TVvoodoo's Straplab

[TVvoodoo]

New in the Reverb store today, Shock & Awe #97 - ready to be lined with the lining of your choice.
Most popular is synthetic sheep's wool, but I'll do leather, suede or fabric too, and pad it to your liking. 44-58

Also, "Circling Ravens" generally means bad news where I live. But for you, it could mean a world of good news for your shoulder and onstage comfort! Black leather nose and tail, synthetic soft leatherette body, with this blue, black and silver Celtic pattern. 3" wide 44-60" Stop lookin' all clowny onstage with your shorty hi-rider strap you bought from the store. I know it bugs ya!

Reverb Feedback meter still going nowhere at 992. Who's gonna be 1,001?

 

[TVvoodoo]

Fun picture sent in from member @jtcnj, this years' Endorserment prize winner of another snakey inset strap. Looks like he found a suitable mate.

Fresh off the bench today, ALMOST complete, a trio of new Star Power "Blue Flash" straps. This is a strange leather I took a chance on. Small hex embossed pattern, with a subtle blue sparkle. Totally reads as mostly black with a lot of texture... but a light sprinkle of small blue flake sparkle on it. Real interesting. I have an iridescent blue guitar I'm gonna to try it on. I think great for a blue flake guitar or blue metallic you want to accent, but don't want to have your strap steal the show. Perfect!

We are up to 994 reverb feedbacks, still creeping in on a thousand.
Here's dropped yesterday. Kind fellow!

Remember "Brad" the Orthodontist Rock 'n Roll memorabilia-collector-guitarist guy in Houston?
Sent me a pic too!

OH YEAH!

 

[TVvoodoo]

Today in the shop I am working on some bit and pieces for a few new Genocide straps. I'm using skull embossed hide for this, that I have to first dye black, then cut into strips

A lacquer clearcoat locks down the black

Then some painting. I have a fella interested in a red skulls on black Genocide right now, he hasn't committed.
I'm making it anyway, because it's something that'll won't sit in the store too long anyway.
Also trying one in turquoise and one in metallic bronze - requires a very light touch.

I think maybe too much red for this guys' taste, so I'm going to have to think on that. The turquoise still needs something... probably lightly hit it with metallic silver. I like the subtle dark bronze pretty fine as it is. Hiding in the back behind, is a new No Prisoners I am working on also, I'll be done that one probably tomorrow.

Photo in from Canadian Luthier Darcy Boyer of Boyer Guitars, a fella I met over the Facebook maybe six months ago.
This is what he builds. Super futuristic stuff. He picked up a Dark Shadows strap for this one which caught his eye!
Not sure if this is the final pair, I recently saw him designing something in purple, I thought it was for that one! Maybe it still is.
But he liked this combo enough to shoot me a pic.

Since he found Well-Hung Pro-Pins, he's fully onboard. Not looking back. This is key to me. When a builder agrees, I know it's right.
No need for clunky straplocks, extra parts or weird gadgets. Just a damn great strap button. So elegant and worry free.

Even the AI song generator knows

Clunky Junky Blues | Suno

Heavy blues rock, gritty male vocal song. Listen and make your own with Suno.

app.suno.ai

 

[TVvoodoo]

Super exciting day for me. New Tail Strap Making Day! YAAAAAYYY!!!!

For perhaps half of my designs, I utilize the same heavy black leather ladder, nose and tail assemblies.
Trusty, dependable, strong heavy duty black leather. Sort of an assembly line thing, economy of scale.
This gives me more time to concentrate on the special carving and layering of the foam in the shoulder that I do,
so I can focus on the end comfort for the wearer. I did finish "Noble Savage" though, turned out nice!

My No Prisoners series is focused around found items like the belt I found above in thrift. Then I build a great guitar strap around it.
this one is metal enough for your average whiskey- soaked rocker, yet still refined enough for your average physician/musician!

Playing around with Suno AI - creates some pretty milketoaste run of the mill AI songs. but that where the fun is ... in the cheeze!
Create a jingle for any crazy thing in minutes - write a love song for your motorcycle, with just a few simple prompts

Here's a little tune about metal strap lock apparatuses ( You probably know I'm not really a fan LOL)

Clunky Junky Blues | Suno

Heavy blues rock, gritty male vocal song. Listen and make your own with Suno.

app.suno.ai

Happy Friday brothers!

