guitar strap

[Mike Phelps]

I was cleaning up the bench and getting things ready to make another strap the other day and I just had too many oddball lengths laying around. Had some left over 6oz. pieces cut off from strap pads that were shorter than what I usually use, could have used them for billfold backs but I've got plenty of those already to sell at swap meets. Had a piece of one inch 6oz. strap with a fuzzy back that is not the smooth moss back I usually use. A shorter piece of 6oz. that had browned with age/sun or something with a nice moss back. It was rock hard. Probably came in a box of leatherworking stuff I'd gotten of e-bay.

I thought, boy you need to use some of this stuff up before you generate more. So I worked out some principals to guide me through this. 1. Stay at the bench until you get it done. 2. Minimize the amount of tooling/stamping/stitching/finish. 3. Despite being a quick piece of work no raw edges, make it user friendly and durable enough to see hard use and last a lifetime.

To address these guidelines I thought about the finishes. I was going to have to use gum tragacanth anyway on the back to knock down the fuzz and make slide through the style pad I planned and remembered Art had said it could be used as a top coat finish. So that would simplify things. Topcoat, edges and backs all gum trag. To make it user friendly I minimized hardware to just using a Sam Brown Stud again and moved the keepers a bit further apart to make changing lengths easier and added an extra strap button hole in the billet end to give it more range of adjustment while only punching three holes in the main strap instead of five or more.

With these parameters in mind I sat down at the bench at 6am and had it completed by 9pm and still took time out to take my son out to the bus stop and wait with him until it came. Take the daughter to Headstart and pick her up in the afternoon and watch the noon and evening news.

The strap is 6oz, one inch wide and adjustable from 40-50 inches.

The pad is constructed of two layered pieces of 6oz 3 & 1/4 in X 11 in with slots in top piece for the strap to slide through.

With no padding it is still comfortable enough for hours of playing with acoustic, archtop, hollow and semi-hollow bodied guitars. It even supports my old carved top mahogany bodied Les Paul comfortably.

Mike

[Romey]

Looks like a keeper to me. i REALLY dig the different hardware your coming up with for adjusting, very unique. Looks like it could be gigged comfortably with a bass even.

[TomSwede]

Nice job Mike!

There sure are some skills here one can pick up from

Looks really comfortable too.

[Mike Phelps]

Stay tuned Romey.

I've got one started you'll REALLY like.

Plus a couple of years ago I got tired of seeing nice, handmade custom straps tied onto acoustics with a shoestring and made myself a piece that matches the tooling and finish of the strap that attaches to the strap button hole. It's a whole lot simpler, idiot proof and better looking than that POC plastic gizmo that Martin Guitars markets.

So stay tuned.

Mike

[Mike Phelps]

Thanks Tom

I rummage through the old files and post on this site a lot looking for things that can improve, simplify and clarify things.

And when all else fails ask or just sit down at the bench with the sketch pad, pencil, tools and material in front of me.

Mike

[CitizenKate]

Mike, that was a great lesson in expedience! I don't know if I could do something that nice in 3 hours, but you just gave me the inspiration to try. Thanks for sharing that.

Kate

[rdb]

nice job...clean and simple