How to Make a Leather Guitar Strap

Guitar straps are one of those things that are never quite perfect. The ones you buy in the store are mass produced, so you can never get one with your own personal flair or style, and custom-made leather goods are prohibitively expensive. The simplest solution is to make your own strap and make it yours. It's actually quite easy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sheet of leather (at least as long as your strap) Heavy-duty scissors Grease pencil (a marker works as well) Thin piece of string Strap locks (optional, but highly recommended) Ruler or tape measure

Determining the Size

1. Tie one end of the string to one of the strap buttons on your guitar.

2. Hold your guitar where you want the strap to hold it, and loop the other end of the string around the other strap button, and tie it off. Cut the excess string.

3. Take the guitar off, work the string off the buttons and lay it across the sheet of leather so that the entire length of the string fits on the leather in a straight line.

4. Mark the ends of the string on the leather (this is where your strap-button holes will go), and make guide marks equal distances on the right and left of the string, using your ruler to ensure consistent width throughout the length of the strap. Make the strap as wide or as narrow as you please.

5. Connect the guide lines, and draw the ends of the strap around the marks for the strap-button holes, leaving at least an inch and a half of material beyond the hole for strength.

Cutting it Out

6. Use your heavy-duty scissors to cut along the lines. You should end up with a strap that has no holes in it. Discard the extra leather or keep it for scraps to use later.

7. Fold the end of the strap over on itself across the middle of the hole mark, and make a very small cut, about 1/4 inch long. The slit should be parallel to the length of the strap. Do this for each hole.

8. Starting at the end of the slit closest to the end of the strap, use the scissors to cut a small hole out of the leather. Usually, there is no need to make a perfectly round hole, but avoid leaving jagged edges if you can.

9. Try the strap on and make any adjustments to the length or width as you need. Some people like to taper their straps on one side, some prefer an even width throughout.

10. Install the strap locks into the strap for extra stability and strength. Leather has a tendency to stretch, and you don't want the holes you cut to stretch too big for your strap buttons.

Tips & Warnings

• Cut slowly, and make the strap a little wider than you think is necessary. You can cut more off later. Save the scraps and cut them into very thin strips to use as leather laces for fringe if you really want to spice up your strap. If you can find fairly stiff leather, use it instead of soft leather. It will soften up as you use it more and will last longer. Use another strap as a template for easier sizing.
• Scissors are dangerous, so use a sharp pair to avoid accidentally cutting your finger.