Originally Posted by: manXcat

Is your guitar a Dreadnought and are you of smaller stature? Is your guitar [u]a comfortable physical fit[/u] when you're sitting?

I play sitting without a strap all the time, with no need to wrestle with the neck ror is it an encumbrance fretting. Strats, Teles, double cuts (Revstar), Concert acoustics. [br][br]Two guitar [u]types[/u] I can't enjoy sitting, one without use of a strap. Les Paul electrics, and Dreadnought acoustics. The Les Paul body is bottom heavy, which in conjunction with the body shape isn't conducive to balancing and sitting on the thigh. They slip off, and the neck will want to rise and pull away. They're neck wrestlers, which will interfere with fretting. [br][br]Similarly Dreadnoughts. All that body bulk is just a rubbish physical fit [u]with me[/u], and situating it so I can physically manage it locates the neck uncomfortably further way than with a Concert body. A strap resolves the Les Paul issue, but not the Dreadnought issue.

I, too, believe a strap is a great benefit when sitting. As for guitar size...

My go-to guitar is a Martin D-35 dreadnaught. It is very big for me in the position taught by GT and countless others. But realize that guitar position, standing or sitting, is one of style and what 'everyone else' does, often playability seems to be a secondary consideration. What I mean by that is how the instrument is held changes over time. Look at the players from the 30's and 40's... look at the Beatles or Ray Orbison when they started out. Watch B.B. King.

I play the big ol' guitar using a modified classical position, i.e., knees spread, the guitar nestled between my legs straight in front of my stomach and chest. In my lap, as it were. It's very comfortable and convenient in the sense that should I ever play standing I'll find the guitar in the same position (directly in front) that I maintain sitting down during practice.

A benny... reach is improved, too. At least mine seemed to be.