Vintage Guitar Straps

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:55:03 +0000

There’s something about vintage guitar straps that seem just as equally nostalgic as the guitars themselves. Whether its the old worn out leather or straps with your favorite bands of the era imprinted on them or even a custom one that you’ve had made especially for your tastes and likings, there’s something special about it. We often think of the specs of a guitar or if we’re concerned about design focus on the guitar graphics themselves. But you can tell a lot about a person and a guitar by the type of strap they use and how they wear it. (Just spend some time at any guitar forum – you’re likely to see a “so how do you wear your strap” type of post.)

Any guitar strap that has made it and lasted 40+ years is worth mentioning. Anyone who has played guitar regularly for an extended period of time would know that even the highest quality of materials are still prone to wear and tear. It only takes the guitar to fall to the ground once for one to realize the importance of quality and design and making sure it is the right fit for you.

I can’t really find any conclusive history about guitar straps or how they originated or what the first guitar ever manufactured with one included is, but its open to speculation that the need for it rose out of the introduction of solid body electric guitars. Solid body electric guitars can be quite heavy – and when standing up to play a strap seems like a necessity. Who invented the guitar strap would be some interesting trivia to know!

There are many different materials that have been used over the years. Leather has been a long time favorite for many. It’s comfortable and smooth feeling to wear is no doubt part of its popularity. Many manufacturers of the time would stamp their logo onto the leather, which can help some in determining the age of a strap. Leather for the most part is durable and reliable material. However, as mentioned above, after excessive use it is prone to stretching and normal wear and tear. Weaved cloth was quite popular for awhile – in fact I still have the original one that came with my 70’s Yamaha acoustic.

While the value of a vintage guitar strap isn’t a whole lot on its own, unless perhaps it has been associated with a rock and roll piece of history, it is worth looking into if it is included in the sale of the guitar when buying “new” vintage equipment.

As always, you can usually snag a good deal on a guitar strap on sites like ebay. Here’s a look at what is currently available:

Have any thoughts about vintage guitar straps? Share them with us in the comments below.

Vintage Studio Gear » vintage gutar strap

Vintage Guitar Straps