Time for a new guitar strap

[wintermoon]

I have 2 leather straps.
the oldest is I believe a Levy's, maybe 20 yrs old or so and is my favorite, but beginning to crack around the button opening, and is getting near retirement. the one thing I didn't like about it was on super hot days sometimes the dye bled onto my shirt collar/shoulder.

the other is an Italia that was a pain in the neck in the beginning--because it was way to thick to fit over a standard button.
but the folks @ Italia sent me 2 more progressively thinner ones, the last was finally just right.
they're having their annual summer bo-go sale until Wed., so I need to act fast if I go w/them again.

I want to order an all leather black 2.5" wide strap--no padding, not too thin or thick, what are you using?

[TedBPhx]

I have a couple of nice leather ones but much prefer the cheapie nylons because they're easier to adjust to exactly the length I want.

[wintermoon]

I have a strap dedicated for each of my 2 gigging guitars, so once adjusted they stay that way.
thanks

[Generalmojo]

I have Reunion Blues Marino wool straps on all of my guitars. It takes a while to wear them in. But they are very comfortable, look good, and last forever. One has probably over 500 3-hour gigs plus many rehearsals in between and it's more comfortable than the newer ones that I have.


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[Top of the Arch!]

I have a 2 1/2" black leather strap an old girlfriend gave me in 1976, it was originally hard and stiff but now its soft as butter. You can see how its stretched out over the years but I use it just for my archtops these days. Bob

[Herbie]

I like broad leather ones too. I think I have 5 or 6 Minotaur Old Rocker straps. I am afraid that they are not made anymore.

I had some Italia straps but they were sooo thick and stiff. I thought that I don't have the years to wait them get soft and ideal for me!

Good luck finding The One. You would think that it is just a piece of leather but no way, there is myriad of things to go wrong!

[lammie200]

I have several Levy's and several Franklins.

[neatomic]

funny we were just talking up levy's straps on the tele thread...still a good quality strap making co...they do oem for a lot of the guitar companies..good quality leather

here's one that would fit your requirements...23 beans @ amazon..hah

Levy's Leathers DM17-BLK Leather Guitar Strap



cheers

[Greentone]

That's the strap I like. Get one for your archtops and one for your solid-body guitars. If you get an un-dyed leather one, it won't bleed onto your clothing.

[JazzNote]

I have one for every guitar i'm gigging with, but they are 3"
Levy's PM44T01 3" Tooled Leather Guitar Strap - Acorn & Oak Leaves

After i bought the first of these i just didn't want to go back to anything else as they are very comfortable and look great.

I also bought a 2,5" but don't really use it as i prefer the comfort of the wider ones:
Levy's 2½" M17T07 Tooled Checkerboard Design Carving Leather Guitar/Bass Strap

and as Greentone says the black bleeds faintly onto the white shirts which i'm sometimes wearing on gigs. (But fortunately my wife does not mind washing the shirts :-).

[wintermoon]

thanks Jazznote, I like my straps to be good quality, but plain jane/non attention grabbing.

GT, I've only owned one solid body in my life, a MIJ Strat I took in on trade for about 15 minutes.
I can't even play a thinline comfortably, been using full size/depth guitars since jump.

but i'm leaning to the Italia if I can get them to make a thinner than standard thickness again.
maybe this time I'll get a black outside w/natural leather inside to ward off the dye bleed.

not ruling out the Levy's Neatomic and Greentone like.

[marcwhy]

Try: Brookwood Leather - Custom Leather Guitar and Bass Straps Click HERE to ORDERor CONTACT click here toJoin the Brookwood Leather Fans on Facebook or

The Seventh String Guitar Strap - Best Guitar Straps, Custom Guitar Straps, Leather Guitar Straps

[Piedaddy]

+1 for Brookwood. I have two and they are great. Handmade and fully customizable. Not inexpensive but a great indulgence.

[wintermoon]

thanks guys, the Brookwoods look fantastic, but knowing me after spending $200, I'd lose it in a week.

so, I went w/the Italia again.
the customer service guy said they're using a thinner leather these days as 9 yrs ago when I ordered my first one they were getting some complaints of them being too thick to fit over standard strap buttons.
really nice customer service guy, Michael.

they're on sale now buy one-get one for just 2 more days. I got a pair of extra long straps for about $90 shipped.

