A week or so ago there was a thread about the Soundseat.....so I looked into one on their homepage and decided to give them a call.

http://www.soundseat.com

Here's the first cool surprise, the phone rings and a human answers it.....J.R. one of the owners no less. Right away he said let me call you back on my money. Well my couple of Q's about the chair I was interested in turned into about an hour or so chat with him. Besides being a chair maker he's a drummer (but I tried to not hold that against him)

Anyway after talking back and forth as to my needs and could he / would he do this or that to a chair for me, to which the answer was no problem on all of it, I ordered one.

I need it to serve multi purpose, guitar, Stick and keyboard, so I ordered the guitar chair with the large foot ring.

On to the chair....if there is a finer leather, I haven't seen it, nor better workmanship on it. I got the mid back with wheels on it. The back hits right in the perfect spot for support. The best though is the seat itself.....this is hard to explain other than it hardly feels like I'm sitting on any one spot on my backside, so the comfort is excellent. Also with the saddle sort of shape to it, the seat doesn't hit the legs to tire them out either, from the pressure.

JR even called me once he saw it was delivered to make sure I liked it and all was ok.

So....even if you'd want an excellent desk chair/gig chair combo the soundseat is killer and reasonable in price. There's all different models in different price ranges.

In short, I doubt you will find a nicer guy to do business with or a music chair of this quality at twice the price. I went and sat in one of the rocsoc or whatever they're called at GC before I bought this one, and I do not think there is any comparison in quality and comfort IMO.

Your butt will thank you for one of the Soundseats....trust me.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Dear Terry:

Thanks so much for your kind and generous comments in regard to our chairs. I hope to establish a relationship of trust here, and your opinion, and posts, on my behalf are so valuable to a ''Newbie'' such as myself.

Thanks again,

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J. R.

JR
I didn't give them to you.....you earned them.

Thanks for a great buyng experience and great customer service when there are so few of either to be found nowadays.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Hello J. R. Baker

I own and run one of the largest KORG support websites there is on the NET. Could you please post information on your products over on forums of IA ?.

It seems like you have a product I would like my members to know about, especially after reading the information on your website and what Terry had to say. His word means a lot to me even though he may not think so :-)

I’m the owner of that site (IA), so just make reference to the fact that I asked you to post the information and everything will be fine. Please note I use the name “Sharp” and not James as you see here. So only make reference to the name Sharp.

Kind Regards.
Sharp.

Irish Acts Administrator
http://www.irishacts.com


[This message has been edited by James Tubbritt (edited 01-09-2004).]

Thanks so much Sharp. I would be most honored to be a part of your site. Do you know of the Irish group ''Different Drum''? A very good friend of mine is in the group. His name is Paul Marshall, and he took one of our chairs back to Ireland with him.

My best,

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J. R.

JR,
looks like a quality seat, but I'd love to know what makes that carry bag worth a hundred bucks. Please advise.

Dave,
Not speaking for JR, but I asked him that same Q, because it was brought up in the original thread....What JR told me is that it is made from Kevlar (I believe) the bullet proof vest material, not just another nylon bag. Also that the straps are an integral part of the bag and that they are not just a sewn on the top handle type. So essentially is a quality answer that he makes the bags to last for life.

About the comfiness of the seat....the longer I sit in it the more comfy it gets. For me it's not a couple hour gig thing....I'm in the seat all day every day in the studio so a good 8-10 hours each day.
The seat itself is slightly curved like our shapes and it starts to conform even more to each of us the longer we sit in it and retains that, a memory for our backside shapes so to speak. I'm a big fan, especially after trying 3 different office type chairs.
Terry



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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Dear Uncle Dave:

Thank you for asking this very important question about the bag.

We have our bags manufactured in High Point North Carolina. Having this local control does a couple of things. One, it does make the bag slightly more expensive than say, Indonesia. About $5.00/bag. Two, I want to personally inspect each bag for quality, and also, maintain control of the manufacturing of the bags so changes can be made quickly, if needed.

Our carry bags have over four yards of 1,000 dernier(sic) Dupont Cordura in them. It may not be Kevlar (sorry if I misled you Terry), but this is some tough stuff. We have never had a bag fail in ANY way in the field. The straps are 2'' nylon mesh, rated at over 20,000 pounds. All zippers and velcro fasteners are the absolute best we can find. Trust me here, there is a huge difference in grades of bag fasteners. It takes a highly skilled seamtress almost two hours just to sew each bag, and, when you add in the costs of cutting the fabric by my master upholsterer, it starts to get pricey, but well worth it IMO. Terry was right on in regard to the construction (360 degree strapping). We engineer these bags to withstand drunken roadies.

