How high or low do you wear your guitar?

**Jimi75** · June 24th, 2009, 08:50 AM

I always envied those guys who could hang the guitar pretty low, look cool and play like hell...lets say guys like Slash. But hey, those guys gotta have long long arms. I figured pretty soon after getting my firts guitar that the lower I hang my guitar the harder it gets to play up the neck, the harder it gets to play accurate.

How do you wear your guitar?

Seperating the guitar body in three thirds, I like the middle of the lowest third being as high as my belt line with the Strat. The LP goes lower, don't know why, but here the top of the second third on the belt line is okay.

**rkwrenn** · June 24th, 2009, 09:29 AM

Voted: On the belly.

I adjust my strap so the guitar is in the same general position weather sitting or standing. Still, it seems easier to play seated.

Cheers and HTH,

Bob

**bigG** · June 24th, 2009, 09:51 AM

When I was giggin', many years ago, I always wore either my bass (Rickenbacker) or my Gibby ES-335 or SG (rhythm guitarist) so that the middle of the body was at the front of my right hip bone. Played so much, I developed a calcium deposit there and took to stuffing a piece of foam under my belt to relieve the situation.

I'm 6' 2", and, at that time, long n lanky, skinny as a rail, or a Keef Richards. That position worked best for me.

Nowadays, I'm either sitting, or strap up around my lower belly.

hubberjub*** · June 24th, 2009, 10:28 AM

This high.

I feel a lot more in control of the instrument when it's fairly high.

**sunvalleylaw** · June 24th, 2009, 10:46 AM

I call it belly, and voted so, but it may be a bit higher. Here is a pic, though I lowered the strap just a bit since this pic so as to relax my shoulders a little. Young Will, over to my right with his tele, does the riding low gunslinger thing, and the girls love it.

Robert**** · June 24th, 2009, 11:43 AM

I need mine fairly high, almost as high up as hubberjub.

**Algonquin** · June 24th, 2009, 12:10 PM

I'm not sure how Slash can play like that... I know a lot of kids follow his lead. I like to have it somewhere in the mid section.

**ibanezjunkie** · June 24th, 2009, 04:09 PM

im a metaller by nature, so i tend to have my ibanez slung low, and my legs spread far apart so i can still solo and get a good grip on the guitar. although, sometimes i go a little bit Tom Morello if im doing FX-rich stuff, and have it high up for easy use of wah pedal.

pes_laul · June 24th, 2009, 04:27 PM

I used to play around my belly but for the last six months or so I think my arms grew

so nowadays I have it really low.

**just strum** · June 24th, 2009, 04:29 PM

My Strat and Wildkat I have about the same position as SVL's pic of the guy playing the Tele. I play my Dot belly high. I think my higher position is the result of sitting most of the time and carries over to when I am standing.

**R_of_G** · June 24th, 2009, 07:56 PM

I play sitting down so I suppose it doesn't really matter, though on occasion when I play standing I like to have it up high the way Hubberjub does in that picture. I'd like to look cool with it slung low, but it's much easier to play it correctly up high. I think playing correctly is cooler.

Robert**** · June 24th, 2009, 08:39 PM

So why do jazz guys keep their guitar high up, and metal guys the opposite? I remember the punk dudes always seemed to have their guitars on their knees, that's how low they were.

**rkwrenn** · June 25th, 2009, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by Robert

So why do jazz guys keep their guitar high up, and metal guys the opposite? I remember the punk dudes always seemed to have their guitars on their knees, that's how low they were.

Maybe Jazzers care about how it sounds while metal heads care about how it looks.

As long as you get your point across, it's all good.

Cheers,

Bob

**Jimi75** · June 25th, 2009, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by rkwrenn

Maybe Jazzers care about how it sounds while metal heads care about how it looks.

As long as you get your point across, it's all good.

Cheers,

Bob

Does it make any difference in sound, when the guitar is strung high or low, or do you mean low hanging guitar = sloppy playing?

Robert**** · June 25th, 2009, 07:28 AM

I sure know I play sloppy if the guitar is hung low! Higher up - more control of the instrument. Since I don't have a chance to look cool anyway, with balding hair and glasses, I settle for playing better and keep my guitar high.

**Jimi75** · June 25th, 2009, 07:30 AM

I play sloppy, too when the guitar is hanging low. just watched some videos of Slash....and yeah he seems to manage not to play sloppy and to look cool at the same time with the guitar hanging low.

Some guys are just born to look cool.

**wingsdad** · June 25th, 2009, 07:34 AM

Originally Posted by Robert

So why do jazz guys keep their guitar high up...

Because it approximates the reach and arm angles in the sitting position.

...and metal guys the opposite? I remember the punk dudes always seemed to have their guitars on their knees, that's how low they were.

So they can offer an unobstructed view of their sock-laden codpiece.

**Ro3b** · June 25th, 2009, 08:21 AM

I wonder if there's any correlation between height of the player and where s/he wears the guitar? I have a friend who's about 5'2", and she wears her guitar about mid-thigh. Wearing it any higher puts uncomfortable stress on her right wrist. Whereas I'm 6'1" and I like my guitar about belly level, maybe a little higher.

**aeolian** · June 25th, 2009, 09:28 AM

I pick at belt level.

View Poll Results: How high the guitar ;-)

Thread: How high or low do you wear your guitar?

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Display

How high or low do you wear your guitar?

Posting Permissions