Guitar Straps

A long time ago, I got interested in making custom guitar straps.  I sold a fair number of them on eBay and at guitar shows, but I decided that they were high in cool factor, but it took too long to make them.  Of course, I made several for my own use and have been using those off and on for many years.  In the end, I had about 15-20 of them left that went into storage, until now.   These straps are not used.  They are NOS.

Since I'm feeling lazy today, I'm going to paste in the text from my old listings that tell you about the straps in general.  Then there is a page with pics and a bit of info about each specific strap.

I made all my straps 100% by hand here in Dallas, Texas.  Only hand tools were used in their construction.  Even the holes for the thread and lacing were hand-punched, and all sewing and lacing was done by hand.  The backing of the strap is 3” wide heavy black leather (except one, noted otherwise), with the finished (smooth side) out.  I cut these straps from full leather sides myself.  Each piece of leather, hide, or other material was individually selected for color, consistency, pattern, tanning, size, shape, condition, and other criteria.  It was not unusual for me to look at 50+ hides before selecting one for a strap.  My straps also come with Schaller strap locks installed, and include the parts that go on your guitar, which match the parts on the strap (chrome or black).  In most cases, you just unscrew the strap lock on your guitar and screw in the Schaller piece - very simple.  If the old screw holes are too large for the Schaller screws (unlikely), then break off wooden toothpicks in the screw hole, jamming enough in the hole to completely fill it.  Then the smaller Schaller screw should hold tightly, and without any modification to your guitar.

These straps are built heavy and they are a bit heavy.  They will be a little stiff until they conform to your body and guitar, sort of like new boots.  The lighter your guitar, the longer that will take.  I make them wide to distribute the weight of heavier guitars and make them more comfortable.  Many of my straps include reptile skins.  Reptile skins will last varying amounts of time, depending on care and usage.  If you periodically condition them, don’t get them wet/dirty, and don’t rough them up, they should last for years.

Unless I’ve noted otherwise, I specify a range of lengths for each strap.  I usually don’t punch all the adjustment holes that could be there, because I think it looks better without the extra holes most of the time.  Tell me what length you need (within the range available on that strap), and I’ll punch holes for that length.  I can add an extra hole on each side of that length, in case you use different guitars or something.  If the adjustment leaves too much “extra” tail strap, I can usually shorten them (but not always).  In a few cases, I may also be able to provide a different tail piece to make the strap longer, but it would likely have to be a plain black one and I have very few left to choose from and not all of them will work in specific cases.  In some cases, the holes might need to be shifted slightly to miss metal spots, seams, etc.  Please contact me about customizing the length before you buy to make sure it will work out for you.  To determine the length for your strap, adjust one of your current straps to the correct length.  Carefully remove it from your guitar and stretch it out flat.  Measure the distance between the centers of the two holes.  Do not measure the full length of the strap – just the distance between the centers of the holes you were using.  That’s the length I need to know.  I will make your new strap have about the same distance between the centers of the strap locks.  Or if you prefer, I can ship them "as is" and you can punch the holes where you want them.

I use these straps myself, of course, and I hope you’ll be as happy with them as I am.  I’ve sold several and everyone has been pleased with them.  Drop me a line if you have any questions.  I know they aren’t cheap, but they are made of good materials, often including expensive exotic hides, conchos, and other parts.  The strap locks alone cost more than most of the straps hanging in your local music store.  Even just the lace or a single concho in one of my straps costs as much as some of those mass-production straps.  Above the cost of the materials and shipping, the remaining cost is well under minimum wage for my time.  But you’ll have a unique, completely handmade American strap, which is sure to catch some attention. 

I will ship only to the United States.  Please know that all hides were legal, with CITES tags on the imported exotics.  None were listed as endangered species by the USA.  However, individual states could have restrictions on specific items.  That’s never been a problem, but I don’t know all the state laws, so please check before ordering.  I cannot be responsible for your local laws on wildlife products.

Exotic hides will not last forever, but with care they can last a long time.  Don't use them in the rain or get them soaking wet.  Treat them like other leather products.  Reptile skins in particular need some cleaning and conditioning occasionally to keep them from getting too dry and cracking.  You can easily find spray cans of reptile conditioner/cleaner online.  Or if you have a cowboy boot store nearby, they may sell it for their exotic hide boots.  Regular leather should last a long time with minimal care.  Even so, every now and then a bit of leather conditioner will help keep it soft and pliable, clean off some of the sweat, etc.  Some of the conchos are made of "German Silver".  They are an alloy of metals, but there is no silver in them.  Most have a clearcoat on them to prevent rusting and corrosion.  If you wear off or chip the coating, you might get some tarnish spots to remove with some metal polish.  Other chains, studs, screw posts, etc are unlikely to have finish/tarnish problems.

I don't like these strap locks (or any others) on SGs.  The upper one has to be mounted backwards.  That would probably work with all these straps, but I don't recommend it.  It is very difficult to put the strap locks on some of these straps due to their thickness.  I have only the chrome and black strap locks.  Each strap got the color I thought looked best, but I can probably swap them for you.  If you don't want the strap locks, just know that there is a round hole for the shaft of each strap lock.  That hole probably won't fit your current strap button, but might if you make a small cut at the top of the hole.  It may still not work well due to the thickness of the strap.  There are other strap locks that may be compatible with the current strap lock holes, so it may be possible to swap the Schallers for something else but that's up to you.

PSSTTT....  If you don't care for these straps check out the ones at Cactus Mountain Designs.  I have no affiliation with them other than being a happy customer!

 

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As it is with everything in the "Other Gear" section of this site, check out the pics and descriptions carefully and ask any questions you may have before you purchase.  Once you purchase, there are NO REFUNDS, EXCHANGES, CREDITS, or other changes!  All sales are final.  

Payment is by PayPal.  Shipping is to US addresses only.  Shipping charges seem high to me and appear to fluctuate.  As a result, I do not post a shipping cost.  I will use the USPS calculator to calculate the shipping from Dallas, 75287 to your address, based on the dimensions and weight of the package.  Items will be shipped USPS Priority with tracking, insured for the purchase price.  Please do not send a PayPal until we calculate the correct shipping charge and verify that the item is still available.  Once I know your shipping address, I'll send you an invoice for the full amount, and you can decide at that point if you want to make a purchase.

Thank you!