Regardless of whether you play at home sitting down or you're ready to go out and get gigging, you'll need one of the best guitar straps. Admittedly, getting a new strap isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but a good strap will last you a long time and make your playing experience much more comfortable, as well as secure your pride and joy from any accidental falls.
A guitar strap lets you hang your guitar from your shoulder, and even if you only play at home, it can make playing a much more ergonomic experience. A good strap will be adjustable for each player and playing style, whether you want to wear it slung low like Slash or prefer a more technical position with your guitar up high like Tom Morello. They’re available in a huge array of styles and materials too, so you’re bound to find one that matches your style.
With so many options, it can be difficult to choose. If you’re new to guitar straps, make sure you have a look at our in-depth buying advice, which answers many common questions. If you just want to see the best guitar straps available today, keep on scrolling.
Best guitar straps: Product guide
Best strap overall
1. Fender Broken-In Leather strap
Material: Cowhide leather Width: 2.5” Adjustability: from 46” to 54.5” length
+ Ultra-durable
+ Will only get better with age
+ Classic and comfortable
- Not so vegan friendly
While for some a guitar strap is another way to express themselves, for others a strap is merely a tool to allow you to concentrate on playing. That's not to say there can't be a quiet elegance to a strap though. That's exactly where the Fender Broken-In Leather guitar strap comes in.
Coming in four tasteful finishes – green, brown, black and tan – this classy strap gives you the confidence that it will last the distance. We found that the oiled finish gives the cowhide leather a softness, while the generously adjustable length makes it ideal for guitarists of any height. Hands-down the best guitar strap available right now.
Best with locks
2. Ernie Ball Neoprene Polylock
Material: neoprene Width: 2” or 3” Adjustability: from 46” to 54” length
+ Ultra-comfy
+ Good value
+ Built-in strap locks
- Not a statement piece
A sad fact of life, for many of us, is that the body starts to give up long before the mind does. So, while in our heads we could play for hours and hours every night of the week, often our neck and shoulders have other ideas. Thankfully, the good folk at Ernie Ball have a solution.
The Ernie Ball Neoprene Polylock guitar strap is designed, first and foremost, with comfort in mind. Coming in both 2” and 3” widths, this strap is the equivalent of playing with a pillow tucked under the strap. Not only that, Ernie Ball’s patented Polylock system securely attaches to your strap buttons for a safe connection without the need for modification.
Best on a budget
3. Fender Monogrammed guitar strap
Material: polyester with leather ends Width: 2” Adjustability: from 44” to 52.5” length
+ Classic looks
+ Affordable
- Not the most individualistic
Chances are, if you're a guitar player, you've either seen or owned one of these babies over the years. The Fender Monogrammed guitar strap has been ubiquitous in guitar stores across the planet for decades now. Because style never goes out of fashion, of course.
Jokes aside, if you're looking at the lower end of the price scale, you can't go far wrong here. Fender doesn't generally put its name on bad gear so, even though this is a shade over ten dollars, we feel it still comes with a certain level of quality, durability and ‘90s charm.
Best for comfort
4. KLIQ AirCell guitar strap
Material: neoprene Width: 3” Adjustability: from 46” to 56” length
+ Comfortable
+ Lets your skin breathe
+ Great value
- It's a bit bulky
The AirCell boasts unique technology which packs a host of air-filled cells (you can see where they got the name from) onto its underside, making it one of the best guitar straps for comfort, in our opinion. These distribute weight more evenly, aided by the 3” strap width, while also giving a cushion to ensure heavier guitars don't take their toll on the player's neck and shoulders.
As well as comfort, the cells also provide the dual benefit of taking moisture away from the skin or clothing, allowing your shoulder to breathe over long playing sessions.
Best for extroverts
5. Coffin Case 'The Count' Velvet strap
Material: red quilted velvet, seatbelt-quality webbing Width: 2” Adjustability: from 40” to 70” length
+ Mad Dracula vibes
+ You'll make a statement
+ Perfect for your Goth project
- Width might cause discomfort
As far as statement guitar straps go, Coffin Case’s velvet guitar straps are difficult to beat. Clearly modeled on the inside of a rather luxurious casket, what this strap lacks in subtlety it more than makes up for in dark, macabre vibe.
