TVvoodoo's Straplab

[TVvoodoo]

Sometime tonight I'll be getting the Reverb listing up for "Excess of X's" a Well-Hung loose "straplica" I've been making/adapting for a number of years now.

By my records way back in 2014 I made my first one, a more direct "clone" by custom order request. I recall poring over lots of photos of it being worn by the two guitar gods famous for owning this strap, both Jimi and David. I tried to reason with the fella who ordered it that parts of the original build/design seemed a bit "janky" to me. There was plenty room for improvement.

The original tail end adjustment was just a clunky semi-circular chonk of heavy leather with a big loop cut out of it. Through that flowed the strap body, which then folded over, adjusting to a maximum of three length positions, via a series of snaps. This left quite a bump inside against the body. I actually did make a few exactly like that (but with padding built in) ... eventually giving up on it. Seemed crude, and not real trusty to me, and kind of a pain to build. I'll go the extra mile if it's something that's gonna end up better, but I tend to stop myself short when I know it's going end up being less practical, if there's a better way to do it.

Like the myriad of others who offer a rough "look-alike" of this strap, I eventually opted for a different adjustment method on the back end... I went with the typical tried and true ladder system. Others use buckles, I've seen a version that uses the X stitching so you can take it apart then re-weave it how you want it, an old Bobby Lee method, and I think there's even a sliding buckle version or two out there.

One thing I have NOT seen is a padded build like mine, which is why the W-H version can be twice the price of others. I won't be found using a single layer of leather, no rolled edges, and weaving the lace through, still open on the underside grinding right into a guys shoulder, all lumpety-bumpety. Probably does defeat the neck dive though! I could never send out something like that, even if I know it's 100% true to the original. The Well-Hung Excess of X's is padded luxuriously, lined with non-slip upholstery fabric and you will NOT feel the rather thick cowhide leather lacing - it won't break off easily and be irrepairable. The X's also make a pretty decent pick holder too.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Little bit of whimsy today in the StrapLab! Years ago there was a local thrift store that had these regular sales of "All you can stuff into a black trash-bag" for $25. They don't do it anymore... in fact it seems ALL thrift stores are getting real expensive in the past couple years.

Anyway, one of those sales I grabbed this largish ladies tote bag made of this crazy vinyl that looks sort of like a hair-on cowhide, with the white fuzzy bits. They also remind me of clouds floating in a heaven of black leather. VERY ODD! And right up my alley LOL!

So today I used up the last of this crazy material on-hand, here's "Holy Cow"

Built this one into my Class Act format, don't normaly do this with man-made materials, but I felt it needed a western buckle on it.
It's nicely padded, 3" wide and goes pretty long.... 43" to 59" Are you looking for greener pastures in regards to guitar strap comfort and easy adjustability? Look no further! My Class act back-buckle system, makes it so there are no lumpy bumps on the back. Smooth sailing baby!
Pretty nice western buckle set here too. These ain't cheap, and super functional and look good too.

Note the Pass-Thru on the end of the strap so your precious is protected.

Very tough gray tweedish upholstery cloth lining on the inside. On the outside?
It's the sort of material that I've only seen once, I doubt we'll ever see it again.

This will be heading to the store tomorrow morning likely. Put my store on "watch" if interested.

 

[TVvoodoo]

One of the more intelligent and handsome GC members commisioned a fun custom! Project was delayed while I ordered some nice white Napa in from Greece for this design we worked on a while back.
This pic included some pitches, but it will soon be apparent which one he chose

Glued a sheet of leaves to an 8x10 of red leather, on the suede side. I use a mix of glue that's only about 1/4 glue, 3/4 water. I want to be able to remove the template paper later. Let the glue dry, cut 'em out, peel off the paper.

I had various shades of red, but this leather was plenty red and nicely matched to Napa white lamb, so it seemed the best match.

After cutting them out, I figure the placement.... Going to be 3" wide like my typical build. Working with white leather isn't much fun. You have to be REAL careful about dirt or glue or residual stains or whatever on your bench - learned this the hard way! I now lay down some fresh paper so everything stays real clean. Gotta wash your hands good too.

Get to sewing them on so they don't fall off!

MAN! That was a LOT of corners. Sharp turns are particularly hard for close/tight detail stitching. LOL!
But I do want to make sure I get a stitch REAL close to the very tip on each of the points.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss a couple points, put a couple of stray holes in. Not going to be noticeable in the big picture. Sewing on seven maple leaves took me about 80 minutes. Phew, I was glad when it was over.

That was the hardest part of this job. Here we will be starting tomorrow, adding a ladder, tail strap, nose - padding and lining etc. Beauty, eh?

Heading to the reverb store tomorrow, a fun one... ZAP! Plexi, with the Marshall style salt 'n pepper grill

 

[TVvoodoo]

I am a fella who has been diligently working to make the world's most comfortable guitar straps for about 15 years.

