The bari has been bothering me more these days with lower back and neck stiffness and pain, so I thought I'd check into some alternatives to my trusty Hyman strap.
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| BG Harness |
BG Saxophone Harness. My friend Tom really likes his harness, and he let me try it with bari and tenor. It definitely offers great support of the weight, especially on bari, but my biggest hangup was the lack of freedom it gives you. When you hook on your horn, you've just attached the thing to your chest, so there's no swinging it out of the way to change music, or possibly even setting it on your knee on the stand (if you're sitting). And if you're switching horns, I didn't find that the adjustment worked all that smoothly, since altos are typically mounted a little higher than tenors, the same said for bari switching to tenor. But, it IS available with either plastic or metal hook (metal is recommended for bari), and it has an available styles for larger frames, and notably one for women--something surprising, but kinda nice for the ladies to avoid embarrassing and uncomfortable strap positions. They seem to go for around $35.
http://www.wwbw.com/BG-Saxophone-Harness-465115-i1416693.wwbw?src=sax+harness
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| BG Yoke Strap |
BG Yoke Strap. Wide straps pretend to spred the weight better, but what they don't say is that they distribute the weight better around your neck. The BG Yoke solves this problem, as the strap lays flat on your collar bone and shoulders, and around your neck, not hanging on it. I played it last night for about 3 hours straight on tenor, and I felt pretty good afterwards. The adjustment stays put and is pretty easy to adjust. I tried it on the bari this afternoon, and while it worked, I'd have liked just a little more length. Again, though...very comfortable. And, as with the harness, you should order the metal hook version for heavier instruments or baritone. The yoke goes for $65..a bit pricey, but it seems to be a good solution.
http://www.wwbw.com/BG-Yoke-Saxophone-Strap-465113-i1418935.wwbw?isku=465115
