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There are plenty of reasons to play guitar standing up: audience visibility, easier access to an effects board, better posture for singing, and we all want to do some Van Halen-style jump kicks during a solo, right? But you’re not going to play guitar standing up without a strap.
While guitar straps are some of the most basic and inexpensive guitar accessories, there are still a few things to keep in mind before purchasing one.
The most affordable guitar straps are made of synthetic materials like polypropylene or nylon, and they have leather or soft plastic ends where they attach to your guitar’s strap buttons. Synthetic straps are an excellent value, long lasting, and available in many different colors and patterns. If you want a woven strap that is a bit softer and supple, consider cotton, which can be a bit more comfortable and classier-looking than nylon.
Leather straps are the choice for many high-end players. They look great, adjust smoothly, and are often the most comfortably padded. Especially if you play heavier guitars like Les Pauls or dreadnought acoustics, you’ll probably want a good, padded leather strap. However, leather straps do tend to cost more than synthetic or cotton straps.
Electric guitars are commonly held by straps that attach on either end of the instrument’s body to metal “buttons.” Acoustic guitars, however, are too bulky and thick to easily hang off of your body that way—you need more space to put the strap over your head and on your shoulder.
For this reason, acoustics usually lack a button on the neck end. Instead, players loop a thin section of cord (or even strong shoelace) through the headstock of their instrument immediately behind the nut, and tie that cord to their strap’s button hole. If you prefer not to do this, you can always have a qualified guitar technician add a neck-side strap button to your acoustic guitar.
Players sometimes prefer the added security of quick-release strap locks, which prevent straps from accidentally slipping off their buttons. If you’re a fairly mobile player on stage, strap locks may very well prevent catastrophe. It’s also a good idea to tuck your guitar’s cable behind your strap where it meets the button, preventing damage to your cable jack.
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