Misc Reviews Protec Less Stress ballistic neoprene neck strap

[LostCircuits]

I found the sax holder does the job but if there is a strap out there that prevents neck pressure I may have to try it. why are you against the sax holder...

I bought a saxholder when it first came out. There are a number of reasons why I don't like it, some of which have been addressed now, like it kept slipping off my shoulders because the arms did not lock. Then there is the thing that you can't move the sax when you are playing, like in up and down. Last, with a regular strap, during a break, I put the horn down on the stand but I keep the strap around my neck. And every so often some pretty woman asks what that is and I tell her that it's my pick up line. Try that with a sax holder ...

Not to mention that I can't fit it in my case and I already have the neck in the bell.

 

[cappers]

.... why are you against the sax holder...

This may have been addressed at @LostCircuits but for me......the saxholder was initially great, took the weight off my neck and hardly felt that I was wearing a sax. However after about six months of use I've found:

- it is uncomfortable for my shoulders, scaplulae and clavicles. After a couple of hours I don't have neck ache but shoulder ache instead.
- it slips about too much and doesn't work that well sitting down. This is the 'Pro' with locking bars.
- the front abdomen brace moves about and I don't like it pressing my guts.
- when hanging loose the sax swings and rocks about in front of me and nearly smashed into my mouth a few times.

I have bent the bars this way and that cannot find a shape that doesn't press somewhere.
I am tall and slim and a bit bony so maybe my physique doesn't suit the jazzlab.

 

[LostCircuits]

This may have been addressed at @LostCircuits but for me......the saxholder was initially great, took the weight of my neck and hardly felt that I was wearing a sax. However after about six months of use I've found:

- it is uncomfortable for my shoulders, scaplulae and clavicles. After a couple of hours I don't have neck ache but shoulder ache instead.
- it slips about too much and doesn't work that well sitting down. This is the 'Pro' with locking bars.
- the front abdomen brace moves about and I don't like it pressing my guts.
- when hanging loose the sax swings and rocks about in front of me and nearly smashed into my mouth a few times.

I have bent the bars this way and that cannot find a shape that doesn't press somewhere.
I am tall and slim and a bit bony so maybe my physique doesn't suit the jazzlab.

Good point. the sax holder may be good for "undersized" players

 

[cappers]

So far ......the Protec is more comfortable than the Cebulla or the Saxholder.

The Protec has 1" wide webbing straps from the neck cushion to the hook; the Cebulla has 1/8" parachord from the neck cushion to the hook.

My physics is sketchy but I think - @Dr G will please correct me if wrong 😉 - that a strap having a larger cross-sectional area than a rope will distribute the same weight more evenly. The rope would tend to create point loads.

Thus the tension from the load plus gravity would be distributed more evenly to the neck cushion with a strap than a rope.

I'm probably talking rot..... 'Occam's Razor' - the neck cushion on the Protec is a better design than that on the Cebulla.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Thus the tension from the load plus gravity

Surely the only tension is due to gravity, the horn’s biggest desire being to end up on the floor in a mangled heap.

would be distributed more evenly to the neck cushion with a strap than a rope.

Isn’t it up to the strap to spread and distribute evenly? A really good strap I found for this was the Brancher.

 

[LostCircuits]

So far ......the Protec is more comfortable than the Cebulla or the Saxholder.

The Protec has 1" wide webbing straps from the neck cushion to the hook; the Cebulla has 1/8" parachord from the neck cushion to the hook.

My physics is sketchy but I think - @Dr G will please correct me if wrong 😉 - that a strap having a larger cross-sectional area than a rope will distribute the same weight more evenly. The rope would tend to create point loads.

Thus the tension from the load plus gravity would be distributed more evenly to the neck cushion with a strap than a rope.

I'm probably talking rot..... 'Occam's Razor' - the neck cushion on the Protec is a better design than that on the Cebulla.