While we wouldn't want to typecast, it's easy to see how this strap would appeal to a certain type of player. It could be the colorway, it could be the name, or it could be the fact it's adjustable to a whopping 70”, making it ideal for players whose riffs are low, slow and full of foreboding.
Best for durability
6. Levy's MS17AIF Suede guitar strap
Material: suede with leather applique Width: 2.5” Adjustability: from 41” to 54” length
+ Looks awesome
+ Will outlast you, probably
+ Comfortable
- The price
While it's true a guitar strap is merely a tool, an enabler, there's no harm in adding a bit of cool to the proceedings. Enter the Levy's guitar strap range. Where the other straps on this list focus heavily on function, comfort and durability, the Levy's MS17ASF range has all those things but then isn't shy of incorporating a dash of style too.
While it's not a cheap strap, as such, it is built with the highest quality suede and features a range of glorious leather and embroidered designs. These add a touch of class, meaning you'll look as good as you sound.
Best leather strap
7. Taylor Element Guitar Strap
Material: Distressed leather Width: 2.5” or 3” Adjustability: from 42.5” to 58.5” length
+ Looks stunning
+ Comfortable
+ Durable
- There are cheaper leather straps
As one of the acoustic world's best-respected names, you can be assured that the accompanying straps offered by Taylor will be of a superior level. The Taylor Element guitar strap does not disappoint, offering multi-layer distressed leather in a tasteful dark brown finish.
The Element straps come in either 2.5” or 3” widths and take inspiration from their flagship 800 range of guitars with the unique Element branding, as seen on their fret markers. This one would look rather dashing around the neck of any folk or country player, if we do say so ourselves.
Best for amp lovers
8. Levy's Deluxe Amped Grill Cloth
Material: leather, foam insert Width: 2.5” Adjustability: from 43” to 56” length
+ Extra padding for comfort
+ Solid build quality
+ Looks killer
- If you like amps beginning with 'M'
The eagle-eyed among you will notice something familiar about the Levy's Deluxe Amped Grill Cloth guitar strap. Particularly those of you with a penchant for amps from a certain big brand beginning with F...
The addition of classic silverface-esque cloth within the strap gives it a unique, almost industrial feel, which we're big fans of. The strap itself is well made, featuring a three-piece cut out design and a foam padded back for extra comfort. We could see this style working with other well-known amp brands too...
Best for extra padding
9. Harley Benton Padded Guitar Strap
Material: leather Width: 6-8cm Adjustability: up to 150cm length
+ Very comfortable
+ Affordable
+ Made with premium leather
- Only available at Thomann
As the name suggests, this Harley Benton strap is padded for extra comfort – and this is the main selling point of this strap. It immediately lightens any guitar, which is down to the padding and width of the strap in equal measure. The build quality is impressive for what you pay – but not too surprising when you consider the quality of all other Harley Benton gear. It has a great reputation for being budget friendly and of great quality – and this strap lives up to that reputation.
It is only available at Thomann, which is a bit of a downside – but with pretty affordable worldwide shipping, we'd say you're still saving money.
Best guitar straps: Buying advice
(Image credit: Future)
How to choose the best guitar strap for you
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Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The ideal guitar strap is likely to be slightly different for each player. The height of the player, and personal preference on how low they like their guitar to be will play a part in finding the right one. Guitars slung super low might look cool, but it does make playing tricky parts that bit more difficult and, over years, can cause damage to your hand and wrist. That’s not to say really long guitar straps aren’t the way to go, but it’s something to consider.
Shorter guitarists or those that like their guitars to sit higher won’t need quite as long a strap. Most of the best guitar straps will have some level of adjustment to them, so the best thing to do is play around with different settings and find what is comfortable for you.
If you’ve got a heavy guitar, then it might be worth finding a strap that is either fairly wide, or has a good amount of padding. Wider straps help spread the weight of the instrument over a larger surface area, so they don’t dig in as much, and straps with padding will likely make for a more comfortable experience.
