Remember these days?

For those of us who played guitar back in the 60′s, 70′, and 80′s (and perhaps earlier) you can certainly remember that acoustic guitars did not have strap pins on the body or neck heel like they do now. Back in the day, if you wanted to play your acoustic guitar standing up you had to secure the front end of the strap by tying it to the headstock just in front of the nut. It was effective, but not necessarily the most comfortable way to play.

When guitar manufacturers started adding pins to the neck heels and upper front bouts, life got much simpler; any guitar strap would suffice.

However, there are still many old guitars around, and also many new luthiers purposely do not put pins in their guitar. For owners of those guitars, you had only two choices – play sitting down, or use one of those old, cludgy neck straps.

Until now…

A Strap Revolution

The Miller Guitar Strap

Matthew Miller, a guitarist and leather worker from the Midwestern US, came up with a revolutionary design for a new guitar strap – dubbed the Miller Guitar Strap. Born from the need to (a) create a strap that didn’t require a neck heel pin and (b) create a strap that didn’t attach to the headstock, Miller invented a unique, cradle strap that holds the guitar in place almost like a papoose.

By literally placing the guitar in the strap cradle, all of the weight of the guitar is taken off your neck. It allows you to move much more freely when playing. The Miller Guitar Strap also positions the guitar in such a way that creates a much more snug fit; you really feel as if the guitar and you are one, which every guitarist can certainly appreciate.

Quality Construction

Each strap is made of high-quality leather. Each strap is adjustable thanks to a very safe and secure brass rivet fastening system. For those of you with guitars that have an endpin on the bottom bout of the guitar, the strap does have a hole for the pin to make it even more secure. The stitching is excellent, too, so there is no fear of the strap falling apart.

The straps come in two sizes (dreadnaught/large body and Martin 000/small body) and two colors (black or brown).

What About Cutaway Acoustics?

I spoke with Matthew about acoustic guitars with cutaway lower bouts. He admits that this strap is not reasonably suited for those guitars, but he has been researching those models and is considering adding another model to the product line that will address these guitar shapes. If you have a cutaway acoustic, this probably isn’t the strap for you. But, if you have a non-cutaway acoustic then I cannot recommend this strap enough. It will make you fall in love with playing acoustic guitar all over again!

For a Good Cause

According the website, a non-profit organization around the development of the strap is the ultimate goal of designer Matthew Miller. So, not only will you be getting a great strap, but you’ll also be contributing to the development of an organization that will help others.

How to Buy

For ordering information, please visit the Miller Guitar Strap website and shopping page.