Problem with my strap

[Slicebread]

Hello there...I bought my first bass a day ago (Squier Jbass starter pack) and the strap that came with the bass is very loose,the bass almost fell off shoulders,any advice on what i can do about this?

[davidjackson]

There should be a sliding 'buckle' on the strap that you can adjust to shorten it. If you find that you are lifting the bass as you play causing the strap to slip off your shoulders it is too long. The strap should be taking the full weight of the bass.

Good luck with the new toy!

[Slicebread]

Thanks for the advice!I think i phrased my question incorrectly,its the ends (the part you attach to the bass) that are loose

[SoVeryTired]

I think I understand what you mean: the end of the strap is coming off the strap buttons because the holes are too big or the material is too soft?

If I've got that right what you need is a way of locking the strap onto the bass - it's an issue everyone has their own preferred option to deal with. You can buy straplocks (Schaller and Dunlop are well-known examples). These usually involve unscrewing the strap buttons and screwing in new buttons, and putting a special fitting in the holes on your strap that clips and locks onto the strap buttons. Some companies (I'm pretty sure Planet Waves, for example) make straps that have special ends that clip and lock onto your existing strap buttons.

Or the cheapest, and one of the most effective options, is to put a rubber washer (like you get on a Grolsch beer bottle top) over the strap when it's on the button. That's going nowhere easily. I do that with my electric guitar. With my basses I use Schaller straplocks, mainly because I can easily unclip the strap and swap it between basses.

[Pilgrim]

SoVeryTired did a nice job there.

If your strap has ends that loose, I suggest you upgrade to a strap with stiff leather ends that won't come off easily. You probably will also benefit from one with suede on the underside to keep it from slipping.

Many people say rubber washers work - most music stores also sell Dunlop strap keepers like these, which can be used on either end of the strap. They will get you by until you get a better strap:

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

SoVeryTired did a nice job there.

If your strap has ends that loose, I suggest you upgrade to a strap with stiff leather ends that won't come off easily. You probably will also benefit from one with suede on the underside to keep it from slipping.

Many people say rubber washers work - most music stores also sell Dunlop strap keepers like these, which can be used on either end of the strap. They will get you by until you get a better strap:

Yep, forgot about those. They fulfil a similar purpose to the rubber washers in making it near impossible to pull the strap off over them. I like the rubber washer approach because it's cheaper and means I get two free beers.

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

Yep, forgot about those. They fulfil a similar purpose to the rubber washers in making it near impossible to pull the strap off over them. I like the rubber washer approach because it's cheaper and means I get two free beers.

I salute you, sir.

Great minds are capable of grasping more than one outcome at a time.

[Slicebread]

Thanks for the advice guys!I'll get a strap lock as soon as I can!

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by Slicebread

Thanks for the advice guys!I'll get a strap lock as soon as I can!

Don't forget to replace that strap too. If it's that flimsy you don't want to trust a bass to it.