Your guitar strap.

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 11:27 am

What is everyone using for guitar straps these days? I'm mainly using black Gibson seatbelt style straps, which I would have prefered with a Ric logo on them.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 11:49 am

i have this plain black leather ladder-type strap

its solid and wide (ish) which is good as RIC's can be a bit heavy

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 12:02 pm

I've used the same black leather strap for 25+ years, its served me well

philco · Post by **philco** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 12:13 pm

I have a plain black leather strap with one of those round yellow smiley faces on it with a bullet hole between his eyes and blood running down Smiley's face. I had to have it as soon as I saw it.

bassman · Post by **bassman** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 12:46 pm

Like Scott, I too have been using the same strap for the past 25+ years. Its leather, 3" wide and made by FretSling. I believe they went out of business years ago. To bad, it's very comfortable.

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 1:48 pm

I use Levy's 2" wide black leather seatbelt style straps. They sound better than the others.

dougp · Post by **dougp** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 12:37 pm

The drummer in my band does custom leather & fabric work, so I use one of her creations ...

dano · Post by **dano** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 3:17 pm

I use Levy's 2 1/2" straps. The brown one sounds the best! No, but seriously now, the brown one is older (with Levy's stamped on the inside). It feels as if the padding is thicker. I bought this at a yard sale for $1.00 and its the best strap I've ever used! I started a similar thread a while back and the majority here prefers Levy's.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 6:09 pm

I have Fender cloth straps that are about two inches wide, and they don't say Fender on them, but they are very comfortable, I think they are made of cotton, they're light and cool and don't slip like nylon, but are more flexible than leather. They also make different colors that match your basses.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 5:57 am

funny old world - bob i have one of them, its like olive coloured. has a fender badge on it tho

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 9:33 am

Yeah I have several Owen, and an olive colored one too, it's on my mapleglo here in Lima. It kind of looks like pea soup.

philco · Post by **philco** » Sun Sep 28, 2003 5:29 am

Has anybody had any experience with army surplus detachable backpack straps? It looks like they might have some possibilities (I own a nice surplus A.L.I.C.E. pack, and my straps are staying on the pack for the time being), and are slightly curved instead of being straight. It's definitely an ergonomic design developed through experience. They would need extensions to work as guitar straps, but were designed to carry heavy loads for hours and are basically indestructible. They are rather short, but the part that sits on your shoulder is the only part that really counts.

Yeah, I know, olive drab doesn't exactly fit any RIC color scheme. It's basically for a person where functionality at a nearly free price is everything and styling is nothing (unless you are in a band where nonstyle is the style). You're not going to run into anybody else anytime soon with a similar guitar strap. The Rickenbacker leather strap with the sliding leather pad would be somewhat in the same vein, but at several times the price. The A.L.I.C.E. strap just looks more ergonomically correct with styling being the form-follows-function type. That means it's butt uly to most people. It might work for a "stripped down" guitar such as the 650D in natural finish.

I could tie shoe strings to each end just to check it out, I suppose. Since the straps come in left and right side configurations, a lefty has no trouble getting a custom fitted strap as easily as a right handed person. Army surplus stores are everywhere in the States.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Sun Sep 28, 2003 6:27 am

....or....you could just buy a nice guitar strap

philco · Post by **philco** » Sun Sep 28, 2003 9:24 am

That wouldn't be tacky, cheap, and original, Owen.

Some leather or cord boot laces that were braided together could complete the strap. The strap buttons on the guitar can be inserted anywhere along the braid in order to adjust the fit. You could call it the "GI Joker" strap. There are some players that refuse to spend big money on gear, even if they have it to spend, and only look for something that works no matter how offbeat it is. I remember the first punk rock band I saw. A GI Joker strap would have been rather tame compared to some of the gear and garb they used.

An old cast off leather belt also works. I have a video that shows John Entwistle using a wide leather strap that has a HUGE belt buckle between his left shoulder and the bass. I have yet to understand why the huge belt buckle was necessary and why he placed it in front instead of in back where it would have been out of the way, but he was using it like that anyway. Pete looked to be using about the cheapest straps he could find, and seemed to custom tailor his shirts with a razor blade, and he could definitely afford nice ones.

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 5:04 am

I like those thin leather belt like things with a wider padded sliding shoulder rest, like the Buddy Holly type. Hard to find, as they look old fashioned.