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Help? I need a new strap.
- Thread starter totallyfrozen
- Start date
personally I'm thrilled with the Planet Waves tubular bass strap. Only 30 bucks and super comfy, I put one on every bass.
I picked this one up a couple months ago and I'm not certain I will ever buy any other brand. It's by far the most comfortable strat I have ever owned.
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I have a 500 as well and it runs a very close 2nd to my Onori. Unless I stumble on something better, which I doubt, I will stick to these two. Reasonable price, soft glove leather, good looks and very durable.
bad shoulder here. i've tried several straps...here's what has worked for me and what hasn't...
worked:
mss24
planet waves 3" bass strap
slapstrap
sort of worked but not really:
italia 5" leather strap
didn't work at all:
comfort strapp
i generally stick to the mss24. that's got the best balance between protection and light weight for me. however, that neotech strap looks very interesting to me and i might try it somewhere down the road. but i'm pretty happy with the mss24. recently saw primus on webcast and noticed les is using one now, too.
the only thing i hate about it is the big country looking levy's logo. i pulled mine off and replaced it with a cartoon picture of bowzer wearing an energy dome
worked:
mss24
planet waves 3" bass strap
slapstrap
sort of worked but not really:
italia 5" leather strap
didn't work at all:
comfort strapp
i generally stick to the mss24. that's got the best balance between protection and light weight for me. however, that neotech strap looks very interesting to me and i might try it somewhere down the road. but i'm pretty happy with the mss24. recently saw primus on webcast and noticed les is using one now, too.
the only thing i hate about it is the big country looking levy's logo. i pulled mine off and replaced it with a cartoon picture of bowzer wearing an energy dome
CosmicRay
Supporting Member
+1 on the comfort strap...they also come XL
I have two. My late "70's J bass (maple & ash) weighs a ton, but the strap is wide and distributes the weight.
I have a Sure-Lock strap I got for $10, and it is quite possibly the awesomest strap I have. Check it: Link Removed
not exactly what the op is looking for. he's looking for a strap to protect his shoulder. that one looks like a nice strap but it offers nothing for protection.
Well, I have a 2" strap now...and that's not really working for me the way I want. I haven't tried the Sure-Lock so I can't speak with any authority on it, but it looks painful to me. It looks thin and non-padded. Am I missing something about it?
BTW, I also have one of those "disposable" $4.00 synthetic web Ernie Ball straps that someone (probably an enemy) gave to me. I don't use that for anything and I even tried to give it to my nephew for his guitar, but he didn't want it either.
Question on Italias (since you're their endorsing artist):
I visited the website and looked a few straps. I don't see any padding in them anywhere. Just looks like two high quality pieces of leather sewn together. Is there any padding in them?
and if not, what is it that makes them so comfortable?
They really don't look that comfortable (doesn't mean their not), so I don't understand all the hype they get. What's so comfortable about them?
as the owner of an italia strap that i don't use anymore, i tend to agree with you. however, you can get them very wide, which does help with weight distribution. mine is 5" and it does distribute the weight to the ball joint instead of digging into the shoulder blade. but it's not the most soft leather in the world, and it does feel hard on your shoulder, and it just feels very clunky to move around with it as well, so that's why i use the mss24 instead. still, it does work for some people. i know james has some very heavy basses he uses. plus, i got mine on ebay new for about $30, and i can tell by looking at pics that it's not made with the same quality that the straps they sell for $100 are made, so i may not be the best one to comment on them.Question on Italias (since you're their endorsing artist):
I visited the website and looked a few straps. I don't see any padding in them anywhere. Just looks like two high quality pieces of leather sewn together. Is there any padding in them?
and if not, what is it that makes them so comfortable?
They really don't look that comfortable (doesn't mean their not), so I don't understand all the hype they get. What's so comfortable about them?
Thick leather with suede backing... they distribute the weight across their width without focusing to the center line between the 2 strap buttons. The suede backing makes your bass stay where you place it. My basses are heavier than most (by my request to the builders) and I can wear them for hours without fatigue with these straps when a 70s P bass on a 2.5" nylon or thin leather strap kills me after a couple tunes.
- Apr 1, 2000
- 17,399
- 9,833
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Roscoe Guitars, DR Strings, Aguilar Amplification
Comfort Strapp is the only strap I'll consider anymore. Works perfectly, and is supremely comfortable.
you know, i really wanted to feel this way about it, too. that thick foam is great. but imho they blew it by making the support strap thinner than the padding. what happens with me is that the support strap digs right through the foam and into my shoulder, giving my should just slightly better treatment than when i used an ernie ball seatbelt strap. i'm sure it works out well for you, but i tried a handful of times and i couldn't deal. i think it's a brilliant idea that needs work.
I really like the way the neotech straps even out the weight of my six string Warwick a lot. I haven't tried a lot of other brands, but its kept my shoulders young. I can go for about 2-3 hours of constant standing/playing before i start to feel like calling it quits.
I just bought a Levy's MG3EP... not a bass specialty strap, but it sure is pretty... and comfortable too.
Well, I'm going to give the Neotech Mega Bass Strap a try. It wasn't too expensive and it sounded like it might be comfortable.
At a first glance, it's nearly 4" wide at the shoulder (widest part). It seems to be very well made, as in, reasonably "heavy duty" for a neoprene strap. Made in USA for all you patriots.
What I like: It can be adjusted to any length I want and not just in specific, pre-measured increments like I had with the leather strap. Padding seems pretty thick. No obnoxious logo crampin' my style. Again, it seems very well made; the stiching seems good.
What I'm concerned about: It seems pretty slippery. I wonder if it's going to wander on my shoulder. Neoprene is notoriously HOT so I'm a concerned about my shoulder getting too hot and with sweating a lot. Also, I can see the web belt runs the length of the strap (under the neoprene) which is great for strength and longevity but, as Jimmy commented on earlier, I wonder if I will start to feel it dig through. One other possiblity, the button holes are ginormous on this thing (I could probably put my thumb through it) so I can imagine a bass falling off of this strap if a player isn't careful
I'll see how this goes and post any problems that I have for the benefit of the next guy. If this one doesn't work out, I'll try another one mentioned in this thread.
Until next time...
At a first glance, it's nearly 4" wide at the shoulder (widest part). It seems to be very well made, as in, reasonably "heavy duty" for a neoprene strap. Made in USA for all you patriots.
What I like: It can be adjusted to any length I want and not just in specific, pre-measured increments like I had with the leather strap. Padding seems pretty thick. No obnoxious logo crampin' my style. Again, it seems very well made; the stiching seems good.
What I'm concerned about: It seems pretty slippery. I wonder if it's going to wander on my shoulder. Neoprene is notoriously HOT so I'm a concerned about my shoulder getting too hot and with sweating a lot. Also, I can see the web belt runs the length of the strap (under the neoprene) which is great for strength and longevity but, as Jimmy commented on earlier, I wonder if I will start to feel it dig through. One other possiblity, the button holes are ginormous on this thing (I could probably put my thumb through it) so I can imagine a bass falling off of this strap if a player isn't careful
I'll see how this goes and post any problems that I have for the benefit of the next guy. If this one doesn't work out, I'll try another one mentioned in this thread.
Until next time...
