The Leather

Pinegrove is not the usual kind of leather goods company.

We're craftspeople who are more interested in quality than profit. In particular, we are obsessive about leather quality. If you're looking for an upgrade in your choice of guitar strap or harmonica belt, you've definitely come to the right place. At Pinegrove, you're with like-minded friends.

Real, good, natural leather,

tanned using the old traditional European methods, goes through over 20 stages to make it tough, flexible and long-lasting. The actual tanning stage is done with vegetable extracts from oak bark and other plants, which contains the natural substance tannin. Steeping the leather this way takes months, sometimes years. In the 1840s, tanning was updated using chromium salts. This a faster and cheaper process that also makes a slightly tougher and more waterproof leather. Most leather shoes, bags and belts are made from this. We stick to the natural leather as much as possible, and only use the highest quality "chrome-tan" when we need more colour and special effects.

We like thick leather, something with real substance.

Look - you can see the edge!  Most leather goods are made from very thin leather stuck onto fabric or even cardboard to make it seem thicker.  It's then folded or bound at the edge to hide it all. We don't do that.

We respect the cow

Almost all of our leather originates from cattle.  This has been raised principally for its beef and well cared for. We don't use anything from a wild animal, or where the animal was killed just for its hide. As for ensuring quality, Pinegrove's main man Rod Boyes personally examines every single hide. We buy from specialist leather suppliers in Yorkshire, Northampton and London, who source from tanneries across Europe.

Our Leathers In Detail

Most of our straps, cases and other products are made from the following leathers. 

9oz 3.5mm thick natural vegetable-tanned leather

    • Super-thick cowhide, strong and tough
    • Tanned using traditional pre-industrial methods with natural tannins from oak bark and other vegetable matter
    • Tanned and finished by artisan tanneries in Tuscany, Italy
    • Softened with oils and waxes, which also enhances the natural grain
    • Solid, chunky feel
    • Distinctive leather aroma

This leather is used at Pinegrove for non-padded straps. We round-off (bevel) and polish the edges for both quality looks and comfort.  The colours available are very limited, and the leather darkens with age.

    
Examples:

5oz 2mm thick natural vegetable-tanned leather

    • Soft and flexible, but still thicker than most leathers used for straps and bags
    • Tanned using traditional pre-industrial methods with natural tannins from oak bark and other vegetable matter
    • Tanned and finished by artisan tanneries in Tuscany, Italy
    • Soft, buttery feel
    • Natural grain
    • Distinctive leather aroma

We use this leather for padded guitar straps and most of our harmonica cases and holders. It has a very luxurious look and feel. The colours available are limited.

Examples: 

5oz 2mm thick smooth leather

    • Soft and flexible. Thicker than most leathers used for straps and bags
    • Cowhide, tanned in Germany using chemical salts
    • Aniline leather with a natural sheen (See below)
    • Fine quality appearance and feel

This leather is available in a wide range of colours. We use it for padded guitar straps to give us a wider colour range and a smooth finish.

"Aniline" means that the leather has been finished with waxes and oils to give a fine natural sheen, rather than sprayed with a synthetic waterproof sealant. If you dampen it, the water will sink in and darken the leather temporarily.  This is a mark of high quality, and is rarely found in leather goods stores. 

Examples:

Full-Grain & Split Leather

All of the above leathers are "full-grain", meaning that it is the top layer of the hide. Cowhide is very thick and is "split" into layers after tanning. The top layer is the strongest and has the finest grain. Lower layers are made into suede, nubuck or lesser quality leather, such as is used to make satchels or upholstery leather. The latter is sometimes given an artificial leather grain in a huge press, then sprayed with paints and sealants to give it colour and shine. Leftover scraps are ground into dust and reconstituted with synthetic resins to make a kind of chipboard leather. This is given the misleading name of "genuine leather".  You might see this term on cheap belts. We don't use this!

Special Effects

We do use some other leathers for particular purposes. Our Straight-8 Harmonica Case uses a slightly thinner, more flexible leather so that it rolls up into a compact case. We never use exotic leathers, but we like a crocodile-skin effect, so we have to buy cowhide that has had this effect artificially applied. We also sometimes find leathers that have some other unique special effect such as an aged finish. If it looks cool and feels good, we'll try it - why not?  These are usually limited edition runs, so keep checking back on the web site.

Guitar straps featuring mock-croc cowhide