I recently got an exciting opportunity to have a custom leather strap made for me by a luxury leather designer, and before I give him any specs I want to make sure this thing is *as perfect as I can plan it out*. I know you guys have a lot more experience than my mediocre year and a half (I was a fiddle player up until COVID), so I figured I'd see what the experts had to suggest!
I currently have an F style mando (Eastman MD515) that I really dig, but I want this strap to be able to be used for years, and for many different mandolins. Personally I've never gotten used to the f-style straps that hook around the scroll (center of gravity always pulls the neck downwards if you let go??), so I'm thinking of having a slot in the upper end so it can be hitched underneath the strings behind the nut, A style.
My current strap is just a straight leather strip 90/1000ths" thick with a pretty soft hand, but I'm thinking a shoulder pad would lux the strap up a bit, and could potentially have a cool design stamped/burned into it. Does the shoulder pad make a difference in the feel? Should it be solid leather or have fur/cloth? Should it be smooth or grippy to hold the instrument in place? What about adjustability? Would a buckle make more sense than multiple holes for the endpin? There's SO MANY OPTIONS.
I guess I'm looking for some features of a strap that you guys have noticed and would recommend. I'm open to pretty much anything at this point, I'm just looking for advice!
Thanks a bunch
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