Tales from.. ..The StrapLab!

[TVvoodoo]

Ed Gawlik bassist of Detroit based modern rock combo "Eva Under Fire" visited the store for a long-reaching strap a couple months ago.
He checked out with an "Ocelot Lite" scheme that extends past 65"

"Amazing product, even better customer service. Will be making another purchase!" Eddie G.

Just for fun, recent vid package of "Blow" on the feature film "The Retaliators" soundtrack



Currently hashing out ideas for a custom strap for Eddie... he says says they're prepping for a busy summer tour sched.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Perhaps you crave the dark, imposing badassitude of black pyramid studs all over your strap, maybe also with plenty of black leather.

Are you perhaps evil, just depressed, or a little of both? The new Well-Hung "Back 'n Black" features a 2" wide strip of hundreds of glittery 3/8" 3D pyramids!

And get this! They're tough, super-shiny vinyl! No metal at all.

Won't ding precious, or deepen your depression! Now up on Reverb. 3" wide, rolled edges, nicely padded.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Got the Custom off for Eddie G. of Eva Under Fire off this morning... I've seen in a couple of rock videos, they are super-physical band it seems, so I did double stitch extra robust job for this fella's thunder-pumper. Though I'm told often my regular work is twice most others in strength. Real long, nice padding and my special heavy duty 3" wide custom sliding buckle hardware that's way stronger than any other I've seen. Black denim, heavy-duty faux vinyl, with a velvety underbelly.

Here's a story... last night I got a really nice note from a fella in San Fran. About a year ago he picked up a Velociraptor and a No Prisoners series strap. Here's most of his message:
"...each is more beautiful, unique, more comfortable, and even more cool than my expectations (which were high). I actually play MORE guitar since then. My neck-shoulders-chronic-discomfort disappears, the straps feel so good it’s a treat to hang em on me period, and - unprecedented! My guitars look even better with these straps attached. The combos magnetically pull me over to grab it. Your note, the free, unexpected and excellent extras were icing on the cake. Wow, to buy something created by an actual human, an artisan, let alone who throws in some generosity and makes it personal … not common. So good-on-ya!" ~ Ken Z. California

That right there, frankly, is why I do this. To know that my work, all my years of product design, development and craft in putting these straps together actually helps real guitar people get extra enjoyment out of their instruments? Well, that just really puts spring in my step. I keep saying here my guitar straps are different. I show them here, I show lots of feedbacks, but really - I KNOW they are something quite out of the ordinary and that a few fellas here get it. Just something you have to try to believe. OH, after he sent that message? He ordered 2 more - now on the way!

Anyway, enough chest-beating, how about another Friday Suno song? I wrote these lyrics, not genius, but clever enough. A bunch of damn robots made the music - Sorry about the harsh intro, sometimes that stuff happens, but I REALLY dig what came out after asking for an upbeat britpop flavour - pretty hooky. Pisses me off that I could spend three days trying to build this, and it probably would still suck, because the vocals really carry it. Plug it into a computer: BAM! Shat out in seconds. One of those metaphor songs... you'll figure it out pretty quick.

Happy Friday my brothers!

Wheels Up by @tvvoodoo | Suno

Positive hypnotic britpop power pop. Hypnotic, eclectic, catchy song. Listen and make your own with Suno.

suno.com

 

[TVvoodoo]

What a crazy week it's been, First thing in the shop, i slice the tip of my thumb off again with the box knife. That's fun. Then, much of the rest eaten up by hospital trips for my dad, and we live in a remote area. The closer hospital is not his favourite so he wants the longer drive. LOL! Then, yesterday, I nuked my coffee too long, and burnt my lip so bad it had a nasty blister on for much the day, and rather painful too I must say! Still has skin flapping around today. Yuck!

But, I got a new tooling project started... Pieces cut... and put into the moisturizing bucket

computer graphics work and printed on acetate for tracing

Carving in

And a lot of beveling work today...

Though this kind of screams for a lot of colour, the customer wants it more low key and in brown tones to match his instruments better. So, no paint but I'm going to stay all in monochrome but with some highlights and dark bits. So resist painting tonight on some spots I want to stay light.

Jethro in Saskatoon got his new used explorer in and chose his Well-Hung "Ammunition" custom for it.
( I took some creative liberties with the pic he sent in LOL - he deserves the rock star treatment).

Also, a pretty decent match here with a Gretch out in North Carolina and the Swamp Bottom Python

That's all I got today. did you know yesterday was National Guitar Day? I didn't even pick one up.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Alice continued today... late last night did a very light yellow dye coat, resisted the items I wanted to stay light. This morning, after some decorative cuts added, I commenced straight to antiqueing.
I sometimes do this, using the antique as a main die for the whole piece. It comes in many shades, I have four or five here. This is the lightest shade called "Tan" and you just goop it on, rub it in with a toothbrush grind 'er into all the cuts, wait a few beats, then just wipe it off, and buff out.