 

[LiveeviL2000]

My No Prisoners series is focused around found items like the belt I found above in thrift. Then I build a great guitar strap around it.
this one is metal enough for your average whiskey- soaked rocker, yet still refined enough for your average physician/musician

SWEET BABY JESUS!!!!

I love it!

 

[TVvoodoo]

Sorry Vito, Noble Savage is on the way to Mr. Potato Head Island already.

Interesting project today, a previous custom order came back to me after a couple of years of solid pro stage time. I rarely ever see my own straps come back, which I think is a happy sign of durability. Maybe had four or five come back over a dozen years. I do offer repair services for most other kinds of straps, make em longer, worn out noses etc.

These custom straps were purchased by a TGP member in "7th Grade Girl Fight" alt-rock band, and remain still in great condition. However, problem is, apparently there was a little band "drama" and well, the owner of these has left the band, told me in a letter after 20 years he feels completely betrayed. Anyway, he LOVES his Well-Hung straps too much to can 'em, so he asked what I could do with them, because with all that raised lettering, for him they only carried super bad mojo.

It's hard to modify leather straps too much. Particularly mine, which are rather complex in the build.
But, I suggested just a simple cover-up of the raised letter logo with guitar strapstyle embroidered ribbons, and it worked out pretty good.
the new stitching does compress the padding a fair bit, but they are still better than 90% of the straps on the market.

Basically turned them into 1969 series straps. They'll be good to go for many more years!
I have some genocide straps coming up... now dying the skull leather. Gonna be one in red, one in Texas Tea, and one in Turquoise...

the way I normally colour this leather, they turned out too light, not evil enough. This morning I hit them with antique paste that made them quite a bit more scary! Once I hit em with a final few clearcoats they gonna be sexy!

I think perhaps the red one might already be spoken for.

Gonna leave you with a Saskatchewan Farmer/Rancher V-blogger whom I believe is just frickin' killin it.
Quick Dick McDick is clever, hilarious, uses the tech, and always make me laugh. Gold Standard stuff.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Took me a while to get there, but four new complete

If scary embossed skulls on a 3" wide black padded leather base might be your jam,
check out the new Genocide series straps probably hitting the Well-Hung Reverb store tomorrow morning

Pirate King, made a pair of these, both with the contrast stitch

Caribbean Surf

Sacrifice

All go around 46" - 58 or so, (most store bought ladderbacks go to around 52"
luxury padded, leather body, nose, ladder and tail. Heavy stuff on the ends for longevity

These are all pretty well-lit shots, but under lower light conditions, they look a bit darker, scarier, more handsome too,
like most of us!

 

[JohnnyGoo]

Those are awesome looking . The turquoise one is outstanding.

 

[TVvoodoo]

This morning I had a whole different plan. Was going to get at some lighting bolt straps, I make from time to time.
Pretty strong sellers. Anyway, had my coffee, started to arrange materials... just wasn't feeling it. In a bit of a creative funk

I need a changeup.

I do this work this to feed my inner creative monster, put some food on the table too, but moreso the first thing.
I've always been a creative. Radio, TV, graphic design, journalist, television producer/director, poorass musician,
It's what drives me!

Anyway, I put all that bolt stuff over to the side. Next week! I pulled down my box of stuff I call "Apocalypso" - in it
I throw all manner of bits and pieces I come across. Belts I don't use all of it up, strange fabrics, hardware, zippers,
bits and pieces with brightwork on it, just all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff.

I use these bits for my "End Times" series, which is basically a "Mad Max - Steampunk" sort of vibe I guess.
I don't know if it's a thing at all, but if it's isn't, I guess I invented the "improv leatherwork" genre LOL!
Sew this to that, arrange this this way, lace this, smack in a grommet or two... OH here;s some cool brass
brightwork, need a few rivets here.... hardly no rhyme or reason to any of it, and the results are always unique
and visually interesting. This kind of work totally recharges my creative batteries, much more "art" than "manufacturing."
Gets me excited, I totally lose myself in this, hours fly by. This is what came out all that today.

These either end up staying in the store for months, or get snapped up right away. You just never know. One thing is, each one is
very unique, and long, padded to typical Well-Hung specs. I'll get better pics over the weekend, list it up probably Monday.

Happy Friday my brothers, hope you find some time to be creative this weekend yourselves!

