Tales from.. ..The StrapLab!

[TVvoodoo]

Sometimes the occasion arises when you need something just a little bit "extra" to push you over the edge. If you don't happen to have an amplifier that dials up to eleven, there is this new Star Power series strap in the Well-Hung reverb store called "Wild Bling" that might suffice.

Under the hot stage lights, or summer festival sunlight they're gonna light up real good, make you and your audience smile.

Four of these babies fresh in the store, two of 'em a bit wider and longer made for shape throwin', two on the left a bit thinner and shorter for the ladies, or the height-challenged perhaps. Dunno if this is tiger, or a zebra pattern, but either way the only thing they do proclaim is... "Jump in... we're headed to Party-Town, and I'm drivin!"

Built to my regular strong tour-duty standard, reinforced black leather, non-slip lining, and padding inside that make you think twice about taking off your guitar.

Very limited edition due to found materials I'll likely never see again. Four only.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Way back in 2010, I ordered my last guitar strap from an online seller. It was a 3" wide black croc patterned leather strap advertised at 54" long. That was my sweet spot, and I couldn't seem to find anything longer. When it arrived, it wasn't even 52" long end-to-end, never mind 54" hole-to-hole (that's how I measure my straps). Otherwise is was pretty ok, but I'd just had it. One of two reasons why I began cooking up ideas on how to learn to sew my own straps.

New in the store today is "Snake Charmer" - something I haven't made since 2021. The last time I did these it was in a "Dirty Honey" python, but over Friday, part of the weekend and some of today I put together four new ones in "Graphite' python.

I wasn't too keen on these floating pad style straps for many years until a few people started bugging me to make them one. I just wasn't convinced. If I was going to make these, I needed them to feel "not sketchy" and to NOT have the pad float all up and down where it wasn't supposed to be, making the wearer look like a total dork. So, with some thinking, and redesigning, I did manage to beat back those issues.

Once I made something I felt I could trust, I did actually learn to enjoy this style. There's something to be said about the extra feeling of slingin' freedom this style provides. Actually very similar style to the original guitar strap design Bobby Lee invented back in the late 40's, easy to adjust, low profile.

I've repaired an old version of this strap by ACE, also seen modern version abominations the guitar biggies dare you to pin your guitar on. The smaller boutique companies do it WAY better. I put the skinny strap THROUGH the pad for a cleaner look, more friction too, so it don't slide so much. Plus extra Well-Hung padding in the pad, 3" wide with rolled edges. It's funny how some call theirs a "pad" when they looks to me as hardly there. Good STURDY western buckle hardware.

One last thing... I add what I call "Paddle" ends where your pins go - Just a bit more leather and thicker too. Feels way more trusty. Is it actually better? I dunno. But feeling confident is important.

These are LONG. Of the four I made, the minimum adjustment on one is 53" That's further out than many store straps will go at MAX adjustment. The longest of the four maxes out at 70 inches. So, if you are 6 feet tall or more and like to hang kind of low, these will get you there.