How to distinguish a guitar stool from the rest?
As the name suggests, a guitar stool is a chair specifically designed for people who are learning to play guitar, who perform in concerts, and professional musicians such as drummers, pianists, and violinists.
The stool is similar to those that are found in bars and restaurants. They are usually tall and in most cases round-shaped.
It is hard to differentiate between an ordinary barstool and a guitar stool. However, a guitar stool comes with additional features to enable the player find comfort when playing the guitar.
Some of the added features include a padded backrest, a cushioned sitting area, and a footrest. Modern guitar stools come with mic stands or holders.
For stability, the frame is strong and made from heavy-duty metal. The feet are usually finished with rubber endings to avoid slipping off the ground during high-velocity performance.
Prevent the ache – posture tips for guitar players
The way you sit during practicing sessions or when playing guitar is very crucial. The two main reasons for maintaining a good posture is to ensure comfort during the performing time and to avoid back injuries.
To avoid injuries and back pain when playing guitar, do the following:
- Place the guitar close to you – placing your guitar as close as possible to you helps your arms from unnecessary strain. When your arms stretch unnecessarily to get hold of something, the shoulders tend to strain as well.
- Take care of your shoulders – the shoulder and the back need not to hang for a long time if you want to get the comfort when playing the guitar. To ensure your shoulders are in a good position, you need to sit properly with you head upright and at a good height.
- Avoid slouching – this is a very important part when it comes to using a guitar stool. While it is reasonable to slouch occasionally, prolonged slouching will lead to several shoulder, neck, and back pain complications. To avoid this, find a comfortable chair with enough padding at the backrest such as Gibraltar 9608MB Large Cordura Drum Throne. The chair guarantees you a very comfortable sitting posture throughout the training or concert session.
Choose the best guitar stool by the following features
Before you finally say, ‘This is the stool I have been looking for,” you need to consider a number of things. Although we have talked about some of these features on some of the stools above, let’s give them a candid review.
Materials: wood or metal?
The material used to make a guitar stool is key. You are at liberty to choose between a wooden or metallic frame. However, which one will you choose? Wooden musical chairs would be cheaper compared to their metallic peers but is that all?
Wood is heavier than modern metal frames. It is true that wood is locally available but it is not as durable as metal. A good metal frame does not rust.
Padding
You will not perform for an hour on a stool that does not have padding. The sitting area for instance should be well padded. A good guitar stool should have heavy-duty cushion on the sitting area and a padded backrest. Gibraltar 9608MB and Pyle PKST70, two stools in our list come with high-quality padding that will give you maximum comfort during performance.
Weight limit
You are not going to purchase a very expensive chair that does not support your weight. After all, getting such a chair not only poses a safety risk to you but also the risk of breaking your instrument. For you to be comfortable when playing your musical instrument, you need a stool that guarantees to carry your weight for a longer time. Gator Frameworks, for instance, has the ability to carry up to 300 lbs.
Height and weight
Most guitar chairs are tall. However, the height of the stool depends on the user. When you want to purchase a guitar s tool you may want to test it by sitting on it. If this is not possible, look at the specifications. Most manufacturers indicate chair dimensions on the box.
If you are going to carry the stool to various venues, you need to think about the weight. For home use, you may not see weight as a factor. We recommend Stagg GIST-300 that weighs only 4.5 lbs if you travel a lot with your stool.
Footrest option
Guitar players especially those that perform for long hours need a place to rest their feet. Remember if your feet do not find a good resting place, they will swell. A good guitar stool should therefore have a footrest that can be adjusted to suit different feet heights.
Backrest
Backrest is important. Your back will inevitably ache if the stool does not have a backrest. Even if the stool has a backrest, without padding it would be as if you are lying on a rock. The backrest should be adjustable. Gator Frameworks has removable backrest for those who do not need the option momentarily.
Cleaning
A good guitar stool should not give you problems during cleaning. It should be easy to wipe. The sitting area should be insulated with a fine and high-quality fabric that is easy to clean and dries up fast. Gibraltar 9608MB’s top for instance is covered by velour, a high-quality fine fabric that is very easy to clean. A type of suede that requires a simple wipe also covers the backrest.
Folding options
Guitar stools with folding and disassembling options go along way when you are transporting them. Storage of guitar stools such as the Pyle PKST70 and Stagg GIST-300 is easy thanks to their folding options.
Sturdiness
You are not going to be happy when you are forced to spend extra money to repair a guitar stool you bought recently because it skid and broke into pieces. For this reason, you need to look for a stool that has a strong frame that guarantees sturdiness. We suggest you settle for Pyle PKST70 if you need strength and durability.
Look at the looks
Are you the type of person that is moved by the looks of a stool? While not all care about how a stool looks like, a few do. If you are in this latter category then we recommend Audio2000’S AST4201. Apart from its sleek look, the stool can adjust to 5 different heights. There are a couple of benefits of using a greatly designed stool. For performers, the stool helps to match the visuals of their performance when on stage. It is, however, not bad to go for a guitar stool with an unobtrusive design.
Warranty
Manufacturer warranty assures you of repair or replacement of your guitar stool in case it develops a problem. Good manufacturers give their users longer warranties that carter for a variety of defaults. Quick Lok Musician Seat and Gator Frameworks come with 3-year limited warranties. So far, this is the longest manufacturer warranty we have seen. However, before you decide to purchase a stool based on the warranty, you need to read all the terms and conditions.
Money sound
Sound is everything in a guitar stool. But no matter how beautiful, durable, and comfortable the musical chair is, you are not going to get it if you do not have the money to buy it. The best budget guitar stool on our list is Gator Frameworks. With a few bucks, you can get this musical chair.
The write- up of the Gator Frameworks Guitar seat was rather confusing.
It mentions adjustable height and armrests — neither of which are true for this stool.
Here is the part I’m referring to:
“You can quickly release the pin to when you want to adjust the stool height as well as when you want to transport, and store the chair. The rubber feet, secure guitar holder, as well as the durable cushion offer sufficient comfort any musician would crave for. For maximum comfort and resting during performance, the stool is fitted with rubberized armrests. As your arms and feet are treated to this comfort, your back and neck will also be finding exquisite rest thanks to soft micro-suede at the back of the stool.“
Source: https://primesound.org/best-guitar-stool/
AND when you get to the end of the review listed in the “cons” it says, “ you cannot adjust the height” AND “unreliable guitar rest”. There is NO mention of any unreliability in the review.
Confusing, right???
Luckily, I had already read other info about this product, otherwise I may have been disappointed.
Other than that, thanks for the info.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for any confusion caused by the conflicting information in the write-up of the Gator Frameworks Guitar seat. We strive to provide accurate and reliable information to our readers, and we regret any inconvenience caused.
We understand your frustration with the discrepancies between the description and the actual features of the stool. It seems there may have been a misunderstanding or error in the write-up. We appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter.
To ensure that our readers receive the most accurate and up-to-date information, we will review the content and make any necessary corrections or clarifications. We value your feedback and appreciate you taking the time to let us know about this issue.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. We are here to assist you.
Thank you for your understanding.
Hi! What’s the manufacturer/model of the wooden stool pictured in the article titled “ 6 Reliable Guitar Stools to Give you Comfort During Performance.”
Thanks
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