Photo by Tai’s CapturesThe melody of a guitar tune soothes the ears, but the performers usually need a strap to play it all for a longer time. As people endlessly love to play guitars, it might get quite heavy after holding it for some time. Therefore, if you know how to tie a guitar strap effectively, you can help yourself play those acoustic or electric guitars for a long time without tiring out soon.
Moreover, the straps used for the guitars help keep it safe from unwanted falls from the handgrip. It will save you from expensive damage repair costs. Most of the guitars come with strap buttons installed onto it. But if you do not have them, then you can still install it on your own.
In this article, you will know about some of the easy ways to wear the guitar belt conveniently without much hassle.
Contents
Here are the steps that you must follow to install your straps to the buttons available:
Step 1:
Firstly, find the acoustic or electric guitar strap that fits you perfectly. Perfect fitting here means that the strap must be long enough to let you comfortably play the guitar even when you are standing.
Step 2:
Choose the right type, such as a padded strap to avoid strain on your neck while you put the guitar on. Usually, the padding of the guitar straps is made up of fur, foam, and other such soft materials.
Step 3:
Now, find the buttons on either side of the body of the guitar. These are small studs that hold the straps firmly. One of these studs or strap buttons is on the base of the guitar when you hold it vertically up.
Some guitars have the second button on the neck while some of them have it on their body. It varies with the guitar type but serves the same purpose.
Step 4:
Some guitars do not come with buttons. You need to get them installed to fit in the strap. Some guitars have only one button at the base. Fasten the strap to one end, and for the second, you can prefer tying guitar strap to the neck of the guitar using some strings.
Step 5:
Start with the bottom button. The buttonholes on either strap ends are slightly smaller than the buttons to help it stay there securely. The buttonholes might give you difficulty in settling down on the buttons. But with slight efforts, they will surely get in.
Step 6:
Keep the fitting buckles of the straps on the inside while snugging in the buttonholes. It is essential to give you comfort during playing. Similarly, push the second hole of the strap on the second button available on the guitar. And you are good to go.
Step 7:
After putting on a guitar strap, test it. It will let you know whether the straps are connected securely or not. If the straps come out of the button, then the straps might be defective. Therefore, you must get it changed or install a set of strap lock.
Some of the guitars do not come with installed buttons. Here are the steps to install the guitar buttons to fit in the straps onto them:
Step 1:
- You need to keep some caution in your mind before starting this work. It might need some mechanical work procedures.
- It needs to be done correctly as inappropriate fitting might crack the wood of the guitar. Therefore, guidance is quite essential for this job.
- Take precautionary measures and choose whether you want to tie one end of the strap to the neck and other to the single buttoned body or install buttons on either side of the guitar.
Step 2:
Purchase the strap buttons along with the required washers from any of the music shops. Some of the strap button sets do have washers included, while for some, you need to purchase them separately.
For better outcomes, purchase the strap buttons that come with a locking system to hold the straps firmly to avoid the guitar falling off.
Step 3:
- Make marks on the top and bottom sides of the guitar for installing the buttons.
- For that, hold the guitar in the playing position while you are standing and ask someone to drape a guitar strap around your neck.
- Mark the positions where the straps fall on the guitar body if the position gives you playing comfort.
- The center of the bottom base is the right place for one of the button placements. The second hole might be either on the neck or body.
- Some of the guitars already have bottom buttons. Therefore, hook the strap and mark the area for the second one by draping it over your shoulders.
Step 4:
- Choose a slightly smaller drill than the measure of the fastener.
- Using the same size drill will result in the button falling out of the drill hole.
- Mark the drill with a marker bit to avoid making a hole on the other side of the guitar.
- Drill only half-inch to 1 inch.
- Prefer countersinking to avoid wood splitting or chipping.
Step 5:
- Install the buttons with the washers on to the hole.
- Use a screwdriver for the process.
- Do it for either side and then follow the method number 1 to attach guitar strap on to either button of the guitar.
These are the efficient ways that explain to you how to tie a guitar strap without too many efforts. So, follow these steps and enjoy playing the guitar seamlessly without tiring your hands or shoulders unnecessarily. Now, play music for hours and hours without a though of tiring the arms or accidental falling of guitar.