Leg Cut Location and Seated Playing...

[Huggy Love]

Due to spine problems, I too have become a "sit down" player, thankfully it's accepted in Jazz so I can get away with it.

Throughout the whole ordeal of adjusting my gear inventory situation to accommodate this I noticed right away that solid body PRS aren't that well balanced for sit down playing, and the 24 vs 22 fret neck has a big influence on instrument balance and body/arm positioning. I ended up going all PRS HB because they have the best balance and comfort for me, my 408 tends to slide off to the right from the weight of the body, and I keep the finish clean so it's fairly slippery. A strip of textured tape or adhesive stair tread would probably remedy that but I'm concerned about the adhesive affecting the finish, even though it's just underneath the "leg cut" I still don't want to take a chance, I'm going to sell it instead.

It's cool you picked up a John Scofield axe, they're nice, but they're a little heavy for me and not as comfortable as my HB II.
You should have at least checked out one of those.

One thing I do know is, using good posture while sitting & playing goes a long way when you get our age.

 

[jxe]

how ancient are you jokers? and please post pics of the hb, hb.

 

[László]

how ancient are you jokers?

Ever hear of Archimedes?

Well, I’m his dad, Diabetes.

 

[jxe]

henny youngman level stuff right here!

Ever hear of Archimedes?

Well, I’m his dad, Diabetes.

 

[RaySachs]

henny youngman level stuff right here!

Nice kid, that Henny.

 

[Huggy Love]

how ancient are you jokers?.

Watch it kid.

 

[RaySachs]

Due to spine problems, I too have become a "sit down" player, thankfully it's accepted in Jazz so I can get away with it.

Throughout the whole ordeal of adjusting my gear inventory situation to accommodate this I noticed right away that solid body PRS aren't that well balanced for sit down playing, and the 24 vs 22 fret neck has a big influence on instrument balance and body/arm positioning. I ended up going all PRS HB because they have the best balance and comfort for me, my 408 tends to slide off to the right from the weight of the body, and I keep the finish clean so it's fairly slippery. A strip of textured tape or adhesive stair tread would probably remedy that but I'm concerned about the adhesive affecting the finish, even though it's just underneath the "leg cut" I still don't want to take a chance, I'm going to sell it instead.

It's cool you picked up a John Scofield axe, they're nice, but they're a little heavy for me and not as comfortable as my HB II.
You should have at least checked out one of those.

One thing I do know is, using good posture while sitting & playing goes a long way when you get our age.

You're right that the Scofield is pretty heavy - mine is just a few ounces shy of 9 pounds, more than my strat or tele or the 594, which are all under 8. And I'm sure the PRS HB's are a good deal lighter. But weight isn't really the issue for me, or even balance. I didn't have neck dive or anything like that with any of these guitars. It's more about where the leg cut is and how I have to reach to get into a comfortable picking position and the un-natural movements I have to make to get to the upper frets. When seated - it's fine standing, but I just don't play much standing up these days and don't really want to. So the weight isn't really an issue when seated, but I've found position is fairly huge and in that respect the Scofield is really comfortable for me (as was the relic version of the AS153 I'd had previously, which is why I knew I'd be good with the Scofield). I haven't looked at every PRS, but most I've looked at do have a leg cut position much closer to the neck that most guitars. I'm sure I'd be comfortable with the Silver Sky, which is cut a lot like a strat, but I'm just not in the market for a strat-like guitar at the moment.

-Ray