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This is why Matt Heafy uses a double guitar strap
“Most musicians have back, shoulder, leg problems, neck problems.”
Image: Mark Horton / Getty Images
Ever wondered what the deal was with Matt Heafy’s strange-looking guitar strap? Let the Trivium frontman tell you all about why he uses this approach to holding his guitar.
Speaking to PMTV UK, Heafy introduces his signature Richter dual guitar strap and the comments he often receives about it, saying [via Killer Guitar Rigs]: “People are like ‘Why the dual?’ And to that, I say ‘Why do we wear 100 percent of the weight on one shoulder?’”
Clearly not one to prioritise perceived coolness over comfort, Heafy says that he uses the strap even on guitars that aren’t as heavy as the signature 7-string Epiphone Les Paul custom he’s currently wielding.
“I use it even on a guitar that was half the weight of this,” he says. “So even on my lighter guitars at home, I use the dual strap. I love it. It’s more of, let’s say, like a 70:30 or 60:40 compensation, depending on how you have it.”
Heafy also notes that many actively performing musicians have to deal with physical issues and pains, and that the strap can help alleviate those, saying “I recommend it to anyone with… You know, most musicians have back, shoulder, leg problems, neck problems. This will help.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Heafy also talks about how his signature 7-string Epiphone Les Paul Custom came about: “I joke often that I’m the discount Kiss. I truly am, there are so many things,” he says.
“So, the first step is the Gibson MKH Les Paul Custom Origin. This is the second signature [model] with Gibson. Technically, we did the ‘SnØfall’ and the original, black and white, 6 and 7 [strings] for both.”
Heafy adds that unlike your usual LP Custom, his signature model is “slightly lighter [and] slightly more ergonomic with the new neck heel that they do.”
“We used to have the full-on access heel. But I prefer this one because it’s kind of a mix of that, plus the traditional. I like the traditional heel a lot more but I don’t like to change too much,” he says.
“I had people ask me ‘Why not 24 frets?’ I feel like if you need 24 frets, maybe this isn’t a guitar for you. I think Les Pauls look weird with 24 frets.”