Euphonium Hand Strap: "Comfy Euph Strap"

[aroberts781]

Thanks for the reply Dave. It is the QHR strap. I can't remember how long I've had it, I want to say around 3 years. It doesn't really strike me as the course weave variant, it is a fairly soft black fabric. I might play around with it some later this week, but I would be interested to hear if anyone else has experienced this.

[PhilGo]

I ordered my customized strap yesterday. The owner of the company was quick to respond to my inquiry and very helpful in the ordering process!

[ametropia]

I just ordered my comfy euph strap! The response was crazy fast getting back to me, send me an invoice, and ship it, I'm still shocked it was that quick. I sent the initial email for the order and I think she responded in something like 4 minutes to confirm with me. Big kudos for that and her ongoing communication at every step was outstanding.

That's what makes me recommend companies or people or products, aside from the product itself, is just good communication.

[ChristianeSparkle]

Valerie has been very responsive all these while. I emailed her a year ago and had the same quick response. I'm glad she's receiving a lot of orders after Mr. Werden's latest video!

[Nbnarcisi]

Valerie now carries a new color, she calls “basic dove gray” which is a great match for those of us who have silver plated euphs. As always, it is extremely well made and does look great on the horn.

[davewerden]

Thanks for the reply Dave. It is the QHR strap. I can't remember how long I've had it, I want to say around 3 years. It doesn't really strike me as the course weave variant, it is a fairly soft black fabric. I might play around with it some later this week, but I would be interested to hear if anyone else has experienced this.

I will PM you about this, but Valerie thinks she may have made that strap for QHR and will work with you to correct it. In her words (which she asked me to post):

"I stand behind my work and will do whatever it takes to make it right."

[aroberts781]

I've been meaning to update this thread for a while now. In my earlier posts I discussed how my QHR hand strap really never fit me very well. Based on where my outer bow brace was in relation to the 4th valve, I had to make the hand loop so small to put my hand in the right position relative to the valve that it was very uncomfortable for my hand.

I sent some photos, measurements, and emails back and forth with Valerie and I ended up getting a new custom made Comfy Euph Strap, and I love it. It is similar design and construction to the QHR strap I had, but she added a second loop to effectively lower where the loop starts on my horn, making it very easy to have a comfortable position for the hand loop.

Pic 1 shows the original QHR Strap I had. Pic 2 shows the new strap (hopefully the difference in bunching and pinching in my hand is visible). Pic 3 shows a comparison of the old QHR strap and the custom Comfy Euph Strap that Valerie made (the Comfy Euph Strap is the one with two cross straps perpendicular to the hand loop).

The Comfy Euph Strap has more padding and structure than the original version I had which I think also contributes to the improvements over my last strap. If anyone has any specific questions about this strap feel free to PM me.

Huge thanks to Valerie for working with me to get a strap in my hands that I really enjoy.

[davewerden]

Huge thanks to Valerie for working with me to get a strap in my hands that I really enjoy.

Thanks for the update! Valerie is a great resource for the euphonium world (not to mention the French horn world)!

[Leo_Opolain]

What can I buy the simplest for the first time, as for a beginner?

[aroberts781]

Leo, I assume you mean the simplest first time strap for a beginner without going through the measuring/custom solution that I went through, is that correct?

From just reading through this forum thread it sounds like a lot of people have good results with just the standard comfy euph strap, so maybe that is what you're looking for. I want to be clear that the first strap I had was not the comfy euph strap but the somewhat of a predecessor QHR hand strap, so it is possible that the standard comfy euph strap would've worked fine for me as well. In any case the custom one that I pictured works great.

If you have any questions you could reach out to Valerie, in my experience she is very responsive. You can find her email address at the website that Dave linked to in the first post of this thread.

[Shinn]

Valerie created a custom strap for my double bell euphonium - works great!!

[davewerden]

Valerie created a custom strap for my double bell euphonium - works great!!

Nice!

[tonewheeler]

I'm going to order one too. Don't need it all the time but I'm sure it will come in handy for 'standing gigs'. Thanks for the info and for Valerie doing these.

Hey Rick, I'm getting ready to order mine for my 5050. How did yours work out with your 5050??

TIA,
Dan

[RickF]

Hey Rick, I'm getting ready to order mine for my 5050. How did yours work out with your 5050??

TIA,
Dan

It worked but not when attached to the outer bow. Had to attach around the 3rd valve slide. Valerie offered to make any necessary changes but I declined deciding I really didn’t need it.

[aroberts781]

That is a cool custom strap on your double bell David. I think it is great how Valerie is willing to make customizations to her straps to fit unique circumstances.

I am currently using the same slightly modified/custom Comfy Euph Strap from my post on 8/15/21 on my 3-valve New Standard, and it works great on that horn as well. I initially thought I would be fine without a strap on my New Standard since it was a bit smaller and lighter and just had different ergonomics for me in general than the Schiller. However when I found a new home for the Schiller I put the strap on the New Standard and love it!