TVvoodoo's Straplab

I've been in the background busily building, not showing everything, but should be plenty of additions to the store this weekend. Wife is going on a road trip so I'm batchin' it. This means I get to do what I like best... work in the shop all weekend! Maybe try to get in a little golf too.

Brand new off the bench today is "Bruiser" This heavily textured elephanty hide, with black up top, and a little blue showing through the cracks. The soft and subtle blue is more apparent in person.

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While it looks super rough and nasty on the outside, the inside is soft, velvety and full of love. Just like me!
3" wide... ultra padded in the Well-Hung way. most comfortable strap you'll ever wear. Many people are saying this, and I think they could be right. This one showing up in the Reverb Store this weekend.

Also built a couple called "Handsome Devil" and three new Class Act straps I haven't even named yet!
Too busy to detail here... getting ready for the Edmonton Guitar show. Who from TTR is going? LOL!
 
I change up what I am making quite a lot, mostly because my low attention span, and inability to purchase large amounts of the same hides, materials. But it keeps things fun. However, one of the mainstays of the Well-Hung Strapateria has been "The Devils' Leash" series, made with vintage style Saugerties pattern ribbon.

Won't get into all the "Legendary Strap of Famously Unfortunate Guitar Men" story here, you can read it in the reverb shop listing if you want (link below). Anyway, it's got so much vintage cool-cred it's sick, as the kids might say. Anyway, there's a little Crossroads style myth goes with it.

Here's one of the more recent Well-Hung versions, I made two as a test... you got warm browns, soft garment leather, nicely padded - 3" wide - not at all like the reissue vintage 2" ribbon-on-poly shoulder hammers Big Strap is pushing at you.

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Restocked a few listings got sold out in my store over the past week. Here's some pics:

Basket Case - exudes vibes of those vintage sports car steering wheel covers. Actual woven black leather, padded, rolled edges and sexier than whipped cream where it don't belong.
One of my absolute favourites. Sporty elegance, like owning a Jag but you still get to buy groceries.

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Dirty Honey Python... Even badass dudes have to say these are badass.

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Also, a new Class Act strap in the store... "Black Croc" I envisioned this as a way to distinguish your run-of-the-mill BSB tele from the gazillion others out there. Massive adjustment range, via my super easy and convenient pass-thru back buckle design. Glinty black croc emboss on buttery camel leather.

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All three inches wide w/ rolled edges and padded like you've done gone to heaven (without the nasty dying part).
Pickguard pics from GC brother 1sweetride

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Generally he's happy, but feels this "countries" him up more than he deserves. I wonder if any tooled/carved leather pickguard could escape that vibe. It's a retro/classic thing. Certainly an improvement over both of what he was showing as his first choices IMO on the Canadian Gutair forum. One thing about cowboy style is it ALWAYS works, but you need to wear like you don't GAF



I think it looks damn sexy, and pretty rock and roll.
 
new in the store today... from the Brad's Paisley series... Actually "Li'l Buta" is sort of a fusion hybrid thing between my 1969 series and Brad's paisley.
Take your pick, whatever...

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This one is padded black leather base, rolled edges with a metallic heavy fabric strip, in what looks like to me as a dead ringer for goldtop gold, but with some wine-red paisley butas too. Also for a bit of a change it's 2-3/4" wide.

Next up in the store another new Class Act design in that same buttery Camel-tone leather. Goes real long, very comfy, with some bad blood coloured croc embossed cowhide swimming up and down it. Back buckler, about 42" all the way to about 58"

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New in the store today will be the "Sand of the Sea" another Well-Hung Prophecy piece.

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also might have time to put up this listing for a cool Class Act design with genuine F-tweed incorporated, so VERY nicely complimentary to the buttery camel cowhide. Few of us deserve this sort of elegance but I made it anyway.

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Had a request on another forum to look into a "fret sling" S-curve style. Anybody know about these?
Problem is the dang things take up almost twice as much leather, and a lot of it ends up as waste. Unless that's the only style a guy made, $$$$. Might be marginally more ergonomic, I'm guessing. If the design it was that good, they'd probably still be making 'em.

Also have me a couple of ernie ball "starter pack" ribbon-on-poly shoulder-hammer straps on the bench, undergoing Well-Hung "big-boyification" - pics maybe tomorrow. Theys gonna be sooo sexy!
 