Almost two years ago I "invented" what I still believe to be the most comfortable guitar strap I have created to date, at least this is the one I know I can reliably repeat, able to offer it in a myriad of colours/patterns. I call it BeastMaster. At two guitar shows, they've been very fast sellers, but I can't seem to make a lot of them. Part of the problem is they take quite a bit of pre-work to make, and seem to only sell easily when they are worn/seen in person at a show, when a possible customer can try one on. They are slower to sell via photos online... maybe it's the industrial look. Yeah, despite what I always try to say about NORMAL looking comfort straps, it seems for people to believe something to be an actual REAL "comfort strap" they seem to need it to have a certain "look" to 'em. This one has it LOL! But, yeah, because they are harder to make, I don't make 'em often enough.

All that said, here's a one-off I call "Rainbow in the Dark" with the repeating pattern of "armored" plates in genocide-embossed skull leather in metallic gold, red and purple.

Admittedly kind of crazy colour scheme, but somebody out there will eventually say it's PERFECT! What it does show is the variety of things I can do. I can make this out of all kinds of decorative leathers. Snake, alligator, western style, plain jane, whatever. The key is, I have to make it using the plates. They sit on a 3-1/8 wide elastic athletic band, stitched secure. Or they can be riveted too for that real armour plated look. But what they do is not only look sexy, they also greatly limit the stretch of the booty band to only about 3-4 inches... even under heavier pull, of about 12-15 lbs. So, just imagine the shock-absorbing effect of this strap on a ten pound guitar. It's quite beautiful. If just feels right.

Unlike the similar Comfort-Flex straps I make with similar material, The Well-Hung BeastMaster is lined and padded in the shoulder with black velvety lining for ULTIMATE COMFORT. Imagine a strap that's very wide, very slightly elastic, AND padded in the shoulder - even the lining stretches with the strap. It's truly magnificent. And, you can custom order it in a wide variety of... whatever! I think I could even make the plates out of fabric too. Hmmm that gives me another idea!

Ladderback adjustment, goes approx 43 - 58" - this one headed to Reverb tomorrow.
Ok and here's The Canuckian, completed and headed to Edmonton via the swift wings of the Canada Post Beavers also tomorrow.


Happy Thursday... Go OIL!

 

[TVvoodoo]

Just added another listing... fresh example of my "BeastMaster" Extreme Comfort Strap invention,
featuring ostrich embossed cowhide leather, in beautiful sexy black.

You may know how I feel about making plain ol' black leather straps, LOL! This one is way cooler!

Recently got a full side of this ostrich-fooler leather in for other considerations, watch for a regular Well-Hung strap offering later this month in the same stuff, but I figured I needed to first get a couple quick new Beasties in the store first - I want to show examples of how my BeastMaster can be customized for YOU with all kinds of different leathers.

The nose, ladder and tail section here are also the same stuff, but I had to layer it on other leather to make sure this strap remains super-trusty like the Well-Hungian tribe demands. Ten panels sewn to athletic "booty band," (which is tougher, with more resistance than your typical elastic guitar strap), keep this strap beautifully showy, and allow the 3-1/8" base to only flex maybe a couple inches even under 12-13 pounds, so it floats nicely... It's something you gotta try to believe.

Very secure nose and tail, adjusts approx 46"-58" with a velvety black lining, and carved padding inside the main body of the strap for nearly the whole about 25 inches. And, get this. The lining and padding ALSO flex with the strap. 100% true. I know this, because I invented it!

Happy Friday my brothers, aimin' to play some guitbox this weekend. Old Fleetwood Mac song popped into my algo the other day, "Never Goin' Back" I think? Told myself it's finally time to woodshed that sucker out. Sounds like it could be a G/F/D thing, embellished? I'll fake it as best as I can, Buckingham ain't no slouch! Always youtube for tutes too. What a time we live in.

 

[TVvoodoo]

Some dude got into my head on F-book last week, and told me I should try making some padded straps that were less than 3" wide.
That's my favored format since 2011, both to make, and to wear.

But, I want to be reactive to what the market demands, and am always up for a bit of a challenge so...
over yesterday and today, the result off the StrapLab bench was... these:

The gold one one is 2" wide, padded like my normal strap, goes 48-63" long. Thats LONNNNNG! The blues are more 44'-58".
Most factories end at 51" then will gladly sell you longer tail strap to compensate for you being a regular person born in North America.
The metallic embroidered ribbon has a great shimmery/glow to it, looks great on black. OH and the blues are 2.5" wide.

Other than how it looks? I don't like the gold one at all. I know it feels WAY better than a 2" wide poly shoulder hammer, it's padded nice but I think I'm just spoiled rotten by wearing 3" wide straps all the time. It was a challenge to cram my regular padding into it, caused some stitching issues you can see a little bit here, up high there's a bit of the brown lining peeking out in a couple places - that is the worse of it, but it bugs me, so I'm b-stocking it in the reverb store. But, if you're looking for a deal, an extra LONG padded 2" wide strap made of leather? This may really put a smile on ya.

The blues are a bit better, but still not as comfy to me as a 3"wide strap. They are padded too, but I'm not sure if they are even as comfortable as a 3" wide un-padded strap. Both of these feature ribbon that is approx 1-1/4 wide. This project has further sold/convinced me that 3" is the ideal comfort format, without looking a bit "too much" on a fellow.

All of these are in now the store, at reduced prices. Probably rarer things too... I likely won't be making 2" or 2.5" in this 1969 format ever again, well, maybe by custom order.