How to attach a strap to an acoustic guitar with one button

Published 2026-09-08. By Setlist Straps.

Electric guitars leave the factory with two strap buttons. Many acoustics leave with one, at the tail, and a strap that has nowhere to go at the other end. You have three options.

Option 1: a headstock tie

A leather lace loops around the headstock behind the nut, above the first fret, and the strap attaches to the loop. No tools, no holes, reversible in ten seconds.

Pros: nothing is drilled, it moves between guitars, it costs under 10 pounds. Cons: the guitar hangs at a slightly different angle because the anchor is at the headstock, not the heel, and the lace must be kept snug or it creeps toward the tuners.

Ours is a full-grain lace, 18 inches, trim to fit: headstock tie.

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

Option 2: fit a neck button

A repair shop drills a pilot hole in the heel of the neck and fits a strap button. It takes fifteen minutes and costs about the price of a set of strings. The guitar then hangs exactly like an electric.

Pros: the most secure and best-balanced option. Cons: a permanent hole in the heel; on a vintage or high-value guitar, ask before you drill. Do it yourself only if you are comfortable drilling into a neck; the heel is thin on some guitars and the screw must not reach the fingerboard.

Option 3: a strap with a lace built in

Some straps end in a thin lace at the neck end instead of a button hole. It is option 1 sewn on. Fine if you only ever use that strap on that guitar; less useful if you swap straps.

Which to pick

Do not

• Tie the strap around the neck at the nut with the strings. It mutes the first fret and marks the finish.
• Hang the strap from a tuning peg.
• Use a metal clip on the headstock. It chips lacquer.