Uke straps for neck injuries (esp banjo uke)

I have a couple of ukes now, and by and large the straps don't bother my old whiplash injury.

I just bought a Goldtone Little Gem, and love the sound of it. I threw another uke strap on it, and it really feels like it's putting pressure on the back of my neck which is really uncomfortable.

The little Gem is listed as 2.63 lbs but it feels a lot heavier. I just bought a Duke 10 that I may sell because the tenor's just too big for me, so I'm trying to find other options (someone suggested putting a capo on second fret to create concert scale).

Anyone else with neck problems and a heavier instrument and what did you do?

Have you tried a wider strap? Do you tie one end to the headstock?
Or check this out http://www.legacystraps.com/ngs.htm
The Rockabilly is a 1" strap with a movable foam pad.
I use one on my 3.5 lb. Risa solid body.

Stagehand said:

Have you tried a wider strap? Do you tie one end to the headstock?
Or check this out http://www.legacystraps.com/ngs.htm
The Rockabilly is a 1" strap with a movable foam pad.
I use one on my 3.5 lb. Risa solid body.

Click to expand...

Those look nice, thanks.
Since I posted this I've found a couple of sheepskin lined ones that I think will do it and I tried some different angles on the straps I do have. It might be workable.

My banjo uke came with a banjo strap, wide and padded, very comfortable.
Ties to the head tension screws.

À big yes to wider and padded straps for heavier instruments.

Tying both ends to the body (not headstock) is more comfortable because the pressure on the back of your neck is reduced. And easy to shift for comfort.

The strap can be worn in different ways. The necklace method puts the most pressure on the neck. The cross body method is comfortable and most common. Draping it over one shoulder like a shoulder bag and swinging it to the front puts no weight on the back of the neck (use a grippy strap to avoid slippage).

And you can adjust arm stretch by shifting the banjo sideways and strumming further up the fret board, there is no rule about strumming only over the banjo head or ukulele sound hole.

Thanks very much for bringing up the Little Gem. Great sound and price.