If you are interested in old instruments and the stories behind them, you’ll want to give this a look.

Also neglected in this area are upright bass players, the unsung heroes of the bluegrass band. A new event scheduled for January 2, 2010 is a step towards remedying that, starting with a one-day workshop in Roanoke, VA.

Billed as the Bass Strummit, it will feature instruction from Jason Moore, the celebrated bassist with Mountain Heart, assisted by co-host Mike Conner, along with instrument set up tips from bass repair specialist, Jerry Fretwell. Conner tells us that they are starting small, but have plans to expand if the first Strummit is successful.

“We can take up to 20 students in January. If this one goes well, we’re probably going to schedule something quarterly in different regions of the country, like DC, Nashville, and the northeast.”

Moore tells us that they will cover basics like left and right hand technique, practice habits, tuning and pitch, instrument setup plus more advanced skills like percussive sounds and hand positioning for certain tones and effects. He was also unwilling to accept credit for inventing something new.

“I don’t know of an all bass event being held before, but I am sure somebody has done it. There is no way Mike and I have come up with a new concept. : )

I really haven’t been teaching long but I do enjoy it. It has made me look at what I do instead of just doing it. I never really paid attention to myself until I had to explain something. It has made me a better musician and it is always good to have your bass in your hands.”

Jason did, however, credit Mike Conner with the idea for the Bass Strummit. Conner is the promoter for FiddleFest, an annual two day festival on the campus of Hollins University, near Roanoke.

“Mike was instrumental in this. I started giving lessons a while back, and after Mountain Heart played the Fiddlefest in Roanoke, Mike asked me about lessons. I told him to just come down to the house and we would see what we could do. He worked it out to be here all day and we covered a lot of ground. He did well and said he had an idea to try to get more people involved in the learning process. One thing led to another and here we are.

I consider this a great opportunity for myself. If I can help one person get better at something they enjoy, I have done something important. Music is a gift and I along with a lot of other people tend to forget that and turn it into a job. That is not always a good thing.

Music is meant to be enjoyed and if I can help people get more enjoyment out of it, I feel very good about that.

Many thanks to Mike for all of the leg work too. He is the best, and is a good bass player in his own right.”

The site is Mill Mountain Theater Atelier, an historic restored hotel in downtown Roanoke. Registration and accomodation details can be found online.

The result with Michael Lawrence is Bach and Friends, due for DVD release early in 2010. The film looks at the timeless music of Johann Sebastian Bach through the eyes of 21st century musicians in a variety of genres. Lawrence has made a dozen or more documentaries, many focused on musical topics and personalities.

Mike told us that this Bach film began as a small project, but starting with his connections in the bluegrass world, has grown to include interviews and performances from some of the biggest names in contemporary music. Bach and Friends features several names familiar to bluegrass fans (Chris Thile, Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer), along with jazz singer Bobby McFerrin and classical notables Joshua Bell, Sharon Isbin, Glenn Gould and The Emerson String Quartet.

“The whole idea of the movie is to bring young people – and people who aren’t familiar with Bach – to learn more about him. The project started with just an idea and my savings, and I had no idea there would be so many luminaries in the movie.

I spent about a year producing from the second floor of my house, and I just started contacting people, and they said yes.”

Lawrence runs a one-man operation (Michael Lawrence Films) and came to classical music from a bluegrass background. He played banjo as a young man, and with no options to study banjo in college such as there are today, he gravitated to guitar. He was a member of the very first graduating class at The Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Aaron Shearer, and performed as a classical guitarist.

Film scoring and original music for films was Michael’s introduction to the world of the cinema. He provided music for more than a dozen projects, most notably The Other Americans, which won numerous Emmy Awards in 1969. Lawrence soon found his place behind the camera, and as writer, producer or director, has more than 20 films to his credit, aired on PBS, HBO and CNN.

After a career close to classical music, it was his bluegrass roots that got the Bach Project off the ground.

“Béla was the first big name person who came aboard, which led to Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile. I knew of Chris from Nickel Creek, but had no idea he played Bach.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Though he expects that Bach and Friends will eventually be broadcast on television, the first step is producing a 2 hour documentary on DVD. Lawrence said that the DVD is due for release in January 2010 – a 2 DVD set to include the documentary on one disc, and all of the musical performances strung back-to-back on the other.

