Bobby Lee Vintage Leather Guitar Strap 1950s/1960s Fender Style

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

A genuine vintage Bobby Lee leather guitar strap from the 1950s or early 1960s — the real thing, not a reproduction. Bobby Lee straps are the original American guitar strap, made in the USA during the golden era of electric guitar, and the leather versions in particular have become sought-after pieces of period case candy. This is the same basic 44" design that shipped with early Stratocasters and Telecasters and ended up around the necks of the players who defined rock and roll, country, and Western swing. These leather Bobby Lee straps haven't been made for decades. Good ones don't stay available for long.

The Details

• Manufacturer: Bobby Lee / Sottile Manufacturing, USA
• Era: 1950s–early 1960s
• Length: 44" — [confirm adjustable range if applicable]
• Material: Genuine leather — thick, heavy American hide, not the thinner import-grade leather of later straps
• Style: Fender-style — the slender profile associated with early Stratocasters and Telecasters
• Hardware: Period-correct adjustable buckle, USA made
• Strap ends: [Note whether ends are slotted, looped, or button-style — buyers will ask]
• Markings: [Note any Bobby Lee branding, "No-Mishap" stamp, or patent markings present]

Condition

The strap is in very good condition. The leather is a bit dry, as is to be expected.  The strap button holes show use.  The shoulder pad liner is nicely intact with just a small moth-eaten area,, where some are pretty much toast.

A Bit of History

Bobby Lee is widely credited with inventing the modern adjustable guitar strap. In the late 1940s and into the 1950s, as electric guitars were becoming standard equipment for working musicians across country, Western swing, and the early rock and roll explosion, there was no established standard for how a guitarist should carry an instrument. Bobby Lee's patented adjustable leather strap design — built from heavy American hide with a reliable buckle adjustment system — solved that problem cleanly, and it quickly became the strap of choice among professional players. By the mid-1950s, a Bobby Lee strap was considered essentially standard issue for any serious guitarist. Les Paul, Chet Atkins, and Duane Eddy were among the players associated with Bobby Lee straps during this era, and Fender was shipping similar-style straps as accessories with their early Stratocasters and Telecasters. The design was so successful that a company called ACE — operating under Sottile Manufacturing — moved in, mass-produced a near-identical product at lower cost, and undercut Bobby Lee's business with volume pricing and broader distribution. It's one of the more bittersweet chapters in American guitar accessory history. 

A genuine piece of American guitar history — the strap that the pros wore when rock and roll was being invented. Ships securely packed with full insurance.

Shipping policy:

Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions.  If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com.  Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.