Turned out pretty nice.

Brings out the detail, looks nice once it's all buffed. Man sometimes these extreme close-ups make me cringe a bit,\
but in real life size it looks better. I don't really consider myself a top level leather tooling guy, but I do ok for the \
price point I charge. The top end work can get CRAZY expensive, and depending on the subject, very worth it for
the sheer artistry alone - really what I'm doing here is more like trace and transfer

Let the antiquing dry and sit for a couple of hours, then, I dyed the edges, and burnished them to a smooth shine.

Lastly it's going to sit oiled with neatsfoot which draws the colour a little deeper, and I will clearcoat tonight,
prior to assembly and stitching tomorrow, and another few coats of clear over the weekend.

Where does the time go? Happy Thursday!

 

[TVvoodoo]

Alice is pretty much done, assembled with a back buckle system, one pic now, I'm just adding another couple of clearcoats and need to punch a nose hole

This is a fun photo, Paul in the GTA gets the rockstar treatment for sending in a photo...
He tells me this was taken when his band "Barstool Confession" was opening for Sam Roberts at an arena show last weekend.

He wanted to mention the tele he's wearing is kind of special - says the top wood is made of the dressing room floorboards of the El Mocambo in Toronto, before being ripped out and refinished... I've never been but I understand basically that would be kind of like Canada's Filmore? Or maybe more like the Whiskey? So, in actuality, a genuine who's who of rock royalty have actually walked on his instrument over the years! He noted it was built by Garen Dakessian, of Loucin Guitars. It's pinned on a Well-Hung Prophecy strap

Send in your performance photo wearing your Well-Hung sling, maybe I'll give you the "rockstar photoshop treatment too!

Another thing I'm working on in the background, might be of particular interest to any Canuckians or history buffs here on this forum... A fellow asked if I could undertake one as a custom job for him, and it works very very well! Maybe next week I'll try to cook a few more of these up.

Happy Friday - how bout another AI song? Again, lyrics by me, music by 0010011010010

Go Bag by @tvvoodoo | Suno

Dark and menacing hypnotic grunge blues, gritty sarcastic male vocal song. Listen and make your own with Suno.

suno.com

 

[TVvoodoo]

Shipping today, a new custom version of the HBC strap, goes 52-62 long for a big fella.
Little nod to Canada's fur trade history

Got a cool photo back from a customer... this EB/MM Kaizen looks something like a guitar I might have sketched out in my school scribbler as a 15 year old... ok quite a bit better LOL!
Phil's got an older sling, a polka dot on it, looks pretty class to me!

Been going back and forth with Josh, looking for something custom... he wants a bit of a western flavour with big turquoise conchos, in my Class Act design, and I'm going to work in an inset of hair on cowhide, contrasting stitching and a much more western looking buckle.

We finally settled on a similar coloured suede, to the light parts of the cow fur. I'll be working on this one this afternoon...
here's as far as I got - the trick here is to cut out the frame for the fur inset out of the leather with a razor knife.
New sharp blade and a steady hand. This will be the backside, the suede side on the other is what will show.

Watch the reverb store for "Constrictor" if you are interested - coming probably to the store later today.
One only, pretty wild snakey pattern, with a bit of shine .... nicely padded 46-56

Happy Hump day!

 

[TVvoodoo]

The custom for Josh, I'm calling Trail Boss, is complete and should be on the way tomorrow.
This one was a bit of a mind-bender, the first time I have tried this style/design...(or my take on it anyway).
There are several differences on this from my typical build. Getting the inset centered
down the very middle was one of the challenges. I didn't get it perfect, but not too bad.

Overall this strap has a dressy western elegance to it, but also more casual/workingman due to the use of chap suede on the outside.
I've seen this design with two layers of the same finished leather, but tooled borders on each and it was really over the top country cool.
Maybe that's something I can aspire towards someday.

Oil tanned suede upper, hair-on cowhide inset, conchos, contrasting stitching... Cowboy style is almost never wrong!

A western-styled buckle at the back end, My Class Act design... protected from guitar contact - and the pass-thru tail strap. Simple, not super expensive hardware from Tandy, but it's sturdy quality. I'm not sure how other strapmakers would approach the inside pad/lining of this... I had to put a LOT of padding on the inside, build around the screwback assemblies of the conchos so they don't jut out and dig into the customer's back. I fear perhaps many others wouldn't go near as far as I did in order to make them indiscernible.

Biggest problem with this strap is finding a hat and belt to match!