Thread: Using a guitar STRAP as a STROP?

So I need a strop but I'm not about to spend $40+ for what is basically just a small piece of leather and a matching small piece of canvas. So I started trying to find an alternative. Thought about making my own....then I thought about what I had laying around. Being a musician, I don't have a ton of $, but I do have a few leather guitar straps around the studio! They are wide (about 3 inches), made of decent quality leather, and have holes on each end (where they would normally attach to a guitar) but could be modified to attach to anything. I think I even have some strap locks laying around, which allow you to easily "lock" and unlock the strap on to a fixed piece of hardware, which is normally attached to the guitar, but could also be drilled into my bathroom counter =)

Anyway, I could just buy a piece of canvas to use for the other side. The guitar straps I have are basically like these....plain leather with no stitching on the edges:

Steve Clayton USA - Classic Leather Guitar Straps

The leather is about the same thickness and texture as a men's leather belt (a real belt, not a dress belt....you know what I mean)

Watcha think? Would this work as a strop? I don't see why not...it's leather and it's wide and it can be pulled taught, right? Does the leather need to be a certain texture or type or.....? Any input is greatly appreciated!

Thanks fellas!!!!!

I guess you could use a substitute but to my way of thinking it would be like saying I could use an old piece of rope for a guitar strap. It'll work but it wasn't made for it and it won't ever be as efficient.

IMO a quality strop such as SRD or Heirloom sells is cut, tanned and finished with maintaining the razor in mind and there are nuances that are not in just any old hunk of leather or canvas.

Guitar strap stropping (try saying that 3x fast!) might enhance the music from a "Singing Razor" while you stropped! Especially if it was taken from a Martin D45.

Hoglahoo used to use straps all of the time but lately he prefers strops!
I on the other hand have always used a strop!

Originally Posted by JMS

Hoglahoo used to use straps all of the time but lately he prefers strops!
I on the other hand have always used a strop!

I still use straps, but I now refer to them as strops out of respect for the general

If you used a guitar strap for a strop, would you say you were stropping on a strap strop?