Are you bothered by the term "armpit guitar?"

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 12 Aug 2016 10:42 pm

I really dislike that term. Does anybody else feel the same way?

John Booth · Post by **John Booth** » 12 Aug 2016 11:11 pm

I dunno, I've been playing the armpit guitar since 1960
and the term just amuses me.
Jb

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 13 Aug 2016 12:22 am

It's inelegant and neat at the same time. It describes a regular 6-string electric guitar without having to type all that. Armpits aren't nice but it could be worse.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 13 Aug 2016 4:17 am

I'd prefer 'axillary instrument' but it doesn't roll off the tongue as well.
I'd never heard of armpit guitar before joining this forum. I'm indifferent to it.

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 13 Aug 2016 4:34 am

Tom Campbell · Post by **Tom Campbell** » 13 Aug 2016 5:34 am

Maybe "under-arm guitar"???

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 13 Aug 2016 5:37 am

No more than when non-steel related forums refer to steel guitars as table steels, etc.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 13 Aug 2016 6:54 am

For over a hundred years, it's been referred to as "straight guitar", so I see no reason to change it now to a two-syllable slang term. What's next? Calling a ukelele a "little-bitty-titty guitar"?

Michael Maddex · Post by **Michael Maddex** » 13 Aug 2016 8:00 am

You got your classical guitar. You got your electric guitar. You got your lap guitar. You got your pedal steel guitar. You got your twelve-string flattop. You got your long-scale electric bass guitar. I could go on into next week, but you got your picture. 'Armpit guitar' seems unnecessary and redundant and more than a little gross to me. Language is a living, vibrant thing. I try to be nice to mine. Some people will go on abusing it long after we are gone. YMMV.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 13 Aug 2016 8:47 am

I'm sure not going to say armpit bass.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 13 Aug 2016 9:19 am

Not that it matters - but as a guitar player, I don't like the term. The only place I've ever heard that term used is on this forum. To 99.999%+ of the world, it's a guitar - or if you feel the need to distinguish between steel guitar and guitar, it's "fretted", "Spanish", or even "standard" guitar as opposed to a "steel" or "Hawaiian" guitar. And yes, there are such things as fretless guitars, and someone who is into guitars normally describes them as "fretless guitars". The use of the frets to describe a "standard" guitar is an essential distinguishing feature of the way they're played.

"Armpit" is also, IMO, an inaccurate term. I've played guitar for most of my life (I'm in my 60s). I hold a guitar about as high on my chest as anybody I've ever seen - most guitar players these days tend to hang a guitar pretty low, well away from their upper chest entirely. But even my Firebird V, with its extended upper horn on the lower bout, doesn't contact my armpit.

I'm only saying something because the question was asked - feel free to completely ignore this. But next time someone gets in an uproar about the term "country" being applied to that brand of country music known as "modern country music", people who are sensitive about terminology might want to think about their own use of language. It is possible to find even accurate, yet tasteless, terminology for nearly anything. This does not make it a good idea, IMHO.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 13 Aug 2016 10:14 am

We are all familiar with Gibson's terms "SG"ans "ES175 or 335"

SG stands for Spanish Guitar, and ES, for Electric Spanish. Here on this forum, we often use the term "6 string guitar," Which is at least an accurate description.

For some reason, the term armpit guitar really bugs me. I feel it's insulting to the instrument and it's players.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 13 Aug 2016 10:31 am

Maybe we can just say AG.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 13 Aug 2016 10:44 am

While I agree with your general sentiment, Mike, Gibson's terminology was:

ES = "Electric Spanish" guitar
EH = "Electric Hawaiian" guitar
SG = "Solid Guitar", from the SG model
J = "Jumbo" (acoustic guitar)
SJ = "Super Jumbo"
and so on

Maybe we can just say AG.

Charlie, you can call it anything you want. But a guitar is a guitar to pretty much the entire civilized world. If AG was used, it would probably stand for "Acoustic Guitar".

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 13 Aug 2016 10:48 am

That works.

Bryan Staddon · Post by **Bryan Staddon** » 13 Aug 2016 11:17 am

I thought armpit guitar was when you stuck your hand under your pit and squeezed out smoke on the water!

Wesley Medlen · Post by **Wesley Medlen** » 13 Aug 2016 12:04 pm

I agree it doesn't sound good at all. Wes

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 13 Aug 2016 1:26 pm

I'm only offended by armpits that don't have guitars under them...

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 13 Aug 2016 1:54 pm

It's my main axe, and no, it absolutely doesn't bother me in the least. Considering it's kind of the dominant, ubiquitous instrument in Western music for decades, I think it can stand a little joshing.....

Butch Mullen · Post by **Butch Mullen** » 13 Aug 2016 5:23 pm

no like

David Duncan · Post by **David Duncan** » 13 Aug 2016 6:15 pm

I'm with Jim on this!

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 13 Aug 2016 6:18 pm

Which Jim?

David Duncan · Post by **David Duncan** » 13 Aug 2016 6:26 pm

You J.C., I do believe playing is good for the soul but I also understand Michael's revulsion to the term.
It's funny that it makes me think of Frank Zappa's song about parts of your body favorite or otherwise.

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 14 Aug 2016 11:15 am

There's so much else to be troubled about.

If the term were used referring to me, I'd figure I'd dodged a bullet.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 15 Aug 2016 1:47 am

I think, rather clearly, it's a childish, vituperative insult calculated to elevate all us cheese slicer players and ironing board players and string table players above and beyond all those ordinary thrashing, bashing simpletons, at least in our own childish and vituperative minds. Not being so equipped, I always call them UNDERARM guitars. Stylish and 62% less insulting.

Maybe 47.5%...?

The Steel Guitar Forum

Are you bothered by the term "armpit guitar?"

Are you bothered by the term "armpit guitar?"

Armpit.?

Way down my list