Tales from.. ..The StrapLab!

[TVvoodoo]

Happy Halloween!

Tonight I bring you a special new Wild Things issue called "Black Croc" now in the Well-Hung store.
I made two of 'em.

Rumour is, if you paint a large red dollar sign on your floor, light some candles, and scream the name of this strap out three times,
an apparition of one Lawrence Fink may suddenly appear and award you a GAZILLION dollar$$$$!!!!!!!!

There's a bit more to the contract, but that remains to be detailed on the reverb listing.

Beautiful, timelessly elegant strap, with the badassery only crocodile-embossed cowhide can provide,
but also with the pure padded creature comfort Well-Hung is known for. 3" wide, 45-59" length.

Here's hoping you are all enjoying a fun evening that includes more treatery, less trickery!

 

[TVvoodoo]

Two frequent flyer Well-Hung Warriors ordered the same custom guitar strap build at the very same time for two,
pretty much equally desirable guitars (my opinion). Now you get to try out your "strap sense" and help me figure out...

Please note your preference, and why not add a couple words why? But really, both dudes are stellar W-H tribesmen, this is just for fun.
Really, I'd be totally happy getting fewer votes but owning either of these beauties!

 

[ᛗᛜᛜᚺDᛜᎶ Ꮤᛨᚳᚴ]

It looks WAY better on the Explorer IMO! My prob with it on the PRS is the color mismatch. The color on the strap would need to be a lot more copper looking for it to work. The stirpes are a really good match with the stripes on the PRS, but the color dif makes me wanna barf ;~(^)

 

[TVvoodoo]

Up in the store is one of my best of 2024, top five for sure. "Ghost Lord" is a No Prisoners Series strap, with big clunky conchos, black with metal wearing through. They are on a fake leather belt, along with some rivets and other bling, all that sits on a highly distressed black crackle on light gray.

It's 3" wide on the shoulder, strong ends, rolled edges, padded and lined for luxury play..This would totally destroy on a white paul with black and nickel.

Jesse in Nashville's a busy guy. I mean, showcases, pool parties, regular stage and studio work, all that...
If ever a fella was walking the Well-hung swagger with authori-tay! he's one of 'em.
He bought this "Cowpuncher" strap maybe eight years ago, and it's still going strong.

So nice of him to take a few minutes last week to make some public notes after picking up an Axe Warrior, military guitar sling.

This was one of my design "inventions" of last year, I thought it was a game changer and figured I'd sell dozens... LOL! Didn't take.

If you're looking for something totally different, one that over-delivers on my comfort promise, plus groundbreaking bonus features, this is one I'd suggest. I just hope it doesn't take dude another ten years to buy his next one!

 

[TVvoodoo]

Today's as good a day as any to fly up a new Ol' Glory in the store in the traditional painted denim.

This is painted denim, in my Class Act form factor, with a handy and secure Conway buckle. 3" wide, super comfy.
Gonna look so good in a few years... like you were born wearing it.

I also have a "Dark Patriot" version in the store too.

Made by my own two hands with respect for a bitchin' neighbor!

 

[TVvoodoo]

I've had head-butting situations with plenty folks who maintain a 2" wide poly guitar strap is the ideal best kind of guitar strap available. Not sure why those folks think so, as I personally find them invariably pressure-point poundin' and slippy-aroundy - Many of them are made SO cheap, I don't know if i'd trust my junkiest guitar on most of them anymore. But the cheap-factor is also often mentioned on why they love them...

All that said, on a whim yesterday, I made a cool one one of you poly-amorous fellows totally deserves!
As a bonus, I believe it might also be the worst guitar strap to ever leave my bench. I'll do anything for a buck LOL!

It's genuine seat belt from a '78 Impala, in a nice semi-glossy pewter, and will totally pound your shoulder pressure points into submission, (as is the industry standard for such things). But it also includes the seat belt lock assembly too, with heavy leather ends sewed, glued AND riveted with flatted rivets on the backside. It's also so very slippy, it will cause your neck diving guitar to be just as out-of-control as that Impala was before it ended up at the auto wreckers. Some guys dig that.

It also clicks home with a very satisfying "CLICK!" and you can put that assembly on the front, or back end of your guitar.
There are three cool things about this strap:
1. It's VERY easy and fast to adjust, between low 30" all the way to 56".
2. I made a nice little loop to handle the excess strappage if you want to keep it shorter than 50" or so. My own innovation on this thing.
3. I would not offer it for sale if I did not believe it is totally safe, secure and possibly ideal for your
auto-themed guitar that you never play for more than an hour at a time.

Also another innovative thing off my bench today, a couple of surfboards LOL!

