A strap to hang your Uke round your neck is definitely not a necessity, but if you ever play standing up, then playing with a ukulele strap is a real benefit.
However, if you are short of funds the good news is that you don’t need to buy one. There are a gazillion videos online showing you how to make straps from paracord, old ties, wool and whatever else you can think of. Since ukes are not heavy the strap doesn’t have to be particularly strong or rugged.
New Uke, New Strap
I recently bought a new Uke and wanted a strap for it. However I was pretty short of funds and didn’t fancy forking out a lump of cash for a purpose built strap. I could have gone for one of those cheap woven black plastic ones, but if they sit on bare skin for any length of time they tend to saw into your neck or shoulder quite a bit. Our last gig was two hours so I didn’t fancy that option one bit.
Recycle an old belt
My new uke has a strap button at the base. On a hunch, I bought a cheap leather belt at a local charity shop hoping I could somehow turn it into a strap. It turned out far easier than I imagined.
I removed the buckle by cutting the threads of the leather that had been folded over to hold it, and was delighted to find the remaining leather end now fitted perfectly over the strap button. No extra work was needed to attach the belt to the bottom of my Ukulele.
At the other end, a piece of shoelace threaded through the first belt hole and tied to the headstock was the only other thing I needed to have a very nice ukulele strap for next to no outlay.
If you are going to do the same thing, look for proper ‘rawhide’ belts. If you cut up a thin belt you may find it is made of a cardboard core with layers of leather glued to the outside. A proper 100% leather belt is much nicer. You can reshape it with a sharp knife and some sandpaper to get a really good looking strap.
Also, when buying your belt, do make sure the end that holds the buckle has been sewn shut rather than glued or rivetted. I wouldn’t fancy my chances getting one of those apart in a useable state.
As I said at the beginning, there are a million ways to make a ukulele strap and this is just the one that worked for me.