Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What makes Moody straps different than other leather guitar and bass straps?
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We use the finest luxury leather imported from Italy. We carefully hand make everything in Carmel, California. Our CEO carefully chooses each layer that goes into the making of our products, no filler, no plastic, just pure soft supple leather. Having the three layers creates a strap that is soft, supple and plays hard too. Moody will last you a lifetime.“Moody makes a Les Paul feel weightless.” – Michael Molenda, Editor in Chief
“Moody makes me play better. I can play longer gigs in comfort.” – Gary Hoey
“Nothings ever felt quite so smooth, wide width makes for the best weight distribution like one big-huge shock absorber! All I got on is my MOODY!” – Jason Stodder
“Moody guitar straps are without a doubt the most comfortable, well made, and luxurious straps we’ve ever worn – and ever seen for that matter! Between our touring duties with Mandi Perkins and the live and studio work with our many other artists, we sometimes wear our guitars for 6-10 hours a day. Moody straps makes that possible and comfortable. Thanks Allison for a great and beautiful product.” – Andres James
“Moody Leather bass straps are simply second to none and the absolute very best that money can buy. My conquest is over!” – Joe Jefferies
Q. A buyer’s guide to leather
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Usually on the underside of a belt or inside a leather good, the leather quality will be stamped one of three things: genuine leather, top-grain leather, or full-grain leather. But what exactly do these mean? When you’re buying nice leather goods, you should know exactly what to look for in your leather.Genuine leather doesn’t just mean that the product is made of real leather (which it is), but is also means it is the lowest quality of all products made out of real leather. Genuine leather generally doesn’t last as long, look as nice or feel that good to the touch. Goods marked as genuine leather will be several layers of low quality leather bonded together with glue and then painted to look like a better quality leather. It is the part of the leather that is left over when the other, higher grades are stripped away. This grade of leather is acceptable if you’re just buying something cheap and don’t care too much about its quality. It won’t last very long, so it probably shouldn’t be something you use every day. Genuine leather is typically used by mass-production low cost providers of guitar straps.
Top-grain leather is the grade of leather you’ll find in “fine” leather goods and is the middle-of-the-road quality of leather. It’s used in the vast majority of purses for women as well as small leather goods for men like wallets that are sold by well-known designer brands. It is made by splitting a piece of full-grain leather and sanding away any imperfections in the hide and stamping a fake grain on it. Usually, it’s then treated and colored to provide a completely uniform look. The finished product ends up being a bit plastic-y, and not nearly as durable as the best quality leather – full grain. It will not age well with use, and will end up looking old and worn after a time. The finished feel of leather is great, however, if you don’t care as much about durability or comfort. The largest strap producers use this quality of leather.
Full-grain leather takes the entire grain of the hide, with all the imperfections (cows like to scratch their backs on barbed wire fences for instance) and inherent toughness of the material. It’s often used for heavy-duty leather items, like weapon holsters and utility belts. But it can also be used with great success for dress belts, briefcases, dress shoes, work boots and numerous other leather goods. This type of leather is naturally marked with imperfections from the animal, like a brand or a scar, but products from pricier companies won’t use these flawed hides. Full grain leather is hard-as-nails leather that will develop a rich patina as it ages, looking more and more beautiful as you use it. It’s widely recognized as the best and highest quality leather money can buy. Often much more expensive, full-grain pays dividends with its durability. If you invest in an item made with full-grain leather, you will probably have that item for the rest of your life if you take care of it properly. At Moody, we select each hide of full-grain leather with an eye to finding perfect hides that feel great and look great…guaranteed.
Q. What is the difference between leather backing and the suede backing?
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Our suede backed straps are thinner and provide sufficient grip to hold your guitar or bass perfectly in place. Our leather lined straps are made with Italian glove leather on the back, providing you with maximum shape to distribute the weight or your instrument over a greater portion of your shoulder, thereby allowing you to play stress-free and longer!Q. Do I need to do anything to take care of my Moody strap?
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We are occasionally asked whether our Moody straps require special polish or treatment in order to maintain the high quality look and feel. Unlike baseball gloves, shoes, jackets or other leather goods which are exposed to environmental elements, we do not anticipate that users of our straps will expose the fine Italian leather to harsh conditions. Additionally, our straps are free of plastic or metal buckles and are intended to aid in the protection of your valuable instrument. Under normal use, we do not expect that it will be necessary for you to add leather polish or other treatments to protect the quality of your strap. Additionally, we advise against doing so in order to protect your guitar or bass from discoloration from chemicals associated with these treatment products.If you roll your strap up to store it, make sure to roll it up so that the top side of the strap shows on the outside as you roll it. Prior to shipping straps, we photograph them and roll them up in this way so that they arrive to you wrinkle-free. If you mistakenly roll your strap the opposite way (with the bottom or inside of the strap on the outside as you roll it up), you may cause temporary or permanent wrinkles in the fine Italian leather top. If your strap has been damaged in this way, we will not be able to accept it as a returned item.