Joe is a bass-player and picked up a couple of my 3" straps about eight months ago. He liked them so much, but he figures he needs even more comfort and asked me to make a couple of 4" wide straps, in fabric. Never done it before, so I was game to try. I hope they work for him, they feel pretty awesome to wear, but man, they just look a bit comical to me. Black on black dragon silk, and black paisley. I have another guy in the wings who's craving a 5" wide strap, I just don't know. Where does it end?

Finally, new in the store... "Crockle" is really cool beast, 3" wide as is my typical format.

Appears to me some wife thought she was doing her husband a favour by thrifting-out his well-worn highly patina'd old crocodile belt.
OH THE HORROR! Too bad dude, I added some bright nickle dome studs and it now makes a totally excellent leather-on-herringbone-tweed No Prisoner series strap.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Little bit of a custom job change-up here... some tooling for a change! Gettin' rusty!

JP feels like this 1958 Multivox Premier Bantam guitar of his deserves something kind of special. He sent me a ton of pics, and he's got quite a few more of these off the beaten path collectors items in his stable. Anyway, he claims this one is a rare original with a flamed top and gold finish on the back and sides. Makes me think maybe the gold was removed from the top at some point but he says it's original other than a refret.

It's got crazy pickguard and knobs, that feature multi-layered silvery star sort of pattern. Lots of checking, and even a stinger on the neck, before they were cool LOL! just a cool piece.

He was hoping for the torch logo larger on the top of the headstock on the strap, so that wasn't too much of a reach, some tooling and painting...

but I really liked the multi-star effect, so I pitched to mimic that along the sides of the strap... I don't know how close I'm going to get to that sparkle effect, but it will interesting to say the least

I'll pick away at this one over the weekend, and he's got another one lined up, and instrument even a little wackier than this one... stay tuned for next week.

 

[TVvoodoo]

New in the store today is "Diamond Jim" a continuance of my leather and tweed No Prisoners series.

The braided belt is fake, but the metal diamond bits are pretty chonky and real. Full on top grain leather ends front and back.

Also moved a few steps ahead with the "Premier" custom... masked it off and used silver wax paste on the star sections...

After the mask removed, coming out pretty darn cool! This afternoon now completed the back buckle Class Act adjustment securement..

Just laying a few coats of finish on it before I can pad, line it and stitch it all together.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Mr. Smith in Maryland got his custom fixed length "Grommet" strap yesterday, and seems pleased.
Here it is on his recent hot-rodding of a Washburn Semi-hollow

"Let me just say the quality and workmanship is second to none - this was a tremendous experience and I can't recommend Well-Hung guitar straps enough." - T. Smith, Maryland

Thank you sir, I hope it makes your gigs and rehearsals shorter!

 

[TVvoodoo]

Today working on a custom for a guitar forum Well-Hung warrior (*not this one) - a custom Black Croc,
with a bit more padding than I've been putting in lately, and a little wider too.

Also if anyone is interested in the possible acquisition of a "Holy Grail" type strap, watch the reverb store tomorrow for "Whipping Post"

This is my take on the classic "Ring Strap" famously worn by Duane Allman. It is NOT a replica of the original. However, the Well-Hung versions comes with extra upscale niceties. A vastly improved adjustment system on the back, my Class Act back buckle system in brass. Also has a much wider range of adjustment, and a wider body, at 3" wide, which is not just a plain strip of leather like the original, but lined, padded and sewn. And of course the hefty classic southern blues/rock vibe antenna of a chonky brass ring at 4-1/4" across. Due to how I have to make these, it is a rare instance in my "strapertoire" where the edges are NOT rolled.

Should mention the original style features an even larger brass ring, but I found that the bigger rings just keeps clunkin' into a guys arm, so I opt for the even-harder-to-find smaller ring which is far less distracting. Not a strap for you if you are looking to lighten your rig. These rings are weighty. This "Whippin' Post" is in black cowhide, instead of the typical brown, and it's lined with brown Alcantara fabric.

I don't craft these often, so if you are jonesin' for something extra special... consider. It will heavy up your rig, but lighten your wallet LOL!
These rings are becoming a rarity to find, pricey and my version of this strap takes a lot of steps and time to make.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Well son-of-a-gun!

Seems last night our posties decided they wanted to strike, which puts a rather large wrinkle into the Worldwide Well-Hung operations, and of probably thousands of similar craft/boutique businesses - - I feel for you all. It's not an easy life online sales, though I have to admit I sometimes have taken for granted what is generally very successful delivery via postal operations of many countries.

