Vandoren Universal Saxophone Harness

Biglugs missus here. I ordered this as I am having shoulder issues (and standard other slings cause neck issues) which are exercerbated by playing tenor sax in particular - I am due for surgery soon. I already have the sax lab sling but it still causes shoulder pain after about an hour and cannot be altered in size enough not to press on my stomach which is uncomfortable pretty quickly (I am petite but not tiny!)

So to this one - I think it's probably a game changer for me. Yes very expensive for a sling but Thomann also seem to have the best price point out there. It's definitely different and I think will look fine especially with a jacket on. Three practice sessions down with the large horn (a Cannonball tenor) and no pain or discomfort. it is supposed to be universal (sizing wise) and whilst that's probably true - for my small frame I do wonder if it wouldn't be helpful if you could actually restrict the movement of the back sliders with a peg if wanted because when seated with a heavy sax they get pulled forwards to their longest which then means the shoulder/neck pads are floating around my front shoulder blades which is not very comfortable and not where they should be. However, I discovered if you widen the string at the back and ensure that the waist strap is tight around the HIPS it kind of solves the problem to a workable extent. It also helps if you attach the elastic to the hook.

So overall so far so good. Is it worth the money - well for me yes because I believe it will mean I can play sooner in my recovery after surgery than otherwise predicted and will probably make a difference in future expecially for standing up gigs. (BTW dancing with it is a LOT easier as it feels much more secure than any other sling I have used). Further, although I will still use the sax lab one for alto - it's nice not to have that knobble in front of you under your chin!

Je joue du saxophone depuis plus de 40 ans : ce harnais offre un confort pour le dos et les cervicales que je n’ai jamais connus ailleurs. Professeur en école de musique, je dois souvent passer dans la même journée d’un gabarit de saxophone à un autre. Ce harnais est vraiment universel : aussi adapté au baryton qu’au soprano. Seul hic, le prix : s’il n’était aussi cher je le prescrirais à tous mes élèves pour ménager leurs vertèbres.

Ich habe lange Zeit mit einem einfachen etwas verstärkten Saxophon Gurt gespielt. Dabei trägt die HWS das komplette Gewicht des Baritons. Ich bin irgendwann auf die etwas teurere Version eines Körperumspannenden Tragegurtsystems umgestiegen, welches jedoch letztlich etwas unangenehm die Atemfreiheit begrenzte. Das Vandoren Universal Saxophon Harness überträgt das Gewicht des Instruments auf Schultern und Becken. Man spürt maximale Bewegungs- und Atemfreiheit und das Saxophon erscheint um ein Vielfaches leichter!