Euphonium Hand Strap: "Comfy Euph Strap"

[bbocaner]

Mine came on Thursday although my wife didn't give me the package until today! Very quick service. It's beautifully made.

I think I like it! It does put some pressure on my wrist in a different way than holding the instrument without a strap, but I think in general it's less tension. It feels good.

[mbrooke]

Hi Dave,

Do you know how this compares to the QHR strap?

Mike

[davewerden]

Do you know how this compares to the QHR strap?

This is actually a bit confusing. Here is the scoop. Bill and Valerie collaborated on the original design, which was a morph of her own French horn strap. Bill bought a batch of them from Valerie to resell. We'll call those strap 1. (That is the first one I owned.)

At some later point Bill apparently had a different maker (we'll call them the Strap2 Company) copy the design. They came pretty close, but the hand strap was shorter, and for me was barely long enough, and the fabric was quite different. I found it not as comfortable, but still usable. We'll call those strap 2. (I have one of those as well, but I went back to strap 1 for comfort.)

Because Bill is out of the market for a while and people still wanted these, I sought out Valerie. The rest you know from the posts here. We'll call the ones she makes now strap 3.

My own strap 1 has been on my horn every time I played, except for the brief time I was using strap 2. It has held up just fine, and I see nothing wrong with the design. (But that's not to say a clever person like Valerie would not still find ways to improve it!)

I think strap 2 is also usable, but not quite as good overall. I can't say if it would last better, or less well, because I have not used it enough.

My own 2 versions of strap 3 arrived today. I'll attach photos of all 3 of my Valerie straps below. The design options are really fun, although they don't contribute to comfort or longevity of course. But the black fleece lining is wonderful! It is much softer on the skin, but not so thick that it is likely to feel hot in the summer. Perfect choice, I think.

My new straps are longer than before, and I think are longer than anyone is likely to need. What do you other owners think? Should I suggest they be a bit shorter?

Below are my photos. The light is not great today and the photos are not as pretty as the straps themselves, but you'll get the idea.

[Greg_R]

I got my strap the other day and found that I had to make the hand loop pretty tight because the stay on my euph is pretty close to the 4th valve. I put the instrument-side loop under the stay to keep it from sliding up. My hand just fits in the loop while keeping the 4th valve and thumb trigger where they need to be. So, if you have wide hands and your euph's stay is close to the 4th valve then maybe consider a custom option from Valerie (rubber on the inside of the horn loop, etc.) that would eliminate the reliance on the instrument stay.

I'm very happy with the service and quality of this product.

[jkircoff]

I got my strap the other day and found that I had to make the hand loop pretty tight because the stay on my euph is pretty close to the 4th valve. I put the instrument-side loop under the stay to keep it from sliding up. My hand just fits in the loop while keeping the 4th valve and thumb trigger where they need to be. So, if you have wide hands and your euph's stay is close to the 4th valve then maybe consider a custom option from Valerie (rubber on the inside of the horn loop, etc.) that would eliminate the reliance on the instrument stay.

I'm very happy with the service and quality of this product.

I was going to post essentially the same review. I used it at a concert last night and it performed just as advertised. I'm very satisfied!

[booboo]

This is actually a bit confusing. Here is the scoop. Bill and Valerie collaborated on the original design, which was a morph of her own French horn strap. Bill bought a batch of them from Valerie to resell. We'll call those strap 1. (That is the first one I owned.)

At some later point Bill apparently had a different maker (we'll call them the Strap2 Company) copy the design. They came pretty close, but the hand strap was shorter, and for me was barely long enough, and the fabric was quite different. I found it not as comfortable, but still usable. We'll call those strap 2. (I have one of those as well, but I went back to strap 1 for comfort.)

Because Bill is out of the market for a while and people still wanted these, I sought out Valerie. The rest you know from the posts here. We'll call the ones she makes now strap 3.

My own strap 1 has been on my horn every time I played, except for the brief time I was using strap 2. It has held up just fine, and I see nothing wrong with the design. (But that's not to say a clever person like Valerie would not still find ways to improve it!)

I think strap 2 is also usable, but not quite as good overall. I can't say if it would last better, or less well, because I have not used it enough.

My own 2 versions of strap 3 arrived today. I'll attach photos of all 3 of my Valerie straps below. The design options are really fun, although they don't contribute to comfort or longevity of course. But the black fleece lining is wonderful! It is much softer on the skin, but not so thick that it is likely to feel hot in the summer. Perfect choice, I think.

My new straps are longer than before, and I think are longer than anyone is likely to need. What do you other owners think? Should I suggest they be a bit shorter?

Below are my photos. The light is not great today and the photos are not as pretty as the straps themselves, but you'll get the idea.

I find the strap less useful to me personally than the lap pad if I'm honest, but like to use it every so often as a 'cue' when I'm working on relaxation and getting rid of unnecessary tension as it does let the instrument 'float' quite nicely. I dont think they need to be shorter. If anything they need to be longer but with a long velcro section to give plenty of adjustment to cope with differing stay and trigger paddle locations between manufacturers.

[graeme]

This is actually a bit confusing. Here is the scoop. Bill and Valerie collaborated on the original design, which was a morph of her own French horn strap. Bill bought a batch of them from Valerie to resell. We'll call those strap 1. (That is the first one I owned.)

At some later point Bill apparently had a different maker (we'll call them the Strap2 Company) copy the design. They came pretty close, but the hand strap was shorter, and for me was barely long enough, and the fabric was quite different. I found it not as comfortable, but still usable. We'll call those strap 2. (I have one of those as well, but I went back to strap 1 for comfort.)

Because Bill is out of the market for a while and people still wanted these, I sought out Valerie. The rest you know from the posts here. We'll call the ones she makes now strap 3.

My own strap 1 has been on my horn every time I played, except for the brief time I was using strap 2. It has held up just fine, and I see nothing wrong with the design. (But that's not to say a clever person like Valerie would not still find ways to improve it!)

I think strap 2 is also usable, but not quite as good overall. I can't say if it would last better, or less well, because I have not used it enough.

My own 2 versions of strap 3 arrived today. I'll attach photos of all 3 of my Valerie straps below. The design options are really fun, although they don't contribute to comfort or longevity of course. But the black fleece lining is wonderful! It is much softer on the skin, but not so thick that it is likely to feel hot in the summer. Perfect choice, I think.

My new straps are longer than before, and I think are longer than anyone is likely to need. What do you other owners think? Should I suggest they be a bit shorter?

Below are my photos. The light is not great today and the photos are not as pretty as the straps themselves, but you'll get the idea.

I am not sure if I have version 1 or 2 from QHR but it is quite short when used on my besson prestige 2052

[davewerden]

I am not sure if I have version 1 or 2 from QHR but it is quite short when used on my besson prestige 2052

The fabric on the Chinese version is more patterned-looking. The photo attached may show it well enough.

[graeme]

The fabric on the Chinese version is more patterned-looking. The photo attached may show it well enough.

Thank you David It turns out I have the shorter Chinese version which explains why I found it to be too short. Such a shame.

[vwells]

I want you all to know that I am willing to work with each individual until we come up with a design that works with your hand and your instrument. Any strap can be returned for modification. Basic black, charcoal & dove grey straps can be returned for a refund.