Strap damage???

RafterGirl

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I prefer to play with a strap and have them on all but one of my ukuleles. Up until now I have always left them on the ukes 24/7 and haven't taken them off when I'm done playing. They stay on while in gig bags and in their hard cases. Taking them off would be a pain, especially the ones that are attached to Strap Keepers on the ukes that have pick-ups.

Today at church, the acoustic guitar player in our worship band said that you should never leave a strap that has leather ends attached to the instrument. He said the tannins in the leather will eat the finish off the instrument & damage it. He said he had a guitar that had a groove eaten in the neck by a strap with a leather end. A luthier told him to never leave the strap on.

What do you folks think? Do you take your strap off each time? Will leaving it on damage my uke? I use the Sherrin Threads straps & they have leather ends.
 
I've played using a strap for going on 10 years now and have never once seen any signs of damage. I don't take them off except to change to a new strap, which I've done a couple of times as my preferences have changed. I started with thin all-leather mandolin straps and now am using wider hemp or fabric straps with either real leather or "fake leather" ends (the fake leather ones are these; the real leather ones are no longer made). I think the uke I've had the longest has had a strap attached for 8 years and I don't see any issues with it.
 
I've played using a strap for going on 10 years now and have never once seen any signs of damage. I don't take them off except to change to a new strap, which I've done a couple of times as my preferences have changed. I started with thin all-leather mandolin straps and now am using wider hemp or fabric straps with either real leather or "fake leather" ends (the fake leather ones are these; the real leather ones are no longer made). I think the uke I've had the longest has had a strap attached for 8 years and I don't see any issues with it.

Thanks. I had never heard this before, and a quick google search on the subject found nothing that said the leather would cause damage. However, I didn't want to do anything to harm my ukulele babies.
 
Nitro finishes can have a lot of enemies, but the biggest offender is usually vinyl - not leather. I have seen many Gibsons and Martins develop discoloring and patches on their finishes from resting on cheap guitar stands. That said, leather is usually okay. But, there is always the potential that the leather used was treated with a chemical that might react to nitro. There is no way to know though without trial and error. None of the above applies to poly finishes which will stand up to a nuclear winter.
 
Never had a problem with nitrocellulose or polyurethane finishes on my instruments. As someone else said, as long as it's leather and not vinyl.
 
Definitely not an old wive's tale. I worked in the guitar industry while in college. Here are some examples of Nitro burn caused by vinyl/plastics/etc.

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Google "Nitro Burn" and focus in The Gear Page or The Acoustic Forum for more examples.
 
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Never had a problem with nitrocellulose or polyurethane finishes on my instruments. As someone else said, as long as it's leather and not vinyl.
My Google search did mention vinyl & plastic as enemies of instrument finishes. So far, it sounds like leather is ok.
 
RafterGirl, for the record I have Sherrins Thread straps on just about all my ukes. They all live in their cases and they all wear the straps 24/7 with no signs of damage or any issues what so ever.
 
RafterGirl, for the record I have Sherrins Thread straps on just about all my ukes. They all live in their cases and they all wear the straps 24/7 with no signs of damage or any issues what so ever.
Thanks for the info. I’m thinking it’s not an issue, but the comment by my band mate today threw me for a loop & I thought I better check this out with my ukulele peeps.
 
Watch for metal rivets and metal buckles.
 
Nitro finishes can have a lot of enemies, but the biggest offender is usually vinyl - not leather."

Agreed. I had a beautiful, hand made guitar that developed a bald spot on the finish on the back of the neck. The culprit? - it rested in it's case on the little vinyl tab that you open the accessory compartment with. I ripped it off of course.
 
Nitro finishes can have a lot of enemies, but the biggest offender is usually vinyl - not leather."

Agreed. I had a beautiful, hand made guitar that developed a bald spot on the finish on the back of the neck. The culprit? - it rested in it's case on the little vinyl tab that you open the accessory compartment with. I ripped it off of course.

A lot of very nice guitars are hanging in Guitar Centers on rubber hooks... and a lot of them are already suffering from Nitro melt. Shame.
 
"Nitro melt" is a good description. It melted through to the wood in an area the size of an Australian 5c piece (a US dime??)
I decide to just live with it as it wasn't where I actually touched when playing. Needless to say I cut off any potentially damaging vinyl tabs in cases.
 
I have leather straps on all my ukes and after 4-5 years, there is no damage anywhere. They have the slip through end piece so there are no buckles. When I used woven cloth straps, the plastic slide buckles banged against the body so I chucked them.

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8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

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I prefer to play with a strap and have them on all but one of my ukuleles. Up until now I have always left them on the ukes 24/7 and haven't taken them off when I'm done playing.

It sounds like you would be the expert on that. People can say whatever they want. Maybe the pressure of the strap holding the weight of the uke changes the sound. :D

Myths -
https://www.gotaukulele.com/2013/08/ukulele-myths.html
 
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