If you own, or have ever even taken a look at an acoustic guitar, most of them only have a single knob or button on the bottom where you can attach a strap. Have you ever wondered why? I have.

While I've browsed Google, Yahoo, Bing and Wikipedia, I can not find an answer about why. I've checked out the websites of Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Fender and a lot more manufacturers and they definitely do not discuss it. I can not even find anybody on a guitar online forum who has speculated about why.

I'm not the only one who questioned that and fortunately, somebody named Lucas Man provided this explanation on YahooAnswers.

"Most acoustics only have a single strap button on the butt of the guitar. The reason they don't have one near the heel of the neck is because if you hook a strap onto an acoustic guitar that way, the guitar will suffer from "neck dive". That's when the guitar isn't balanced properly on the strap and the neck falls down instead of staying at a nice comfortable angle. This happens because the body of the guitar is so light and can't counter the weight of the neck."

Many people suggest the answer to the issue is to install a 2nd strap button. I'm not about to drill on my guitar but I understand if I take it to Sam Ash or Guitar Center they'll be happy to do it for me. To that, Lucas Man advises,

"…remember, there's probably a good reason they didn't put one (strap knob) on in the first place."

Alternatives to the Shoe String.

If you accept that reasoning, then what's your option for attaching a guitar strap to an acoustic guitar?

For years, people have actually connected a shoe lace to the top of the acoustic guitar to attach the strap to the guitar. In fact, it's so common that many guitar straps are sold with a shoe lace already attached to the strap. But, a shoe lace is not only an unattractive option but is likewise subject to being torn, frayed and broken throughout its use. Worse yet, lots of guitar players say it causes stress on the neck.

Now there's a new product available which solves this particular problem by providing good balance to prevent neck dive and covering more mass than a shoe lace, thereby removing the neck stress issue.

The Leather Acoustic Guitar Strap Holder.

The leather guitar strap holder offered by MAC Music Accessories secures firmly around the neck of the guitar over the frets and under the strings so that there is no interference when playing.

Furthermore, the strap holder is simple to button on and off so you can leave it affixed to the guitar or the strap; whichever you prefer.

The Advantages of Using a Leather Guitar Strap.

There are definitely a variety of benefits to having your acoustic guitar protected by a leather strap holder instead of a shoe lace. Certainly, a proper strap holder looks professional and offers a more pleasing look than a shoe lace that looks homemade and amateurish.

Leather is not only flexible; it is extremely strong also. It needs only minimal maintenance which means that under normal conditions the strap holder will last for years and only get more beautiful gradually.

For those who own an acoustic guitar, it's definitely worth thinking about making the small investment in a leather acoustic guitar strap holder in place of using a shoe lace or having another button attached to your guitar.