Connection between neck comfort and wearing a strap

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Does anybody think that uke straps alleviate the discomfort of having a narrow nut width?

Has anyone ever played a uke that feels cramped when they play without a strap, but then, with the added support of a strap, it actually feels fine?
 
I have had the opposite results, playing a 1-1/2" nut width with a strap and it helped me. The beauty of a strap, for me anyways, is it frees my hand from holding the uke and allows it to easily form chords.

It might do the same from wide to narrow but I prefer 1-3/8" so going to 1-1/2" is an issue for me and the strap helps
 
ubulele - thanks for that feedback, that confirms some things I've been wondering about.

Do you think it's fair to say that having a strap (of course) doesn't change the actual space on the fretboard, it does help to alleviate pain you might feel when tensing your wrists to fret on a narrower fretboard (when you also need to use your left hand to hold it up)?
 
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Does anybody think that uke straps alleviate the discomfort of having a narrow nut width?

Has anyone ever played a uke that feels cramped when they play without a strap, but then, with the added support of a strap, it actually feels fine?

I've never been bothered by a narrow nut width. However, I do find it less convenient to hold a strapless tenor when playing standing up. I've started putting strap buttons on some ukes. At the other extreme - sopranino - a strap also helps.
 
...I only play without a strap when I'm being lazy or don't care if my playing is sloppy or klutzy. Fortunately, most of my ukes are fitted with dedicated straps...

Me too. Only time I am not wearing the strap is if I am leaning back in the chair, and the uke is held in place by the 'belly shelf' and the arm rest of the chair at the butt end.

I use a black round 72" bootlace for a strap on most of my ukes, which can be had at the grocery store for $2 for a pair of laces.

Ukes weigh next to nothing and I have a pet peeve about fat and heavy straps that weigh more than the uke itself.

I also despise both metal and plastic buckles and adjusters on straps, which can bang into and ding the neck or body and find them totally unnecessary if you know how to tie a slider slip-knot, which works fine to adjust the strap, which really I only need to do when I first install the strap.
 
Could you post a picture of what you do with your bootlaces? I have a few ideas how it could be done, but one leaves the excess for adjustment dangling, one can only be adjusted by also adjusting the knot around the headstock, and the third requires cutting the cord or lace in half. I'm assuming your solution still requires a strap peg in the butt end if the uke is to be positioned at all well, as with traditional straps.

I have an idea in mind for people (those without decided cleavage, at least) who want proper positioning without installing strap pegs, but I've yet to test it out.

Sure, I'll try to post a picture, if not later, than tomorrow.

The basic idea is tied around the headstock, fixed behind the nut area, and then at the tail end, there are a few different ways I attach it. The pictures will show.

One idea is that if you do not want to use an end-pin, you could just make a big loop at the untied end, and then put your strumming arm thru the loop and under your arm pit or around the bicep, and the length of cord goes around your back. This is exactly what fellow UU sister Lori's UkeLeash does:

http://www.ukeleash.com/

In my case, with the bootlace, I have a slider-knot for adjustment no matter how it is attached.
 
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