Dont Buy Warwick straplocks

[basspunk2005]

As the title says, I bought these and I have had major problems with them. The screws that came with them were awful. They became useless after half of the scew being put in the hole. I had to use pliers to get them out resulting in my bass now having scratches on it. There was deffinately no way these would have come off without using the pliers. Now I have to find the screws that will fit EXACTLY and will have to be the right length.

Thanks for listening to my rant

Lesson learned: I wont ever by Warwick straplocks again

[mothmonsterman]

did you drill pilot holes? tsk tsk

[bassmonkeee]

Originally Posted by mothmonsterman

did you drill pilot holes? tsk tsk

A big ol' +1. Sounds to me like someone didn't know what the heck they were doing...

The lesson learned was the wrong one. How sad...

[scottbass]

+ another one. Kinda like saying "Don't buy Goodyear" because their 17" tires didn't fit on your 16" rims.

[basspunk2005]

ill think ull find that I have installed straplocks before and NEVER have had to drill pilot holes. I think ull find I do know what i am doing. This is what pisses me off most about this board, u say something to warn others and you get slated for it. Why does the majority of ppl here have to be up their own arses all the time?

[bassmonkeee]

Originally Posted by basspunk2005

ill think ull find that I have installed straplocks before and NEVER have had to drill pilot holes. I think ull find I do know what i am doing. This is what pisses me off most about this board, u say something to warn others and you get slated for it. Why does the majority of ppl here have to be up their own arses all the time?

Yes, because all screws are the same. Because you've never had to do it before means that you'll never have to do it. Even if the screw is significantly bigger than the hole you're trying to screw it into. That's why things like screws being messed up before they are even halfway in the hole never happen. And, if it does--It's the screw's fault. Because if you have to use PLIERS to get the screw out, you must have been doing everything right, right?

The thing I hate about this place is when people who make mistakes immediately blame something that's not at fault and then get pissy when people point it out. But, I guess it takes all kinds, right?

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by basspunk2005

ill think ull find that I have installed straplocks before and NEVER have had to drill pilot holes. I think ull find I do know what i am doing. This is what pisses me off most about this board, u say something to warn others and you get slated for it. Why does the majority of ppl here have to be up their own arses all the time?

What's really annoying is when people come on here, give minimal details, disparage a certain product, and then get annoyed when they aren't heralded as a hero.

Give us some details, sport. How did the screws "become useless?" How far did they get in the wood before they became useless? Why were pliers the only method you could use to get the screws out, and why didn't you take steps to protect the finish BEFORE beginning this process? Give some REAL details and you might get some sympathy.

[basspunk2005]

If i needed to drill holes im sure the instructions would say. Again did the straplocks i have installed before **** up?no they didnt did i drill holes before no i didnt. So yes it is the screws fault, its not mine as I have screwed in many screws and these are some of the very few that have turned out like this. O yea were the screws that ****ed up like this last time cheap?yes they were

There was a 2mm gap between the straplock and body meaning I cudnt fit anything under there. The screw became useless because I cudnt loosen or tighten it. The screws got roughly half way into the body before I couldnt turn it because where the screwdriver goes into the screw it had been mashed into just a hole

[bassmonkeee]

So, if this bass had never had any kind of strap retaining system of any kind and had no holes, you wouldn't have drilled pilot holes because it wasn't in the instructions? And, you still contend that you have no fault in this whatsoever?

Gotcha.



Let's see--

A) Screw has such structural instability as to have catastrophic failure after one go with a screwdriver, or

B) Guy who didn't know what he was doing used too much torque and ruined the screw because it wouldn't turn since the hole was too small and/or not deep enough.


Guess which one I'm going with?

[basspunk2005]

exactly what i was talking about when i said ppl are too far up their own arse. Mate your taking the piss outta me and I dont like that, there were holes in the first place so i didnt need to drill them did i wanker. If there wernt holes then yes I would ****king drill holes Im not stupid.

