position for playing and get someone to sketch where the guitar curve is relative to the chair.This could be the start of a beautiful friendship if you play your cards right.

[Mike Kolb]

Sounds interesting.... any pictures available? At the GAL get-together in '06, Dan Erlewine demo'd his "sit-down" guitar, which was basically an ergonomic chair with a built-in guitar. Here's a shot of the proud papa....

[Tim Mace]

Are those magnetic capos on a bass "sittar." Dan the pineapple.Nice shot!

[Mike Kolb]

Good eye, Tim.... they're not magnetic capos but some 'screw-into-the-fingerboard' capos that Dan was in the process of evolving at the time. His sit-down guitar sprung from dealing with either tendonitis or an arthritic situation, if memory serves. In any event, he's ever the resourceful guy and we're lucky to have him around.

[John Cadd]

No Mike , I can`t do pictures yet.I added some plastic guttering and that works well.Something to notice is the angle of the bit the guitar rests on. This points a bit to the right side of the player ,which is opposite to your left leg angle.I only made this yesterday and it works really well.Most players would like the fact that nothing is stuck to the guitar .For French polish fiends they can choose their own material to cover the rest.
This would suit any player with a bad back,also beginners to get a good neck angle.
This is a very simple thing to make and rather than mass produced you can easily make one to suit your home furniture with matching wood.Don`t forget chairs / stools have already been invented.A few modifications to add adjustment would be simple to do.Build this into your guitar making service. The only adjustments you might need are height,sideways angle ,and tilt upwards.

[John Cadd]

Just as a double check I looked up all the ads for guitar chairs.What did I find? Chairs.
Are they guitar chairs? They`re chairs.
Same with guitar stools. Are they guitar stools? They`re stools.
Is a chair a guitar chair ?
Is a stool a guitar stool ?
You tell me.

[John Cadd]

You could make a variaton of this guitar chair idea.Imagine a wooden chair with a left side arm ,a back and no right side.The left side arm is extended around to the front where the support for the guitar would be.Make the padded support at a 60 degree angle to the line straight across the chair.this layout gives you a back to lean on.You can use it as a normal chair.The arm extension can be hinged to one side or covered by a small table surface.The size (belly) of the player would make the fit more important with the back in place.
This idea is so simple I can`t see why nobody has ever made one.

[Mike Kolb]

Pictures. Shots. Photographs.

...even drawings... help a brother out here.

[John Cadd]

Mike Not just yet. In the meantime imagine a guitar player sitting.Get a picture from a magazine
Draw a line from the chair (front view) to the curve of the guitar.Then imagine a padded support instead of the leg.(Forget the leg).
Centre of chair connects to curve of guitar,connects to padded support.Badda Bing!
Sorry about that ,the Seinfeld series is running again and I`m picking up all these strange American phrases.Who needs Seinfeld? Kramer is the man!
You can make this with anything as long as the varnish is safe.

[Ned Knepp]

I suppose it's a result of being self-taught but I don't hold my guitar in a single position when I play. Sometimes it's close and high on my chest and other times I want it lower. It all depends on what I'm playing. Besides that, I move when I play and I want the guitar to move with me. A stool or an armless chair is exactly what I like to use when I play. Your chair sounds fine for a classical player but I have too many bad habits.

Ned

[John Cadd]

Ned This is mainly for classical guitars that get backache using a footstool.It would help young players to keep a healthy position.There is plenty of wriggle room to make small adjustments.
If you made it a little higher you could swing your legs----that would be cool.
Classical playing depends a lot on one position for the fingers to find the right string.(left and right).
If this was patentable you would have to keep it secret for years before the paperwork was sorted out.That`s no fun for suffering players.Now anyone can just make their own version.
I must see if I can translate all this into Spanish.They might like it. Me and Torres --What a team!

[Tim Mace]

Spare tires cause backaches not footstools..Been there still there.........a near perfectly adjusted strap seems to work for me.and it does change according to how you feel.

[John Cadd]

Here we are ,better late than never.I see what the problem is now.My little picture-(-Is it called an avatar?) is a steel string guitar.I only mess around with classicals.So Tim --your out.Not really ,but you see what I mean. I don`t know about your spare tire theory.I hurt my back in all sorts of ways.The worst was picking up a heavy toolbox (scissor type).Then there`s sofas,deckchairs.bendy beds,in fact most modern furniture,and earlier on playing Rugby in the scrum.
As the chair stands the playing position is just perfect .But stepping over it as a chair with a back is awkward.So if you keep the back of the chair make a support to go around the side under your left elbow.As a stool keep to the centre support from between the legs.
The side support will be more stable if I make it laminated from thin plywood layers.
When I play now I enjoy the freedom of not having to think about keeping the " classical "geetar in position.