The best guitar strap for a heavy guitar (Les Paul, hollow-body, bass)

Published 2026-09-08. By Setlist Straps.

A Les Paul weighs 9 to 10 lb. A hollow-body can be lighter but hangs awkwardly. A five-string bass can pass 11 lb. None of that changes; what changes is how the weight reaches your shoulder. Three things matter, in this order.

1. Width

Pressure is weight over area. Going from a 2 inch strap to a 3 inch strap cuts the load per inch of shoulder by a third; going to 3.5 inches cuts it nearly in half. Nothing else on this list does as much. 2 inch vs 3 inch guitar strap.

The straps this guide is about: full-grain leather, suede back, 2.5, 3 and 3.5 inch widths, Regular and Long. From £74.00 with free tracked UK delivery and a free length exchange.

See the leather guitar straps

2. Padding

A padded core rounds the edges of the strap so the load does not concentrate on a line. Padding on a narrow strap helps a little; padding on a wide strap is the combination that works. Avoid straps whose padding is a soft open sponge: it flattens in weeks.

3. A back that grips

A heavy guitar on a smooth-backed strap slides toward the neck, and you spend the set correcting it with your fretting arm. Suede or rough-out leather on the back stops that. It is the difference most players notice first, before width.

What does not help

• Stretchy "shock absorbing" straps. They bounce, and bounce is exactly what a heavy guitar should not do.
• Extra-long straps worn low. Angle increases the pull on the neck button and the strain on your neck.
• Over-the-head harnesses. They work, and they look like you are carrying a tuba.

What we would put on each guitar

And strap locks

Heavy guitars are the ones that fall. If the buttons are worn or the strap is new and stiff, fit strap locks. Our strap lock guide covers when to bother.