Not super pleased, but it is what it is and I do understand Canada Post has a fat bureaucracy and is losing tons of money, so little money for the troops. Seems very odd as my local outlet seems to be doing way more parcel traffic with online shopping, a thriving flyer business and the like, and undermanned to boot. I currently spend thousands of dollars a year shipping out strapwork from my tiny town. When I owned/edited the local newspaper for ten years, Canada Post was into me for well over a thou a MONTH to publish my weekly 12 page mail-out publication. I feel I've done my part in keeping 'em afloat. It's pretty clear the local community newspaper model is dead, so maybe that's a nationwide contributor to current problems.

Anyway, for the meantime I've shut down my Reverb store temporarily. Sent a strap this afternoon to a forum brother, after a panicky setting up of a Purolater account, but couldn't find a way to get something out to Arkansas for less than $68. Never mind a plethura of additional customs forms and product codes BS, and various other troubles getting that going. But it's headed out.

For Canadian customers, Purolater not near as nutty price-wise it seems, so I may accept Canuckian business. Great timing headin' into the season tho, LOL! As a former union guy, (not for over thirty years tho), I get it. Power to the people.

It won't put cobwebs on my workbench. Just gonna put my head down and keep building up stock for when things settle out, and of course I'll detail things here.

Just wanted y'all to know why the Reverb store is in "Vacation Mode."

If you are absolutely not in a hurry/hurry, I'll gladly accept the odd custom order, but understand it might sit here for a bit, or it's gonna cost a dear price to ship via alternate means other than post.

-brad

 

[TVvoodoo]

I got ripped off on an ebay purchase a couple weeks ago. Picked up what I thought was one of the heavy thick "Swagger Man" link belts i try to pore the web for once in a while.

This one, when it arrived (and Old Navy version of this belt), was about half as thick as the regular ones I TRY to find, shown on top, below.
So basically a "cheapified" version of the original.

That was kind of disappointing, as I paid full price of what the real good ones go for. But what really got my goat was that one of the longitudinal leather strands was broken when it arrived. No bueno!

Rather than grimace over the sour lemony taste of an awful ebayer, I simply replaced both longitudinal thongs, with slightly thicker black leather, which resulted in a 2-tone effect, took some time but is kind of interesting too!

At least the ends of this belt were the proper expected thick leather, so I simply squeezed some matching rivets into the old belt adjustment holes, then lined it on the back so no rivet backs can contact a guitar, then punched a guitar button-hole.

Since the body leather was a fair bit thinner, I opted to shore up this particular SwaggerMan strap with a padded backing in black velvet, and stitch the sides. This kills a lot of the natural flex that is normally built into this link style of strap, but at least it's much more secure with this case of thinner body leather. Came out pretty cool actually.

I found a similar matching belt here in my stocks, to make the tail strap section out of that and added a keeper loop, so effectively this ended up a nice back-buckler strap. Super easy and convenient.

Doesn't seem to be much headway happening in the postal strike, but i-ma keep building baby!

 

[TVvoodoo]

Highly industrial look, with smudgy smears of grays on black denim, looks would nicely match the finish on the concrete wall of your basement sex-dungeon, (this, of course, depends on your personal dungeon design aesthetic).

I've also been busy as a beaver getting more Bandido's ready! Four more in Agave, and three in Turquesa

One of my more comfortable straps, a nice homey/casual look perfect for that nachocaster or a perhaps your campfire gat.

 

[TVvoodoo]

What's new in the store? I've been actively posting new listings, though you can't see 'em!

How about a braided leather guitar strap in brown, called "Conan"?
Pretty cool - 2-3/4 wide, I count around 16 strands, which makes it plenty sexy 'n flexy.
(Kind of like I used to be many years ago).

This one has a big leather covered 4" wide back buckle - go see many more pics in the store once I can open it up.

Today I finally completed the "Premier" strap, a custom job hoping to head to Chicago sometime soon.
Back buckle affair with some tooling texture and the repetition of a headstock logo.
3" wide, padded etc.

So as the CBC is reporting, apparently the biggest problem they see with the ongoing Canada Post strike is that foreign nationals can't get Canadian passports. Not that probably 800,000 small businesses owners, actual Canadian citizens, are deeply suffering. Feels like being held hostage in your own dang country.

The one positive out of all of this is, once the Well-Hung Reverb store re-opens,count on it to be absolutely brimming with lots of new stock to choose from.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Well-Hung guitarists of 'Merica!

 

[TVvoodoo]

new in the store, just listed (you can't see it until I punch out of "vacay mode" is "Sun Angel" from the Well-Hung Prophecy line.

Pretty much a basic black padded leather strap, a little thinner at 2-3/4", with a black 'n saddle snakey leather gothic cross,
a few rivets and a nice big silver concho with a shiny black cabochon smack dab in the middle.

Kind of thing would look right as rain on a typical vintage tobacco burst kind thing.
The Well-Hung Reverb store remains on vacay 'til the Canadian postal workers get back to work.
As we say up here, I'm still givin' 'er tho!

