Duane Allman’s Mountain Guitar Strap
Duane used this strap while playing the Cherry sunburst Les Paul (acquired in September 1970) and its successor the tobacco-burst Les Paul (acquired in June 1971).
There are two version of the story of how this strap came to be. The one is that the strap was custom-made by Zebo (of Zebo’s Leathers of Sarasota, FL, and the same person who made Duane’s Ring Strap) and that the design was done by Kim Hoover.
However, based on the information from The Allman Brothers Band Classic Memorabilia, 1969-1976 (p. 165.), the strap was a gift to Duane from his girlfriend, Dixie Meadows. According to that story, the mountain strap was made by Phil Thomas at Jim Cole’s Leather shop in Atlanta, Georgia (thanks Bob Flowers, Ingemar).
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Greg Martin deserves to wear the original………..!
As the photographic record shows, Duane Allman used this guitar strap from mid-January 1971 until his death in October 1971, first on the cherry sunburst Les Paul ( serial #9 1988 ), which he had acquired in mid-September 1970 and subsequently on the tobacco sunburst Les Paul ( serial number unknown ), which he had acquired in late June 1971 and which became the cherry sunburst Les Paul’s successor.
Zebo and John Meeks didn’t make Duane’s original Mountain Strap. Dixie Meadows had it made by a Leather Master in Atlanta, GA. Now the one that Gregg is wearing in the picture above was made by Zebo & his then partner Kim Hoover and I know this as a fact because I own one in that same first series which is #5 of 250.
You are right !
Source : Willie Perkins and Jack Weston, Classic Memorabilia 1969 – 1976, p. 165.