Have you ever waited for a release of the one and only – the best guitar strap by this or that brand, for several months and then stood in line with hundreds of other guitar strap geeks waiting for the moment when the torturous purgatory of waiting in the unforgiving cold and windy streets will pay off and you will finally hold that beautiful, drool-inducing strap? No? Well, then I guess you are among the many, and I would venture to guess, normal music enthusiasts who just do not go insane over a piece of material that is there to hold up your guitar.
I would love to say that the text that you are about to read is going to make you the biggest and most enthusiastic fan of straps alas, I do not think any text or author would be able to do it, no matter the talent or fervor. Nevertheless, you will find out more about a piece of accessories, although not the most exciting, that is essential for your experience as a guitar player.
What’s The Best Guitar Strap
| Image | Guitar Straps | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ernie Ball Black Polypro Guitar Strap |  (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Protec Guitar Strap with Leather Ends and Pick Pocket | (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Fender 2 Vintage Tweed Strap | (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Planet Waves Planet Lock Guitar Strap | (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Dunlop D3815CL Tweed Classic Strap | (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
The world of the acoustic guitar is riddled with options, all of them viable all of them interesting to pursue. The problem is, such a vast variety of options tends to paralyze those trying to choose. So let me be clear about one thing – despite all of the options available you probably have one type in mind when you think of acoustic. The steel string, wooden dreadnought. Despite this, I’ll explain some of the others as well. You never know, you might be convinced to pick up something entirely different and much more fitting to what you want to do.
Ernie Ball Black Polypro Guitar Strap
This strap is great if you have a solid-body, thin guitar. Made from Polypropylene nylon it is 2″ wide and 36″ to 68″ in length. I do not own this strap, but as far as I have heard it does not stretch like some other nylon-made straps. For the price that you are giving, this is a damn good model. Although if you have bigger, heavier guitars maybe go for something else to provide more comfort. Ernie Ball Black Polypro has leather endings, which is great because that is where the strap connects, via straplock, to the guitar. If you are not getting a leather strap, you should be looking for something with leather endings so that you do not have a horrendous accident in which the strap breaks and your guitar breaks.
Protec Guitar Strap with Leather Ends and Pick Pocket
A comfortable, affordable and great quality product that you should consider buying if you are on the market. Protec Guitar Strap is made from quality nylon, it is 2″ wide with an adjustable 32″-54″ strap. One of the best features of this model is that it does not have any material, like metal, that can scratch the guitar and leave you weeping for hours about the beauty lost to the harsh and cruel world. The strap ends are very secure, you can avoid any accidents and it also has a very practical pickpocket so you will not be losing your picks anytime soon. The material is not abrasive either on the guitar or you. After hours of practicing it will not come as a surprise that no matter how great the strap is you will feel fatigue in your shoulder muscles, that is why you have to choose the material that will not irritate your shoulders and this model is exactly that.
Fender 2 Vintage Tweed Strap
Fender 2 Vintage Tweed Strap is definitely a looker. Although generic, black or grey straps do their job well, I prefer having straps that stand out a little bit more and look nice. When you are not really interested in an item and doing research for it, it might be a good idea to take into account the factor of the appearance. Maybe you do not care as much about the width of a strap (which you definitely should) or whether it is adjustable or not, but maybe you want a red suede strap that will look really cool with your guitar. Accessories like picks and straps, that do not seem to have that much to them, give you an opportunity to add an extra oomph to your appearance by a different color or texture. Okay, now as for this specific model: apart from being nice looking this one 2″ in width, it has a fully adjustable strap (44″-49.5″). If you like the vintage look and a good quality for your money you will probably like this product.
Planet Waves Planet Lock Guitar Strap
32.5″ to 57.5″ long Planet Waves Planet Lock Guitar Strap is among several good quality for good price models, among a myriad of not so great or too expensive straps. The material of this model will not scratch your guitar or create discomfort for you and it is great for almost all guitars. The lock system makes it easy for someone who maybe has never used strap lock and strap on their guitars. You just click on the pin and it adjusts without too much of a hassle. I have not really heard of instances where the lock would just somehow revert to the unlock mode, so do not worry about that issue. For this price, I think it is a great deal especially if you do not know a lot about straps or do not have some weird and extravagant needs in your accessories.
Dunlop D3815CL Tweed Classic Strap
I know, reading through pages and pages of strap models and their descriptions is not your favorite pastime and you would rather be spending this time geeking over another new model of guitar that you are obsessed about. But straps can be interesting, or you can make them interesting. For instance, are you big on looks? Do you want your guitar to be not just great and functional but also cool-looking? Well, why not have your strap as cool-looking? Dunlop D3815CL Tweed Classic Strap is one for that task. It gives you that “my dad used to be in a band decades ago and this is the strap he used” vibe. Although instead of actually getting it from your dad you are buying it quite cheap. Looks aside, this is a comfortable 2″ wide and 38″ – 65″ long strap with leather ends and custom-designed that is a great option if you are looking for something affordable and classy as the same time.
I do not know about you but as a kid, when I daydreamed about playing a gig in front of thousands of people while my hair was blowing in the wind like in some sort of a movie, I did not imagine a generic long strap around my neck. Years later, I realize how naive and impractical of a kid I was (and boy do I wish it was only concerning straps). Straps are not just functional and the only way of support provided when you are playing guitar, unless you are sitting down, but they also provide a distinct style for you, if that is what you are looking for. You might think, how much can a strap do and go for a generic, cheap one and get it over with. While sometimes that might be a good idea, depending on the situation and your circumstances, there are a variety of straps that might fit you better. For instance, if you are using a really heavy guitar, you might want to go for something more durable and wider for the shoulder as well as guitar protection. There are three main materials that manufacturers use for straps: nylon, suede, and leather. Nylon is the cheapest one but you can definitely find a good deal that is affordable but good quality at the same time. The best quality straps are mostly leather ones, but as you might expect they are the most expensive ones as well. While nylon will rip and might become less comfortable with years, leather ages well and becomes even more comfortable than in the beginning. Also, consider padding on the strap, sometimes the instrument you use might be so heavy that you might need extra padding.
Conclusion
Straps are probably the most overlooked but also the most practical accessory that you will purchase. The right kind of strap for you will be so comfortable that you will not even think about the fact that there are several kilos hanging on you for hours on end. Yes, you might not be that excited by different models of straps and want to get it over with instead of looking for that one best guitar strap for your needs. But please, please please, make sure that you buy a good quality one. If you hate researching straps at least do yourself a favor and get one that will last you years and years so that you will not concern yourself with that issues for a long time. I hope the list was more or less helpful for you, good luck in your search, and do not forget: tiny details like straps might make a load of difference.
