Reviews

Had some issues with the felts on mine. Contacted strings by mail and a gentleman named Matt got back to me within a few hours and went above and beyond to make things right. I would highly recommend this product and strings by mail. This is the first time customer support has actually been a pleasure to deal with. You guys rule!!

I ordered an Andreas Abel Armrest in mid-June. I had seen it being discussed on classical forums but wanted to try it on my acoustic steel string guitars. I believe that the idea of an armrest to keep the arm free of the sound board as well as to ease the angle between the guitar top and side has great merit. But I have been hesitant to glue an armrest onto my instruments. Also, since I had several guitars, I wanted something that might be transferrable to all or at least most of them.

I play three acoustics regularly. Two of them have a rear bout depth of 4 5/8". The third is 4 7/8". The Abel Armrest as it is delivered has a adjusting screw that allows the armrest to accept guitars from 3.75" - 4.625" deep. I found that it would also work on my deepest bodied guitar if I removed the screw before trying to fit the armrest on it. Once the armrest was in place, I could re-engage the screw. But it did not thread very deeply. Later, I found a mention of a longer adjusting screw on Andreas' German site for the armrest. This longer screw would allow the armrest to fit on guitars up to 5 1/8" deep. I wrote to Andreas directly. He advised me to contact Stringsbymail as they had the longer screws available. I had overlooked the listing on Stringsbymail's site under Guitar Supports- "Guitar Support Parts." I got a longer screw and now the support works flawlessly on all three instruments.

The only area I can see for possible modification in the future might be the surface of the armrest. My skin is very sensitive to textures. The Andreas Abel Armrest is in no way abrasive or uncomfortable. My experience with it indicates that the plastics used are very inert. But I find that for me, it is more comfortable to use over time with either a sleeve or a long-sleeved shirt. I wonder if something like a thin leather cover might improve my sense of the plastic. But then the costs might be prohibitive.

*** This armrest exceeded my expectations. It is very comfortable to play on. It transfers effortlessly between instruments. It lifts the arm slightly off the soundboard, placing it in a very optimal position for all types of guitar playing. It is such a pleasant feeling to realize that my right arm has not been creased by the sharp angle between the guitar top and side after playing for any length of time. Especially with the very deep guitar, it has made my playing position much more comfortable. I was also greatly impressed with Mr. Abel's rapid responses to my very poorly written German request for assistance. He is committed to helping people play their instruments as comfortably as possible. I think he has designed an extremely versatile aid for that purpose.

I've been using the armrest for my weekend gigs for 2 weeks now. In the past two weekends I have clocked 15 hours of live playing. LOVING the armrest! Does not budge and fits like a glove. It makes playing long hours so comfortable.

I LOVE the armrest! I also love that I can use it on all of my guitars since it is easily installed/removed and easily adjustable for depth. Great product!

I am full time classical guitar teacher in Las Vegas, NV. I therefore sit with the guitar six days a week often for hours at a stretch and anything that will make this easier, I am willing to try. The reviews about the Armauflage looked promising so I ordered one. I have to be honest, when it came, I thought, "$70 for this?" then I put it on - which was simple (Try the tall spacers for a classical) - and my attitude changed to a wide grin! You are paying for a brilliant design here (only a few points of soft rubber touch your guitar it is amazing. I have been using it for weeks on my Oribe without a sign of a mark from it). It makes playing the classical guitar really comfortable for the right arm. No more edge of the guitar pushing into your arm and no more bare arms sticking to the guitar either as it has a textured finish which eliminates this. All the other reviews are right: the support and the angle really do enhance the playing position of the right arm and hand. I can honestly say that this device is now as necessary to me as my foot stool. Teaching and playing without it now are out of the question!

How many violins do you see without a chin rest affixed? That's how many acoustic guitars you should see without an Andreas Abel style arm rest affixed. These are that equally as wonderful an addition, as a players aid! I have purchased three, so far. I am a fifty year guitar player. Arm, take thine ease.

I first heard about the Andreas Abel armrest on the Delcamp classical guitar forum. A user on that site shared his experience and it sounded like a good tool to improve right hand comfort and ergonomics. So I contacted Matt with Strings By Mail and he was kind enough to work with Andreas Abel to import them into the U.S. and make them available at Strings By Mail. I have used mine for several hours now, and it is very comfortable! It also helps place the right hand in a good position to produce a good tone. I can't imagine playing my guitar without the Abel armrest now!