Guitar straps are a small detail to the guitar. It is very seldom you will find that they influence the actual sound of your instrument. But even though they are just a small asset, choosing the right strap is crucial. First off, the style is important. The strap is one of the first things to look at when trying to figure out a musician’s identity and stylistic choices. Loose and colourful or tight and discreet? Another aspect to think about when choosing a strap is material – will this strap be durable enough for my play-style? Some people prefer having many to switch between, and some just have one per guitar.
Lastly, picking a guitar strap with sufficient length and the ability to change that length is also something that is really important. With that said, it is a small detail but again very important to get right. In this listing, we will be looking at our top guitar straps made from leather. When it comes to quality material, leather is a guaranteed top pick. For some more information on both leather guitar straps and how they compare to guitar straps of other fabrics, please visit the buyer’s guide below.
Levy's Leathers Right Height Guitar Strap - Slick and Sturdy
Pros:
Reduces Straining
Built To Last
Easily Adjustable
Cons:
- Above Average Price
Levy’s Leathers make all around the board quality guitar straps. This strap is super sturdy, made from wide ergonomic padded leather. It can be adjusted from 43-57 inches, which suits pretty much every playable range. RipChord is what Levy’s calls their unique fix, which allows for effortless adjustment of height. It allows the player more control if they hastily need to fix the strap’s length, pulling in one of two directions to either extend or shorten the strap.
Special Features
For a guitar strap, this one is fairly expensive. It is a strap that you pick and stick with. One big plus is that black goes well with pretty much any colored instrument, so this strap is easily switched between different instruments. The key features that make this strap expensive are the material’s quality and the split body style design. This split divides the strap into two over the shoulder. What this does is allows for a smoother and less straining position on the shoulder. It is essential to take care of ears, fingers and body for a musician. Long gigs or practice sessions will be more comfortable with this strap.
Perri's Leathers Suede Guitar Strap – Rough and Reliable
Pros:
Loving Craftsmanship
Stylish
Cons:
- Slow Adjustment
Perri makes everything from very basic cotton straps to high-quality leather straps. This strap is the latter. All of Perris straps are made in Canada, and you can pretty much count on quality. The Suede strap was made for a cowboy. It is adjustable within a reasonable range and comes at an average price. The adjustment is time-consuming if we compare it to the previous listing. The upside is that it requires no extra parts that potentially will break before the strap itself. You just thread the strap through different holes for different lengths. If we compare it with guitar straps overall, all of these leather straps are expensive. But the quality is in the price. This strap sits at an average price.
Design
The strap is brown with a soft sheepskin pad that embraces the shoulder. It is slightly rough-looking as if it has been used, with suede leather. Perri is so confident in their craftsmanship that they provide a 180-day guarantee from the day of purchase if any defects in material, craftsmanship or quality. It is a safe bet.
Fender Road Worn Strap – The Looker
Pros:
Gorgeous
Inexpensive
Cons:
- Low Range
This strap is made to look worn from the second you purchase it. It would go hand in hand with any relic guitar. Fender provides the market with bestseller after bestseller. This strap is made from distressed leather, and it might suffer from a bit of quantity over quality. It is fairly priced for a leather strap, and since it is Fender, you can pretty much always count on it being available for purchase.
It has no special functional features, the strapping mechanic is straight forward and works for any range; there is no extra comfort around the shoulder. Depending on the retailer you find, this strap goes for a wide range of prices. Since it is Fender, has good looks, and is sure to sell, some retailers are bold and sell it for a high price.
Looks
This strap wins very hard on this. The tooled leather symbols are gorgeous and play perfectly with the worn look. Though you can’t count on them being handmade, they are still going to look very good. This strap will work for a long time and is suitable for any instrument.
Dat Strap Leather Guitar Strap – All Rounder
Pros:
Cheap
Beginner Friendly
Cons:
- Might Wear Out Fast
Coming in from Dat Strap is a handmade brown leather strap that is decent on all fronts. But not more than that. Quality and durability are both decent. The price is excellent, which is a good option if you want many straps on many instruments but are short on cash. It comes in both black and brown. With a standard purchase straight from a retailer, the strap also comes with two special Dat Strap picks.
Wear and Tear
You might want to go easy on this strap. Since it has lower quality leather than most other listings here, the strap might wear out pretty fast if used on a heavier instrument. It is why it goes perfect with something a little lighter than a new player might choose, or an acoustic guitar. It is decent at everything a strap needs to do. Adjustable from 37 to 52 inches.
LeatherGraft Walnut Brown Genuine Leather Strap – Heavy Duty
Pros:
Tolerates Weight
Durable
Cons:
Not 100% Leather
Short Range
LeatherGraft comes in with a rough-looking strap that is good for any heavy-duty instrument. This strap is sure to go on any instrument and hold in place/last a long time. It is relatively cheap. The strap is padded with an outer layer of leather and the inside is made from other less expensive materials. If you want a strap made out of leather entirely, the point stands. You have to pay more. It will, however, give the feel of real leather since it is… a real leather. Just not all the way through. It is adjustable from 40-49 inches, which is not the best of ranges. For an all-around use on any given instrument, a little more range would be nice.