Is there a difference in guitar straps?
Guitar straps are different for every player. Depending on how you prefer to have your guitar can make a huge difference in the strap you choose. Your height and body shape play a part too, as taller and larger players will need a longer strap whereas those of more diminutive proportions can get away with something shorter.
Another thing to take into account is the weight of your guitar. A Squier Strat for example is pretty lightweight so you can rock a thinner strap, but if you have a Gibson Les Paul you’re going to want to get a wider strap that spreads the weight out more to prevent you from getting shoulder or back issues.
What is the best material for guitar straps?
The material that the strap is made from is something to consider too. Straps at the more budget end are likely to be made from polyester or nylon, and will probably have plastic buckles. This isn’t always a bad thing, but they’re probably not going to last forever, and they can be slippy. If you’re after a guitar strap for live use, and you know you’re going to be wearing something like a leather jacket on stage (the unofficial rockstar uniform), then some of these cheaper straps might not provide the friction you need.
As you go up in price, you’ll start to see materials such as leather and neoprene which are likely going to last for longer, as will metal buckles - another feature on many of the best guitar straps further up in the price bracket. You might also see more padding the more you pay.
(Image credit: Ernie Ball)
How much should you spend on a guitar strap?
We’d argue that a good-quality strap will last you years and years, so spending as much as you can on one is a sound investment. If you’re a gigging player then it goes without saying that a good quality strap is worth its weight in gold and if you’re playing at home then you can probably get away with something less extravagant until you’re ready to take a step up.
Of course, you can only buy what you have budget for so there’s nothing wrong with getting something cheaper like the Ernie Ball PolyPro range if that’s what you have. If you can spend more though on a leather strap or something wider then you will find you have a more comfortable experience playing your guitar.
How do I attach my strap to my guitar?
Guitar straps are easy to attach to your guitar - simply fit the ends over the strap pins on your guitar (some acoustic guitars may only have one strap pin, so you’ll need a piece of thick string or thin rope for the neck end). Straps with leather ends may take a bit of working with your fingers to get on to your guitar, but it will fit eventually - plus, it’ll likely be more secure when it’s on.
Many players use strap locks too. There are different types available, but they are usually placed over the strap and locked in place so that your strap doesn’t accidentally come loose - a must-have if you’re fairly active on stage!
Find out more about how we make our recommendations and how we test each of the products in our buyer's guides.
(Image credit: Future)
Are guitar straps adjustable?
In a word, yes. Guitarists come in all shapes and sizes and every player has their own preference in terms of the height they set their guitar. Almost all guitar straps, whether they're made of leather, polyester, suede or any other material, can be adjusted to some degree. But before you get to that, when purchasing your next strap it's important to buy one that is going to be long enough for your height and your preferred hanging length for your guitar.
Once you've decided on the right strap, adjusting the length is actually super easy. Mostly commonly a strap will come with a plastic or metal buckle that allowed you to shorten or lengthen the strap with ease, pulling through as much additional material as you need for your required length. Once you're done, your strap length should remain firmly in place at the length you set.
Leather and suede straps will require a different approach. They come in two parts: one part will feature notches - kind of like a belt you'd wear to hold up your pants - with a second part that loops through the desired notch for the height you require. It's sightly more fiddly than non-leather straps, but it's still a simple process.
And a quick tip: when adjusting the length of your strap, we would always recommend making adjustments sitting down to avoid any potential accidents if your guitar and strap decide to part company.
Does guitar strap quality matter?
It’s definitely important that the quality of your chosen strap is good. Think of it this way, your strap not only needs to be comfortable but it also needs to securely hold your guitar. You wouldn’t want to entrust your guitar to a low-quality strap, as one day it might decide to drop your guitar when you’re least expecting it.
How we choose the best guitar straps for this guide
(Image credit: Future)
Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.
When choosing what we believe to be the best guitar straps available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.
First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best guitar straps on the market right now.
Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar gear and synths, to microphones and music production hardware.
