Well one of the first things that I figured I need to do when I got a New Uke, is to buy a great ukulele strap that can support the instrument, making it easier to play and move my fretting hand up and down the board.
I’m used to playing guitar, which is a pretty heavy instrument, and after dealing with the awkward positioning that naturally happens when holding a guitar, then feeling the difference it makes while using a strap, I’ve been a consistent user of one for years.
I also had the same experience with the mandolin, but it’s even more exaggerated since the headstock is very heavy, with the extra tuners.
As soon as I picked up my new ukulele, and my teacher taught me how to hold it, I had the exact same feeling again, that I needed a strap for two reasons:
First, comfortability. When I’m holding the ukulele like I’ve been taught, I’m squeezing the instrument against my body, and lightly supporting the neck of the instrument with my left hand as I do chords. This isn’t comfortable to me. It’s probably because I”m used to not having to worry about supporting the weight of my guitar, I just want a strap to do the work.
Second, ease of playing. Although my teacher and others I’ve seen make it look like no effort at all, I feel like I”m struggling to support the neck of the ukulele with my hand and learn new chord shapes, developing muscle memory. I don’t want to have to worry about that. I want to be able to let the strap hold the weight, so I can focus on putting my fingers right where they need to go.
So yes, I ended up getting a strap. Exploring Amazon, these were the top picks they presented:
CLOUDMUSIC Button Free Hawaiian Floral Hook Strap
First up was this Cloudmusic ukulele strap that had a really nice look to it. I would prefer my straps to be woven fabric and something that’s at least sort of nice to look at, and this one had it. The white colors with the stiched flowers looked really good together, in my opinion.
What I didn’t like about this strap is the way it supports the instrument. The plastic hook mounts into the sound hole and wraps around the body of the ukulele then goes around your neck, like this:
For me, this style of strap doesn’t solve my problem of supporting the headstock or neck.
This might be the kind of strap that works for you if your ukulele doesn’t have any strap pegs, or if you’re not willing to install pegs or buttons for the strap to mount to.
CLOUDMUSIC Hawaiian Vintage Cotton Ukulele Strap
This is another strap by the same manufacturer, CLOUDMUSIC. and right away it checks off the first requirement that I mentioned, it looks good. I think that it has a kind of mexican vibe, something that you’d see in the markets hand made by an artisan.
I really like the colors and the overall look of this strap.
Also, it has multiple options for attaching your instrument. First, it comes with two strap buttons! That’s great because if your uke doesn’t have strap buttons you’d have to buy them and have them installed to use a strap in this style.
Second, it has the string set that you can weave around your headstock, under the strings, if you prefer to have the instrument supported at the headstock.
So this one has the most variability, and comes with all of the parts to get it situated so that you can hold the instrument the most way comfortable for you!
Dulphee Ukulele Strap Cotton White, 1 pick and 1 button
Next up is this Dulphee Ukulele Strap in cotton white, that comes with 1 pick and 1 button. It showed up as Amazon’s Choice for a strap less than $10, which of course is a great price!
Well right off the bat I’m not a huge fan of the looks of this strap. I don’t much care for plain white, and I know that white things get dirty, and dingy and will need to be cleaned more often to keep that fresh look.
I do like the look of the metal buckle for length adjustment, but I don’t like the fake-ish coloring of the leather that is shown on the photo.
Second, it only comes with one button, so you have to mount it with the string on the headstock, you don’t have the option to mount it to the neck, unless you buy another peg.
Finally it comes with a pick which is nice… if you’re playing guitar? This is advertised for guitar, mandolin, or banjo as well… but no one I know uses a pick for ukulele… I’m not a purist, but the delicate nylon strings and the reverb of the instrument doesn’t lend its self well to needing a pick, in most situations.
But this should definitely be your pick if you’re in a tight budget.
Music First Genuine Leather Ukulele Strap, with Soft Yarn Dyed Fabric
Amazon recommened this strap as it’s favorite choice of a strap between $10-20 dollars.
I do like the look of this strap, but it doesn’t really catch my eye as much as some of the other straps that we’ve seen here. I could anticipate the soft feel of the yarn, and I know I would appreciate that, but it doesn’t sit at the top of my list for looks.
The leather ends look more natural than the previous strap, and I would prefer that coloring and look than the Dulphee.
One thing I don’t like about this one is the reduced options for mounting, just like the last one. The leather hoop at the end needs to be woven under the strings after the nut, supporting the instrument at the headstock like this:
That does have a pretty good overall look to it, but I’m not sure whether it would work for me.
I like that it has a button and slot on the end of the strap, so that you don’t have to remove the strings to put it on, I had a strap like that in the past, and it was very inconvienient, and didn’t last in my collection!
This is a great choice if your uke only has the one strap button at the base of the instrument.
Levy’s Leathers 0.5″ Veg-Tan Leather Mandolin Strap
Well this is a funny one to have show up on my ukulele strap search! It says right in the title that it’s for a mandolin… but there’s no reason that it wouldn’t work for your uke.
It actually looks very similar to the strap that I already do have for my mandolin.
It’s got a good look to it, simple, classic black leather. no frills, you know that the leather will last for years, and it won’t ever risk the coloring getting dirty or fading.
this would work just fine for a uke strap if that’s the look that you wanted to go for.
It is the most expensive strap on the list, but that’s because its all leather.
My Pick
I ended up choosing the Cloudmusic Hawaiian Vintage Cotton strap, and I’m so glad that I did.
The strap came quickly from Amazon (thank you Prime) and as soon as I opened it I knew that it was exactly what I was looking for. The colors on it are vibrant, and it has the best adaptability for any uke situation.
My Luna Tattoo Tenor uke didn’t come with any strap buttons on it, but this strap came with two. I installed one on the base of the uke, and then used the included tie to go around the headstock, under the strings.
It’s perfect. I might not even need to install the 2nd strap button.
In conclusion, I give this strap 5 out of 5 stars, and highly recommend it.