How to Pick the Right Cool Guitar Straps for You

If you play the guitar in a band, one of the first things people are obviously going to notice about you is how good you are on the guitar. That'll be their first impression of you in most cases.

But after that, they're going to check out what kind of guitar you have before taking a look at what kind of guitar strap you're using. Believe it or not, your guitar strap could make or break your whole look and affect the way people feel about you as a musician.

With that in mind, investing in cool guitar straps is pretty important. Outside of allowing you to control your guitar easier when you're playing it, your guitar strap will also say a lot about you during your shows and your jam sessions.

Here are some helpful tips on how to pick the right cool guitar straps for your guitar.

Choose the Best Material for Your Guitar Strap

There used to only be a few materials that guitarists could pick from when buying cool guitar straps. But these days, it feels like there are a million and one options available to them.

You can get a guitar strap made out of:

• Nylon
• Leather
• Polypropylene
• Cotton
• Plastic
• Hemp
• And more

Which material would work best for you?

Some of it depends on where you plan on using your guitar strap. If you're going to be performing in lots of hot, sweaty clubs in the years to come, leather might not be your best choice. At the same time, if you need something extra durable that'll stand up to you playing five shows every week, nylon might not do the trick.

At the end of the day, all guitar strap materials have their pros and cons. Weigh them carefully before selecting the material you like best.

Select the Right Color Guitar Strap

Many guitarists keep things pretty simple when searching for cool guitar straps. They purchase straps that are black or dark brown so that they don't command too much attention.

If you aren't concerned with being the star when you're on stage, you don't need to invest in a guitar strap with a bold color. But if you like to seek attention for yourself, you can buy straps that are just about any color you want.

You can find yellow guitar straps, orange guitar straps, and even neon green guitar straps. Go with the color that fits your style best and works with the rest of your band's aesthetic.

Consider Customizing Your Guitar Strap With Words or a Design

Do you want to make your guitar strap unique to you?

Skip the standard guitar straps and go with something that's been completely customized to meet your every demand. You can choose what kind of material it's made out of, what color it is, how it fits, and more.

You can also decide to put words or a design on your strap to truly set it apart from all the rest.

Some guitarists will put their band's name on their guitar strap. Others will put the name of an album or words that they live by. Some will even add cool designs to their guitar straps when they're customizing them.

When you go the custom route, you can make your guitar strap look and feel like whatever you want. It's probably the best way to go when looking around for cool guitar straps.

Make Sure Your Guitar Strap Is Strong Enough to Support Your Guitar

Before you order a new guitar strap, find out how much your guitar weighs.

On average, a guitar will typically weigh somewhere between 6 and 12 pounds. But the exact weight depends on the specific type of guitar that you have.

You don't want to purchase a guitar strap that can't support the full weight of your guitar. It'll likely lead to your guitar strap either snapping at some point or proving to be far too uncomfortable to wear night in and night out.

If your guitar is only the lighter side, you can probably go with a thinner guitar strap. But a thicker guitar strap will be better for anyone with a heavy guitar.

If you can, see exactly how much your guitar weighs before you buy a guitar strap for it.

Try a Guitar Strap-On to See If It's Comfortable, If Possible

If you're planning on ordering cool guitar straps, you might not always have the option of trying a strap on for size prior to purchasing it. But if possible, it's a good idea to either test a strap-on in a store or find someone who has the same kind of strap you're ordering so you can test it.

A guitar strap can have everything you could possibly want in it. It could be made out of the right material, be the right color, and even have an awesome design on it.

But if the guitar strap isn't comfortable when you have it on for whatever reason, you're probably not going to keep it around for very long.

The comfort of your strap can depend on a number of factors. Everything from the length and width of your strap to the material of it will play a part. So make a push to try a guitar strap on before you spend a lot of money on it if you can.

Figure Out How Easy It Is to Adjust a Guitar Strap

In addition to being comfortable, a good guitar strap also needs to be easy to adjust. It should have holes in it that will allow you to make it longer or shorter based on your personal preference.

The majority of guitar straps are simple to adjust. But every now and then, you'll find one made out of a certain material that just doesn't adjust as easily as it should.

If that's the case, it's not the right strap for you. There's nothing less rock 'n roll than a guitarist fumbling around on stage trying to get his guitar adjusted properly.

Pay Attention to How a Guitar Strap Attaches to Your Guitar

Pay very close attention to this tip, because it deals with arguably the most important part of any guitar strap.

All guitar straps have attachments on the ends of them that allow you to connect them to your guitar. If those attachments are poorly made or not sturdy enough, they could break in the middle of a set and send your guitar crashing to the ground.

Take a close look at what kind of attachments are on the guitar straps you like. If they look cheap or don't appear as though they're very high-quality, you should probably take a guitar strap out of the running.

The rest of the guitar strap might look amazing. But without solid attachments, it could end up being worthless within just a few months.

Read Up on What Other Guitar Players Say About Certain Guitar Straps

Are you completely confused about which cool guitar straps you should buy at this point?

Don't worry! It's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the choices. And there is just so much to consider when purchasing guitar straps for your guitar.

Rather than running around in circles looking for the right guitar strap, read some online reviews that other guitar players out there have written about certain straps. Those reviews will likely tell you everything you need to know about the specific straps you're thinking about buying.

If multiple guitar players have bad things to say about a strap, that's obviously a sign that you should direct your attention elsewhere. At the same time, if you read great review after great review about a guitar strap, it might be right for you.

Online reviews will be one of your best friends when considering different guitar straps.

Think About Investing in More Than Just One Guitar Strap

You only need one guitar strap to play a gig.

But what happens if that guitar strap gives out on you and breaks? It could be disastrous for both you and your band.

While you're shopping around for one guitar strap, consider buying multiple cool guitar straps. The extra strap you buy now could really come in handy later if something happens to your first one.

Plus, you'll have the option of customizing the straps to make them different. You can swap the straps out early and often to keep your look fresh on stage.

Purchase Cool Guitar Straps for Your Guitar Today

It can be pretty tricky finding cool guitar straps in a store. More often than not, your guitar strap will end up looking like the next guitarist's strap.

Make your guitar strap extra special by customizing it so that it doesn't look like anyone else's strap. You'll be amazed by how confident it makes you feel and by how people react to it when they see you wearing it for the first time.

Read our blog to find more tips for picking out the right guitar strap and using it on your guitar.