Luva® Arm Pad with rigid supportWhat are the advantages of using it?The Luva armpad allows a more efficient functioning of the guitarist’s right arm and hand, which will become speedier and more secure, allowing more fluency in moving the fingers, resulting in less tension, a more relaxed right hand, less fatigue and greater playing ease.
How does it work?The Luva hard - armpad with rigid support - is provided with an inner piece called a pressure distributor, which is its essential part. The pressure distributor has the function to eliminate local pressure of the guitar edge against the forearm, distributing the pressure along almost all of the inner surface of the forearm.The Luva soft makes use of a rubber layer which allows a soft distribution of the arm pressure against the guitar edge. In this case the localized pressure is not completely eliminated, but softened. Note: For the guitarists, who have a lot of arm pressure against the guitar edge, it is advisable to give preference to the Luva hard - armpad with rigid support.Adaptation phase The inner splint - the pressure distributor - of the Luva hard has the exact rating of rigidity necessary for its function, for it was tested for a long time with materials of different consistencies and densities. The result is considered ideal.For the guitarist accustomed to playing without any protection it may require a few days of use to adjust, until he or she gets familiar with the application of the Luva. The insertion of a foam layer of higher density makes the Luva® armpad now more comfortable, giving a better feeling.For the guitarists who have had difficulty in adjusting to the Luva® armpad with hard support we recommend using the Luva soft, which gives partial protection to the forearm, with a natural feeling of arm contact with the guitar.
Why was it created?The Luva armpad was created for the protection of the guitarist’s forearm. When positioning the guitar (classical position), the guitarist normally applies pressure with his right forearm against the guitar’s edge. Thus, the action by the fingers is inhibited: the muscles do not work freely, the blood stream becomes hindered and tension in the forearm is increased.All prior trials, looking for a solution to the problem of the guitar edge, were focused on building certain accessories to be fixed on the edge itself, trying to make it less sharp. Thus, – while the edge broadened, the muscles continue to be compressed, - it results in other problems to the guitarist, such as: a) aesthetics, because of the alteration in the instrument’s traditional appearance, and b) stability, because of the means of attachment, like suction cups that could come loose abruptly during a performance.
Medical ApplianceThe use of the Luva armpad is highly recommended to:
All reviews:
Lets me play without pain The Luva arm pad is a great device. I didnt realize the discomfort I was having until I used the Luva and didnt have the typical arm pain afterward. The folks at Guitarwebshop are wonderful. Stefan was always responsive with answering my questions in detail, and the shipping and delivery to the U.S was quick and affordable. I look forward to future purchases with GWS.
The Luva arm pad is a great device. I didnt realize the discomfort I was having until I used the Luva and didnt have the typical arm pain afterward. The folks at Guitarwebshop are wonderful. Stefan was always responsive with answering my questions in detail, and the shipping and delivery to the U.S was quick and affordable. I look forward to future purchases with GWS.
Review of the Luva Arm Pad model Hard Easy to observe, and clearly explained, is the fact that this arm pad reduces the compression of the soft tissue of the forearm to a far higher degree than any other today available device – which, ergonomically, of course degrades all the other alternatives to second-rate substitutes. Easy to hear, but not mentioned, is the fact that this arm-pad is a unique sound-improver as well. – Not because it slightly increases the distance between the soundboard and the forearm (which in reality has a quite small if at all audible influence on the sound), not because its rigid pressure distributor reduces the area of contact with the side of the guitar, but because the soft tissue of the forearm constitutes a springy and floating cushion: The less tissue compression, the better spring-effect – and without this arm-pad (or another pressure distributing layer), the pressure of the edge of the guitar highly reduces the spring-effect. This arm-pad generates a nearly optimal spring-effect – which, and particularly on guitars of traditional construction and weight, considerably reduces the indirect damping of the soundboard vibration caused by the direct damping of the top of the guitars side, and which creates a sound that is strikingly more vivid, more open and less muffled in a solely favourable way. So even regarding this aspect of sound improvement, this arm-pad degrades all the other today available alternatives to second-rate substitutes. This arm-pad and this knowledge undermines, needless to say, much of the relevance of the nowadays increasingly popular armrests that are permanently or removably fixed to the side of the guitar. But there are two aspects concerning change of sound that do not fall more or less apart, and both of them are induced by the weight that such armrests add to the side of the guitar: Firstly, it lowers the resonance frequency of the soundboard (potentially up to about 40 cents with an armrest of 100 grams and a guitar of relatively low weight) – which may impair the resonance balance and even create a wolf-note on a guitar with a well-tuned soundboard, and in the opposite case improve the balance and even remove a wolf-note (which, by the way, can be achieved more controllably by other means). Secondly, and with emphasis on primarily lower and partly some high frequencies, it increases the loudness of first and foremost the attack – which is a debatable gain as it entails a more percussive sound character with a more compact and sharp timbre. By comparison: The Luva hard arm-pad is not only free from these side-effects, but also puts less strain on the upper back and shoulder by positioning the arm closer to the torso. Being a revolutionarily valuable invention, there is still room for at least one improvement: A thin and smooth fabric of polyamide covering the foam area provides less friction resistance when moving the arm, less friction noise, plus far better wear resistance on the most exposed area – and since the foam area has no skin contact, I would suggest this addition as standard on the future Luva arm-pads. Moreover, and regarding the material of the pressure distributor: The lower weight, the less counteraction of the wonderful spring-effect – and the higher material hardness, the thinner construction to achieve the necessary rigidity (and thereby less of the mentioned strain). As these factors may suggest a reappraisal of the weight-to-stiffness ratio, I would kindly ask the Luva development team to take even this into consideration. Matepis, the producer of Luva arm-pads, was the first recipient of this review.
