Accordion Straps

Shoulder Straps

Leather end straps and spine, with velour/velvet or imitation leather padding, made in Italy. Top quality. Sold only in pairs. Back straps, when present, are permanently attached. Shown: alligator finish straps with attached backstrap. Also available in plain and velvet.

IMPORTANT Make sure your shoulder straps are the correct size, in good condition and properly adjusted. If they are slipping off your shoulders you will have shoulder pain from unconsciously shrugging them back into place.

Sizes (widths are approximate)
• Small -- for 12-bass accordions and button boxes, no padding, 1 inch wide
• Medium -- for smaller accordions, light padding, 1.5 inches wide
• Full -- for any size accordion, comfortable padding, 2 inches wide
• Super Deluxe -- for any size accordion, heavy padding, 2.5 inches wide
• Elephant 3-inch -- for larger accordion, extra heavy padding, 3 inches wide
• Elephant #4 (3.5 inches) -- for larger accordion, extra heavy padding, 3.5 inches wide

Here are rough guidelines for sizing straps:

Accordion size	12 - 60 bass	60 - 120 ladies	120 full size
Accordion weight	10 - 15 pounds	15 - 18 pounds	18 pounds and up
Your height	up to 5 feet 7 inches	5 feet 6 inches - 5 ft 10 inches	over 5 feet 6 inches
Your weight	up to 160 pounds	up to 180 pounds	over 180 pounds
Recommended	medium or full	super deluxe	elephant 3 or 3.5 inches

About the straps we sell here Alligator finish is a special textured reptile skin simulation on black leather, which has the look associated with alligator purses or luggage, except it is figured leather. It is only available on the larger size straps, from full size up. The process of producing this finish is more costly than plain leather, so these straps are slightly more expensive - usually $8.00 more than the plain, velour, or alpine straps. The alligator straps are only available in black, and have a very nice, elegant look especially appealing to professional players. Their padding is velvet. (We are using the terms velvet and velour interchangeably). All of our shoulder straps are sold in pairs, one for each shoulder, and each strap in the pair has in 2 sections: the lower half is the leather part that has the large adjusting buckle to fit the player, and the upper half has the padding that goes over the player's shoulder. At the top of the upper section and the bottom of the lower section, there are plain leather ends with smaller adjusting buckles that attach to the strap hardware on the instrument. These ends are approximately 11/16" wide, about 1/8" thick, and rather stiff when new. They will wear soft and thinner with age but when first installed, they may not fit the old strap brackets on your accordion. Please check the size of your brackets before ordering. The crescent shaped strap brackets we sell will fit all of our strap ends. In between the plain leather parts of the upper section of the strap (bolted in place on Alpine straps), is the padding, which is widest at the point where it goes over the player's shoulders. The padding is fixed in place and does not slide up and down the strap while you are playing. On the non-Alpine straps, the leather center runs the length of the upper section, and the padding is stitched onto the underside of the leather. This padding can be covered with either plain imitation leather, or velour fabric. We find the velour tends to minimize slippage on sweaters and most shirt fabrics, as it has a corduroy nap to it. However, the plain imitation leather padding, with its conservative look, remains our most popular strap style. Alpine ribbon straps come only in two sizes: Super Deluxe and 3-inch Elephant. They do not come with an attached backstrap. In the center of the velour padding, running the length of the padding, on the outside so that it is visible when you are wearing the straps, there is a decorative ribbon sewn on. A narrow red zigzag cut felt border runs the length of the ribbon on either side, and the center of the ribbon is embroidered with white Edelweiss flowers and smaller red and blue flowers with yellow centers and green leaves on a black background - a typical Alpine decorative design. The straps are very festive. These straps are almost always available with black velour padding, and sometimes with other colors such as red or green. All sizes from Super Deluxe and up come with an attached back strap, with the exception of the Alpine straps. Back straps are permanently attached to the shoulder straps - they cannot be removed without cutting the leather or removing the bolts, and they do not slide up and down to different positions, although the length of the back strap is adjustable. If you need a back strap with adjustable positioning, it would be best for you to purchase a full size strap or an Alpine strap and get your back strap separately. Click on the image to see the latch mechanism full size.

---

Strap Extenders

Shoulder straps too short? Strap extensions replace the lower section of your current 2-part straps. Unbuckle the lower (unpadded) section of your strap, and detach it from the accordion. Attach the buckle of the extender to the padded section of your strap, and the adjustable strap end to the accordion strap hardware. Not designed for use with one-piece straps.

Deluxe Strap Extenders
Leather strap extenders, sold individually, not in pairs. Black only. Available in regular (15 inches) or extra long (20 inches). Length is adjustable. Add $2.00 for extra long. Limited availability, expect delays.