Our bags, like our chairs, are over-engineered. There are plenty of chair and bag makers getting rich doing it the other way because money is their bottom line. Money WILL NEVER be the bottom line at Soundseat. We feel that money follows two things, the absolute best product backed up by the absolute best customer service. I will never compromise what I manufacture just to make it cheaper, or make it fold up, and fit somewhere.

My very best to you Uncle Dave, and thanks again.

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J. R.

[This message has been edited by J. R. Baker (edited 01-11-2004).]

I like that, JR... when you gonna start making keyboards?

Glenn,

Thanks for the thought, but I was whining to Terry the other day that the new keyboards are so advanced that I can barely figure out how to turn one on, much less play one. Besides, I play drums.........UH OH!!! Honey, Quick! Find my asbestos suit!

My best,

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J. R.

[This message has been edited by J. R. Baker (edited 01-11-2004).]

I just read all of the information on the Soundseat web page. Looks like great equipment!

As you might surmise from my moniker, I'm an accordionist. I weigh about 220 and my accordion weighs 42 pounds. I was thinking about the guitar Soundseat with the large mid back and of course no arms. No need for portability, either, as I haul everything around on one handtruck.

Do you have any accordionists that use your seats? I normally stand at all gigs but lately have been having back problems and after 4 hours of standing with a 40+ pound accordion I am starting to understand why!

I love quality products and will always gladly pay more for something that doesn't break and does what it should.

Sounds like Soundseat fits this criteria.

Tommy

Dear Tommy:

We do have accordionists on the chair. I think it would work quite nicely for you. I know the weight would not be a problem, we have many folks over 400 pounds on the chair. Please e-mail your number to me, or, give me a call at 704-636-3560.

My best,


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J. R.

Tommy
I bought the guitar chair with the mid back. That back hits just in the right spot for support. It is also adjustable both in and out and up and down for your own preference...you'll like this seat....really.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

JR,
Thanx for the quck reply. I have never been one to pass up quality for a bargain, so if I ever start sitting at work .... I'll look you up. For now, my shows are all conducted from a standing position. I'm impressed with your product and your communication though. Keep up the great work, and thanx again.
UD

Thank you too, Dave.

My best,




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J. R.

Here's an addendum note to JR's customer service....I developed a slight rattle due to a loose rivet in my foot ring and called JR....about the only question he asked was how did I want him to send the replacement foot ring UPS or mail.

Many other companies should take note of this type of customer and product support.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

I am glad to see that everyone is in love with this seat. I have tried several drum stools from Guitar Center, several of them highest-end models they carry from various manufacturers, and found that none of them were very comfortable for a several-hour-long preformances. I did not try them with the seatbacks, and perhaps that will make a difference.

One thing I did notice, however: they were all very heavy. I was looking for the weight of the SoundSeat in the specs, but could not find it. Could someone check that for me?

Thanks,
Alex

Well I received my own SoundSeat today ( http://www.soundseat.com ) and I must say this is one great seat for performing in. It is definately NOT just an office chair. It is quite firm yet comfortable with great support in the small of the back for sitting at a keyboard. Excellent for playing posture. It tapers toward the front like a drummer's seat so it allows free leg movement for those using floor pedals and doesn't cut off blood flow in your legs. The seat has a gas lift to adjust height to suit.

Plus J.R. tailors the chair to suit your chosen playing height and is very concerned that his customers are happy. He wants to talk personally to all his customers to ensure they get what they want. In fact you have to talk with J.R. to order a SoundSeat. That is such a refreshing change nowadays. I have spoken with J.R. on a few occasions now and he is a very genuine guy and has confidence that musicians will find his seats comfortable for long performances. He is a drummer himself and has spent countless hours sitting and playing which is what made him develop his SoundSeat range. And in the chance there is any problem after purchasing J.R. can be contacted and he will provide product support.

Thanks so much J.R. !!! I know I will be making lots of music from this seat.

Terry, you left out the fact that I placed a ''Flash-Bang'' in there just to get your attention! LOL

My best,



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J. R.

Dear Nigel, Terry, and members:
Thanks Nigel! As this is our first keyboard group, I was worried about my ''babies'' being up to task. A special thanks to Terry for giving me the so much useful information in our conversations. As you get to know me here, and quite possibly on other forums, I hope everyone will see that Jack and I are driven by this quest for comfort and quality. I love to discuss these things with my customers. Besides I like to hear myself talk. Heck, if I can't add a drum track, I might as well talk over YOUR keyboard track. LOL, just kidding troops! This is so nice.

Thanks again, and, my best,



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J. R.