I did enjoy a NUTD, managed to sell off my little kia Sportage 5-speed I loved so much, but was losing clutch.
My pop has serious COPD and isn't doing so well. As of the last few months, he isn't even able to make it to his
own backyard to get into his F-150 4x4 so... he just handed over the keys to me, because I help them out quite a lot.
It's an '07, nothing fancy, and a few years older than my Sportage, but about 100,000 fewer kms on it.

looks much like this pretty much, but has a headache rack, pretty basic. My third half ton, haven't had one for about ten years, first 4x4

We got a couple inches of snow over the weekend, fully ready to take 'er out for a rip, there bud!



Started another tooled Angry Tiki Godz strap today... something more interesting than what I got so far will
mostly show up here tomorrow.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Got another Angry Tiki Godz strap on the go... more fun similar to the last but with a few changes
The tooling

First dye bath, yella!

then I was a big lax on the minutiae of all the dye and paint of the details for pix but here it is as it sits today.

Lots of detail, and this one with the yellow edges was a bit of an extra challenge I've never done before, they aren't perfect but I think that works pretty ok with the more primitive art style here.
This version has a parrot and surf wave, some extra flowers, different TIKI dudes and some torches too. I do like the nice teak-like main body stain I got here too.

Now to oil it, buff it out, burnish the edges then clearcoat it over the next couple days prior to getting the Class Act back buckle assembly on, padding, lining, stitching

I got another couple of customs on the go besides the Tiki, including one of these... I showed this on F-book a few days ago... it got spoken for very quickly. I purchased two of these fake bullet belts, and another guy wanted one suddenly too, just gotta built it.
Still can't mail anything until the postal workers figure things out.

Crazy. Seems to be kind of a demand for these. Might have to grab up a few more of these fake ammo belts.
The bullets are plastic, so no bark nor bite... but they don't add much for weight, and give that DFWM vibe all day.

I called this one "Ammunition" - but a more accurate name would be "Shootin' Blanks!"

 

[TVvoodoo]

Here's a fun one! a forum brother contacted me last week to see if I'd be interested in taking on a semi-replica strap worn by a punk legend!
I generally feel like I'm kind of "up" on a lot of artist straps, but this one was a totally new on me.

Would I do it? Hells Yeah! 'Cause I... wanna be.... ANARCHY!!!

So, here's where I'm at with it so far today... First off, get the font sort of right and it appeared
Gotham Black was close (how fitting), with some fooling around on the "S" and the "G."

Once I get it how I want, size it right then reverse image it and print it on regular paper
why reverse image? Because I'm gluing the letters onto the backside (suede side) of some nice white leather and let it dry for a few hours.

Then I take them to a cutting board and surgically remove them

While the glue was drying I prepared a padded black leather base body. The original looks to be 2" wide, by I opted for more comfort and went 2-3/4" wide. By this time the base black leather was ready to receive the lettering, stitched on securely with white thread.

According to the web, "Slag" is "waste matter separated from metals during the smelting or refining of ore. IE "the burning liquid iron was forming a scum of slag""
However, in British slang, it's also a whole entirely different thing. I wonder if our forum brother is sending a message to anyone in particular?

Getting them sewn on was about as far as I got on this one today, will complete tomorrow, but I did nearly finish the second bullet strap as well.

 

[TVvoodoo]

new on ready to go into the store, "King of the Dead"

Slag is ready to hit the stage, but first it's gotta find a mailman who's not on the picket line

A couple finished pics of Tiki Godz

Have a great weekend!

 

[ᛗᛜᛜᚺDᛜᎶ Ꮤᛨᚳᚴ]

Love that Diamond Jim! And great job on the Tiki stuff as well!! Hope the strike ends soon, I will make a request to the Universe on your behalf ;~))

 

[TVvoodoo]

New in the shop today, which will appear when I open it back up once the postal strike is done,
is "Phat Bastard" - a rather rare and singular piece I highly doubt I'll be able to make again.

Luck of search on this one.. I found a 4" wide braided leather belt. Never seen anything like it before, so I jumped on it, online. Then I took about half a day and made it into one of the most badass straps I've ever made. Particularly if you are a monster big guy, and maybe a bass player!
I don't think this would look right on a skinny dude. You best have a little meat on your bones to wear this one

Some pics:

Because it's fully 4" wide, I opted to NOT pad it. I simply added a braided tail strap with a strong leather pin tab, in my Class act back buckle design, then added a strong leather nose too - adjusts 45-60

The herringbone pattern is just gorgeous! I count 24 individual strands of leather, and none of them were broken - so much badass texture! Leather has been conditioned also.

Again, sorry my friends... store remains closed for now, but there will be a nice load of new things in waiting in there once I open 'er up.