 

[TVvoodoo]

I'd like to announce my 1,001th 5-star feedback came in this morning from Brian B. in Maryland, actually for a set of pro-pins, but he had also purchased a "Ember" shown earlier, at the same time.

I do know he's been an amazingly loyal member of the Well-Hung tribe, picking up many straps and buttons from me probably right from the beginning over a thirteen years ago when I first started out on the old Agile Guitar forum. It was there where I learned how to design, prototype and build straps for those extra heavy anchory pauls Zentmaier was importing for all the crew over there.

I see Brian has made 18 purchases with me over the years, probably more since even before Reverb, so it's nice to see him luck into the prize, whatever it's gonna end up to. Asked him to send me a guitar pic of one he wants me to strap over the next two weeks, 100% on me. I'll detail that when it happens.

So congrats to Brian!!! And, allow me to crow a little about the milestone of over 1,000 5-star feedback since first listing my wares on the Reverb platform in 2013. And it's not so much that top number, but the fact among the 1,002 feedbacks received, there was only a single 4 star feedback among them all. Damn spoiler! LOL!

And, some of you may know when I send customer feedback, I often like to leave some fun messages myself.
This causes me to get some really kooky ones back, which I encourage, and can make for some pretty interesting reading!
WELL-HUNG FEEDBACKS

 

[fitz]

 

[4406Pack]

 

[JJ119]

 

[Thatbastarddon]

Congratulations Brad!!!

 

[TVvoodoo]

End Times #2 is now on Reverb. If "Apunkalypse" might be your vibe? Grommets, rivets, different textures of leather, torn bits, frayed fabric bits, etc. Overall effect is a disorientating sort of random, design confusion, as if it's been scavenged, converted from a darker function it once served, then repaired several times. Never know how these'll turn out, I call it improvisational leathercraft, each one is it's very own thing.

Sat in the store longer than I thought it would, but Rob finally grabbed it, and seems glad he did...

What's in my reverb store waiting for you?

 

[TVvoodoo]

"End Times #2 and #3" are complete - my Mad Max, post-apunkalypic pirate/biker series continues, added #3 on the right to the store yesterday.
Imagine a strap scavenged from some dark unnamed alternate purpose, converted to a guitar strap, used, repaired and modded several times.
Lots of detail, lots of fun to make.

Also whipped up some Blue Flash "ZAP!" straps with bolt right outta the blue sparkle leather,
and a couple "Circling Ravens" though one of them is gone to my 1001th 5-star feedbacker.

I'm now working on a custom for Collin, who is a customer dear to my heart. He is a promo monster, on the socials for me because he
really believes in the straps he has already. He has not completely committed to this one yet, but I made it with his specs in mind after
we discussed a custom for him. I'll know tomorrow. If not, it's going to the reverb store.

Super striking damask pattern raised on cowhide... mounted to black garment leather, gunmetal front buckle for show, but also works too, for about 4 inches adjustment. He wanted another strap based on one I made years ago, that is is heart's delight, but suddenly found a new home on a gold top Tele NGD he got. Now he needs another similar for his vintage burst bass.

This one is an exceptionally beautiful piece. Even makes me go "Oh!" a little bit.

 

[TVvoodoo]

This is what I've been up to for the past few workdays... Actually have a three of these on the go, two customs and one that might make it to the store. I don't know if I've shown this strap yet since I've been spilling my guts on TTR

This is the latest version of "Cowboy Prayer," completed this afternoon, will be on the way to Minnesota tomorrow. I've made about six of these over the years, back around 2018, they were kind of a thing for a bit. Was a little rush on them. This particular one is a decidedly darker version, with nickel horny demon embellishments, keeping with the western theme hadda name it more appropriate

This is my take on the old classic, of the very first "real" guitar strap type invented by Bill Lee, I believe in the late 40's. He was a gigging musician himself and he grew weary of the old shoestrings and belts and ropes guitarists were using. Things were changing in how show and dance hall bands were suddenly expected to stand up to play, or at least the better ones did), so he decided to invent something better for himself. Other musicians got wind of his strap, and he eventually left his music career behind to hand-make them himself, then hit the road selling them to music stores which was also becoming a thing. Ace stole this idea, as well as his next strap idea, the basic ribbon strap and, using mass production methods, totally dominated the market and undercut his prices. Read somewhere it drove Lee near crazy that other companies would just outright steal his designs, but he never ever thought to patent his work.

