Does an arm rest really improve tone?

[Misifus]

I second (or third, or whatever) the recommendation of the John Pearse arm rests they're simple to apply and stay put for years. My 00-16C Martin really benefitted from it.

[dmoss74]

everyone's idea of "better" is relative, of course. i just recorded this to show to anyone who thinks there's no difference that there indeed is.

https://app.box.com/s/k0azaah4tyrd60rezg0jzbti9a7ly6m0

the first set of chords was done with my arm away from the top, and no contact with the back. the second set of chords was done with my arm on the top, like i'd naturally play. the subsequent chords are first strummed with no contact, but while the chords ring out, i apply--and remove--my arm to the top. you can hear the wah effect i was describing.

every acoustic i own does this, but i'm sure there are other guitars that aren't as prone to the effect. but--as i said--when just playing around the house, i don't care. it's only when i record that i use my suction cup/leather arm rest. i wouldn't want to permanently attach one of the pearse (or clone) arm rests.

[rdeane]

I find that when I rest the side of my palm on bridge pins of my Martin, I can hear a change in tone. I've had to adjust my right hand position to eliminate the effect. I don't notice it much on the Taylor. I was a bit concerned about having something stuck to my guitars, but then I don't have expensive guitars (Taylor 214ce and Martin GPCX2AE). However, they're pretty precious to me. At some point I may want to trade up, so if the JP arm rests can be easily removed without too much evidence they were there in the first place, perhaps it's worth a shot.

I appreciate all of your suggestions and input.

[Zidius]

i think it depends on player's right arm position. those who put most part of the forearm on the top will definitely notice increase in tone / volume. if your forearm doesn't really touch the top, the tone pro'bly gonna be the same before - after.

[dmoss74]

Originally Posted by Zidius

i think it depends on player's right arm position. those who put most part of the forearm on the top will definitely notice increase in tone / volume. if your forearm doesn't really touch the top, the tone pro'bly gonna be the same before - after.

it's very easy to test for yourself. it doesn't even take a lot of contact to alter the tone on my guitars. but those are mine. i had never really noticed until a couple months ago, and again, while recording. i had even thought it was due to room reflections.

[zabdart]

I always thought it depended on the angle at which you rested your arm on the guitar. If you take a more classical way of holding and addressing your guitar -- that is, holding your forearm at an angle to the top and your wrist at an angle to the strings -- an armrest is pretty much unnecessary. You're just spending money you don't need to.

[zmf]

May have the largest effect on lightly built guitars with an active back.

When playing on the couch, I've noticed my Santa Cruz VS is louder when it's not (slightly) touching an arm of the couch, or I lift my arm from the side of the guitar. I don't notice the same on a more heavily built guitar like a Bourgeois.

Never tried the JP arm rest, so can't comment on its effectiveness.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by zabdart

I always thought it depended on the angle at which you rested your arm on the guitar. If you take a more classical way of holding and addressing your guitar -- that is, holding your forearm at an angle to the top and your wrist at an angle to the strings -- an armrest is pretty much unnecessary. You're just spending money you don't need to.

Well, of course. If the player uses a classical guitar style approach and avoids holding the guitar against his or her body and doesn't lay their forearm on the top, then an armrest serves no purpose. If you go back and look at my (many!) posts on the subject, you'll see that I've acknowledged this over and over again.

The John Pearse armrest is designed for those of us who do NOT follow proper classical guitar technique, and who do manage to muffle some tone by laying our arms on the tops of our guitars when we play. Which seems to be most steel string acoustic guitar players, frankly - not that many of us seem to use proper classical guitar technique. I certainly don't - I'm a self-taught musician.

But if you already keep the guitar positioned so the back doesn't touch your midsection and your arm doesn't touch the top, agreed, an armrest wouldn't be a help.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

PS: Full disclosure for those who aren't aware that I am, in fact, a John Pearse strings and accessories artist endorser. But I had John Pearse armrests on all my flattop guitars for probably 10 years before John decided to give me artist endorser status, for the simple reason that they do EXACTLY what they're intended to do. They free up the top to vibrate to its fullest extent, which makes a huge difference in the tone of the OM's and 14 fret Triple O's I prefer to play.

