I also have a couple Contour Straps with wool padding and they are really comfortable.
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Strap wideness - an interesting discussion
- Thread starter Rayjay
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OK thanks. Not a joke I'm meant to understand I guess. No harm done.
It’s impossible to make a general blanket statement about strap width. One size does not fit all. This is one of Keith Richards’ many life choices that I’m happy to disagree with.I was talking to a leather strap maker about some custom straps. But why 3" wide, he asked. Well, because I'm a bass player yada yada yada. It's known bassists like wider straps especially for longer gigs.
He gave me a different take - one that he heard directly from Keith Richards. Keith asked him for a very skinny strap, and this guy didn't have anything skinnier than 2.5" at the time. Because, weight, right? Keith basically told him (starting with 'oh, you're gonna tell me about guitar straps, mate?'). An ergonomics lesson from Keith ensued. He first had him wear his guitar (which had a very skinny strap already). Now act like you're playing and look over your right shoulder for a cue from the other side of the stage. Now raise your left hand and act like you're waving to the crowd. And notice when you do, the headstock of the guitar didn't move at all and never needed to be re-adjusted.
With a wider strap the guitar is always moving.
He went on to describe how he also realized that (he believes) there is less fatigue on a skinny section of your shoulder instead of weighing down your whole trapezius muscle and pulling on your deltoids, and in the opposite direction your neck, in the process.
And he said think about it because his clients learned from the old guitar slingers like Jimmy Page who used 13 pound Les Pauls and had the skinniest straps. I thought it was all for looks.... Made me think of Dug Pinnick too.
I still went with the 3". I have a bunch of LK's and they are 3.5" which feels great to me. But I never considered how the bass does tend to work it's way over towards me deltoids and that is when I feel the weight of the bass most.
Most of my basses are around 8 pounds anyway.
I definitely do better with a wider strap, but there are some that are too wide and I keep fighting them to fit "just right" on my shoulder. I found along time ago that 3 to 3.5" padded straps work best for me and I tend to stick to those. But I've also known bassists who were fine with a thinner Ernie Ball poly strap, so it is surely subjective.
Suede on the inside that sits on your shoulder helps a lot.
Keith could be right: You're spreading the same weight over an 1.5" width vs 3" which spreads the weight
You saw this in postwar aircraft: B36 prototypes had single-tire main gear, tires the size of off-road dump trucks. Besides the stress on those tires, the whole weight was on two tires in back, and a small two tire bogey under the nose. Few runways across SAC would have stood that loading.
B36 Prototype main landing gear wheel. Can't get that wrench at Northern Tool !
B36 Production version main gear. Dividing the same weight on 4 footprints instead of one.
Ever since, that's why all BIG commercial and military aircraft have lots of wheels to spread the weight.
Keith could be right: You're spreading the same weight over an 1.5" width vs 3" which spreads the weight
You saw this in postwar aircraft: B36 prototypes had single-tire main gear, tires the size of off-road dump trucks. Besides the stress on those tires, the whole weight was on two tires in back, and a small two tire bogey under the nose. Few runways across SAC would have stood that loading.
B36 Prototype main landing gear wheel. Can't get that wrench at Northern Tool !
B36 Production version main gear. Dividing the same weight on 4 footprints instead of one.
Ever since, that's why all BIG commercial and military aircraft have lots of wheels to spread the weight.
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Joking aside that's a consideration for me. A strap with more girth helps distribute weight in my opinion. I've had thin 4" straps that didn't feel as comfy as a 2.5" or 3" strap with some substance to it.
That's a good point, not many folks think about that, but a little stiffness helps distribute weight over a larger area. One of the reasons I hate fabric straps.
In general, the players that tend to use narrow straps tend to sling their guitar/bass lower. Some of these guys are in their 70s and 80s and still running around on stage.
