What about straps? Different types.

Hi everybody. What about straps? What type of straps do you like?

I really like the Hug Strap (https://www.thehugstrap.com). Melissa and Erin are both fantastic people and they make great straps in many different colors and styles.

I also like Sarah Maisel's straps: http://www.cheemaisel.com/straps . (And Sarah is another fantastic person.)

You can't go wrong with either.

I like Sarah Maisel's, but I really, really like Straps for Chords. Made in the UK, there is such a nice selection of different designs. The quality is very good, and the prices reasonable. https://strapsforchords.webs.com/

I like only all leather straps, no buckles of any kind. Cloth straps are way too slippery and those plastic (or worse, metal) buckles are just an accident waiting to happen. Long ago I had one but gifted it to someone else (who had an inexpensive and a little beat up uke and didn’t care), after the buckle swung into the soft cedar top of one of my ukes (very easy to happen when you are taking off your neck/shoulder), leaving a dent.

I like Bailey straps, especially if you are looking for something a bit fancy. They are a cool braided leather with leather toggles on the end which attach quickly and securely, even with end pin pickup jacks like MiSi, which have a very small lip for strap attachment. For soft and simple, I like Lakota leather. Buy directly from their site so that the most $ goes to the artisans on the res.

Hey everybody. Thanks for replying to this thread. I live in SoCal and there is a gentleman making custom strap out of leather with beautiful designs and carved designs that cost less than $50.

Like most people I like straps with a button at the heel and the end of the body. Except on a soprano's shorter body where having the upper strap attach at the headstock seems to balance better for me.

I will only use two button straps, I feel the instrument is most secure with them, keeps my hands free as needed.

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This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers

Some beautiful straps up there.

I like one strap button at the base and a connector on the headstock. I find that much more stable than having the strap connected to the neck or heel.

I play tenors almost exclusively. I prefer 2" wide guitar straps attached at the butt and the side of the heel of the ukulele. The wider strap doesn't dig into my shoulder like the narrower straps do. Like Bunnyf, I won't use straps with metal buckles and fittings, but I do use them with plastic ones. So far they haven't been a problem for dings or dents. I do recommend strap locks of soft silicone or rubber that fit over the button and strap end. I had the holes/slits on a couple of man-made plastic end pieces and one leather end that got very loose from putting the strap on and taking it off. One came off the heel pin while I was playing! Fortunately, I was able to hold onto the neck and keep it from falling. So if the strap is getting loose, or you have the type of pin that has a slight waist and no lip to keep the strap in place use a keeper. They are cheap. But the hard rubber ones are difficult to put on or take off.

I used to attach at the headstock. And had the small leather straps with a button to attach the strap. After a while it started to feel cumbersome and get in the way. It was also distracting for me. A friend suggested I try a heel button and I've never looked back. All of my ukes have two buttons.

For my ukes with a pickup jack on the bottom, I use a leather attachment called the StrapKeeper by Tapastring Guitar Care. One of the UU members recommended them to me. It works great and doesn't try to unscrew your jack pin.

Yet to find a strap that doesn't slip, at a sensible price - so don't bother with them on my ukes!

I only ever used the one-button straps. I might be turned if I were to try the two button ones, but I am not going to hurry and install more buttons. For concert and soprano ukes, two buttons seems a bit excessive, but again, I might get wiser.

Most of my straps I made myself, from Fabric like materials and scrap leather from old belts. Most accessible straps look a bit pasticky to me. I also crafted a very elaborate no-button strap for my magic fluke so I would not need to drill in the plastic.
I used brass buckles on some of my straps, and I agree that it is not a good idea. My ukes as cheap enough and the efford put into the crafting big enough that I still use them, but they do occasionally bang into the wood.

Initially I experimented with a sound hole strap, too unstable when standing for myself. Early on I decided to adopt and stick with the two button set up, heel and bottom. I figured all those guitarists must know something. For myself it is the most stable set up and puts the instrument in the best playing position. Even my sopranos gets set up that way.

I like a flexible cloth strap. I've had a couple of leather straps that were too stiff and immobile. Sure, they will loosen up in time, but I won't live that long.

I bought one from Sarah Maisel because it's nice and also to support a performer. She used to work as as seamstress, but wrist problems made her stop. That's how she got into playing the ukulele. I also buy cloth straps to match a uke. I have a couple of Flukes with graphics, and I'm going to buy matching fabric and make straps for them. How hard can it be?

Croaky Keith said:

Yet to find a strap that doesn't slip, at a sensible price - so don't bother with them on my ukes!

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I use only all leather straps, smooth on the outside, rough on the inside that holds it in place. I buy them from Levy Leathers, 1.5" wide and light weight flexible leather, about $15 or so. Every one of my 9 ukes and 30 bass ukes/mini basses has one.

That's an astonishing collection of electric ukes mike. Your mods are fantastic. And beautiful to look at.

I pull a piece of bicycle tubing over straps with metal fittings. Or if I bother, I cut off a piece of the strap and sew a loop, that I pull over the fitting.

(sorry, lately I can't upload any pictures)

I use the beautiful straps from Sherrin's Threads. I like the 1 1/2 inch width with two buttons configuration. They are available on Etsy and sometimes HMS carries them.

Another +1 for Levy's Leathers Straps... all quality. I have both the fabric, woven styles, and -my favorite is a skinny leather version that has no buckles. It adjusts using a cut in the straps ends that pull together and hold with tension. I'm only using that version on a soprano and super soprano as it's shorter than other styles ( max 46" I believe ). The top is smoothed, but the back is rough.. doesn't slip like fabric. FWIW, Made in Canada. Mostly famous for custom guitar straps and other music related leather goods.

https://www.levysleathers.com/product/mandolin-strap-m19pr-wal/

bunnyf said:

I like Bailey straps, especially if you are looking for something a bit fancy. They are a cool braided leather with leather toggles on the end which attach quickly and securely, even with end pin pickup jacks like MiSi, which have a very small lip for strap attachment. For soft and simple, I like Lakota leather. Buy directly from their site so that the most $ goes to the artisans on the res.

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The Lakota Leather straps look great but I don't see any specifically for ukulele. Do you just use a guitar strap (which seems overkill) or is there another option?

I only use leather straps made by Julius Medina. They are definitely overkill. They are substantial. I seriously think I could use them with a block and tackle to cherry pick an engine block. They have an understated sartorial elegance with their dark hues and stylized tendril festoonings. I use the two-button system and the strap never leaves my ukulele. When I put my ukulele in its case, I wrap the strap around the lower bout and it makes the ukulele fit snugly. These straps don't slip probably, as I said, because they are so substantial. I have never tried any of those garish macrame/knitted affairs, so I don't have a referent for comparison. However my straps seem to stay where I put them.