An essential ingredient of a guitar player's setup is an often underappreciated one!
With more options than ever, in this guide we explain why a guitar strap is so important and help you find the right one for your instrument!
Ultimate Guide to
Guitar Straps
A guitar strap isn’t the most exciting piece of gear to shop for - we know that. However, a guitar strap serves as the lifeline for your precious instrument so you'll want to ensure that you are using one that is reliable, comfortable and cool.
In this guide, we’ll be taking you through the vast variety of guitar straps that are available today. Taking a closer look, we’ll also investigate different materials (and their benefits) as well as the huge choice of designs and patterns. We’ll cover strap lock systems and their importance too, as an extra level of security certainly doesn’t hurt!
How to find the right Guitar Strap
If you’re a beginner, buying everything you need to get started on your musical journey is an exciting prospect. There are plenty of accessories out there that you can purchase to accompany your guitar or bass, but a strap is certainly one of the most essential.
Why? Because a guitar strap is the component that supports your guitar or bass. Without it, you won’t be able to play your instrument in a standing position, which means that you won’t be able to rock out on stage!
Consider the weight of your Guitar/Bass
When some guitars and basses can weigh up to 4-5 kilograms, a good quality guitar strap should be designed to handle that weight without breaking a sweat. For example, Gibson Les Paul guitars are notorious for being heavy due to their all-mahogany construction - which is why you should find a strap that can take the weight.
Width
With that previous point in mind, it’s worth considering the width of a guitar strap as it directly affects comfort. For example, if you’re using an instrument on the heavier side, then a wider strap will distribute the weight across your shoulder more evenly. This means it will feel less straining on your shoulder or back, so if you intend to play long sets then you might want to consider this.
By that logic, if you use a thin strap to support a heavy instrument, then it will dig into your shoulder and cause pain. This is something that you shouldn’t put yourself through! The benefit of a thinner strap however is that it may feel less cumbersome and some may think it looks better. Using an acoustic or hollow-body? Then you could certainly get away with using a strap like this.
Some guitar straps out there will also feature a padded section in case you suffer particularly badly with shoulder pain. Some examples have a thick foam pad stitched into the strap, cushioning your shoulder to relieve stress and strain.
Durability
You should also consider a guitar strap that offers great longevity. A high-quality strap will serve you for a few good years, while offering comfort and flexibility when you’re up on stage. You’ll notice that there are many brands out there with different designs and styles.
Using materials such as leather, cotton, nylon and suede; players have their own preferences in terms of look and feel. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to materials, but we’ve broken down their differences later in this guide.
Guitar Strap Materials
If you want to get out there and rock, you want to do it in style! In the world of music, the right “look” plays a part in your success. By this, we don’t mean you have to be super flamboyant or extroverted by buying the brightest, most artistic strap out there. What we mean is that buying a strap that suits the aesthetics of your instrument accentuates its appearance as well as your own.
However, the most important factor of a decent guitar strap is its functionality. That's why we’ve investigated the different types of guitar straps available out there. As with guitars themselves, the materials used often determine the feel, durability and price of your strap. Let's take a closer look at the most popular options:
Leather Guitar Straps
Leather is a material that you’ll see used in many mid to high-end guitar straps. Leather is a luxury, natural material which generally has a high price-tag anywhere, as it’s strong and can withstand a lot of wear and tear. Because of its durability, you'll find that even straps made of other materials use leather for the parts that take the most stress (such as the ends). It's also fairly easy to source, so you'll often find a great variety in terms of feel and appearance.
Nylon Guitar Straps
Nylon is arguably the most common material used in guitar strap manufacturing. It's inexpensive, synthetic and easy to dye - so you'll often find a wealth of options in terms of appearance. Nylon is also very strong and difficult to stretch or rip, as well as being smooth. This makes it a very comfortable, easily adjustable material to work with. If it helps, it's the same material that seatbelts are made of - so you know your guitar will be safe with a nylon strap!
Polyester Guitar Straps
Straps constructed from polyester are at the lower end price-wise, but still provide plenty of durability. Again, one of the big advantages with polyester guitar straps is that they are easy to dye and print onto. Because of this, you'll often see polyester straps with patterned and stylised designs on. If you like your accessories to be eye-catching and unique, a polyester guitar strap might just be the one for you!
Cotton Guitar Straps
Cotton is a natural material, and guitar straps made from this material are often quite affordable. With a rougher feel, cotton does not slip over your clothing easily like nylon or some leathers. While some may prefer their strap to have less friction, cotton may be preferable if you like your guitar to stay put when you're playing it. Further to this, if your guitar is heavy or imbalanced in terms of its weight - a high-friction cotton strap may be beneficial to help you to keep your balance.
Popular Guitar Strap Brands
Tonnes of brands produce their own guitar straps, however there are a select few that are particularly popular with players - such as Levy's, Ernie Ball, Jim Dunlop and Air. Use the carousels below to shop through our selection of their guitar straps:
Levy's Guitar Straps
Ernie Ball Guitar Straps
Jim Dunlop Guitar Straps
Air Guitar Straps
Guitar Strap Locks
Strap locks offer an extra degree of reassurance. Although most guitar straps latch on to your guitar's strap pins, there's always a chance that they'll slip off. A strap lock is a simple gadget that prevents your strap from coming loose at any point. Speaking from personal experience, this can save you from serious embarrassment – not to mention money!
How do Strap Locks work?
There are several varieties of strap lock out there. One of the most popular, made by Schaller, features a screw-on bolt design that's not only aimed at locking your strap in place, but also allows for safe and hassle-free detachment when you need it. The Schaller strap locks replace your existing strap pins with an easy screw-in design.
Manufacturers like Jim Dunlop and Stagg offer similar screw-in strap lock options, but if you're looking for something super straighforward - the Jim Dunlop Straplok clips on to your existing strap pins, to provide simple protection against looseness or detachment.
How to fix loose Guitar Strap Pins
Loose strap pins can be a fairly common problem, which arises after years of playing the same guitar. If the strap pins on your instrument are loosening, then it won’t fill you with confidence playing on stage. Knowing that they could rip out of your guitar any minute will make you sweat with anxiety!
We wouldn’t recommend using glue to seal the strap pins, as once you do that it will be nearly impossible to remove them if need be (and will devalue your guitar). One trick that works well is to remove the offending pin and and to insert a cocktail stick into the hole. Make sure you snapped the stick to the correct length first, and then gently re-install the strap pin. As the screw will have fresh unaffected wood to grip into, it should keep a strong, unified bond to the guitar body.
Conclusion
You may have never imagined putting so much thought into choosing your guitar strap! Hopefully after reading this article, you're feeling far more informed about the different choices available on the market.
Whether you need a simple solution to practice standing up at home, a heavy-duty strap for the long haul, or anything in between - you now know what to look out for.