The width of the "straps from the neck cushion to the hook" is inconsequential. with respect to pressure distribution to the neck. Pressure distribution in a hypotheitically optimal strap is weight/contact area. IOW the larger the area, the lower the pressure/square inch (insert any other metric here). In reality, there is no uniform pressure distribution even across the contact area so it is up to the pad design to achieve optimal weight/pressure distribution, It can all be calculated using a standard force parallelogram to get an approximation of the individual fractions of the contact area. But webbed straps vs. strings should not have any impact.

Surely the only tension is due to gravity, the horn’s biggest desire being to end up on the floor in a mangled heap.

Isn’t it up to the strap to spread and distribute evenly? A really good strap I found for this was the Brancher.


View attachment 33475


View attachment 33476

@Pete Thomas, the Brancher really looks like a smart and elegant version of a harness. I'd wear one of those!

 

[cappers]

Thus the tension from the load plus gravity....

Surely the only tension is due to gravity, the horn’s biggest desire being to end up on the floor in a mangled heap.

True, gravity is the motive force (9.81 Newtons/kg). But the total tension will increase with the load on it.

The width of the "straps from the neck cushion to the hook" is inconsequential. with respect to pressure distribution to the neck.

Thanks for clarifying.

IOW the larger the area, the lower the pressure/square inch (insert any other metric here).

I think that's it. The neck cushion on the Protec is wider, beefier and well shaped to bypass the spine; distributes the load wider.

webbed straps vs. strings should not have any impact.

Oh well. The webbing feels safer than the parachord even though I know the latter i's more than adequate.

 

[dexdex]

I used to be a fan of the Neotech strap for the baritone. Large neoprene cushion, with a slight elasticity. Excellent comfort with the heavy horn.
The bad news, this thing eventually starts to flake apart, leaving small black parts all over your collar. If you wear black shirts and jackets, it might be OK. I finally switched back to a BG strap, with a coton cushion.

 

[davidk]

I’ve switched to a strap from Seventies Sax Straps now. The alto size fits me and my tenor nicely (I have a long skinny neck) and it’s available with a thick neck pad. It hasn’t slipped after months of use, I made a note of where the slider sat in relation to the pattern when I first adjusted it and it’s still there several gigs later. It doesn’t have a gap in the strap for the vertebrae, but it’s comfy enough for me.

The Seventies Saxophone Straps

Complete your musical style with our handmade Vintage '70s saxophone straps! These unique, colorful straps were a must-have in the'70s and are perfect for any saxophonist. Are you looking for a stylish and functional vintage strap that will take your sax play to the next level? Take a look at...

www.seventiessaxstraps.com

It’s expensive though, and has a plastic hook which not everyone likes. It’s good to have more choice on the market though.

 

[turf3]

Surely the only tension is due to gravity, the horn’s biggest desire being to end up on the floor in a mangled heap.

Isn’t it up to the strap to spread and distribute evenly? A really good strap I found for this was the Brancher.


View attachment 33475


View attachment 33476

The "vest" harness looks promising, more so than those assemblies of straps and buckles that always seem to take the player a long time to put on, take off, adjust, and hook up the horn.

I am still using a plain, wide-ish (2") leather strap with buckle for baritone playing, but I won't pretend it isn't a bit hard on the old neck. I don't know, however, whether hanging a baritone sax from my neck for 40 years, or 50 years of drop-bar road bicycling, has taken a bigger toll on my neck.

 

[thomsax]

I like the vest as well. Wonder if it can hold a baritone in a secure way? I use BG harnesses today and they are good, But a vest is probably better.

 

[Pete Effamy]

Trouble is, “The Bolero” jacket-like strap doesn’t seem well-stocked here in the UK and is expensive if having to order blind.

I like the look of it too, but as I said, doesn’t seem to have caught on much with music shops / suppliers.

 

[Tonehole]

This strap may be worth a try.

