Neck straps. We’ve all got one if we’re a saxophone player, but they don’t suit everybody – especially if you have back or neck problems.
Now I’ve talked about some saxophone neck strap alternatives before, and I’ll tell you about those later on. But I was pretty excited when this Sax Support arrived from Australia – and I was keen to try it out.
We’re going to stick the Sax Support on my baritone today and see how it works.
Just before we do that though, I thought I’d run you quickly through my history with neck straps.
My history of saxophone neck straps
So I’ve got quite a few neck straps.
Like lots of you, I started with a standard Yamaha neck strap. They work well. They’ve got a great hook on them. But they’re a bit uncomfortable if you’re wearing it for hours on end.
This is a fancier Yamaha one that came with my Pro Custom Z Soprano over there. It’s a little bit thicker around the neck. But it’s still not super-comfortable, though it kind of works quite well.
Now, I’ve had a bunch of these cheaper neck straps too, like this one from Amazon. Not my favourite.
Padded saxophone neck straps
So the ones I have used for absolutely years are this kind. Look how manky that one is there! That’s the sweat of a thousand gigs.
So I like these styles because they’ve got a thicker padding around the neck. I find them quite comfortable. I like the way they’ve got these proper clips as well, so the saxophone can’t come off. But for those of you who follow the channel, you’ll know that for years I’ve been using this neck strap, which is called a Cebulla neck strap.
Cebulla Neck Strap
It’s got a comfortable yoke. It’s leather, with lots of padding. I like the string as opposed to the webbing because it’s a bit more inconspicuous. It’s got a great clip on the bottom. They’re not cheap, but I’ve had two in the last 10 years. This is probably the most comfortable neck strap that I’ve ever owned.
Saxophone neck strap alternatives
But enough about neck straps, I want to look at saxophone neck strap alternatives.
Option #1: The Sax Support
So let me show you what’s inside the Sax Support bag.
So it’s quite a clever idea that Steve’s come up with. Basically what it uses is something that looks a little bit like a walking pole.
Now it attaches to your saxophone using velcro. I know what you’re thinking, and I’ve got some thoughts on that. I’ll tell you about that in a second.
There’s also a couple of these straps which we use to attach the Sax Support to the saxophone.
So this is the actual support itself, and look, there are two little clips on here.
So we can make it quite long. I guess that’s for tall saxophone players. Oh, and there’s a nice rubber stopper at the end so it doesn’t slip around on the floor.
Discount Coupon
If you want to get yourself one of these Sax Supports, I’ve organized a special discount for you. Use coupon code McGill2023 below to get 15% off at Sax Support. I think they’re running that for us until the end of December 2023. So, grab yourself a discount on the Sax Support.
So, I’m going to bosh this on my bari sax in a second. But first of all, I want to tell you about another saxophone neck strap alternative.
Option #2: JazzLabs SaxHolder
So this is the JazzLab Sax Holder. It’s a pretty crazy looking contraption. And it’s weird to think that for years we just got by with something that looks like a piece of string.
Now we’ve got something that’s all made of plastic and stuff. But it works really well.
So, the idea behind the Sax Holder is the weight goes entirely on your shoulders.
The saxophone is also supported against your middle. It’s all adjustable as well.
The one thing you do need to order correctly though is the length of the string. Now it is adjustable, but I found I had to do a little bit of measuring and tinkering to make sure I got one that was long enough for me. I’m quite tall.
And for me to play tenor saxophone, I needed one that was quite long. If you want to know more about the JazzLab Sax Holder, there’s a full review here.
So the Sax Holder is popular amongst our members at Sax School. Loads of our members use this.
In my studio here, I often sit down when I’m recording, just because of the shape of the room and I’m quite tall. So for me, it forces me to be in only one position with the Sax Holder, which I don’t love. I’d like to be a little bit more flexible.
Sometimes I want to play on the side, and that doesn’t feel very comfortable with this. So it’s not a perfect saxophone neck strap alternative solution for me. But one good thing about it is it does take the weight off your neck, and it does encourage you to have a good posture when you play.
The Velcro on the Sax Support
So that brings us back to the Sax Support.
Now I’m excited about using this, but I want to make sure that I can also put my saxophone on the stand. There’s some good info on the Sax Support website, and there seem to be a couple of options. Some people are mounting it on the bottom. And some people are mounting it on the side. I’m just wondering if on the side might be a better option, because that way I can also have it on my saxophone stand.
I mentioned back at the start how you need to put this Velcro strip on the side of your saxophone. I’m a bit concerned about that though, as maybe you are.
My bari sax is a 1970s Selmer Mark VI, and I know on older saxophones, the lacquer is different to more modern saxophones. It’s maybe not as hardy.
But the great thing was, I emailed Steve and asked him about this. And he sent me pictures of his Mark VI bari sax, which he’s had the Velcro on for years. He took the Velcro off and guess what? The lacquer was absolutely fine.
So I decided to go for it and put the Velcro on my bari sax.
Fitting the Sax Support
The Sax Support itself has got velcro on the stem, but of course, that’s not strong enough to hold the Sax Support on the saxophone while you’re playing. And that’s why we’ve got these little Velcro straps. So the final part of the process is securing the Sax Support to the saxophone using the straps.
I think it looks pretty cool there I think. then I need to adjust the length of it so that it feels comfortable when I’m playing.
Option #3: The Sax Seat
Now there’s one other option in our saxophone neck strap alternatives that I’ve tested before. And that’s the Sax Seat – here’s a link. Now, that’s quite an interesting solution but it is quite big and cumbersome.
Although, at our recent Sax School Weekender, one of our students brought his Sax Seat with him to use to play for the two days. So the Sax Seat is an interesting idea.
But I think the Sax Support is just a bit more streamlined and practical on a day-to-day basis. And you can take it with you to gigs, which I think is cool.
The Sax Support: Play test
Okay, so let’s see what it feels like when I’m playing with it. So it takes a little bit of adjusting at the start, just to get the length right so you’re comfortable.
Watch the play test.
There are a couple of things I’ve noticed. First of all, it does say on the Sax Support website that you should use a neck strap when you’re playing with Sax Support.
And I guess that makes sense, because there were a couple of times where I just felt if I wasn’t careful with my hands, the saxophone could fall away from me as I was playing. You would probably get used to that over time, but it’s a good idea as a backup.
The other thing is you can use the Sax Support with bari sax like I am here, but also with tenor sax or with alto sax.
Compared to the Sax Holder or the Sax Seat I felt I could move around a little bit as I was playing, because it gave me some freedom.
It did take me a couple of minutes to adjust the height though. So you do need to maybe spend some time getting it right. And then you could mark on the stand the heights that are right for you when you’re standing and when you’re sitting.
And one more cool thing is the Sax Support guys also make a Didgesupport.
So, if you’re a didgeridoo player like me, then check out one of these. I think it’s brilliant. Look at the ball at the end.
Don’t forget your discount code
So, that’s the Sax Support. Don’t forget about that 15% coupon with the code McGill2023.
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