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:
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Lefty's Straps

Lefty's Vintage Instrument Straps

Guitar/Bango Strap #347Small Guitar/Open Back Banjo #429 LEFT HAND $125 + shipping

This one’s a real peach.  It’s lightly distressed appearance and medium/small  size would make it partner up real fine with most any smaller guitar or open back banjo. And it might not be out of place on a mandolin.

The handsome shoulder piece measures 10” long and 2” wide, tapering to 1 5/8” at the very tail. There is no checking or noticeable blems at all on the leather but it shows just enough age to give the exceptionally nice leather the respect it deserves. The dark brown leather is soft and supple and has just a hint of a reddish hue in it that shows up when you bend the leather.

The 5/8” wide western rein strap I paired with the shoulder piece couldn’t possibly match any better and they look like they were joined at the hip from birth. The leather is top shelf quality, butter soft and supple. I added the matching leather strap guide to keep the strap centered on the shoulder piece. It grips the strap tight and with the snug fitting strap slots on each end, the shoulder piece will stay put on the strap unless it’s intentionally moved.  All of the stitching is artificial sinew, hand stitched into the original needle holes and, of course, the back side is lined with soft, suede leather.

This one’s royalty and would grace the finest of instruments. 

Guitar/Banjo Strap #348Guitar/Banjo #435 LEFT HAND $110 plus shipping

A nice, solid, medium size strap that would be suitable for most any guitar or banjo.  The shoulder piece measures 11 1/2” long by 2” wide and is gently curved favoring the right shoulder of a left handed player. The width tapers to 1 3/4" on the tail end and the leather is supple and very flexible but still has enough backbone to easily carry a heavy instrument. The surface shows a medium distressed character and has a few light scratches and minor battle scars gained in a previous life but, as long as your dog doesn’t get to it, will give you a lifetime of service and probably the next person who gets it as well. The original edge stitching was replaced with artificial sinew, hand sewn into the existing needle holes, and I used the same thread to attach the matching leather strap guide which keeps the strap centered on the shoulder piece.

The color and character matching western rein strap is 5/8” wide and shares the same look, feel and personality of the shoulder piece. I lightly skived down the thickness to 3/16”. The leather is strong and solid but very flexible and overall has a pleasant, well used character. There is one small area about 2 inches long that sports a couple of small surface scratches acquired years ago but these will be located on the back side of the shoulder piece when the strap is finished for length or cut off entirely if your strap length is less than 51”. Regardless, they are insignificant enough and would only enhance the vintage character if they were present. The shoulder piece is clamped firmly in place by the tight fitting strap guide and the carefully cut and shaped strap slots and it won’t move around without intentional help.

This one would be a perfect spouse for a nice used instrument and would look and function just as good on a newer one.

Guitar/Bango Strap #347Guitar/Banjo #404 LEFT HAND - $125 plus shipping

This one’s not for sissy’s or crybabies - we got ourselves a big ol’ he-man sized strap here. And it’s a dandy.

The shoulder piece is pushing 14” long and a good 2 1/2" wide and it starts to taper down just past the halfway point to 1 3/4" on the tail. The old leather is thick, yet really soft and flexible stuff. The leather is excellent quality and very comfortably broken in. It appears to have some very fine surface checking but it’s so shallow it never broke the surface.  There is just enough color shading and general wear and tear visible to give it a pleasant and genuine vintage appearance.

The old 3/4" wide western rein strap I paired with the shoulder piece matches the color and character just right. I skived down the thickness just enough to level it out so it’s still thick enough to give it the same heavy duty feel as the shoulder piece. There is surface wrinkling present but I couldn’t detect any checking on the strap and it could probably double as a tow rope if your truck craps out and needs a pull. I added the strap guide, made from a small, thinned piece of the rein, to keep the strap centered on the curved shoulder piece. It fits snug and tight into the guide and the carefully cut and shaped strap slots and the shoulder piece will stay anchored in place once its adjusted for position.

I’d give this one the nod for an older full size guitar or heavy Mastertone style banjo. But I don’t think a newer instrument would complain much at all if it got to swing from it.

Last modified on September 04 2010.

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