About My Vintage Straps

Sully's vintage straps are handcrafted from cleaned and reconditioned select old/vintage leather.

Each instrument strap is a unique creation and inherently different from every other one. The leather could have distress marks, indentations, surface cracking and other blemishes naturally acquired over the years.

These straps are made for daily use and each shoulder piece is lined with new suede leather.

I will custom fit and finish each strap to the length and attachment points given by the buyer.

Most mandolin straps would work for a small guitar or open-back banjo if you like a small shoulder piece.

Most guitar straps would work for a heavy five-string banjo.

To purchase a strap,
email me and we’ll chat.

SHIPPING BY:
Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation

Good vintage leather takes time to locate, and I’m always looking. I try to have 8 straps available but don’t always succeed.

Vintage Strap Links:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3
Lefty's Straps

Also Available: New Straps

Vintage Instrument Straps: Page 3

Guitar/Bango Strap #347Guitar/Banjo #577 $145 plus shipping

A heavily distressed relic brewed and steeped in rural western Americana.

The large shoulder piece is easily recognized as a section of an old saddle adjustment belt, complete with 6 of the original buckle holes. If you’re into old leather with character this one has it all - color shading, wrinkles, surface checking, wear, tear, and battle scars. But this was originally really nice stuff and it’s still strong, solid and broken in soft and supple. Dimensions are 12” long and 3” wide and I added the artificial sinew edge stitching to try to give it a little class but it wasn’t much of a success. It still looks downright ornery.  The underside is fully lined with new suede leather and I punched all 6 buckle holes into it in case you need to check what color your shirt is.

Securely fastened to each end of the shoulder piece is a rugged looking 1” wide western rein strap. Two rows of double stitched artificial sinew and an oiled leather thong will keep it there long past your watch. The leather is firm yet flexible enough that I left it unskived and the thickness varies slightly from one end to the other, which is a personality trait that goes fine with that ornery shoulder piece.

An ideal candidate for an old Martin or pre-war Gibson banjo. Put it on a new instrument and somebody's gonna hurl.

Guitar/Banjo Strap #348Mandolin #146 $75 plus shipping

I believe this shoulder piece was formerly a billet strap that played some important role in keeping a saddle anchored on a horse’s back. Unlike most of the ones I see, this one was skillfully hand tooled with a stamped basket weave pattern and the traditional crescent edges. It’s 8” long and 1 3/8” wide and as soft a supple as leather can get. There is no checking at all present nor are there any blems or battle scars. But it does look well used and has a demeanor well suited for an older instrument.

Neatly fastened to each end of the shoulder piece is a beautiful vintage western rein strap 3/8” wide. The leather is top shelf quality and butter soft with a distinguished vintage personality that suits the shoulder piece to a “T”. I skived a couple of inches on each end of the rein that attaches to the shoulder piece nice and thin and precisely fit it into the carefully cut and shaped strap slots. Then I secured each end with a row of double stitched sinew and a leather thong.  There are a couple of nice options for custom finishing the attachment points, depending upon the needs of the buyer and the specific instrument it will go on.

A fine looking and very comfortable mandolin strap. Nice and small, nice and light, nice and strong.

Guitar/Bango Strap #347Guitar/Banjo #568 $175 plus shipping SOLD

My customers have been giving me two thumbs up on these straps with the “slotless” shoulder pieces. Here’s another that’s made from all top shelf vintage leather that would look great on an instrument of any age.

The shoulder piece is a husky one and could easily handle the heaviest of guitars or banjos with effortless elegance. The leather is thick and solid but incredibly soft and supple and almost feels like it was fashioned from fresh modeling clay. Although obviously old and well used, it lacks any noteworthy battle scars, nicks, cuts, or blemishes and the leather has no checking at all. I cut the size of this one down a bit from a larger piece of vintage tack and the measurements are 13” by 2 1/2". The top edges have been hand dressed and the bottom is lined wall to wall with new suede leather. I made the oiled leather buckstitching and worked it thru the diagonal slits along each side which not only adds a nice visual detail, but it makes the leather even more flexible and this heavy duty shoulder piece will drape around your shoulder like thick velvet.

Paired with the shoulder piece is an old western rein strap 5/8” in width. It’s very high quality leather and worthy of the shoulder piece and the vintage character and original hand dressed edges make it a joy to handle. It was a thick one so I skived the thickness down to shave of some weight and bulk then dressed the bottom edges of the strap. The 3 strap guides, made from thinned vintage leather, hold the shoulder piece snug to the strap. Each guide is hand stitched in place with a double row of artificial sinew. Once it’s wrapped around your shoulder nothing will slide around.

This one’s a dandy and would instantly breathe new life into the relationship you have with your guitar or banjo.




Vintage Strap Links:
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3
Lefty's Straps

Also Available: New Straps