This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he shares his honest review of the COMFORT Strapp bass strap, including why its memory-foam padding makes such a noticeable difference for long playing sessions.
Contents
The COMFORT Strapp
The padding is reportedly made from the same memory-foam material used in wetsuits. It molds nicely to the shape of your shoulder.
It genuinely feels great.
The plain black color works with any genre or style. You can adjust the length to some extent, though the one I own doesn’t extend especially long.
There are two adjustment holes on both the front and back ends of the strap.
My Impressions After Using It
The clerk at the shop in Shinjuku where I bought it told me:
“I use this on my five-string too. It really takes the weight off your shoulder. A lot of people who try it can’t go back to anything else.”
It almost feels like the body of the bass is floating on its own.
That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the strain on your shoulder really is minimal. You can feel the lightness right away — this one turned out to be a great find.
My Strap Setup
I keep my strap fairly short. The shortest distance from my shoulder to the body is probably around 20 cm (about 8 inches).
I aim for a form where the strap length feels the same whether I’m sitting or standing.
Back in my rock days I wore it much lower, but with walking bass — where your hand is constantly jumping between positions — I found that a strap that’s too long puts unnecessary strain on your fretting hand, so I shortened it.
There are plenty of good-quality straps out there, but I was specifically looking for one that was both well-made and could be shortened, so this one was a great fit.
As for the end pin, I’m using a locking pin, but only on the front side.
If you’d like to pick one up, you can find it here:
COMFORT STRAPP BASS STRAPP SHORT
https://amzn.asia/d/3tei8su
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
Getting your gear setup right — including something as simple as strap length — can make a real difference in how relaxed and accurate your playing feels, but it’s often hard to know what’s actually holding you back without another set of eyes on your technique.
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.