[email4eric]

I have JP armrests on my J-35 and CEO-7. I definitely notice a difference in volume/clarity; more so with the J-35 but it's there on the CEO as well. I didn't put these on for tone improvement but because I cannot stand the tackiness of nitro finished guitars on my arm!

Personally, if I was not having the tackiness issue, I wouldn't put it on my guitar but the tonal improvement for me is simply value added.

[rdeane]

Given that I certainly do not use classical guitar form, from what I am seeing in everyone's replies, it appears an arm rest would be of benefit for me. I will probably order an arm rest next week and then I'll report what I find. I'll put one on the Martin first because it's the one that seems to muffle the most.

[jricc]

I just put a john Pearse slimline on my Martin OMXAE, it is an all HPL guitar I I use for outdoor gigs. I can hear a small difference in the projection of this otherwise "quiet" guitar. I sanded the top of the arm rest where my arm hits to create a little more slope for comfort.

[devellis]

Originally Posted by fazool

But wouldn't the same player playing the same guitar eliminate those variables?

I know when I play my cedar-topped dread, especially, I notice a big, big difference when my forearm rests on the top.

It's like putting your palm on the head of a drum and hitting the drum. It will sound different.

It would eliminate a bunch of them. But I took the OP to be asking what other people's experiences were so that he or she could make an inference applicable to his or her case. So, when comparing one person's experience to one's own, it's not a matter of the same person and the same guitar. Hence, my comment.

Also, the experiment that people have described (taking your arm off and listening for a difference) makes some important assumptions, like assuming that with an armrest, your arm is completely off of the top. That will be true some of the time but not for all players in all circumstances. Also, there may be other aspects of playing style, like planting fingers on the top or the heel of the hand on the bridge, that can mitigate the benefits of using an armrest. So, for a player who uses an armrest but still has substantial arm contact with the top and who also braces a couple of fingers against the top of the heel of the right hand against the bridge while playing, I'd expect the armrest to do considerably less than it might otherwise. Again, I don't doubt that it confers benefits in some cases. I just don't think that's a guarantee in every situation, irrespective of other variables. Finally, some players might actually like the ability to control muting to a degree by altering how their arm contacts the top, making more or less contact to get a more or less muted tone. Most players don't feel a need for guitar armrests (and some of those who do are more motivated by comfort than tone enhancement). But for those who perceive a benefit, they can undoubtedly be an asset.

[devellis]

Originally Posted by fazool

But wouldn't the same player playing the same guitar eliminate those variables?

I know when I play my cedar-topped dread, especially, I notice a big, big difference when my forearm rests on the top.

It's like putting your palm on the head of a drum and hitting the drum. It will sound different.

It would eliminate a bunch of them. But I took the OP to be asking what other people's experiences were so that he or she could make an inference applicable to his or her case. So, when comparing another person's experience to one's own, it's not a matter of the same person and the same guitar. Hence, my comment.

Also, the experiment that people have described (taking your arm off and listening for a difference) makes some important assumptions, like assuming that with an armrest, your arm is completely off of the top. That will be true some of the time but not for all players in all circumstances. Also, there may be other aspects of playing style, like planting fingers on the top or the heel of the hand on the bridge, that can mitigate the benefits of using an armrest. So, for a player who uses an armrest but still has substantial arm contact with the top and who also braces a couple of fingers against the top or the heel of the right hand against the bridge while playing, I'd expect the armrest to do considerably less than it might otherwise. Again, I don't doubt that it confers benefits in some cases. I just don't think that's a guarantee in every situation, irrespective of other variables. Finally, some players might actually like the ability to control muting to a degree by altering how their arm contacts the top, making more or less contact to get a more or less muted tone. Most players don't feel a need for guitar armrests (and some of those who do are more motivated by comfort than tone enhancement). But for those who perceive a benefit, they can undoubtedly be an asset.