Whether you're a brand new acoustic guitar player, or you've been playing for years, there comes a time when you may want to be able to stand up and play. That's when an acoustic guitar strap is a must have. One issue sometimes arises when putting a strap on an acoustic guitar - it may not come with a button affixed to the forward heel. The heel is the "neck joint," or the part that joins the neck to the body.
It's pretty standard for an electric guitar to come with a button on the heel, but an acoustic may not. If this is the case, and you don't have a strap button on the heel, you have a couple of choices.
1) You can install a button in the heel of your acoustic guitar.
2) You can secure the strap to the headstock of your guitar using a different method.
Many straps for acoustic guitars come with leather strings that tie around the headstock, instead of the standard leather strap end with a hole in it to fit over the button. These strings simply tie around the headstock, and voila, your strap is secure. If you don't like this idea, or if you already have a nice strap and it's got standard ends with holes, there is another option. You can buy a strap button that attaches around the headstock, such as the Martin Guitar Strap Button, allowing you to attach your strap to that.
This gives you the best of both worlds. You have the advantage of using a button to attach your strap, which allows you to use a lot of different straps. And, there's the added benefit of the quick release button attachment, so you can quickly pop the strap off, instead of having to untie strings to remove it.
If you go with the first option though, and decide to install a strap button directly in the heel, that's fairly easily done. You will need to drill a small hole in the heel. The idea of drilling a whole will give some guitar owners the jitters. If you're careful though, there should be no problem. Be sure to select a drill bit that's slightly smaller than the screw of the button you'll be using, so it fits snuggly and doesn't loosen up over time.
For placement, you can probably use your own common sense. Or, consult some other acoustic guitars in your local guitar shop for ideas, This is not rocket science, but you certainly only want to drill once.
If you go with the second option, you'll have the full range of guitar straps available. Virtually any strap, whether it's an electric guitar strap, a leather strap, or vintage, it really makes no difference. As long as it's got ends that are made to fit on a standard button, you're good to go.
