Straps for the Green Guitarist
- No, Jimi Hendrix wasn’t going organic. But you can get a strap exactly like his made of vintage deadstock seat belt material with recycled ends from Souldier. (Elvis had one just like it, too!)
Play a musical instrument? What is it – guitar? If you’re one of the estimated 20 million Americans, or countless more in the rest of the world, who answered “yes!” you’ll appreciate the number of green and sustainable options there are when it comes to choosing a strap to hold up your favorite “axe.”
A great recycled alternative to virgin-material straps is to use a strap made from an old inner tube. The stuff is strong and durable, and makes an attractive accessory for your guitar. Vegan Essentials carries a recycled rubber guitar strap from Splaff Flops. It comes with a hemp backing and decorative rivets down the center. Green and Greener has a similar one but without the rivets. It’s fully adjustable, made of black recycled bicycle tubes and very durable. Plus, it’s made in a factory that pays its workers a living wage and recycles its scrap into packaging and rubber bands.
As usual, if you’re looking for an all-hemp product, Rawgenique fills the bill. Their vegan guitar and drum straps are made from 100% certified organic hemp, in natural or colored with fiber-reactive dyes.
There’s even a company out there that specializes in straps for the socially-conscious guitarist. Couch Guitar Straps handcrafts their straps in a sweatshop free environment in downtown L.A. Their goal is to provide discriminating guitarists with straps that are affordable and durable as well as distinctive. Many of their straps are made of recycled or deadstock automobile fabrics, like their recycled seat belt strap. Couch straps adjust up to six inches longer than industry standard for guys who are big and tall, or those who like to play low.
And if the idea of deadstock material intrigues you, be sure to check out Souldier at Etsy. They offer a vintage Jimi-Hendrix-style strap made of deadstock seat belt material with recycled leather and vinyl ends.
Next time you’re in need of a strap, don’t settle for conventional. (And especially don’t cheap out and buy one of those bargain straps that bust out their ends in three months – it’s a waste of money and resources.) Instead, make a statement with a strap that tells the world you’re a guitarist gone Green!