[zigzag]

The leather strap in the center was custom made by a leather craftsman I discovered about 20 minutes down the road. $60. He does mail orders. North Star Leather Co., Ruby, SC. He says he doesn't do custom, but he did this for me. If you like it, I'm sure he'd do it for you. He has a black that he also does, and he lines it with a material that I'm betting won't bleed, or I'm sure he'd leave it natural if you wanted it that way.

Guitar Straps: North Star Leather Co.

[oldane]

Living i Europe, I had Hand Made Belts make me one a couple of years ago to the length I specified and in a nice tan colour which maches nicely the tinted natural colour of the guitar it's used on. Now that they were at it, they also made a trouser belt for me. Both seem to outlive me - thick, rugged, extremely strong, high quality leather. The strap was a little slick and slippery on the inside but a fast scraping with a sharp knife held perpedicular to the leather fixed that. Not expensive. They no longer have guitar straps on their website, but it can't hurt to ask if they would do one - I suspect they might as they are a custom manufacturer only, no shelf stock. They are in the classic British leather making tradition which is also reflected by say the classic Brooks bycycle saddles (also UK hand made). Not practical for US people but we are many Europeans here too.

[Little Jay]

I have a couple of cheapos from Harley Benton from thomann.de, they only €19,90 ($25 or so). Real leather, good quality, they look great and they come in comfortable wide sizes as well as also extra long lengths. No need for me to spend more $$$.

http://www.thomann.de/nl/harley_bent...dded_braun.htm

[Boston Joe]

I favor cheap-ass black nylon straps. 1. They're cheap, so I can have one for each guitar. 2. They're adjustable. 3. It's a strap. Who cares?

I do have a nice leather strap that my GF gave me for Christmas. It's on the Tele at the moment, but I move it around.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I used to me a vegetarian and the smell of leather still grosses me out (and the smell of sandalwood and patchouli turns me on, but I digress), so it's Planet Waves nylon straps for me. I have one with a locking mechanism built into it which is cool, cuz like most jazz guys, I can't quite justify strap locks. No, let me toss that out: does anyone here use strap locks on an archtop?

[whiskey02]

I bought a great strap through Etsy from Lore Leathers; outstanding materials and workmanship and silly affordable price. I'm more and more pleased with it. No affiliation, just think they make a great product.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoreLeatherProducts

[campusfive]

I tried to go the vintage route, and do one of those leather straps around the headstock, but the playing position was just never really right.

Eventually I gave in and put strap buttons on all of my acoustic archtops. I enjoy the Reunion Blues Merino Straps (one in black and one in the pinstripe). I find both are sufficiently non-descript, but the pinstripe is a classy touch. They are super comfortable, with a little bit of give, which is nice for my heavy National. But they have two drawbacks: 1) the metal buckle, 2) they take up a lot of space in a case.

So, I went back to a very old friend that I hadn't seen in stores for years, but of course they're still made: Levy's basic cotton strap. Comfy, just grippy enough, and very packable.

I also don't play standing most of the time, and don't use a strap seated, so it's only when I need to stand that I break out the strap at all. I leave a Levy's strap in both the hardshell and gig bags I use for my acoustic archtops, and I leave a Reunion Blues one in the case with both my ES-150 and my National. Actually, the national pretty much has a strap on it most of the time.

Oh last thing about the Reunion Blues one, the leather ends are pretty stiff at first, and needed some kneading before they'd comfortable fit over some of my strap buttons and end pins. Still, they are super comfortable, and that is temporary.

[Boston Joe]

I used to me a vegetarian and the smell of leather still grosses me out (and the smell of sandalwood and patchouli turns me on, but I digress), so it's Planet Waves nylon straps for me. I have one with a locking mechanism built into it which is cool, cuz like most jazz guys, I can't quite justify strap locks. No, let me toss that out: does anyone here use strap locks on an archtop?

I usually put strap locks on all my guitars. I haven't done it lately, because I've been lazy about it, but back in the day, I dropped my guitar way too many times because the strap slipped off the button.

[wintermoon]

it looks like the Italia's are a best buy as well as great quality.
been very happy w/them for 9 yrs.

only one more day left for buy one get one free!
[no, I'm not a relative or shareholder]

[Thumpalumpacus]

I've used Levy's suede for the last twenty years or so. Being an SG guy, it's kinda necessary.

I've heard good things about Italia's customer service, and this seems to be another one.

[Herbie]

(...) No, let me toss that out: does anyone here use strap locks on an archtop?

Strap locks all the way. No hassle on the gigs. Especially on valuable archtops, they need just one drop and You have a nasty crack on the top.

Especially because I play standing on the stage. If I sat I might think differently.