Posted 2016-08-07 9:15 AM (#528095) Subject: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: March 2015 Posts: 18
Hi all,
I have a truly wonderful Ovation Custom Elite from 2002 that I have only one problem with. It has a tendency to slide away when sitting down. I think I noticed that the new Ovations have a somewhat different form in order to alleviate this problem. I was wondering if anything exists that could be put on my guitar to avoid it slipping away. I usually put a small piece of chamois on my leg, but that is not very convenient or nice of course. Something more permanent that could be fixed to the guitar would be nice.
Posted 2016-08-07 2:25 PM (#528097 - in reply to #528096) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: March 2015 Posts: 18
Old Man Arthur - 2016-08-07 1:08 PM
A Strap helps.
Do not squeeze the guitar with your arm.
If all else fails, you can get THIS to convert your guitar to a contour bowl.
Thank Old Man Arthur. Never thought of getting a strap, good suggestion, will try that. The other thing does not seem to be the answer. I would think I need something on the bottom of the guitar not on the top.
Posted 2016-08-07 2:41 PM (#528099 - in reply to #528095) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: September 2006 Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
The "Standing Ovation" gizmo basically imitates the shape of a Contour Bowl.
Before that, we had stuff like THIS.
Instead of buying from eBay, you can go to your local Hardware store and get Stair Tread stick on thingies.
Or the stick-on texture for you bathtub... Ducks, Fishes, or Flowers.
Or, stick-on Sandpaper pads.
But you really just need to stop resting your arm on the guitar.
The weight of your arm on the top of the guitar is what pushes the bottom out.
Posted 2016-08-07 4:21 PM (#528101 - in reply to #528095) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: April 2008 Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia
Also, the other suggestion is to hold your guitar properly. The face of the guitar should be perpendicular to the floor. If you can see what your fingers are doing, you're holding it wrong.
Posted 2016-08-08 2:37 AM (#528111 - in reply to #528095) Subject: RE: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: March 2015 Posts: 18
Great comments and suggestions all, will look into the various anti slip pads. A foot stand might be great too, of course you can't carry that around all the time, anti slip pads would be easier.
RE holding the guitar I think we all have our way of doing that and while I think there certainly are wrong ways of doing that, "the" right way I believe does not exist. Too many great guitar players hold their guitars in different ways. For instance it also depends on where you stroke your strings most of the time. I play close to the neck because it gives a fuller warmer sound as compared to close to the bridge.
Posted 2016-08-08 2:15 PM (#528119 - in reply to #528095) Subject: RE: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: August 2002 Posts: 563
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
Hi, Songman,
I always use a guitar strap for playing my 1990 Ovation Elite Deep Bowl Cutaway. I actually do play all my guitars sitting down all the time anyway, because I am, "physically challenged." (It's a great help, because my c. 1999 Epiphone Les Paul Custom weighs about 9.9 lbs.!) You can check out my album in the, 'For Sale', section. My particular guitar has yet another, smaller textured area on the bottom, and back of the the bowl, which was, I believe, designed to prevent the guitar from sliding when sitting down. The earliest Ovation Standard Balladeer I played, (c. 1969-70) had a small grey/black rubber pad built in this area for this purpose, and I believe the newer built-in textured area on the bowl itself, became a replacement for the rubber pads. At some point, you could actually purchase all these OEM Ovation rubber/anti-slip pads, as a separate piece, because we carried a few of them in the music store I worked in, c.1984-85. They later still showed up on E-bay, w/3-packs available in black, and/ or brown, each for the 3 different bowl sizes, and/or, the 2 different bowl colors that Ovation was making back then. Maybe Alpep, or Beal, might know where to get them for you now, but I think, like the Ovation Elite airlocks, they were destined to go the way of the dinosaur? I never got mine when I had the chance, so I guess I missed out on, "a small piece of Ovation history", eh? The newer contour bowl, from The 2005 Collector Series on, has solved the sliding problem for most Ovation players, but not for me, nor for yourself, apparently. I'm sticking with my guitar strap for all my playing when I'm sitting down, simply because I don't have a choice. "Works for me." And, hey, Songman, here's a final thought, you can always just simply cross your legs to prop your guitar up, too, if you don't want to mess with a guitar strap all the time. It's the most cool rocker dude stance, especially made for sitting on your amp while practicing, a la, "Fill in your favorite
rock star here."
Mike S.
Ottawa, ON. CANADA.
