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Solid Strap That Will NOT Stain My Shirts

Hans Gruber

Hans Gruber

Jun 18, 2003
3,016
1,681
#1
My favorite strap is a Levy's garment leather 3". It's comfortable, solid, fits my wireless pack, looks great EXCEPT the black leather destroys my white shirts. I do a ton of wedding/event gigs and even with a little neoprene sleeve or wearing the full blazer the shirts have these dark stains from the leather.

I know a wider nylon one could potentially mitigate this, but 3 to 4 hours of playing needs a good quality one. Suede is not an option, I need something without the grip. It's just the sweat and black dye that do not mix well.

I like the look of the Italia straps but I need a smooth leather underside for the way I move and swing the bass around. Yes, you read that right.

Anyone have any ideas?

I may have to relegate myself to just having a pile of a white dress shirts that I soak for a few days in oxyclean in a bucket, but I'd like a better solution. Even that still struggles to get all the stains out.

Thanks!
 
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#2
have you tried the detergent Biz? It's got enzymes. I do a warm load, let it agitate for a few minutes to mix the detergent in, and then open the machine and let it soak for a couple of hours before finishing the cycle. It does a great job on stains and odors.

Native Sons makes a black strap with hemp in the back. I don't know if it's black enough, and it's probably not slick enough. The Italia stuff is really nice and it hasn't stained any of my t-shirts.
 
#4
joel the bass player said:
If it's your favorite strap why not get another but in white?

Levy's MSS2 Garment Leather Guitar Strap - White
Click to expand...

It's a good idea, but I'm afraid of it potentially mixing with my black jackets, too. The white shirts are more expendable than my black suit jackets. But sometimes I wear all white and I don't know if it would look right without the usual contrast. I appreciate the link, something to think about, thank you!

My soaking method works ok but it's labor intensive and I do them in 5 shirt batches.
 
#5
Hans Gruber said:
It's a good idea, but I'm afraid of it potentially mixing with my black jackets, too. The white shirts are more expendable than my black suit jackets. But sometimes I wear all white and I don't know if it would look right without the usual contrast. I appreciate the link, something to think about, thank you!

My soaking method works ok but it's labor intensive and I do them in 5 shirt batches.
Click to expand...
Get two - one black, one white, and wear as appropriate.
 
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#6
Hans Gruber said:
My favorite strap is a Levy's garment leather 3". It's comfortable, solid, fits my wireless pack, looks great EXCEPT the black leather destroys my white shirts. I do a ton of wedding/event gigs and even with a little neoprene sleeve or wearing the full blazer the shirts have these dark stains from the leather.

I know a wider nylon one could potentially mitigate this, but 3 to 4 hours of playing needs a good quality one. Suede is not an option, I need something without the grip. It's just the sweat and black dye that do not mix well.

I like the look of the Italia straps but I need a smooth leather underside for the way I move and swing the bass around. Yes, you read that right.

Anyone have any ideas?

I may have to relegate myself to just having a pile of a white dress shirts that I soak for a few days in oxyclean in a bucket, but I'd like a better solution. Even that still struggles to get all the stains out.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Comfort Strapp.
 
#8
RightOn! They make a sklabillion models in a gajillion colors. They make a lot of vegan/synthetic straps.
I have this one on a bass and it's fantastic. Comfortable but not stretchy and the faux suede liner won't slip.
I have a few nice leather straps too but if the higher priority is no color bleed this may be an answer.
Easy to buy on Reverb and some dealers.
upload_2023-11-2_12-45-33.png
 
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#10
Aloe said:
I'm afraid then this is as good as it gets, it's cheap, try it. IME neoprene is more sticky that polypropylene.

this said, for me it wasn't short enough (not an issue for the non-padded), so had to be cut and sawn.
Click to expand...

I looked at that, too. I think I bought one a while back but ended up deciding it was more worth it to annoy my family my buckets of gig laundry.

I may go back, thanks for the reminder.
 
#14
I'm not a fan of leather straps personally, and I have no idea if this one will stain your white shirts, but I love my levy's cotton bass strap


Edit: sorry, didn't see before that you need a smooth strap for swinging your bass around. I also have this Levy's polypropylene bass strap that is very smooth.
 
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