Neotech Neck Strap Disaster

[Billy The Fish]

Is it just me, or does the clip on the Neotech neck strap have a tendency to open unwanted when you bend down ? It just doesn't seem to be able to take the wweight, and tries to slide out of the clip.

It happened to me once or twice, but I always managed to hold on to the horn before I dropped it.....until earlier this week. I bent over with the sax round my neck to pick up some sheet music from the floor and the sax slipped straight off of the clip onto the floor :( . It will come as no surprise when I say that as a result, I now have a leak in my low D pad, requiring excess pressure to close it :x

On the upside, it meant I needed to get a new Tenor, as I obviously need a backup for times when my horn is being repaired :wink: So I now have a nice new Selmer Reference 54 by my side, whilst my Yamaha YTS-275 gets fixed.

Anyway, I am now resorting to using 2 straps at the same time on my Selmer. The basic Selmer strap to make sure I have robust support of the sax (at least it has a metal clip) and the Neotech to take the weight off of my neck. Obviously not an ideal situation I would have thought, but there is no way I am trusting the Neotech with my new baby :?

Billy The Fish

[SelmerSaksMan]

I have been using neotech straps for the last4 years, and never once has it ever let my sax go. When I first got my first strap, the fit was so tight that I could not get the hook over the ring with out it feeling like it was going to take the laquer out, so I filed it open a little bit, and it was surprisingly hard. I beleive the plastic to be of the same grade as that is used in those trailers that you can buy for 4 wheelers, trailers made for carrying 800 plus pounds of junk. I used the ray hayman strap that came with my III, once, the very first day I got it, I used it, I was just desperate to play it, and didnt feel like getting out my AS300, The strap came loose of the sax 8 times in 10 minutes, when ever I would scratch my ankle or get a piece of music up, it would come un hooked, so I threw that piece of crap out, it didnt even last an hour from the time I picked it up at the shop.

[SelmerSaksMan]

I guess I should add, maybe your strap was just old, or perhaps it was desgigned for a bigger instrument, Neotech makes many, many differant models.

[UMBari]

Billy:

I had the same sort of incident with a neotech harness, where my bari slipped off the clip and crahsed to the floor. Luckily, it was a yanagisawa, and it easily survived the trauma! Since I too used the Neotech product to help take the weight off, I found a solution in replacing the flimsy clip with a mini-carabiner clip. This is one of those small mountain climbing clips that you can find in most sporting goods stores and in all camping stores...people use them for their keys. Anyway, this works fabulous for me, and I feel totally secure with the Neotech harness now. Just cut off the old clip and add a nice steel reinforced clip.

Hope this helps,

Vee Popat
www.VeePopat.com

[JJK]

Billy:

I just had the same problem... This last week I was bending down and had my hands off the horn, then CLICK! The horn fell 3 feet to the ground :shock: . My Yanigisawa T880 now has a good sized dent on top of the neck and the octave key is tweaked a bit. It's in the shop right now getting repaired. Fortunately that looks like the only damage...

The Neotech's larger plastic hook is too short, and the clasp is too flimsy... any weight that shifts away from the hook and rests on that clasp can cause the clasp to pop out of the notch securing it and poof, your horn falls (if you don't have both hands on it)......

This failure has happened to me from time to time, but recently it seems to be happening way too often. I've got another strap on order that isn't a clasp type but a long and deep hook type (SAXFORTE Brancher)... I just don't trust any type of clamp hooks anymore after this..........

:(

[Billy The Fish]

The Neotech's larger plastic hook is too short, and the clasp is too flimsy... any weight that shifts away from the hook and rests on that clasp can cause the clasp to pop out of the notch securing it and poof, your horn falls (if you don't have both hands on it).....

:(

Sorry to hear about your little accident :( . It does show that there is a real issue here. This is a useful cautionary tale for others though. I am not suggesting people should stop using Neotech straps, as I have found it to be good in most other respects (a bit too elastic, with a tendency to smack me in the mouth with my horn every now and then), but users should take care when shifting weight onto the clip (when bending down for example). The consequences can be very expensive.

In the meantime, Neotech should consider changing the type of clip they use in future. A strong metal hook would appear to be much more sensible than the cheap plastic clip :?

