How to Attach A Guitar Strap to A Guitar

December 07, 2017

If you're new to the guitar world and would like to know how to attach you guitar strap to your guitar, here are some helpful tips. First you need to know the features of your guitar as well as the features of your guitar strap. Most guitars are equipped with metal fasteners called strap buttons. These are what will hold your guitar strap in place once the strap is attached.

Guitar straps usually consist of leather ends meant to attach to the guitar. Each end will have a little hole about a 1/4" in diameter and a slit about 1 inch in length called a buttonhole. Good guitar straps will use nice firm leather that will not stretch to the point where the guitar could fall off. So when buying one, make sure that you check the quality. In general, you want the leather to be about 2-3 millimeters thick or 6-8 oz leather.

Once you have found the strap buttons on your guitar and the buttonhole on your strap, slide the buttonhole over the button, securing it to the guitar. Note: sometimes the buttonhole are difficult to stretch over and will require some good strength to achieve. This is not a bad thing or a defective product. In fact, this means it will be securely attached to the guitar. Your guitar will have two buttons to secure the strap to. One located on top of the guitar body, and another on the bottom of the guitar body. Both will require the same style of fastening.

Some acoustic guitars only have one strap button located at the bottom of the guitar body. In this situation you will need to attached the top end of the guitar strap to the neck of the guitar. The top end of the strap is the end opposite of the adjustment holes or slide. You can simply attach the strap using some quality leather strings that came with your strap. To tie the strap to the guitar neck, loop it securely through the buttonhole of the strap, then pass it under the strings above the nut (located at the top of the fretboard) and below the head making sure the leather string is not touching any of the guitar strings as this will cause problems with the sound and tuning of the guitar.

Always double check you guitar strap making sure it is fastened securely and properly. If it fails it can be devastating to the guitar and cause costly repairs. If you're looking for even more security, be sure to look into the various strap locks on the market. These typically consist of two metal pieces, one that replaces the strap button on your guitar and another that fastens to your guitar strap, that lock together providing a failsafe connection. They usually have quick release features to make taking your strap off and on a breeze. Instructions for installing the strap locks are included in the packaging. Each strap lock is different so make sure you read the instructions thoroughly.