Notice my skinny strap goes THROUGH the pad, not over the top through a bunch of loops. Much cleaner look. The Well-Hung version is also amply padded inside for comfort unlike most others. The leather pad is six inches longer than you'll find on the classic version, about an inch wider too. The skinny straps are 1-1/4" wide, heavy leather too, but also backed/reinforced with more leather. No worries about strength here!

Genuine hand-tooled (not machine stamped) with a cowboy border, hand-dyed, hand-buffed, burnished & buffed out. This one has a monogram too. It's a simple stripped down look, but the reserved amount of brightwork really dresses them out for some "notice me" handsome elegance.

This particular Cowboy Prayer version is an easy/fast to adjust back buckle affair with a heavy western buckle set, 50"-60" - I can do front buckle as well, but this limits the range of adjustment down to about 4 or five inches. If you know where you need it, hardly a problem. Front buckles are notorious guitar dingers, though. I know that don't bother some rebels out there who need to look cool and like to live dangerous.

Goes against the very fiber of my being, but I'm now designing my own version of the "Slash" skinny strap, to come in the next month or two. My version can be customized like this one with some small conchos/ rivets / studs or brightwork elements. Other manus do similar, and I know I can make a killer one (literally) for all you, "I gotta feel the pain when I play" guitar masochists out there.

Leave you today with a word from Jason on Mr. Potato Head Island

 

[TVvoodoo]

In between other things in the shop, I try to keep my head moving on what to build next.
Sometime around Christmas I took advantage of a boxing week sale, picked up some leather that
I figured I could use, but wasn't exactly sure what to do with it. Trying some stuff over the last couple days.

It's a nice calf leather, has a pretty common Sheridan style cowboy roses 'n scrolls whatnot emboss on it,
but probably the reason it was on sale was it's a relatively dull browny gray, as you can see
in the lowest part of the photo below. I took it upon myself to try to redye it and make it a
little more interesting, so I did a set of three, one came out brown, and two in plain old black.

I was actually hoping for more a burgundy result for the brown one, as I used red
dye, but that's how it came out, and I not unhappy with it. That's the trick with re-dying,
sometimes the results are quite unexpected. It's a bit more work, to deglaze, then dye,
then recoat with clear finish, but it being able to do all that gives a fellow a little more versatility...
with the same hide you can make a few different colour combos, take some risks, try some stuff,
and come up with some finishes that that are uncommonly seen.

What I decided to try with this is to highlight the emboss with a super gentle
brushing of metallic, just hitting the upper bits, takes quite a bit of patience
to get this, but I'm getting better at it.

Here we have gold, light aged bronze, and pewter

After some a few light coats of protectant to lock that new finish down,
gives it all a nice contrast, and the texture jumps out even a bit more

I'll be letting that clear leather finish cure over the weekend and probably do
something fun with these next week.

Something new in my long-neglected "Dark Cowboy" series I think

 

[TVvoodoo]

Back at the workbench after a bit of egg huntin' this one was started last week, now all buttoned up. Since I was making a couple bespoke versions of this strap, I decided to make another for my store as well, but in an alternate colour and design. Meet Cowboy Prayer, "Sunrise" version in a deep mahogany brown -

This is a beefed-up, fancied-up floatin' pad strap you can trust to:
1. Not have that pad fall back or forwards all the time making you look and feel like a total clown
2. Have a wider pad at 3", longer too at 14" for more Well-Hung padded comfort
3. Be trusty with 1-1/4 skinny straps, both reinforced with suede, and sewn, with trusty hardware.

"Sunrise" sports a rising sun motif in nickel rivets on the front and back, and a single nickel concho
Since it's pretty heavy duty, you can count on a long useful life for a strap like this. Heirloomy-like.

Both the saddle and the "reins' sport hand tooling stamping for that cowboy style vibe.
This one now up in the Reverb store, but I can definitely craft something similar if this is your vibe,
maybe you want a monogram, different border, different dye colour etc.

Today saddened by the loss of Joe Flaherty. I spent many hours in the studios of ITV Edmonton,
where SCTV was first taped.

 

[Thatbastarddon]

Today saddened by the loss of Joe Flaherty. I spent many hours in the studios of ITV Edmonton,
where SCTV was first taped.

Saddened, indeed, to have read this today.