Accessories Neck strap or harness?

[jazzdoh]

That wasn't what i remember, you had more than one adjustment to get it comfortable, it just never felt right on me, they had used to do two different versions the FreeAction and the FreeNeck not sure which i had but the Saxplayer is by far the easier to use.

Oops should read Saxholder, darn this predictive text.

 

[Tenor Viol]

I can't play tenor using a sling - too much pressure/weight on the neck. I mostly use the Jazzlab Saxholder, but I have a Cebulla strap as well, which also works quite well. For me it is definitely weight dependent since I can use a sling on alto without any issues.

 

[Nick Wyver]

I use a neck strap for everything. Fortunately I don't have neck problems. However, my lower back sometimes complains with a lot of bari playing, but none of the alternatives make any difference to that. Whichever you use, the weight still ends up going through your lower back.

 

[6441]

I initially bought a cheap harness, but it took five mintues to put on and adjust, then it slipped. The Jazzlabs products are great and I use only the Saxholder now. It's quick to put on and comfortable.

 

[MandyH]

Having watched someone break the arm completely off a JazzLab SaxHolder while making a small adjustment to it, I don't think I could bring myself to use one.

 

[scotsman]

I started having neck problems early in my playing career..I now use a BG (france) harness. Easy to put on. Extremly comfortable. Good for alto, tenor and bari.. Been using it now for 10 years..The best thing I ever bought!

 

[MandyH]

I guess we all try different things and eventually settle on what works for us.

I initially had a BG harness for the Bari, but 1) they are not a good shape for women! 2) I found the straps on mine dug painfully into the fleshy parts of my neck/shoulder interface area, I even made some thick pads to try to help, but it didn’t! 3) the women’s version make it impossible to switch from standing to sitting without re-adjusting. 4) the mans version may allow for that sitting/standing transition but it is even more uncomfortable on a woman than the women’s version 5) I still found most of the weight was borne by my upper back and lower neck.

I have none of these issues with my FreeNeck.

 

[RichardSX90]

Donna Schwartz reviews three saxophone neck straps:
Vandoren FNH 100 Harness
JazzLab SaxHolder
Balam Classic by Jack Finucane

 

[Ivan]

i stand for most of the time.

In the corner?

Have we been a naughty boy?

 

[Ivan]

Last night I used a sling on tenor for first time in a couple of years

I prefer Saxholder by far. The sling was not comfortable

 

[MandyH]

I found that both the BG harness and an over-one-shoulder sling tended to creep around my body so that the sax got steadily further away from my mouth and I had to keep lifting it back.

 

[jazzdoh]

In the corner?

Have we been a naughty boy?

I'm always in trouble with the wife, its just the depth that varies.

 

[Filip]

Just going to bring this thread up again. What sax straps do people recommend? I currently have neotech classic which after a year seems to have gotten so elastic that by the end of band rehearsal it's pulled all the way up and yet I'm still hunching.

 

[Tenor Viol]

Just going to bring this thread up again. What sax straps do people recommend? I currently have neotech classic which after a year seems to have gotten so elastic that by the end of band rehearsal it's pulled all the way up and yet I'm still hunching.

The Cebulla works well and the Jazzlab saxholder

 

[MandyH]

I have had my Cebulla neck strap (for Alto & Sop) for several years (maybe 6 or 7)
And I’ve had my FreeNeck 4.0 harness (for Tenor & Bari) for 6 1/2 years (since the London 2012 Paralympics!)

Having seen someone break the arm off a JazzLab while adjusting it, I’m afraid I wouldn’t go near one. But each to his own.

 

[s.mundi]

The JazzLab is ordered. I plan to used it at the BH and a standard piece of rope for gigs.

 

[Filip]

Cebulla looks lovely... but £50 ?

 

[Tenor Viol]

Cebulla looks lovely... but £50 ?

I know... I think they’re hand-made

 

[GCinCT]

Just going to bring this thread up again. What sax straps do people recommend? I currently have neotech classic which after a year seems to have gotten so elastic that by the end of band rehearsal it's pulled all the way up and yet I'm still hunching.

I used to use a Neotech but I didn't like the elasticity. I bought a Protech NLS310M. It costs $21 US on Amazon. I really like it. Comfortable, good padding, easy to adjust. The hook is also covered with a plastic tube to protect your strap ring.

 

[jbtsax]

I have been using the Vandoren harness for over two years on bari sax and I love it! Honestly I don't think I would be able to play such a heavy instrument at my age without one. Unlike what was said in the video, it does fit nicely inside a bari sax bell. The only drawback I see is the initial cost, about $150 here in the U.S. When folks question the price, I ask them "how much do you think your back is worth"? I underwent the pain and expense of fusion surgery a few years back and I know what the answer is for me. Besides it is only about the cost of 5 boxes of Rico Jazz Select reeds. If you switch to a Legere Signature synthetic, you can use the money you save on reeds to buy your harness.