Here’s a look at Béla’s contribution…

Click here to view the embedded video.

More video samples can be found on Lawrence’s web site.

Michael said that while his professional career now revolves around film and classical music, he still keeps up his bluegrass chops.

“I play bluegrass about once a month at a jam here in Baltimore – so I’m usually a little rusty, but it’s always fun.”

The music of JS Bach has had appeal to banjo and mandolin players for some time, with its focus on linear melodies that can be adapted well to these instruments. Hearing Bach perfomed on the harpsichord (for which much of it was written) really brings the banjo to mind, and perhaps this new film will spur a study of this lovely music by younger string players with a bluegrass bent.

During the month of October only, you can order any Colorado Case Company branded soft case, case cover or rigid case in pink.

We will then donate 25% of the base case price to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This money will be used to help find a cure for breast cancer through increased research and awareness.

In addition to this gorgeous pink color, we will be embroidering a pink ribbon on each case at no extra charge.

This offer is only valid through the end of October 2009. Full details online.

I never tried it myself, but know many pickers who swear by the practice, insisting that it helps new instruments open up faster, and offering a more balanced tone and response more quickly.

This is the concept behind ToneRite, a product developed by a trio of stringed instrument-playing engineers to provide a more direct, efficient method for accelerating this process.

The company was founded by Augi Lye, Ryan Frankel, and Hans Yeakel after Lye became frustrated that he didn’t have the time to play his new cello enough to break it in adequately. Augi had a background in acoustical physics, and enlisted Frankel (with his military signal processing expertise) and Yeakel (an industrial engineer) to assist in developing a product that could be demonstrated to deliver the goods.

Their first production model was debuted in 2007, and the new Luthier Model design was introduced at the IBMA convention last week.

The ToneRite sits atop, or rests against, the bridge of your instrument where it delivers a specific set of frequencies to the vibrating surfaces. The company’s testing indicates that a minimum of 72 hours of use on a new instrument generates dramatic results, and recommends 2 or 3 similar 72-hour treatments in the first few weeks.

Regular use for an hour prior to playing a few times each week is also recommended for maintaining the tone and responsiveness of an older instrument.

Grasstowne mandolinist Alan Bibey is a fan…

“The ToneRite supercharged my instruments to their max in volume and tone! One of the most useful new products I’ve seen in a really long time!”

ToneRite models are available for guitar, mandolin, violin, viola, cello and bass. Prices range from $150-$250.

Full details can be found on their web site.

Officials at the 2009 Old Fiddler’s Convention shut down jams on Monday night which included an electric bass (and amplifier) in response to some campers’ complaints. Electric bass has never been allowed in the band competitions, but we had not heard of them being banned in the campground before this week.

Tracy Burcham, who first alerted us to the incidents on Monday  contacted us again today with some further information about the situation, one which caused great consternation amongst a number of participants this past two days.

Yesterday evening, a prominent member of the Moose Lodge graciously visited our campsite to discuss the matter. He was very understanding and helpful. He expressed regret about the way the situation had been handled. He also asked for us to understand and respect the position of the patrons who complained. He advised us to continue to do as we had been doing, but to be conscious of the volume at all times, and that we should be aware to tone it down even further during the late-night sessions. In the end, we all agreed that we would work with each other in such a way to maintain the spirit of the event for all.

I still don’t know what the future holds in regard to amplifiers. I guess we’ll have to wait and read the rules when they are published for the 2010 Convention. My hope is that nothing will change and this time-honored event will continue to be strongly attended by all musicians, who, by the way, comprise the very reason that there is such an event at all.

On behalf of all bluegrass bass players who choose to use an amplifier, thanks to The Bluegrass Blog for publishing the story, and to the many friends who immediately stepped up to show support for us during this mini-ordeal

Letters in support of continuing to allow the use of amplifiers at campsites in the park can be sent to:

Old Fiddler’s Convention
P.O. Box 655
Galax, VA 24333

It sounds as though cooler heads have prevailed. In truth, an acoustic band with an electric bass isn’t really notably louder than one with an upright, and some of the large old time jams can include dozens of players sawing away in a group. Besides, who goes to Galax to sleep?

Tracy especially wanted to make that everyone understands that his motive in bringing these incidents to light were based on his deep love for The Old Fiddlers Convention and the people who attend and camp in Felts Park each year.

