Moody’s Straps - Worth it?
 

They seem to be well made, pretty expensive, big honkin’ Moody’s logo (don’t really like that). Some people swear by them. Any other brands for simple, leather straps? I’m not really into patterns, stars, tooling, lightening bolts, etc.

Moody or other fine makers: how much is high-quality leather work worth to you?

So yes, pricey. Moody is not exclusive in this. If it helps you any, I held my breath and waited on the emporium until a nice strap would show up. Now I have several (though none Moody), but quality leather worth every penny to me. Fwiw, Levys and Italia have small logo. Folks are fine with cloth, vinyl, or nylon: it's your comfort level.
:)

Edward

I made my own, and have a few spare. Due to a damaged left shoulder I made most with 3" wide leather.

Take a look at Lakota Leathers. Their bison leather straps are butter-soft, simple, made in America (in case you care), and very economical ($60 for 2" wide or $70 for 3"). Suede backs mean your instrument stays put and doesn't slide around.

All sorts of great makers.

Lakota has super soft leather, but sometimes I like a little more support.

Italia Leather has coupons all the time and their straps are well made and look great, but a little stiff when they are new.

Levy's has some great straps that are available in most stores like GC.

Sully's Straps are fantastic too and offer a lot of customization
https://sullysstraps.com/

-Mike

Moody’s straps certainly have their fan base, which is more than fair, since they’re excellent straps. They’ve always been a touch too pricey for me, though.

The two brands I’ve gravitated to, for superb quality at a very fair price, have been Levy’s Leathers of Canada and Walker & Williams. Walker & Williams in particular gives one of the very best bargains in terms of quality received versus dollar spent.

Neither Levy’s or W&W tends to have large prominent logos on their straps, either.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

Yes they are.

I have three,.. one I recently bought off the AGF classifieds and two that I've used on my gig guitars since the late 1990s and they are still in excellent condition and sooo comfortable.

What makes them so much better and more comfortable than a Levy, a Henry Heller or any of the other leather guitar straps at a forth of the price or less?

Great question.

I have a bunch of Levy's They work just fine for me.

I just went to their web site, the prices are quite surprising. Hey to each their own, I am good with the Levy's..

Don't know anything about Moody's straps. But I have a couple of Lakota Leathers mandolin straps. They're nice enough... though maybe too soft and supple for my tastes.

But the reason I chimed in was to say this: I haven't looked for guitar straps on Etsy, but did buy a leather watch band and a belt off of there from two different shops, and am pretty happy with them, and the prices... competitive with, or cheaper than major retailers. Obviously it's a bit of a mixed bag, but worth a look.

They look like terrific straps, and it's a nice selection.

I'm so dern happy with my Lakota Leathers strap, though, that I don't think I'd ever spring for a Moody. Don't blame anyone who does, though.

Etsy has a bunch of very nice leather straps.
Souldier also has some nice straps, especially the leather saddle straps. Can't comment on quality, but the prices are a bit cheaper than others.

I have two straps made by Bob at Brookwood Leather -- a Classic Style and a 50s Style -- and they're both wonderful.

Look through the website and you'll find them however fancy or plain as you want. His custom work is phenomenal; I've had mine for years, and they just get better and better.

I'd say his prices are extremely competitive with Moody's, and you can have input on almost every aspect, if you want it.

They are not worth it to me. Many options have been mentioned already. I've purchased hand-made custom straps from ETSY has some makers. More than a decade ago I found DR leather straps (sometimes they are hard to find in stock anywhere) and I purchased a bunch of them to have one in each guitar case. They look brand new and are comfortable, padded and good looking. Best of all, they are under $50.

It's the comfort over three hour gigs. The Moody straps are close to magical because there's no obvious reason why Moody are so different in comfort from any other strap. They say it's the three layers of leather.

You'll find electric bass players whose instruments are often in the 12-20lbs area singing the praises of Moody. The difference becomes apparent when you're on stage w/ one of those singers who insist on two hour sets.