71070-BN Mandolin Softy Strap - Brown

I don't know why more people haven't bought and reviewed this great strap. I imagine it is because the name brand is not as well known as some others. I bought one of these at a music store in Tennessee (where these are made) and loved it so much better than two other straps I had purchased, and was pleased to be able to buy another one through Amazon. This strap is strong and smooth, soft, really nice leather, of the type it's difficult to find anymore. I hate hard, stiff leather that sheds touching my instruments or in my cases. This crushes nicely if a mandolin fits tight in its case, then smoothes right out again in use. Give this brand a go if you need a strap! I don't have an end pin in my mandolin to button the strap to, so I just used a soft round black shoelace to thread under the tailpiece, made a nice tie in it, and it looks and feels fantastic.

I've got two of these now, one for each mandolin. The strap works really well for F style or A style. The leather ties at the end are long enough to go all the way around the mandolin's body under the fretboard and tie off, or you can tie it off at the headstock. The strap is very comfortable, nice and light (hey, it's a mandolin, it doesn't need saddle leather to support it!).If you use it on an F style and attach it to the scroll, and if you happen to be a medium to small-bodied person such as myself, you should be aware that the pre-cut strap hole with the tightest setting may till be a bit looser than you want. It happens to fit me just fine, but if I were just a bit smaller, I'd probably want to cut another hole in the strap for the end pin.

This is an edited review. Originally I gave this strap 5 stars. It still gets 5 stars for comfort, but the leather is so soft that it stretched around the button and won't stay fastened to the mandolin anymore. I live local to the maker, so I emailed to ask if they could throw a few stitches near the button hole site to stop the stretching; I would have been glad to bring it down. That was over a week ago, and I haven't received a response, so I'm going to buy the appropriate thread and leather needle and fix it myself. It's not a huge deal, but I'm disappointed with the lack of communication and the extra time and money I need to put in to the product to make it work. Otherwise, it's still the most comfortable strap I've ever owned.

Soft and pretty. Feels good in the hand. Smells like heaven. The unfinished side grips well so there's no sliding on my shoulder. I tied mine just above the nut (I have an Eastman A-style), using the additional leather strip that they include. It's made out of the same leather as the strap itself and looks a lot nicer than the more typical black shoelace. The whole thing does shed like crazy for a day or two, but no points off for that. The only real drawback is that the buttonhole stretched out a little bit. There's no danger that it's going to fall off while playing, but I wish they had reinforced those buttonholes a little more. All in all, a really nice leather strap for the price.

Awesome strap! Granted - I'm a beginner mandolin player - but my instrument came with a round braided strap that was constantly falling off the horn of my mandolin and never adjusted to be comfortable. This softy strap is low-key and very flexible but still feels substantial. I don't even have to remove it from the instrument as it's so flexible that it folds to fit nicely in the case! One of my favorite things - the strap "unties" to insert through the gap of the horn of my F mandolin so it never falls off. It's very adjustable and very secure. Funny how a strap can make so much difference in the comfort of learning to play a new instrument! Also I love that that product was made in the USA of real leather!

Genuine leather with a leathery smell, nicely made in Tennessee, reasonably priced, folds softly into the case, feels comfy to wear. All good. However, I'm using mine on an A-style mandolin with a strap button in the neck heel, and I have to use Dunlop strap locks at both ends to keep the strap on. The holes in the soft leather stretch immediately, and won't keep the strap safely attached at either end -- particularly on the tiny strap button at the tailblock end.

Amazinly soft but seems to be strong. It is flexible enough to tuck into a hard case easily. The only negative for me is the shedding from the rough back side. I have it on an "A" type, wrapped under the strings at the head and held together by the tie string that came with it. It is a keeper. I can put up with the small amount of shedding from the rough side.

Really nice quality leather, crumples up small without creasing, looks and feels great. The brown is nice and chocolaty. The buttery loop won't be harming my scroll. I'm about 6' and wear my mando probably on the low side of normal - the length at the longest setting is perfect for me. The endpin attachment may wear because of the leather's softness, so I attach and remove carefully. So far so good. It really is a nice strap and at the price, beyond compare in my experience.