Posted 2016-08-09 10:24 AM (#528130 - in reply to #528119) Subject: RE: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: March 2015 Posts: 18
Mike S. - 2016-08-08 2:15 PM
Hi, Songman,
I always use a guitar strap for playing my 1990 Ovation Elite Deep Bowl Cutaway. I actually do play all my guitars sitting down all the time anyway, because I am, "physically challenged." (It's a great help, because my c. 1999 Epiphone Les Paul Custom weighs about 9.9 lbs.!) You can check out my album in the, 'For Sale', section. My particular guitar has yet another, smaller textured area on the bottom, and back of the the bowl, which was, I believe, designed to prevent the guitar from sliding when sitting down. The earliest Ovation Standard Balladeer I played, (c. 1969-70) had a small grey/black rubber pad built in this area for this purpose, and I believe the newer built-in textured area on the bowl itself, became a replacement for the rubber pads. At some point, you could actually purchase all these OEM Ovation rubber/anti-slip pads, as a separate piece, because we carried a few of them in the music store I worked in, c.1984-85. They later still showed up on E-bay, w/3-packs available in black, and/ or brown, each for the 3 different bowl sizes, and/or, the 2 different bowl colors that Ovation was making back then. Maybe Alpep, or Beal, might know where to get them for you now, but I think, like the Ovation Elite airlocks, they were destined to go the way of the dinosaur? I never got mine when I had the chance, so I guess I missed out on, "a small piece of Ovation history", eh? The newer contour bowl, from The 2005 Collector Series on, has solved the sliding problem for most Ovation players, but not for me, nor for yourself, apparently. I'm sticking with my guitar strap for all my playing when I'm sitting down, simply because I don't have a choice. "Works for me." And, hey, Songman, here's a final thought, you can always just simply cross your legs to prop your guitar up, too, if you don't want to mess with a guitar strap all the time. It's the most cool rocker dude stance, especially made for sitting on your amp while practicing, a la, "Fill in your favorite
rock star here."
Mike S.
Ottawa, ON. CANADA.
Thanks for this comprehensive info Mike. An anti-slip pad does seem like the best solution I feel, so I am going on a hunt for something that would fit the bill. Cheers, Bob.
Posted 2016-08-09 3:03 PM (#528134 - in reply to #528095) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho
Raising the right thigh, using a strap and keeping the soundboard vertical should correct the problem, but if you and the guitar both have a deep bowl, it's like two circles are rocking against each other. At the risk of sounding rude, which I am, if you have a big gut, lose it or get one of the anti-skid things, combined with raising your right thigh or getting a strap.
Posted 2016-08-09 5:38 PM (#528136 - in reply to #528134) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: December 2014 Posts: 1713
Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota
Mark in Boise - 2016-08-09 3:03 PM
Raising the right thigh, using a strap and keeping the soundboard vertical should correct the problem, but if you and the guitar both have a deep bowl, it's like two circles are rocking against each other. At the risk of sounding rude, which I am, if you have a big gut, lose it or get one of the anti-skid things, combined with raising your right thigh or getting a strap.
What if.....
for us round bellied folks, playing round backed guitars, we use the sticky back velcro, put one side on the roundest part of your tummy, and the other piece, stick to the back of the round back. Hook up, and not worry!
Posted 2016-08-09 7:48 PM (#528140 - in reply to #528095) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: February 2016 Posts: 1770
Location: When??
You can save on Velcro if you simply fill the bowl with beer-- then the hugely looooong straw. That way you can also adjust the tone for particular songs by how much beer you drink. Sad, flat-tone songs, add beer. Happy, vibrant songs, drink beer. Works for me, and after a few rounds I find I couldn't care less if the guitar is slipping.
Posted 2016-08-10 2:09 AM (#528143 - in reply to #528134) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: March 2015 Posts: 18
Mark in Boise - 2016-08-09 3:03 PM
Raising the right thigh, using a strap and keeping the soundboard vertical should correct the problem, but if you and the guitar both have a deep bowl, it's like two circles are rocking against each other. At the risk of sounding rude, which I am, if you have a big gut, lose it or get one of the anti-skid things, combined with raising your right thigh or getting a strap.
Posted 2016-08-10 1:49 PM (#528148 - in reply to #528146) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: March 2015 Posts: 18
Mark in Boise - 2016-08-10 11:23 AM
Songman, do you have a problem with the roundback sliding off your knee? I never heard of the problem when I was skinny.
Well, problem is a big word. It is just different to my other guitars and I always notice I have to hug it more. So I'm going to try and find some material that I can put on the bottom of the guitar (actually on the same place that Ovation themselves, certainly being away of the "problem" made the composite material a bit more rough).
Posted 2016-08-10 3:00 PM (#528149 - in reply to #528148) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: September 2006 Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
songman - 2016-08-10 11:49 AM
I always notice I have to hug it more.
If you Hug It More on the top of the body it causes the bottom to slide out. If you just stand it on your leg, it shouldn't go anywhere.
Also... I searched YouTube for advice and found this:
This is a wood box guitar!
So apparently this is not just an Ovation problem.
(contrary to what all the Salad-Bowl haters say )
Posted 2016-08-11 1:26 AM (#528159 - in reply to #528149) Subject: Re: guitar sliding when sitting down
Joined: March 2015 Posts: 18
Old Man Arthur - 2016-08-10 3:00 PM
songman - 2016-08-10 11:49 AM
I always notice I have to hug it more.
If you Hug It More on the top of the body it causes the bottom to slide out. If you just stand it on your leg, it shouldn't go anywhere.
Also... I searched YouTube for advice and found this:
This is a wood box guitar!
So apparently this is not just an Ovation problem.
(contrary to what all the Salad-Bowl haters say )
Hug is maybe the wrong word I used, lets just say that while playing I am aware of the fact that she might easily slide away and I have to do something to prevent that. I think I actually sit a bit more straight and even try to raise my leg a bit too. And I've used a piece of chamois like in the video too.
Oh and I would never hurt my sweet Ovation saying that she's got a salad bowl belly, tsk, tsk, hope she didn't hear that
guitar sliding when sitting down
