There was a post on here about a week ago that was a basic how-to on making a cheap strap with some nylon webbing. This inspired me to make a post of my own, it just takes my lazy butt a while to do things. The strap I made is of hemp and, at least in my hippie point of view, gives the uke a more earthy feel
I started out with 48 lb hemp string that I got from the local hobby store. The only other kind of hemp they had was 24 lb hemp and that would have been too thin. I cut three lengths of hemp, a little over two wingspans in length. Longer is better than shorter as braiding can cut down on the length by almost half. I then folded all three lengths in half ( the fold can be seen in pic 2647). I hooked the three strings around a hook on my door and began braiding. Because the strings are folded in half, there should be 6 strings you are braiding. Each braid line consisted of two pieces of hemp. I tested the length multiple times before I got to a point that I thought would be right for me. Once the braid was long enough i tied it off with a simple knot. There was a good amount of leftover free string on the other side of the knot. I chose two of these strings and wrapped them around the skinniest part of the body and tied them tight since I don't have a strap button (see pic 2649).
As I'm sure some of you smart folks have realized, yes its relatively permanent. I don't mind, but its not for everyone. At first the hemp was kinda rough on the neck, but the hemp softened up pretty quickly and is pretty comfortable now. I was not sure how much wear I would see on the body from the hemp, but after 2 weeks of heavy play, I don't see any. As for those of you who aren't familiar with hemp (yeah, keep pleading the fifth) it is amazing strong. This strap is probably strong enough to hold a guitar, but it sure wouldn't be comfy.
Question, Comments, Complaints and useless rambling all welcome
Thanks,
John
I started out with 48 lb hemp string that I got from the local hobby store. The only other kind of hemp they had was 24 lb hemp and that would have been too thin. I cut three lengths of hemp, a little over two wingspans in length. Longer is better than shorter as braiding can cut down on the length by almost half. I then folded all three lengths in half ( the fold can be seen in pic 2647). I hooked the three strings around a hook on my door and began braiding. Because the strings are folded in half, there should be 6 strings you are braiding. Each braid line consisted of two pieces of hemp. I tested the length multiple times before I got to a point that I thought would be right for me. Once the braid was long enough i tied it off with a simple knot. There was a good amount of leftover free string on the other side of the knot. I chose two of these strings and wrapped them around the skinniest part of the body and tied them tight since I don't have a strap button (see pic 2649).
As I'm sure some of you smart folks have realized, yes its relatively permanent. I don't mind, but its not for everyone. At first the hemp was kinda rough on the neck, but the hemp softened up pretty quickly and is pretty comfortable now. I was not sure how much wear I would see on the body from the hemp, but after 2 weeks of heavy play, I don't see any. As for those of you who aren't familiar with hemp (yeah, keep pleading the fifth) it is amazing strong. This strap is probably strong enough to hold a guitar, but it sure wouldn't be comfy.
Question, Comments, Complaints and useless rambling all welcome
Thanks,
John