---

Other Straps

Back Strap | Bass Strap | Bellows Strap

A back strap connects the two shoulder straps behind your back, anywhere from the middle of your back as far as your waist. Its purpose is multifold:

1. It helps distribute and balance the weight
2. It supports your back
3. It keeps the accordion stable
4. It helps to keep the straps in place

On large and/or heavy accordions it is an indispensable part of your accordion equipment. Some shoulder straps already have an attached back strap, but for those that don't, back straps are also available separately. We carry several different models. Click on any image to see full size.

Deluxe Handmade Leather Back Strap

Made in U.S.A., and the best back strap design we've seen yet!

$30.00 regular length extra long

---

Bass Straps | Hohner Button Accordion Bass Straps

If you have an older accordion, before ordering, see problems fitting straps to vintage accordions.

Leather unless otherwise noted, wrist padding of various materials. Padding is usually covered with either plain vinyl or either a velvety or satin material. Heavy duty, reinforced stitching, made in Italy. Straps can be wider at the wrist, but are tapered narrower at the ends, which are approximately 2 inches wide (except for the 12 bass straps, which are approximately 1-1/2 inches wide at the ends). This is so they can fit through the slots provided for that purpose at the top and bottom of the accordion. We measure by length of the strap only, not including extending portions of attached hardware. Please keep this in mind and use the same measurement when ordering a replacement strap.

Colors:
-- black (all sizes)
-- red (special order only, not in all sizes)
-- white (special order only, not in all sizes)

About Bass Strap Hardware / Purchase Bass Strap Hardware
Straps come in various styles, depending on manufacturer. Not all styles available at all times. We also carry other straps not listed here. Available with:

Plain at both ends - special order.

With threaded hardware at top end to fit a standard adjusting wheel mechanism on accordion. Bottom end (the internal attachment) is plain, hardware included at no charge. This is the best way to buy a strap, as you can size it to fit your accordion exactly.

With hardware at both ends - most of our straps come this way.

Optional hardware for lower part of strap, no charge with purchase of plain end bass strap, $1.00 if purchased separately. Order here.

Bass Straps Catalogue
Small #316 strap for 12 bass, black only, hardware included. Approximately 15 inches x 2 inches, strap narrows to 1.5 inches where ends go into accordion.

$26.00

Small padded #311, approximately 17 inches long by 2-1/4 inches wide. Strap is 1-6/8 inches wide where it enters accordion body. Fits short keyboard accordions from 12 bass to small 72 bass, and some midget model 120 bass. Hardware attached.

$39.50

Medium padded strap #311M, approximately 17 inches long, 2 inches wide. Hardware attached.

$39.50

Ladies padded strap #311L, approximately 19.25 inches long, 2 inches wide. Hardware attached.

$39.50

Ladies padded #300L, approximately 19.25 inches x 2.5 inches. Fits most ladies size piano accordions. Hardware attached.

$42.00

Ladies padded #313L, approximately 19.25 inches long, 2-3/4 inches wide, deluxe. Fits most ladies size piano accordions. Hardware included.

$44.50

Large padded #313F - full size accordion. 20.75 inches x 2.5 inches, deluxe. Hardware included.

$44.50

Large padded #300F - full size accordion, approximately 21 inches x 2.5 inches. Hardware included.

$42.00

Large padded #311F - full size accordion, approximately 21 inches x 2.5 inches. Hardware included.

$39.50

Large padded #307F - full size accordion, approximately 20.75 inches x 3 inches, strap narrows to 2 inches at ends, deluxe webbed cordura nylon with satin padding, leather spine and ends. Hardware included. Available in full size only.

$38.50

Large deluxe #308 -- deluxe extra-wide padded leather, full size, black only, approximately 20.75 inches long, 3 inches wide. Hardware included. Lower end hardware must be installed by customer.

$45.00

Hohner Button Accordion Bass Straps

Deluxe padded bass strap for 3 row button accordion, fits Corona and similar sized accordions -- Made in Italy, black leather, 2 inches wide, length adjustable with velcro. Also available in brown by special order.

$30.00

---

Problems Fitting Straps to Vintage Accordions
Modern accordions use a wheel mechanism to adjust the strap length. This is not always the case on vintage accordions, especially pre-WWII models. Here are some of the problems you may encounter with your accordion:

• slot too narrow or too thin to fit modern straps
• alternate means of adjusting strap length, often requiring a specific strap design
• no adjusting method at all
• existing thread on strap adjusting wheel may not match modern bass strap screws
  • if your new strap screw does not match the old thread, do not force it - this will only damage both parts.
  • modern replacement bass strap adjusting mechanisms are available on repair parts page. These will fit any of the bass straps we sell.

Back to the Bass Straps

---