How to care for a leather guitar strap
A full-grain strap needs almost nothing, which is the point of buying one. Here is the almost nothing.
Break-in
New full-grain leather is firm. Play it. Two weeks of normal use and the shoulder section will have shaped itself to you. Do not soak it, heat it, or bend it back and forth to speed this up; that is how creases start.
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.
Sweat and rain
Wipe the face with a dry cloth after a sweaty set. If it gets properly wet, lay it flat at room temperature to dry, away from radiators. When it is dry, rub in a little balm.
Balm
Twice a year, or after a soaking: a pea-sized amount of a beeswax and neatsfoot balm rubbed in thin with a cloth, on the face only, left ten minutes, buffed off. That is all. Over-conditioning makes leather limp. Keep balm off the suede back: suede has to stay dry to grip.
Avoid silicone sprays, anything labeled "leather shine", and household oils. They seal the surface and go sticky.
Storage
Leave it on the guitar, or hang it. Do not coil it tight in a case pocket for months; the shoulder pad will take a set.
The suede back
Brush it with a soft brush if it flattens. It sheds a little dust on light shirts for the first week, then stops.
Marks and color
Full-grain leather has pores, veins and small scars, and it darkens where you touch it. Whiskey tan darkens most. That is the material working, not wearing out.
We sell a plain beeswax and neatsfoot balm; any honest equivalent from a saddlery does the same job.