Easy to observe, and clearly explained, is the fact that this arm pad reduces the compression of the soft tissue of the forearm to a far higher degree than any other today available device – which, ergonomically, of course degrades all the other alternatives to second-rate substitutes. Easy to hear, but not mentioned, is the fact that this arm-pad is a unique sound-improver as well. – Not because it slightly increases the distance between the soundboard and the forearm (which in reality has a quite small if at all audible influence on the sound), not because its rigid pressure distributor reduces the area of contact with the side of the guitar, but because the soft tissue of the forearm constitutes a springy and floating cushion: The less tissue compression, the better spring-effect – and without this arm-pad (or another pressure distributing layer), the pressure of the edge of the guitar highly reduces the spring-effect. This arm-pad generates a nearly optimal spring-effect – which, and particularly on guitars of traditional construction and weight, considerably reduces the indirect damping of the soundboard vibration caused by the direct damping of the top of the guitars side, and which creates a sound that is strikingly more vivid, more open and less muffled in a solely favourable way. So even regarding this aspect of sound improvement, this arm-pad degrades all the other today available alternatives to second-rate substitutes. This arm-pad and this knowledge undermines, needless to say, much of the relevance of the nowadays increasingly popular armrests that are permanently or removably fixed to the side of the guitar. But there are two aspects concerning change of sound that do not fall more or less apart, and both of them are induced by the weight that such armrests add to the side of the guitar: Firstly, it lowers the resonance frequency of the soundboard (potentially up to about 40 cents with an armrest of 100 grams and a guitar of relatively low weight) – which may impair the resonance balance and even create a wolf-note on a guitar with a well-tuned soundboard, and in the opposite case improve the balance and even remove a wolf-note (which, by the way, can be achieved more controllably by other means). Secondly, and with emphasis on primarily lower and partly some high frequencies, it increases the loudness of first and foremost the attack – which is a debatable gain as it entails a more percussive sound character with a more compact and sharp timbre. By comparison: The Luva hard arm-pad is not only free from these side-effects, but also puts less strain on the upper back and shoulder by positioning the arm closer to the torso. Being a revolutionarily valuable invention, there is still room for at least one improvement: A thin and smooth fabric of polyamide covering the foam area provides less friction resistance when moving the arm, less friction noise, plus far better wear resistance on the most exposed area – and since the foam area has no skin contact, I would suggest this addition as standard on the future Luva arm-pads. Moreover, and regarding the material of the pressure distributor: The lower weight, the less counteraction of the wonderful spring-effect – and the higher material hardness, the thinner construction to achieve the necessary rigidity (and thereby less of the mentioned strain). As these factors may suggest a reappraisal of the weight-to-stiffness ratio, I would kindly ask the Luva development team to take even this into consideration. Matepis, the producer of Luva arm-pads, was the first recipient of this review.
LUVA Unterarmauflage spiele schon seit Jahren mit der Auflage : sehr angenehm, da es den Druck auf die Innenseite des Unterarms minimiert - was ich ausprobiert habe jetzt: wenn eine Grösse grösser als berechnet genommen wird (z.B. GG statt G), kann die Auflage auch über ein Hemd angezogen werden- das macht die Armauflage flexibler.
spiele schon seit Jahren mit der Auflage : sehr angenehm, da es den Druck auf die Innenseite des Unterarms minimiert - was ich ausprobiert habe jetzt: wenn eine Grösse grösser als berechnet genommen wird (z.B. GG statt G), kann die Auflage auch über ein Hemd angezogen werden- das macht die Armauflage flexibler.
Great Great for working on right hand technique, takes a couple of days to get used to but then it allows playing with more ease !
Great for working on right hand technique, takes a couple of days to get used to but then it allows playing with more ease !
LUVA .
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