“I think it is important to note that my primary purpose in bringing the incident to public attention was not an attempt to demean any person, event, or organization. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite is true. My intent was to bring realization to the Moose Lodge that future attendance at this event would would be greatly reduced if amplifiers were to ever be completely banned from campsites.This event is too precious to me (and many, many other bass players who use amps) in many ways, and I would hate to see it dissolve due to a lack of musician participation.”

Brance and I have attended many times, and have a great many friends there this week. It’s a festival where you will find a fascinating mix of both old time and bluegrass musicians, with top artists regularly involved in the legendary late night jams.

While the event is primarily marked by fellowship and harmony, the one bit of tension that exists is sometimes found between the Galax Moose Lodge that runs the festival and the attendees who feel as though their dozens of years of consecutive camping and competition gives them a quasi-ownership stake in the annual festival. The old timers will grouse each year about rules changes, and “how it was done back when,” but we’ve just received word about some unpleasantness that occurred on Monday night (8/3) that I don’t think has happened in the past.

Here is a report from Tracy Burcham, a friend of both Brance and mine, who is a bluegrass musician of long standing in southwest Virginia and a 21 year veteran of the Galax fest. He tells a story that really set a lot of folks in the campground on edge.

About 11:30 p.m., I began a jam session with three friends, each of whom is a current member of a headlining bluegrass band. I was playing my electric bass, which means, of course, that I was using an amplifier. About 8 or 9 songs into the jam, we were approached by two members of the Galax Moose Lodge #733 who advised that the rules stated that amplifiers were not allowed in the park, and that if I didn’t cut mine off, they would not only escort me out of the park, but would cut off the electricity to our entire campsite (several friends had gone in together purchase 18 consecutive sites, as we have done every year).

I have been playing this same electric bass and also my acoustic bass, both through an amplifier for each of the 21 years I have attended. I’ve never encountered a problem or received a complaint from anyone. I honestly thought one of my “devious” friends was pulling a prank on me, and continued on with the jam session. The Moose members left the area only to come back later with two police officers. He repeated the same demand to cut off the amp and advised me that there would be no refund if I refused to cooperate and was booted our of the park.

I asked specifically to see the rules. Rule #15 states:

“No boom boxes or loud amplified music to be played at any time during the convention. Anyone violating this rule will be subject to being removed from park, and charged with disturbing the peace.”

The operative word here is “loud.” Loud is a matter of opinion unless otherwise defined by the use of a decibel meter, and an established decibel limit. Regardless, the Moose members didn’t ask me to turn it down, they told me to turn it off or face consequences. In the opinion of all non-musicians present at the jam session, the volume of the bass had not been excessive, and, as a matter of fact, the banjo was far louder. The crowd around the session was not being unruly or noisy by any means. They were simply there to enjoy the music, and we were having a great time doing the same thing we’ve been doing for over two decades. I fully understand that some folks overdo it sometimes in regard to amplification. I have witnessed myself jam session where I felt like the amp was louder than necessary. But, again, that’s a matter of preference or opinion.

A conversation this morning between a Moose representative and two campsite buddies of of mine resulted in agreement that the rule is vague. But the statement was made that the rule would be clear for next year. What that means exactly, I do not know. Will they entirely prohibit amplifiers? Or will they set measurable noise limits, or a time at night after which amplifiers can’t be used? Who knows. Time will tell. But, judging by the number of campsites that use a bass amplifier, attendance of future events will be cut approximately in half if amplifiers are banned.

Our session was one of no-less-than four that were “shut down” last night for the same reason: amplified instruments. Nothing like that has ever happened before to my knowledge, at least not where people were genuinely interested in enjoying each other’s company and playing good music. It is my understanding that the shut downs were instigated due to a complaint from one, or a small group, of disgruntled patrons who are strict traditionalists, and feel that there is no place in the music for amplified instruments. In short, the Moose has allowed a minority opinion to punish the majority. I have the utmost respect for the opinion of traditionalists, both old time and bluegrass, and do not expect them to accept new or contemporary music, ideas, technology, etc. They are entitled to their opinions. I may not agree with or accept their viewpoints either, but I would never complain to the point of pulling the rug out from under what they love to do.

I’m sure the story will continue to unfold throughout the week. Several people who witnessed last night’s events shared this story with various media outlets and some public officials this morning.

