I have one of the DāAddario quick releases that BC is recommending on one of my acoustics - it works pretty good! I use it with a leather strap that comes from Levyās https://levysleathers.com/ - not the jeans manufacturer. Itās a really comfortable strap - I got mine online & donāt remember who sold it to meā¦ sorry. Probably Sweetwater here in the US but I think theyāre available on Amazon too. Mine is one of their less expensive ones - itās leather, a little bit rough on one side & smooth on the other. Looks good, smells like tanned leather which I like & is very durableā¦
Good Luck!
I find choosing a strap for acoustics is easier than for electrics for the simple reason they tend to be lighter and in my experience almost any strap will work.
By contrast I have an electric with a bit of neck dive and that needs a wide strap with a rough back (eg suede) to have enough friction to overcome the dive.
Hey Wendellāwelcome to the crowd. Iām a 6 month newbie myself. Slow process for sure, but Iām really enjoying it.
I have a short stool, about 6" high, that I that I rest my right foot on (Iām a righty).
This helps me hold the guitar nicely atop my right thigh.
That, and as Justin sez in an early lesson, try it with skin touching the guitar top, rather than the fabric of clothing. Itās a bit sticky and helps you hold the guitar without using your fretting hand.
levys do some nice straps for electric and acoustic i have one on my acoustic and one on my Les
Paul both sun face design they are leather with cloth facing
they also do usual leather straps
I have been told that you need to becarful with the straps that are bound up near the nut of a accoustic guitar. The reason was that after time they will cause issues at the neck body joint.
How true this is, I dont know. But I did stop doing it. Now I just deal with the pull.
I got a really nice denim strap from DāAddario. Doesnāt itch, doesnāt fray, looks cool. I use a strap most of the time - it frees my mind and hands to focus on playing rather than on not dropping the guitar.
I recently bought a strap for my guitar from VTar: they make vegan guitar straps - no leather or any other animal bi-products - so ideal for me (Iām a vegetarian). I am very pleased with my Vtar strap.
Hey @Ontime == thanks for the heads up, I never thought of that.
Scanning the interwebs I came up with the following thoughts on the detriments of attaching a strap to the headstock. #1 seems to be a tie between āI prefer it, been doing it for decadesā and āI donāt like it becauseā #2 āI heard āsomewhereā that it warpsā, but me? I think that that logic is decidedly circular, because a reputable āsomewhereā I could not find (locution per Yoda) #3 The neck supports anywhere from 90lbs of tension for light strings, to as much as 250lbs for a bass. So the extra few pounds (albeit vectored differently) is negligible.
If affixing the strap to the headstock were an issue Iād expect there would be a whole passel of scientifically backed up statements explaining torque, resolution of vectors, failure rates, various tests, etc. In a 30+ minute slog through folksā opinions (maybe 100+) I found not one reference to a guitar actually suffering, and not one reference to an actual analysis or study.
My conclusion: (oh-so-scientifically based, or not) is that it is a non issue.
Wendel @waknowles, the OP, was asking about straps for acousticsā¦Iād just add that Martin sell (at least many of) their guitars without a strap button on the heel. I tried tying the strap at the headstock, and it didnāt work for me. I suspect folks with different body sizes and types have different preferences. (Full disclosure: Iām short, my arms are short, my legs are short. )
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