I have been using them for about two years and it helps. I can even hang a Bari off it. A few hours with a tenor is no problem at all, even more so with alto. Bought a black, brown, white and even a red one, so I can change it out depending on my shirt or to match the mood of what I am playing. The one limitation is if you are playing DJ sax and are making flashy extreme saxophone swings, over the head and such it limits your full motion. I use a standard neck strap in those situations.

These straps are made in Korea and the quality is excellent. Real leather on top and soft leather on the underside with a soft internal padding. The metal internal structure strips are flexible and once molded to the shape you desire, very comfortable. There is a attachment spot on the back which allows you to attach a strap to your belt when playing bari.

My only negative is it is bulkier than a standard neck strap to pack. But play a three or four hour gig and it is worth the hassle.

 

[cappers]

A tenor player in our band and my teacher have the Adorence strap like the above. My teacher didn't get on with the saxholder either. Same kind of principle as the saxholder but the shoulder straps are padded and there's no belly bar. Might ask to try my teacher's on Wednesday.

The Protec is fine and even better (softer) now I've slipped a velveteen seat belt cover over the neck cushion. Havent worn it for a 2 hour gig yet but great for daily practice.

 

[Ivan]

I am tall and slim and a bit bony so maybe my physique doesn't suit the jazzlab.

That's my physionomy as well, and I've happily used the Jazzlab (Mk 1) for a decade, or thereabouts. So there may be more subtle parameters than slimness or heightiness

I only recently took it into my head to bend the tips of arms to better follow the curve over my shoulders and stop the occasional slip out of position

Anyway, I'm a happy customer

 

[LostCircuits]

This strap may be worth a try.

I have been using them for about two years and it helps. I can even hang a Bari off it. A few hours with a tenor is no problem at all, even more so with alto. Bought a black, brown, white and even a red one, so I can change it out depending on my shirt or to match the mood of what I am playing. The one limitation is if you are playing DJ sax and are making flashy extreme saxophone swings, over the head and such it limits your full motion. I use a standard neck strap in those situations.

These straps are made in Korea and the quality is excellent. Real leather on top and soft leather on the underside with a soft internal padding. The metal internal structure strips are flexible and once molded to the shape you desire, very comfortable. There is a attachment spot on the back which allows you to attach a strap to your belt when playing bari.

My only negative is it is bulkier than a standard neck strap to pack. But play a three or four hour gig and it is worth the hassle.
View attachment 33485

That's what I am using as backup, very comfortable and good even for the bass sax. I usually keep it in the car, just in case, I've been known to forget my neck strap when going to a gig, or another sax player forgot his. It's a little too bulky to carry around all the time but definitely more fashionable than the sax holder

 

[Tonehole]

I first had a Jupiter strap which was a copy of the Adorence. It was gifted to me by the Jupiter rep. It was great but self destructed after about two years of use. It was made with synthetic / fake leather and disintegrated at the flex point. I then bought a cheap Chinese version which was just total crap. I did not even try it. I cut it up for spare parts and threw out the bulk of it in the trash.
Bought the Adorence and settled in.

 

[skeller047]

I bought a Boston Sax Shop Cloud Strap, similar to the Adorence, and it works, but I think I am staying with a Just Jooe’s neck strap. These shoulder strap things are hard to adjust to fit right, and they tend to move about when going from sitting to standing. I also find myself stooping more when using it, not sure of the reason.

If I am playing my tenor for 4 or more hours during the day I will be sore somewhere… I’m kinda used to it.

 

[lydian]

Surely the only tension is due to gravity, the horn’s biggest desire being to end up on the floor in a mangled heap.

Isn’t it up to the strap to spread and distribute evenly? A really good strap I found for this was the Brancher.


View attachment 33475

I love my Brancher. Feels great and looks very classy. Easy to adjust and doesn't slip.

 

[Keshr]

I use the saxholder. It comes down the center and doesn’t sit on my chest. After my surgery, I adjusted the belly bar to sit a little higher and it feels fine and works perfectly.