The Moose representative told my buddies this morning that it would be ok to use amps, but that we needed to keep the volume down. He also stated that no session would be shut down, nor would nobody be ejected from the park without his consent. But I have to wonder what the future holds for this glorious and time-honored event if the final outcome is in favor of the minority. The spirit of many long-time attendees was broken by last night’s events.

Here’s a video of Tracy at Galax 2008, where he took the first place trophy in the bluegrass band competition with 4 Fret Kord.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Luke McLamb was born last night (7/27) at 8:50 p.m. (EDT). Zak reports that he weighed in at 7 lbs., 10 oz. and “stands” 21 1/2” tall.

Needless to say, Zak is awfully excited about the whole thing.

Congratulations to all the McLambs!

They are heading into the studio later this month with an eye towards completing rhythm tracks before the end of August. Barry says that some of the material is quite different from what they have recorded in the past, but that all of it is fabulous – and that Alison is in great voice.

He isn’t sure when the CD will be released, but says that they may be doing some TV appearances late this year. Touring for 2010 is being planned now.

The most recent version of AKUS will be intact for this project: Barry on bass, Dan Tyminski on guitar/mandolin, Ron Block on banjo/guitar, Jerry Douglas on resonator guitars, and Alison on fiddle and vocals. Tyminski will also be singing a couple of songs on the CD.

There will have to be some schedule shuffling next year with both Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski booking shows for 2010. Barry should be a busy little beaver.

Barry now maintains a Facebook page and a Twitter feed if you want to keep up with his comings and goings.

Barry had a lot of news to share, particularly about what will be his newest instrument, a Chadwick Folding Bass. The bass is the brainchild of Charlie Chadwick, a Nashville musician who has suffered the frustrations of traveling with an upright bass for many years.

He had tried using whatever instruments might be available at his performance destinations, and a number of the travel basses available on the market. He tired of the uncertainty of using unfamiliar basses and the unsatisfactory tone and responsiveness of scaled-down travel instruments, which led him to start experimenting with the concept of a folding bass.

Chadwick’s design involved a hinged neck that folds back and is stored inside the body of the bass – along with the fingerboard, tailpiece, bridge and end pin – and can be broken down and reassembled in a matter of minutes. He took his first prototype on the road with John Jorgenson Quintet in 2004 and while touring with Jorgensen this last few years, he has continued to refine his design.

Once he felt that he had everything working as it should, Charlie converted a Samuel Shen bass in 2007. He had the opportunity to show it to Shen in 2008, who immediately recognized the value of the concept. Soon Shen and Chadwick were discussing how these folding basses could be manufactured at the Shen factory in China for the international market.

They are now available for sale as the Chadwick Folding Bass, offered for $2999 with a hard shell case. This is a plywood bass with an ebony fingerboard and an oil varnish finish.

Check out this video of Charlie breaking the bass down for travel:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Barry said he tried one out for several weeks and found the tone and responsiveness to be quite good, and that he plans totake his Chadwick whenever he has to fly for either Dan Tyminski or Alison Krauss shows.

You can find many more photos and details on the Chadwick site.

Dale has had quite a career in bluegrass, working with some of the most prestigious acts in the business. He has done time with Lonesome River Band, The Bluegrass Cardinals, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, David Parmley & Continental Divide, and just recently, with Pine Mountain Railroad. During that time he has been a banjo player and a bass player, and even played both at different times with Doyle!

Phil Leadbetter was happy to share the news of Dale’s move to Grasstowne.

“We are very excited to have him. He is one of the true veterans of this music.”

Phil mentioned that even though Dale will be touring with them from this point forward, he will not appear on the band’s new album, expected later this year. That will feature Travis Greer on bass, who had been with them for the past few years and recorded the new project with Grasstowne.

Look for a Grasstowne show near you by checking their tour schedule online.

I find the site to be clever and uproariously funny, though you might want to be wary if you are easily offended by ribald themes or occasional vulgarity.

A number of new stories have been posted this past few days which should be good for a chuckle. One that really cracked me up covers a supposed new turn in the personal life of new Punch Brothers bassist, Paul Kowert.

Paul Kowert Weds Own Bass in Holy Matrimony – Ex-heartthrob forgoes female companionship forever

BROOKLYN — Young bassist Paul Kowert, who recently landed his dream job as a member of the popular band Punch Brothers, has just startled the bluegrass world by announcing that he is newly married.