My latest project was Well-Hungification of a couple of those shoulder-pounding "starter pack" straps as I playfully call them.
This is all with a mind to convert 'em to serious 'big boy' HD straps, with lots of leather (plus love and craft too!)

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Customer wanted final straps under 2.5" wide, and closer to the original 2" if possible. Normally I do these in 3 inches wide (at least on the shoulder). Obviously a skinnier footprint compromises much of the possible comfort improvements and amount of padding possible.

In the end the results are still way better than raw stock and looks real sharp too - a worthy upgrade, for new, or precious vintage 2" wide hootenanny straps. These were punched for straplocks, (not a fan).

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Backside of the 2" southwest strap before and after - a visible difference.

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I normally do NOT use garment leather wrapping the whole back like in this case, nor do I double stitch as requested in this case. Both of those choices further compromise possible comfort boost.
I have learned over time guitarists can be fickle, (me too!) we want what we want. I'll keep a leather front side, and always always always rolled over edges instead of the all-too-common chop-off sides to minimize neck biting. I'll usually sew the ribbon on top, then use good robust and grippy fabric on the back. This method also offers less future body funk potential for sweaty folks.

While we have them torn down, it's also is prudent to replace the flimsy / floppy "girly fingers" ends with stiffer thicker leather, about 75% thicker.

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I believe these EBs are plenty strong enough as stock, provided the thinner thread they use doesn't degrade over time, (which it will, eventually). To me it seems the thin leather ends will the weakest link. On new versions right out of the store, it seems just ok. But when people send me these that are a few years old, you can definitely see how worn and stretched out they get with regular use. When folks jam straplocks into the smaller button hole as stock, that don't help none either, but just the fact you CAN jam a straplock into them is indicative how weak the stock leather ends are.

It's a bit sketch to me how little sewing of the ends the factories call "enough" to carry your guitar possibly with thou$ands. With just "ok" thread, particularly on the front nose end. Thread they use looks like T70 upholstery thread, I use T90 which would be called heavy duty upholstery thread. Not sure of the difference in tensile strength, but it's noticeably thicker.

Outside of the trustiness factor, Well-Hung is all about comfort. No matter how strong your strap is, that isn't going to add much tangible improvement to how your guitars wear on your shoulder. I believe players deserve the both mental comfort of guitar security AND physical comfort too.

Complete and ready to ship, no more of that wretched poly weave backing hammering against your body and grinding into your neck. Another StrapLab Victory!!!

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Are you fully ready for that jazz combo sit-in invitation you've been waiting for?
Feel a need to chug the livin' shadizzle out of Girl from Ipanema?

Chunk-chunka-chunka
Tall 'n tan 'n young 'n lovely
Chunka
The Girl from Ipanema goes walkin'
Chunka
And when she passes, each one she passes goes:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Chunka-chunka-chunka-chunka squeaaaaal!

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Metallion is loaded with heavy chrome pyramid studs. You rarely see them oriented like this on the diagonal, with the triangular ones filling in the sides. Very cool.

3" wide, ultra padded, black leather with rolled edges and goes nice and long with convenient back buckle design. I never get tired of saying that over and over. You know why? 'Cause it's pretty much the best I offer.

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Probably up on Reverb this weekend. Sunday most likely. It's not going to lighten your rig though. Don't ask me how much it weighs, pretty sure it could be used to bludgeon someone if required.

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TVvoodoo said:
I've been in the background busily building, not showing everything, but should be plenty of additions to the store this weekend. Wife is going on a road trip so I'm batchin' it. This means I get to do what I like best... work in the shop all weekend! Maybe try to get in a little golf too.

Brand new off the bench today is "Bruiser" This heavily textured elephanty hide, with black up top, and a little blue showing through the cracks. The soft and subtle blue is more apparent in person.

ivyexj0T_o.jpg


xPPlyRCC_o.jpg


While it looks super rough and nasty on the outside, the inside is soft, velvety and full of love. Just like me!
3" wide... ultra padded in the Well-Hung way. most comfortable strap you'll ever wear. Many people are saying this, and I think they could be right. This one showing up in the Reverb Store this weekend.

Also built a couple called "Handsome Devil" and three new Class Act straps I haven't even named yet!
Too busy to detail here... getting ready for the Edmonton Guitar show. Who from TTR is going? LOL!
Click to expand...