Simplicity
There are no gimmicks to this strap. It is very thick and looks worn at purchase. The strapping mechanism is very sustainable, and odds are you won’t see it getting worn out very quickly. The range is not super fast to adjust, but it does adjust nonetheless. It has no special padding to make it more comfortable, but since it is so thick and soft, it actually helps pretty well with body fatigue.
D'Addario Basic Leather Guitar Strap – The Classic
Pros:
Affordable
Simple Design
Cons:
Low Range
Very Thin
Lastly on this list is another big brand in competition with the likes of Fender. If you have ever looked at a guitar strap, odds are you have seen this one. It is a very thin strap, made from quite good quality leather. What stands out is the price. It is by far the cheapest strap on this list, and comparably it is not such a bad bet. It might wear out faster than average, but you can purchase multiple straps at once since it is almost ridiculously cheap. It has a basic black design and a slightly low range, but it will probably work for most players.
Beginners’ Choice
This strap was not made for the touring musician who does not want to strain their body. It is a thin leather, and D’addario claims that it will provide comfort for standing situations, but it has no padding and the thin strap is sure to wear on the body more than average. If you want a leather strap but can’t justify paying over 40 dollars for such a small thing, this is a perfect choice. It is the simplest, most basic version of a leather strap but a leather strap nonetheless. No fuzz and simplicity are what this strap is about. It won’t make you stand out from any crowd, but it will let the instrument speak for its own looks.
The Best Leather Guitar Strap – Buyers’ Guide
When looking at leather, there are several different varieties to have in mind. Here, we will go through some of the various leather types and what you can expect from them in a guitar strap. The main things that people look for in a strap are that it will last and be comfortable. Pay more, and you get more of those things.
Different types of leather
Leather comes from animal skin. Thus, it will always have imperfections, and these imperfections are exactly what you want in high-quality leather. If it looks “too smooth to be true”, it probably is of lower quality. The leather is soft and has a good stretch. High-quality leather costs more to produce, which is why the price is really the ultimate indicator to whether you’re getting a high-quality guitar strap or not. Straps have a very simple design, and the bulk of the cost comes from the material, not complicated designs and varied components. If you ask about the particular strap you are considering buying, you can most likely find out what leather quality is made from. Most brands obviously state that their strap is made from high-quality leather, but that is sometimes not the case.
Full Grain
It is the highest grade of leather. It comes from the outer layer of the hide and is commonly not sanded to remove any imperfections. The name full grain indicates that all of the grain is still remaining in this type of leather, making it stronger, more stretchable and durable. One neat thing about full grain is that it develops a strengthening patina over time instead of wearing out. It makes it excellent for any guitar strap.
Top Grain
Top grain is behind full grain and is the second highest quality leather. It has some imperfections removed and is overall more workable than Full Grain for the manufacturer. This leather type is sanded and finished with a coat. It means it will not develop a patina over time to strengthen it further but will, on the other hand, protect against stains that would sink into Full Grain.
Genuine Leather
The two last leather types are commonly used for guitar straps. Genuine leather is produced from the top layers of skin are split off for higher quality leather. Lastly, the grain is incorporated artificially into this leather type and it is usually stained or dyed to make it look more natural. It still has the core functions of leather, being strong and durable.
Bonded Leather
It is the lowest quality leather you can find. It is made from leftover scraps from other leather production. The scraps are ground down and then mixed together with latex or polyurethane. It will obviously affect the quality of all the features that we love about leather. It is good to be careful when purchasing something made from bonded leather, both because it is simply of lower quality and because it is very common for bonded leather to be made to have the appearance of higher quality leather.
Conclusion
The leather straps are a slick bunch. They have very similar aesthetics and won’t give the performer a flashy appearance. The strength of a leather strap is in function. It is truly one of the absolute best materials for a functional and durable strap. There is such a wide range of qualities when it comes to leather guitar straps, and this is why it is important to be very careful with choosing the right strap.
If you purchase a cheaper strap, be prepared that it will lose its looks and function quicker than you expected. There is no more reliable option for a road warrior who practices a lot, travels a lot, and gigs a lot more than a pricy, good leather strap.
For the bedroom guitarist that seldom picks up their guitar and practices mostly sitting down, a cheap leather strap will do just fine since it won’t wear out as much. The only overall downside to these leather straps is that they are less adjustable on average than other straps. It is why you should go to a guitar store or purchase a strap where you know you can’t return it if you are satisfied.
For performing, the number one most important thing is how long the strap is—seconded by how comfortable the strap is. It might feel too long of a strap as if you are playing a completely different instrument when standing up. Too short and it will feel stiff and unnatural. Try various straps or compare the range of a strap you are looking to purchase to the range of a strap you already have and are satisfied with.