Italia Guitar Straps

4" leather Strap

I recently got my hands on a 4” wide leather guitar strap by ‘Italia’, and thought I’d say a few words about it.

First off, let me say that this is not ‘just a guitar strap’…this is truly a piece of equipment.

It’s 4” wide, as I mentioned, and in two layers. And it’s in two separate pieces; the 4” piece that goes over the shoulder, and a narrower back piece ‘slot-locked’ into it. The top/outer layer of leather is about 1/8” thick, and appears to be dyed all the way thru (mine’s black), with a somewhat understated grain pattern. Very classy, nothing outlandish about it. The company’s logo has to be looked for, as it’s very small and not deeply engraved in the leather.

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Italia Straps are Classy!

Again, classy is the operative word. The inner layer is perhaps 1/16” or so thick and suede-finished in natural tanned cowhide color. The nap of the suede finish tends to anchor the strap in position on the shoulder, not allowing it to slip ‘n’ slide easily. I find that a very useful feature, especially with a bass that’s a bit neck-heavy. And speaking of bass…you know how heavy a bass can be. The 4” width of this strap distributes the weight over a large area, thus reducing the strain of that weight hanging on your shoulder. The strap itself is a bit heavy, due to its width and thickness, but the benefits of the width and the suede finish are far more than compensatory. The strap is amazingly supple, too, given its thickness. Once it’s on, it conforms nicely to your shoulder and feels very comfortable.

Italia Straps are Comfortable!

I have another strap that I thought was very comfortable, a nice nylon strap with an adjustable sliding pad-thingy on it. But after just a little while with a heavy P-Bass slung on that strap, my shoulder would still start to numb-out on me. The Italia strap is wider still than the pad-thingy on my other strap. And that, along with the suppleness of the leather, makes it far more comfortable.

Italia Straps are Quality!

The buttonholes on the Italia strap are very tight, actually quite hard to put on the first time. That instills confidence in me that this strap will hang on. Of course, the holes will become conformed to the strap buttons over time, and thus easier to put on, but I still wouldn’t worry about needing strap-locks as long as I weren’t wanking the instrument all over the place while playing.

Visit Italia Guitar Straps for more info.

Adjustment is achieved via several slots to choose from in the wide piece of the strap, thru which the narrower rear piece passes, and back thru a slot in itself locking it in place. The rear piece also has three separate buttonholes in it for an even simpler adjustment. If you’re a tall guy who likes to sling his instrument down around your knees, you probably won’t be able to do that with this strap. I’m just under six feet, and with the strap adjusted to the last slot and last buttonhole, it hangs my guitar centered just about at my waistline. Works for me.

This may be the last guitar strap that I, personally, will ever need. It’s very comfortable, stout, and suits my sense of style perfectly. Oh, and my Italia Guitar Strap smells great, too!