Mandolin strap for A style body

[mattearoadie]

Hi, I am new to the group and to mandolin. I recently acquired a Weber Y2K with a strap. The strap will not stay adjusted to the length I prefer. It loosens as I play. Can anybody recommend a strap that will not cause this problem. I have it secured at the headstock and end pin.

thank you

Rene

[otterly2k]

Rene-
Hi, and welcome to the Cafe.
re: your question...what type of strap is it? What material is it made of? Is it adjustable and if so, by what means?

[mattearoadie]

Rene-
Hi, and welcome to the Cafe.
re: your question...what type of strap is it? What material is it made of? Is it adjustable and if so, by what means? [QUOTE]

The strap is made of leather and it is adjustable by sliding the other leather piece. The problem is, it keeps sliding (loosens as I play).

I would like recommendations on a good strap for my mandolin that will stay secure once adjusted to proper fit.

thanks again

[otterly2k]

I (and many others) like the Longhollow Softie... also a leather strap, but one that has holes at intervals for the tailpin rather than sliding pieces, so it doesn't loosen (aside from the natural stretch that leather has). There are MANY types of straps to choose from, so you might want to give a few a try.

Also, pay attention to whether you're hanging on the strap... pulling down with your arms or hanging the weight of your arms on it. that would make the problem worse.

[bjc]

Hey Rene welcome to Mandolin Madness....a strap you might want to look into is the Bailey. He has an ad in the classifieds here. He'll make it to order and get it to ya quick. I don't have any financial interest here...he's just done good work for me, but there are other folks who make good products as well. Again WELCOME...

[John Flynn]

If it is leather, just get it to the length you want and mark it. Take it to a shoe repair shop and ask them to just put a couple of stitches in it to hold it. They will probably do it while you wait for a few bucks. You will know it is the exact length you want, it will cost less than a new strap, you will get it right away and if you change your mind on the length, you can always take it back and have it re-done.

[mandozero]

otterly2k

Does the Longhollow Softie fit an A-style without a button on the heel of the neck?
Everything I have found on them says that they are for F-styles and A's with a button on the heel.

I would like to get one myself, as it looks way comfey, but I'm afraid that it might be to short if I attach it at the headstock.

[Antlurz]

Not being able to see it, this would just be a guess, but is there a way you might take a piece of similar colored leather shoelace and bind it at the adjuster?? If it is a sliding adjustment, it would seem there should be some way of anchoring it in position. As already mentioned, a stitch or two through it should stop the movement, yet still be able to redo it later if necessary. Also, if it is almost tight enough, simply a good dose of wetting the joining area with water and letting it dry would shrink some forms of leather enough to put a lot of resistance on it.

Ron

[JEStanek]

Rather than a Heel button you can thread an end under the strings behind the nut. I had a guitar strap ($10 levy with purty suns and moons)that I used that way on my first A style mando. I attached one end to the endpin and the other end came with a little shoelace bit that I threaded as above.

I bet the knot you have is like the one on my Weber Sweet Pea (slip knot near the peghead).

Welcome to the Cafe.
Jamie

[otterly2k]

yep-- what Jamie said... take a shoelace or something like it, thread it through the hole in the strap that's intended for the heel button and then tie the strap to the headstock, just behind the nut and under the strings. Very easy.

[earthsave]

My A is tied just above the nut at the headstock with what is essentially a fancy shoe lace. Got a slip type knot, sorta like a hangmans noose, to allow quick and easy length adjustments depending on how close I stand to the banjo player.

[Jim Yates]

Is it just me, or does anyone else find that a strap attached at the nut gets in the way when you're playing close to the nut? I prefer to attach it between the 8th and 7th pegs and the 1st and 2nd. I notice from older pics of Bill Monroe that he used to fasten his strap above the 4th and 5th pegs before he decided to use the scroll as a strap peg.

[fatt-dad]

fatt-dad's strap recommendation: Go buy three rawhide shoelaces, use a figure 8 knot to join them together and braid your own. It may take some trial and error to make it just like you want it, but it's no problem. It may cost you $5.00 and a half hour to get it done. On the matter of space to move at the nut, tie it around the tuning machines just like mentioned. I've done this successfully at least 20 times - never a problem.

f-d

[WireBoy]

i can vouch for Fatt-dad's 'shoelace' solution. i've got one he made. it works just fine AND its tied between tuning pegs 7/8 and 1/2 to keep it clear of the nut.

[BlueMountain]

I was gigging for the first time with a 1927 Weymann banjo-mandolin with resonator I'd just purchased. I didn't have time to buy or make a decent strap for it, so I used a shoelace. In the course of the evening, I thought the shoelace was stretching, but it turned out that the ten pound weight of that little monster was making my SHOULDERS SAG. Has it occurred to you how wise we were to choose an instrument that generally weighs about two pounds? That's why mando players WALK TALL!