According to his publicist, Kowert has taken a three-year-old American upright bass as his lawfully wedded spouse.

Kowert, who moved to New York City late last year, is an alumnus of the Curtis Institute of Music and the winner of SPBGMA’s Bachelor of the Year award in 2008.

Kowert’s highly unconventional marriage has both appalled traditionalists and delivered unthinkable disappointment to enormous numbers of female fans.

"He is a true Punch Brother now," said bandmate Chris Thile.

Read the full post online.

Also highlighted in that piece is a non-fake YouTube clip of Paul demonstrating his virtuosity on the upright bass, a brilliant duet with Punch Brothers fiddler Gabe Witcher on the Carter Family classic, You Are My Flower.

It’s hand held video from a live show, and gets a bit jerky, but Kowert’s performance is simply brilliant.

Josh Williams has announced a personnel change for the Josh Williams Band. Bass player Tim Dishman has elected to spend more time at home with his family, and to devote more time to his day job.

Randy Barnes comes into the group to replace Dishman. No, not that Randy Barnes, this one.

Randy formerly played bass with New Found Road. Since parting ways with NFR, Randy has been looking for a band that he felt was the right fit for him. It seems he found it with the Josh Williams Band.

We look forward to hearing him with this exciting young band.

Mickey has spent the past 7 years on bass with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, also singing harmony and occasional lead vocals on her show. He had also worked with Larry Stephenson and Sally Jones after spending much of his youth as a member of The Tipton Family, which included his grandmother.

Dog House Blues was recorded with a core group of musicians – Wayne Benson on mandolin, Jim Van Cleve on fiddle, Josh Williams and Darrell Webb on guitar, Aaron McDaris and Kenny Ingram on banjo, and Mickey holding down the bass and lead vocal spots. Rhonda contributes harmony vocals on three tracks, and Tom T. Hall adds a recitation on one of his songs.

Mickey tells us that he recorded the album throughout this past year, as he could find time, which he suggests was rare.

“I had all the tour dates with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, plus my wife and I had our second child in July. I also stayed quite busy with my 2 year old daughter too.”

In choosing material, Mickey wanted to include both songs that he performs with Rhonda, and ones that he has been singing for years. One that really caught my ear was his rendition of Gene Watson’s huge country hit, Farewell Party.

“I just started to do it by chance with Rhonda. In the middle of one of our shows, she was talking about singing recently with Gene Watson and asked if anyone of us knew one of his songs. Being a huge Gene Watson fan, I told her that I did and stepped up to sing Farewell Party. Since then, it has become my most requested song, so I figured that I should definitely record it on my next project.”

The Nine Pound Hammer and Why Did You Wander are likewise numbers which Mickey performs with The Rage, and he even included a banjo/bass duet, originally recorded by Earl Scruggs.

“You Can’t Stop Me From Dreaming is a tune that Kenny Ingram and I would play backstage for fun.  I have always loved tunes that were just bass and banjo.  Plus, I think that it showcases Kenny’s fine banjo playing, and also being a bass player, I wanted to have a song that features the bass.”

We asked Mickey to share a few thoughts about the other songs on the CD…

“Copper Creek and Don’t Wait Too Late are two songs that my great Aunt Sophie Tipton (Martha Tipton Haislip) wrote. I have been singing those with my family for years. There are also two Tom T. and Dixie Hall songs on this project. I’ve Got a Home and Take Just A Minute To Thank Him, which features Tom T. on a recitation. It was an absolute honor to have him on the song.

I wrote Coming Home To Stay.  It is sort of true to life for me. I always like to include at least one original tune. Move On In And Stay is an old Ray Price song that just caught my ear, and I thought I would record it someday. I have been saving it for about 10 years waiting for the right project to include it on.

The Blues Are Still The Blues is a song that came from Traditional Grass. I have had the pleasure on singing it on stage with Joe Mullins playing banjo with us a few times.  It is a fun song to do, and the audience seems to like it.

The title cut, Dog House Blues is an old Bill Monroe tune. It was written by the same man (Pee Wee King) who wrote The Tennessee Waltz. I changed it around a little and kind of made it my own version. I thought it was neat since I was a doghouse bass player. Plus, I can’t make any major vehicle purchases without thinking about what instrument I play. It sometimes causes me to have the ‘dog house blues.’

