How to Pick Out a Guitar Strap

Whether you've recently purchased a fine Fender guitar, or you're a long-time owner, it's hard to beat a Fender guitar strap to go along with it.

Guitar straps made by Fender come in a wide variety of styles, from inexpensive, narrow poly webbing, to wide and comfortable leather guitar straps with custom monograms. The legendary Stevie Ray Vaughn was perhaps best known for this type of strap, featuring a large "SRV" engraved in the leather.

Many straps manufactured for Fender feature their logo and a variety of graphics at the base of the strap, where it's prominent and in front while playing.

Whether you have a vintage Stratocaster, a new American Telecaster, or a simple and effective Squier Strat, nothing will dress it up quite like a quality strap.

Patchwork Cotton Straps

These are probably the simplest and most economical of the Fender straps. Being cotton, they're also going to be more comfortable than the typical cheap nylon straps.

They come it a wide variety of colors, and feature a patch on one end with the Fender logo and an additional graphic. These straps have tough, suede leather ends for the button, are 2? wide, and adjust from 36? to 72? long.

Impact Series Straps

If you're looking for something a bit more "rock and roll," or you like fancier graphics, check out the impact series. These are made of poly webbing, and feature larger, rubber ends with edgier graphics, such as a skull and crossbones and a heart with barbed wire. Like the Patchwork series, they're 2? wide, and adjust up to 75?.

Leather Monogram Strap

Possibly the classiest Fender strap you'll find to compliment your fine guitar. This extremely high-quality strap features three-ply leather construction, are fully adjustable, with a comfortable, broken-in feel.

Best of all, the classic shape of a Stratocaster headstock is tooled right into the leather. This strap is really hard to beat for any Fender guitar.

For true quality, there's really no substitute for a well-made leather guitar strap. When it comes to comfort, a wide, padded leather strap is hard to beat.

Some of the most popular leather straps are made by Levy, and are any where from 2 1/2" to 3 1/2" inches wide. They're also padded with foam, and often have a boot leather outer surface, combined with a soft, "garment" leather inner surface.

By almost all accounts, the Levy straps are very well made, and will last as long as most players care to use them. In addition to the boot leather, garment leather combination, they also make an Italian glove leather model, and a soft suede design that is very comfortable. Levy straps are not terribly expensive either, considering their high-quality and leather construction. You can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to about $60 for one of these straps.

Whatever strap you decide on to compliment your guitar, don't forget to check the ends and buttons for wear. There's nothing worse than having a worn strap pop off a button while you're playing.

If you're something of crazy player, consider using a cotter pin or some other kind of locking mechanism on the button to hold the strap in place.

Happy playing!