Part of the Franklin brand ethos is bringing high-quality materials to the everyday musician. Bison is our latest foray into new, distinct, and intriguing leathers. These American Bison straps are incredibly robust, offering a luxurious rawhide counterbalance to our signature soft pebbled Franklin Glove Leather.
FS-AB-CH
2.5” wide Chocolate American Bison with Honey Suede Backing and Natural Stitching
Adjusts from 38” – 56”
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Chromium (hexavalent compounds), which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, and to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
Sebastian (verified owner) –
I got this strap because I wanted something special for my electric bass that’s American-sourced and American-made, as well as something both comfortable and durable. This bass has a dark-brown fretboard so the color matches nicely. Being 2.5 wide, the strap rests comfortably on the shoulder. That said, my bass is relatively light (9.5lbs) so you might want something wider if your axe is a lot heavier. On the other hand, the no-frills design and relative slimness of the strap means that it can be rolled up in a compact way or tucked away in the case while left on the guitar without problem. There are other straps that are wider with more generous padding, but those you need to take off the guitar every time you want to put it away.
It’s hard to describe but the exterior texture of that bison leather is really different from anything I experienced before. It’s super soft and flexible but at the same time has a rugged and coarse feel to it, and it smells wonderfully like fresh leather which makes playing an even richer sensory experience than it already is. The interior texture is super smooth and soft, as can be expected from high quality suede.
One thing to mention: Adjusting the length can be done in two ways: Either you take off and adjust the rear end that loops through the main part, or when there is no time for that, you can also simply use one out of the five button holes the rear end has. I prefer to have the strap adjusted such that I use the last button hole, so that nothing sticks out. For playing styles like fast jazzy walks I can then quickly shorten the strap, but we’ll see if I’ll ever really need to do so. It’s nice to have the option.
Finally, I did notice that in the package with the strap came a personalized greeting card with a thank you note signed by someone named Mickey. Mickey, if you are reading this, I have to return the thanks for mailing my order with light speed. A shout-out to you and other fine folks at Franklin who bring to us musicians this beautiful strap.
Heath Traywick (verified owner) –
I’ve been eyeing this strap for a while and finally had a little spare change and placed my order. I’ve been using one of the more economical cotton straps for my weekly church gigs. I can say as much as I love my other Franklin strap, this is an immense step up. The leather feels amazing. It’s soft but also rustic. The smell of new leather is always wonderful and this strap is no exception. As the first reviewer, Sebastian, stated already, it offers multiple holes for quick length adjustments on the end pin. I bought it directly from the Franklin Website and had a nice note from Josh who I imagine was the gentleman who packaged my order. Thanks Josh and the others working at Franklin for shipping my order so quickly. I love my new strap!