Billy The Fish

[mark_m]

I'd read comments about the plastic Neotech breaking on the old forum right after I'd bought a Neotech harness. Replaced the plastic hook of similar design and have been fine. I guess the Neotechs come with different hooks, not sure why they don't just pick one good one...

[dingfelder]

one of those little imitation metal carabiners might do the job... it would completely close and is made of metal... holds several hundred lbs i my memory serves me correctly

[SaxPlayer1004]

info@optechusa.com email them. ask to get the option b clasp (metal clip) kinda like a caribeaner. they redid mine for free after the whole clasp came off of the strap (the swivel thing came off during a parade) and sent it back with the new clasp, no worries. just remember, it WILL scratch up your ring so hope you dont mind that.

[sax_appeal]

I use a neotech harness for my ybs-32 and I've noticed that the weight of the sax causes the plastic hook to bend until that flimsy little plastic bit opens and, when I lean the wrong way the bari pops out of the hook. This is how I broke my thumb, but have never damaged the sax.

[SaxPlayer1004]

im telling you guys, email neotech ( info@optechusa.com ) and have them replace the hook. it works, and its free.

[larry]

I "Les Arbuckled" my Neotech by taking off the cheesy plastic hook and replacing it with a key ring and a brass clip (found in a marine supply store).

http://www.gelberg.com/Music/strap.jpg

Les assures me that the brass clip won't cause any wearing of the brass metal ring on the horn (watch out for laquer dings however!). It's important not to use a steel or chrome clip as that metal is harder than brass and will erode the ring.

I feel much more secure with this easy modification. Thanks Les (I hope you don't mind me exposing one of your trade secrets!)

[New_Alex]

There is a lesson there. So sorry you had to learn it the hard way.
NEVER, NEVER trust ANY strap. Always keep one hand on the horn.

Here are a few other disasters to avoid:

Promptly replace any loose tendon corks on clarinet, bass clarinet or
bassoon. Pick up one of these when a joint is loose and you might watch
the bottom half fall to the ground.

Never pick up a basson by the top half or just by the bell--same thing.
Keep enough thread wrap on the joints so there is no chance of this
happening, and then, pick up the bassoon with two hands, left on top and
right on the bottom or boot joint.

Never pick up a saxophone by the neck.

Never allow a foot joint to get loose on a flute. It might just end up
being a miniature football out there on the football field during a
half-time show.

Keep blocking intact and repaired on the inside of any instrument case.
Keep any accessory box in the case working with a lid that stays closed.
You don't need mouthpieces, reed clippers and reeds getting jammed
half-way up the bore of your saxophone.

Replace any latched that break or are undependable. (In the mean time,
use a strap or belt around the case). When carrying the case ALWAYS keep
the lid turned in toward your leg. If the case should open, you will be
able to control it and the horn won't spill out onto the street.

If you don't own stands for your instruments, consider getting them. An
instrument left on the floor is going to have moisture drip into the
tone holes and ruin the pads. It also stands a good chance of getting
stepped on.

[KEN K]

New Alex is right. Always keep one hand on the horn at all tImes. A strap is to help hold the horn when you are playing WITH BOTH HANDS ON THE HORN --- NOT TO HOLD THE HORN SWINGING FROM YOUR NECK HANDS FREE.

[Tom Goodrick]

I have been using a NeoTech neck strap for over two years. During the first month I dropped a sax twice and caught it twice. Then I bought a carabiner's clip for $5 at HOME DEPOT. I have had no trouble since. This hook is very secure and yet you can change horns very easily once you get used to it. I double on other horns and keyboard so the hook gets used several times an hour. I also noticed that the carabiner's clip, which fits easily through the fabric loop at the end of the NeoTech strap, extends the strap a little making it fit me just right. Of course if you have the opposite problem, you can shorten the strap.

By the way, I tried the NeoTech harness for a while with my tenor trying to take the load off my neck due to an old injury. But the strap irritated my skin where it rubbed under the arm. I had to have a minor operation. Now I use just the neck strap taking care that it fits properly to distribute the load.

[SaxPlayer1004]

neotech has a bunch of clips that you can get
i.e
thick plastic hook
thin metal doublers hook
and the new black hook with a metal security thing (like a plastic carobeaner with a metal clip to keep from ripping the neckstrap ring to shreds