It might seem counter-intuitive to some, but slinging lower tends to put less stress on the shoulder. It's why you see the players with their guitar/bass tucked under their chin with massive, padded straps, still complaining about how much their shoulder hurts...
...and probably lecturing people about the poor ergonomics of slinging their guitar/bass too low.
IMO/YMMV
It might seem counter-intuitive to some, but slinging lower tends to put less stress on the shoulder. It's why you see the players with their guitar/bass tucked under their chin with massive, padded straps, still complaining about how much their shoulder hurts...
...and probably lecturing people about the poor ergonomics of slinging their guitar/bass too low.
IMO/YMMV
I would sling low like in your avatar pic if I could, it puts less strain on the plucking arm. You can have that arm straighter, so less carpal tunnel issues. Problem for me is I cannot play with the neck at that 45 degree angle, and even if I could my fretting hand cannot get in the position I like on the neck, can't get to the low strings.
Still, I play lower than many players. Usually have the strap threaded through upper unit at the second to last loop.
To each their own, but I'm happy to hear I'm not alone!
I have some heavy basses and shoulder issues, so was following advice and going for maximum, like 4.5" padded leather. Found it heavy and hot. Gradually gravitated towards lighter and skinnier straps.
I now have 2" cotton straps on all my basses, and I find them so much more comfortable than the wider straps, or leather, or padded, etc. Somehow it feels lighter, maybe as the OP said because I can shift it around.
And Levy's are awesome...
I have some heavy basses and shoulder issues, so was following advice and going for maximum, like 4.5" padded leather. Found it heavy and hot. Gradually gravitated towards lighter and skinnier straps.
I now have 2" cotton straps on all my basses, and I find them so much more comfortable than the wider straps, or leather, or padded, etc. Somehow it feels lighter, maybe as the OP said because I can shift it around.
And Levy's are awesome...
Apparently Jimmy's main Les Paul was around 8-9 lbs. Not all of them are heavy.
Keith wears his guitar so low to be unplayable for me, so I would take no mind of his preferred strap's impact on ergonomics.
There's a word for "wideness", and it's "width." 
I've got several of these, and I'm very happy with them. Right amount of friction, width, flexibility and breatheability for me. But glad there are options for many styles of play and many body types.
I’m certainly not going to tell Keef he’s wrong, but his preference doesn’t work for me. I’ve used straps in all sorts of widths over the course of 40-ish years and I’ve come my own conclusions based upon my own needs and my build.
Most of my basses are on the heavier side. Only a few of them are real boat anchors but most are in the just-under-ten range. For me, anything 3” or wider works well for bass. Most of my bass straps are 3.5 or 4”. A couple of my straps are 4.5” and I don’t find it too wide, although I doubt I would like anything wider. The only exception to my pattern is a 2” strap on my vintage Dan Armstrong/Danelectro, which weighs very little. I had one of those old skinny straps with a sliding shoulder pad on that bass for years and then came to terms with the fact that I just didn’t find it comfortable.
For guitar, the Les Pauls get 3” and everything else gets 2.5”.
That system seems to be working fine for me so I’ll leave Keef’s to Keef.
Most of my basses are on the heavier side. Only a few of them are real boat anchors but most are in the just-under-ten range. For me, anything 3” or wider works well for bass. Most of my bass straps are 3.5 or 4”. A couple of my straps are 4.5” and I don’t find it too wide, although I doubt I would like anything wider. The only exception to my pattern is a 2” strap on my vintage Dan Armstrong/Danelectro, which weighs very little. I had one of those old skinny straps with a sliding shoulder pad on that bass for years and then came to terms with the fact that I just didn’t find it comfortable.
For guitar, the Les Pauls get 3” and everything else gets 2.5”.
That system seems to be working fine for me so I’ll leave Keef’s to Keef.
Width is a measursble attribute, wideness is a general quality.There's a word for "wideness", and it's "width."
Should I start a new thread if I want to discuss the longness of straps or just fork off?