Man… banjo players are lucky.  Ha! Ha!”

All of the music on this project is terrific – good, traditional bluegrass with a country edge from time to time.

The title track will be included on the January edition of Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass, so you can expect to be hearing it on bluegrass radio in the near future.

There are no audio samples online, but you can order a copy of Dog House Blues from Mickey’s web site, or from Rhonda Vincent’s.

Terry is a native of New Brunswick, Canada and lives now in Lexington, KY. He has performed in a number of bands and worked in sound reinforcement recent years, and also hosts a twice-weekly radio show on WorldWideBluegrass.com.

You can check the band’s schedule on their web site to see when they’ll be playing near you.

The sample shows brief segments from the various instruments, and the complete lesson contains two breaks each, with both audio and video at slow speeds for each instrument.

You can find more details – and a free sample lesson – at bluegrasscollege.org.

Punch Brothers

Kowert, 22 years old, had been touring this fall with mandolinist Mike Marshall in his Big Trio (along with 16 year old fiddler Alex  Hargreaves), and studied at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Edgar Meyer. He began with Thile’s band this past weekend.

We caught Punch Brothers last night in Roanoke, and Kowert is more than up to the task. Not only has he memorized the demanding Punch Brothers repertoire, but he is a brilliant soloist in his own right. His tone (both arco and bowed) was gorgeous, and his use of a C extender on the low E string – and his comfort playing at the uppermost region of the fingerboard – brought a new dimension to the band’s already impressive sound.

Thile seemed to revel in Kowert’s bass work, and could be seen congratulating him after a couple of songs. Paul also sings a good bit of the vocal harmony in the band.

I don’t suppose there is any news value in pointing out that each member of Punch Brothers was equally stunning on stage, as was the group as a whole. They continue to strike me as the most technically gifted string ensemble yet assembled, and the discipline they exhibit individually and as a unit is a wonder to behold.

No word as to Garrison’s current or future plans. His MySpace profile has been recently deleted.

A new CD will be released on February 10, 2009, the first full-length CD Missy has recorded with her band, New Hip. Members include Ethan Ballinger on mandolin, Michael Witcher on resonator guitar, and Dillon Hodges on guitar.

Missy was enthusiastic about the new record deal.

“This is a great day for me, I’m thrilled to be working with Alison and Garry and the team at Compass Records.  I feel it’s the absolute best label for us.

The new CD is called, Inside Out, and we recorded it here in Nashville with Ben Surratt at the Rec Room Studios. Of course it features all of the New Hip along with some special guests including Matt Flinner, John R. Burr, Doug Belote, and Megan McCormick.

We’re creating our own sounds drawing on a lot of deep roots and the music we’re coming up with gets me out of bed every morning very excited and looking forward. I can’t wait to share  it with our fans this next year.”

This is a somewhat unusual instrument. It’s a Knilling Thinline Jazz Bass. It looks much the same as any other upright bass, only much thinner.

The store where I bought it has a number on the Bass of 67188. I am not sure if that is the model number or the Serial number. It has some dings around the bottom edge of the back of the bass and some nicks on the Scroll. It also was equipped with a Realist pickup.

The bass was in a gig bag case when it was stolen.

Here are a couple photos of Bryan playing the instrument to give you an idea of what it looks like and where some of the dings he’s talking about are located.

My point was that instrument straps are a vital part of the gear used by bluegrass musicians. Why not make a statement with yours? You could be like me and use a plain black leather strap, or you could use something a little more colorfull.

Colorado Case Company has been hand sewing instrument straps for years now and selling them direct at festivals. They’ve now taken the business online with its own website, guitarstrapsonline.com.

Don’t let the name fool you, they have straps for banjo, mandolin, and dobro as well. What is unique about their straps is that they are all hand sewn at their facility in Fort Collings, CO using interesting cloth prints. They don’t keep the same prints in stock at all times so if you don’t see something you like now, keep checking up on them, or take advantage of their custom options.

…we can make a strap out of any fabric you may have, or find in your local fabric store. This means you can take a strip of fabric from a favorite shirt, blanket or jeans, and convert it into a favorite guitar, banjo, mandolin or harp strap.

All straps are normally priced at $24.95 with an additional $5 charge for custom orders.