How long should a guitar strap be?
A guitar strap should be exactly as long as the distance from the tail strap button, over your shoulder, to the neck strap button with the guitar sitting where you want it. That is the whole answer. Everything else on this page is about how to get that number and what to do with it.
Measure it
- Put the guitar where you like it. Standing, with the guitar at the height you actually play, not the height that looks right in a mirror.
- Run a soft tape or a piece of string from the tail button, up and over your shoulder, down to the neck button. Keep it flat to your body.
- That number, in inches, is your strap length. Most players land between 45 and 55.
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.
What the numbers mean
Straps are sold as an adjustable range, and the range is where the trouble starts. A typical "one size" strap adjusts from about 40 to 60 inches, which sounds generous until you realize the shoulder pad, if there is one, is positioned for the middle of that range. Set a 60 inch strap to 45 and the pad ends up behind your neck with a foot of tail flapping at the front.
That is why we cut two lengths. Regular adjusts from 43 to 55 inches and Long from 50 to 62, and the wide part of the strap sits on the shoulder in both.
| Your measurement | Length |
|---|---|
| 43 to 55 in | Regular |
| 50 to 62 in | Long |
No tape handy
Height is a rough proxy, and only if you know where you wear the guitar. The size guide has the height chart and the width chart.
Sitting versus standing
If you mostly play sitting down, measure sitting: the guitar rests on your leg and the strap only needs to stop it sliding forward, so you will land at the short end of your range. Players who do both should measure standing and accept that the strap goes slightly slack when seated; a slack strap is harmless, a tight one is not.
Bass
Bassists wear the instrument lower on average, so our bass strap runs 2 inches longer in both lengths: 45 to 57 Regular, 52 to 64 Long.
If you get it wrong
Every strap we send has a length card in the box. Check it against your measurement before you cut the tags; if it is the wrong length we exchange it free. The size guide has the width chart too.