I thought this was faux cheetah leather with fine gold sparkle at first. Nice strap, but damn that would just be dreamy!!

Cheetah sort of transparent over the brown. The brown look would still be the same.

Black you could overlay transparent zebra and use fine silver sparkle. :love::love::love:
 
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TVvoodoo said:
Are you fully ready for that jazz combo sit-in invitation you've been waiting for?
Feel a need to chug the livin' shadizzle out of Girl from Ipanema?

Chunk-chunka-chunka
Tall 'n tan 'n young 'n lovely
Chunka
The Girl from Ipanema goes walkin'
Chunka
And when she passes, each one she passes goes:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Chunka-chunka-chunka-chunka squeaaaaal!

JUQXtOCB_o.jpg

Metallion is loaded with heavy chrome pyramid studs. You rarely see them oriented like this on the diagonal, with the triangular ones filling in the sides. Very cool.

3" wide, ultra padded, black leather with rolled edges and goes nice and long with convenient back buckle design. I never get tired of saying that over and over. You know why? 'Cause it's pretty much the best I offer.

C8njCgQW_o.jpg


Probably up on Reverb this weekend. Sunday most likely. It's not going to lighten your rig though. Don't ask me how much it weighs, pretty sure it could be used to bludgeon someone if required.

yuZJucCP_o.jpg
Click to expand...
I think the Mongols used something like that as their main weapon in warfare.

That is really kickass!!!
 
Got this cool bass-lounging-on-the-sofa pic in from Mr. Mendoza
Wish he'd sent it bigger, another way, but we work with what we get!

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Great color tone complimentation going on here with the Alternate saugerties and a midas bass!

New in the store probably later tonight... or tomorrow morning... Another new No Prisoners strap
in gorgeous "Angry Tanner" Red, 3" wide, padded, with some black and brassy goodness

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Calling this one.... "Trouble-Dour" get it? I do crack myself up sometimes. Unfortunately, my many clever "Calendours" daily
are complety wasted on my unresponsive, almost no sense of humour strap dummy Felix.

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Had a lot of not-so-fun times going on with suppliers recently. I am adapting my output here to make do with what I have. Don't worry I got plenty cool stuff stored up!
 
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Been on the lookout for months for a nice python embossed hide. One I can make straps out to compliment a vintage burst or tobacco burst guitars... with rich browns, and a black outline with small bursts of amber. You know, something like this....

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Seems to be all kinds of blues, greens, purple-durples, tans etc... and many different snake patterns too. But nothing exactly what I see in my head. Then I start talking to a leather supplier, because I kind of know how they make these....tell them I want something that looks real natural, and not fake. They tell me "Sure, no problem.. we can do that, easy!" Just pay us now, we'll make it for you.

LOL! - not before I ask for a sample to see what the company leather artists can come up with.
Couple days later they show me this:

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OMG it looks like halloween, or something. so apparently just some dude smears orange dye on some black and white dyed python and this is how you get "brown, natural" python. Man, this looks like a small child did it... in a hurry! I told them that, the dude gets indignant. Says I what I want can't be done, that I'm asking for too much.

Well, I have me a little bit of that plain white python here in the shop so this afternoon I set to showing them exactly what I want. Took a bit of doing, but I don't dis this specific kind of dyeing that often.

Not too bad, maybe a little more red dye to the brown to warm it up a bit, would be perfect.
Maybe go over the black again with black. Pretty labour intensive though. Mostly done with dye and a small paint brushes, with a light wash at the end to help blend things together a bit.

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To me to get a nice python, you need to have three distinguishable tones, black, a light colour that rings the pattern, then a third colour in the middle of the rings. I'm showing them this. I wonder what they will say.
 
from nasty swamp python, to glittery evil black croc. Is there no end to the badassness that emerges from the StrapLab?
Sometimes I wonder if I even belong in here. My kids know me as possibly the furthest removed from cool as one can be.

I'll show em all!

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Also took a couple steps forward on the Paisley Royal project. I'd like to take it to the guitar show, maybe as a work in progress. Is that a thing?

After some experimentation for the back and sides, a couple of dye steps, a carefully-considered commitment, and one clearcoat. The only suitable word I could come up with this ridiculously titillating colour is "Engorged." Happens to be one of my favourite natural colours LOL!

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Young cats looking at this sunday morning, hungover from a night of chasing wimmens: us old guys make our own kind of fun Saturday nights.
 
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