Gruv Gear DuoStrap Neo Ergonomic Double Strap for Bass or Guitar, Black Neoprene

I bought this for use with my bass guitars. I am currently on the road to recovery from a back issue that was keeping me from playing. I've tried a wide leather strap, a neoprene strap, and one of those straps that just goes around your waist. Unfortunately, I had issues with each one. I finally decided to suck it up and buy the Gruv Gear strap. I also bought the tension strap (direct from Gruv Gear) and I think that the tension strap is necessary, even if the upper horn is big enough on your guitar. The tension strap allows for so much more customization on where your straps fall.After many adjustments, I find that the Gruv Gear strap distributes the weight between my shoulders well. This means I'm no longer pushing down with my right arm to keep the neck up and not getting fatigued in my left shoulder with all of the weight on it. That pushing and twisting caused a lot of overcompensation of my back muscles which really made me sore. I don't have to do all of that extra compensation with the Gruv Gear!If you are torn between getting the Neo and the full leather strap, get the Neo. As you know, there's a significant price difference between the two. I was hesitant to buy the Neo because I didn't like my full neoprene strap. I found the full neoprene strap too bouncy and because of that stretch, it still put too much pressure on my shoulder. The Gruv Gear Neo does not have any bounce and the neoprene on it is thick and acts as padding and it's super comfy. There isn't any extra stretch to it, which is a good thing.I'm a lady and I am able to comfortably wear this strap. I ended up with one strap going between my breasts. Meh. I'm comfortable and that's all that matters to me. I am not a professional/gigging musician. I'm a novice that likes to play in the comfort of my own home. If I were gigging and I felt self conscious about the strap, I'd wear a black shirt to make it less obvious.FYI: Along with the tension strap, Gruv Gear also sells an "extra long tail strap". The Gruv Gear Neo by itself tends to hold your guitar at waist level or higher. So if you are bigger or like to sling your guitar a little lower, the extended tail strap will help you get the adjustment that you need.As a side note, I did see some reviewers state that their strap had a strong smell to it. Mine too had a strong "just manufactured" smell. I hung mine over my dining room chair for 24 hours and it was less smelly. I gave my strap 2 days and then I put in on my guitar. After a week, the smell was completely gone. The man-made materials are going to off gas and you need to give it some time to do so. I was anxious to use my new strap, but giving it 24 - 48 hours to air out is good.

A bit cumbersome but does serve the purpose. Can even help with neck dive from guitars/bass with heavy neck. Really does relieve the weight on the shoulders from heavy guitars/bass.

The Duostrap Neo sent was clearly “used”, and was not represented as such. The screw is dinged up, and the leather around the screw hole has been carved out. I should have paid more attention to your lower customer ratings as a sign.

First, let's get the cons out of the way. This is not a strap that you put it on, adjust the length and off you go. It takes a while to adjust; not just the strap, but you. However, it is well worth the time. Second, it is a relatively short strap. Normally I have trouble finding a strap that will adjust short enough - I have the DuoStrap let out most of the way. If you play mid- to low-slung bass, you'll either need the extension or need to learn to play in proper position. That's it for the "bad" stuff.So, starting with looks, this is a very good looking strap. I really wanted the leather version, but wasn't ready to spring that kind of money for an experiment. I was pleasantly surprised at how well made the Neo is, and how good it looks.I had a question about how difficult this strap is to use. Answer, it's as hard to use as a regular strap. Pick up the bass, put it on, done.Next, the purpose of the strap, which is to distribute the weight. It certainly does that well once it is adjusted properly. Initial adjustment is a little awkward, because it is a completely different geometry. A regular strap moves around your body diagonally - if you raise the head, it moves closer to your body. Lower the head, it moves away. You can sling your instrument all the way around to your back if you want. When you use the DuoStrap the bass moves like a propeller - perpendicular to your body (your rock-star bass slinging days are over!).So, it just feels odd at first, which in my case meant I adjusted it to feel as "right" as I could, which wasn't really the best location. After playing for a while, I started adjusting things a little at a time, and now it is very comfortable. Those three or four tweaks took a couple of weeks, and the strap has really moved a lot from my initial adjustment.Here's the best part: yes, you can still move the bass around. However, wherever you put it, it will stay there. Which means you can take both hands off the instrument, move around and the bass will be right where you left it. Great for making notes, turning pages or picking up the tuner you just dropped. You can actually put the bass on and carry other stuff (like your stand and music). You don't need to hold on to the instrument. It's like putting on a jacket - you just don't need to worry about it any more. I've also found that solidity means I'm able to relax my left hand grip. I didn't notice that until I used my "normal" strap and the bass slipped out of my hand.All in all, well worth the time and effort.

This is difficult to use. And if you plan on changing instruments and using the same strap, it will be a gigantic hassle. The price is definitely not worth it but if I had one for each instrument and never had to change it, it would be a decent product. Not great but decent.