Elizabeth Seward
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I've been playing guitar for 14 years now. One thing I have learned throughout the years is that guitar straps are expensive...even with the employee discount I received working at Guitar Center as a teenager. On top of being expensive, the most reliable guitar straps are often made from leather. From a green perspective, we really don't need any more leather brought into our world. It's not that I'm totally anti-leather, it's just that we have produced so much of it already that it would be nice if we could all reuse and upcycle already-made leather before going out and purchasing new leather.
Whether or not you prefer leather guitar straps or cheap vinyl straps, there's no sense in supporting the production of new materials for a guitar strap if you can make one from an old belt, right?
How to make a guitar strap from an old belt:
1. Locate your belt.
You'll need something that is strong and you'll need something that is long enough. To test out whether or not a belt is long enough, sling it on as you would a guitar strap and see if the ends of the belt are at a comfortable playing position for you. I happened to have a belt that was a tie belt for a trench coat handy. For regular belts, you'll have to cut off the buckle end. You can use the buckle end to make a necklace.
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| Elizabeth Seward |
2. Use a guitar to help you measure where your slits should be for the guitar.
Do this by holding the guitar up with one hand and strapping the belt around yourself with the other. When you have a clear idea of where the slits should go, use scissors to create them. Make them small at first. You can always expand your slits, but once you've made them too big, there's no turning back.
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| Elizabeth Seward |
3. Attach your guitar to slits and enjoy!
To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect to be as happy with this project as I am. Something tells me I'll be using this strap on stage now. It's a great green project because it helps you to reuse an old belt and refrain from buying something, like leather, brand new.
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| Elizabeth Seward |
More on green guitars:
Make Your Own Guitar Fretboard Cleaner and Polisher
How To Make Guitar Picks From A Vinyl Record
Make Sure Your Next Guitar Is Green
6 Reasons to Buy A Used Guitar
How To Go Green: Why To Go Green
Are you a green hipster looking for all things green and cool? Then you'll love actor and eco-activist Adrian Grenier and his team of environmental experts, who live it up with sustainable style on Planet Green TV's Alter Eco.
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
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