When you first start playing cigar box guitar, you will probably mostly play sitting down. As you progress, you may want to play standing up and for this you will need a strap.
- A strap designed for a six string guitar can be used on a cigar box guitar.
- A ukulele strap might be suitable for a shorter scale cigar box guitar.
- Straps can be made of woven fabric or leather.
- Choose an adjustable strap to experiment with strap length.
- You can make a quick strap from string.
String
The very simplest strap for a cigar box guitar is a piece of string. This can be fixed to the instrument with a cupholder screw at the headstock and tied to the tailpiece.
The screw hook at the headstock can also be used for hanging the instrument on a wall. You will obviously need to ensure that the screw hook is large enough and screwed in tightly enough not to pull out or fall off the wall or drop the string.
Thicker cord will be a bit more comfortable when you are playing, but for a quick strap use any string you have lying around the house.
Woven
Woven straps are wider than a piece of string and offer a bit more comfort when playing.
They can be made from nylon webbing. This is hardwearing and flexible and many manufactured guitar straps are made from this kind of material.
Other types of woven material include fabrics like denim.
Denim is a nice choice for a strap. It is hardwearing, although it can fray if cheaply made. Look for one with a sturdy backing. Some kind of thick plastic is probably best. Look at the stitching of the denim to the plastic and make sure that it is tidily and sturdily sewn..
Brightly coloured woven threads can also be used to make a cigar box guitar strap.
Leather
Leather is a good choice for a strap although at first it might feel a little stiff. To soften a leather strap, rub in some saddle soap or even some neutral coloured wax shoe polish.
A leather strap will not have the same type of adjustment buckle as a woven strap because this make sit too bulky. It is instead more likely to have an extra short piece at at one or both ends that is buckled to the main part of the strap. These short pieces will often have much thinner pieces of leather to attach. Look at these in particular to ensure that the stitching is sound and the the leather itself is of a good enough quality not to break.
Choosing A Strap For Your Cigar Box Guitar
If at all possible buy your strap from a music shop that will let you test it out. This means you will get a strap that is both the correct length and width and also pleasing to you personally.
Buying online is more tricky ( or buying from a shop that insists once the packet is open you are committed to buying)
In this case, I would recommend getting an adjustable strap made of nylon webbing a couple of inches wide. It may not look the best, but you need to know what length and width suit your playing style and this is the cheapest way to discover that. You may end up thinking that the strap is fine anyway.
Some people like to have a strap for each instrument and cigar box guitar players do often like to have more than one cigar box guitar. If you need to buy one for a second instrument, you will find it easier to know what you are looking for after your experience with the first one.
Strap Button
The strap button is a piece of metal that sticks out of the guitar body and /or neck. The end farthest from the guitar itself is slightly wider. This means that the button can pass through the button hole in the strap but is then secure and will not easily pull back through.
The button is usually made out of metal. Some input jacks can also be used as a strap button but be aware that this extra pressure might make the input jack loose so remember to check it periodically.
Strap buttons are available online for little cost.
Installing a strap button is something that you will want to do as part of your build but what about if you have bought your guitar and there is no strap button installed?
You could just tie your strap to the tailpiece to avoid having to install a button. Otherwise you will need to drill a hole in the box of the guitar and install the button.
Most strap buttons screw on from the outside, but you will have more difficulty if it is one that needs a nut installed on the inside. Since many cigar box guitars do not have large accessible sound holes you may end up having to not only remove the strings, but also the lid and this may mean removing box corners too.
Making A Strap
I stated earlier how string can be used to make a quick strap but most people will not find this comfortable to play for very long.
If you are a creative maker, you could make your own strap designed just for you , to fit your body and the particular guitar it will go on. It’s important to realize that because cigar box guitars can vary so much in scale length and box size, one strap will not necessarily fit well on more than one cigar box guitar.
If you are making a non-adjustable strap bear this in mind.
To Make A Guitar Strap From Fabric:
- Decide how long you want the strap to be
- Decide on the width too.
- Cut the fabric for the strap out of a double layer of fabric.
- This double layer could be two layers of the same fabric or a different fabric for the lining.
- This would also give you a reversible 2 in 1 strap
- Pin the fabric right sides together and SEW AROUND THE EDGES leaving one end open for turning.
- Turn the strap the right way out and press well.
- Before you sew up the open end think about how you will attach it to the guitar.
- You can sew a button hole at one or both ends or you can attach a couple of ties to tie it to the strap buttons or guitar itself.
If you are competent at sewing (or are close to someone who is ) you can have a custom designed guitar strap for very little money, especially if you can use fabric from your stash. On the other hand, if your sewing skills are not up to much you will be better off choosing one either from a music shop or online.
To Make A Guitar Strap From Yarn
Now this will not be for everyone, but I love making all kinds of things from all kinds of stuff and I have crocheted a strap from string. I like it and it’s comfortable for me. This is how I did it:
- I chose some nice soft cotton string and a 5mm hook ( US size H-8)
- I made a chain that I knew was long enough for me and added about twenty more chain.
- I found the 4th chain from the end to start my next row
- This left me a buttonhole to fit over the strap button
- I crocheted along this long chain using treble (US double crochet) stitches until I was 20 stitches from the end
- At this point I added another chain of 20 stiches
- This gave me 2 ends to tie around the headstock
- I’ve used this strap on my 4 string Cigar Box Ukulele
No Strap
You might prefer to play sitting down all the time. In this case you don’t really need a strap at all. But even if you are sitting down you may find that a strap attached to the headstock helps you to keep the guitar neck in a good position, so don’t dismiss having a strap entirely.
Length
It’s important to make sure that the strap will be a good length for you. This depends on personal preference, body size and the overall size of the cigar box guitar.
Some people like to play with the cigar box guitar strung low on their body. This is in the style of a solo electric guitar player. The guitar is held on the body at hip length to waist length.
It gives good access to the full length of the neck which is needed if you will play lots of licks higher up the neck.
Some people prefer to have their cigar box guitar higher on their body. This is more in the style of guitarists who play mostly chords, like folk and country.
If you want to play rock, you will need to find some sort of compromise if you are playing chords and licks or riffs higher up the neck.
Adjustable Strap
One thing that you will want to check if you are buying a strap is how adjustable it is. Many straps have a buckle that allows the strap to be lengthened or shortened. When looking at the details for an online purchase, its worth checking if there is a range of size adjustment shown. You can measure the length you think you will prefer with a piece of string tied to the guitar, but make sure that you tie the string in the same position that the strap itself will be attached.
One of the things you will need to watch out for with a strap with a buckle is that the buckle itself doesn’t sit uncomfortably on your shoulder, or as a female player, uncomfortably across your front.
If the strap you have bought is causing you problems, try reversing it so that the buckle sits nearer the bottom of the box of the guitar rather than at the headstock end. This may be more comfortable than the buckle resting on your shoulder or chest.