Waits for the petty reply : 'Well you are stupid because you cant screw a screw'

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by basspunk2005

If i needed to drill holes im sure the instructions would say. Again did the straplocks i have installed before **** up?no they didnt did i drill holes before no i didnt. So yes it is the screws fault, its not mine as I have screwed in many screws and these are some of the very few that have turned out like this. O yea were the screws that ****ed up like this last time cheap?yes they were

There was a 2mm gap between the straplock and body meaning I cudnt fit anything under there. The screw became useless because I cudnt loosen or tighten it. The screws got roughly half way into the body before I couldnt turn it because where the screwdriver goes into the screw it had been mashed into just a hole

You stripped the screwhead. That happens when you exert too much pressure on the screwhead or use the wrong sized screwdriver for the job. Were you using an electric screwdriver or a good old-fashioned manual one?

I can promise you that you could have avoided this issue. Screwheads don't just strip out, it usually takes quite a few turns. If you were paying attention, then you should have noticed the screwhead stripping and you could have stopped and taken a different approach. In the case where you have an existing hole, the easiest thing to do is to lubricate the screw threads with soap, which will make it turn easily. You also have to insure that the screwdriver tip fits the screwhead exactly to minimize slippage.

If you strip a screw, there are these little things called extractors which can be used to remove them without resorting to pliers. They can be purchased at a hardware store for a few dollars.

[basspunk2005]

thanks guy that is a good answer, something I was hoping for and not all this flaming. I was using a hand held screwdriver, it fitted perfectly fine and it wasnt slipping, then I looked and it was slightly stripped, I used less pressure and it then seemed to strip it more.

thanks for the good reply guy

[guy n. cognito]

I would also point out that just having a hole doesn't necessarily mean that you're good to go. Some screws need bigger pilot holes and sometimes you have to expand the existing hole with a bigger drill bit. Bass body wood can be very hard, making a proper sized screw hole important.

I've lost all sympathy for you. You screwed up (pun intended) and you are trying to blame the product. If you had ACTUALLY known what you were doing, this could have been easily avoided at the first sign of slipping.

I suggest that all of you future bass repairs be performed by a qualified luthier.

[avast_bass]

oh dear god whats going on here. I HATE IT WHENS SCREWS STAB ME IN THE BACK LIKE THIS!!!! THEY ALWAYS LET ME DOWN!!!

It's a pretty widely known point now that you should have drilled pilot holes. As for stripping the head, i've never stripped the head of a screw when attempting to screw it into a bass. Perhaps because I used a proper screwdriver and kept pressure on the contact. And drilled a pilot hole because it was OBVIOUS that the screw was bigger (coincidentally, this bigger screw has meant my straplock never comes loose anymore).

[basspunk2005]

well as the screws were EXACTLY the same length and width as my older ones then I wouldnt need to drill any sort of hole would I?so it should have been good to go.

[basspunk2005]

I think i might as well just ****king leave this ****hole im getting flamed by everyone who ****king posts?and what for because i had problems sorting something out,

thanks for nothing

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by basspunk2005

well as the screws were EXACTLY the same length and width as my older ones then I wouldnt need to drill any sort of hole would I?so it should have been good to go.

Obviously not. When the screwed started slipping, you should have STOPPED and lubricated the threads. At the very least, you should have stopped and asked someone who could have helped you. You could have avoided this if you had asked BEFORE you stripped the screw and damaged the bass.

Next time:
-tape off the area around the straplock with painter's tape to avoid scratching the finish.
-Lightly lube the threads with bath soap
-Screw very slowly. If the head starts to strip, stop immediately.

Are these brass straplocks?

[basspunk2005]

they are crome ones

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by basspunk2005

they are crome ones

Chrome is a finish. The metal underneath was probably brass or another soft metal. MUCH softer than the hardened tip of your screwdriver.

Follow my tips next time and you shouldn't have problems.