Damn strap keeps falling off!

[llacnayr]

Before you say anything, YES, I do have strap locks now!

During one of my concerts, I was moving around a lot, and BAM my strap slipped off the top notch and my bass nearly fell to the floor.
For the rest of the song, I stuck my foot up on the monitor and played on my knee. After that song, I asked the audience to throw random junk on stage and I would pull a McGiver to save my strap.
I ended up using a combination of two hair ties gum to keep my damn strap from falling off.

I KNOW there's somebody out there who has a better story. Lets hear em!

[therex]

did it break? how do straps came out of straplocks

[llacnayr]

I have strap locks now, I didn't while this inccident was taking place.

And no, it didn't break because both hands were on it before it could fall.

[thetawaves]

haha, had that WITH straplocks...they consisted of two pieces of plastic and one managed to twist itself apart halfway through a song. Very cool open chord sound as it went out of tune but thankfully it dropped onto some thick carpet and there wasn't even a dent!

[peabody]

It's not a strap story, but here goes...

Back in the late 70's and early 80's I used to play out a lot more. After a gig, during one of our load outs, someone must have put my Lab Series L-2 bass head on the trailer tongue, I assume with the intention of putting it in the trailer....it never got loaded.

We had about a 20 mile drive home. As we pulled into town I could hear this funny noise coming from the trailer. When I pulled over, to my horror, I found I was dragging my head behind the trailer. It must have fallen off the tongue and luckily (I guess) the cord wrapped around the axle, so it was dragging behind the trailer.

I'm not sure how far it was dragged, but the head was completely trashed and it looked like someone to a power sander to it. It was one of those moments where everyone else thought it was the funniest thing (my bandmates were laughing their heads off) and I just stood there in shock.

To this day when we reminisce and bring up the "amp incident" my friends will laugh til they cry and I just look at them. Even though enough time has passed where I should be able to look back and laugh, I still don't think it was very funny.

[mophead]

While I can sympathize with your horror at seeing the head all scraped up, it is a pretty damn funny story. Can see why your band mates get a laugh about that one and for better or worse it will hang around your neck for eternity.



I just have to ask, did it still work after the dragging?

[chjohnst]

My warwick came with straplocks, never failed me yet but I do check them everytime I play to make sure they are on tight. I used a pair of pliers to make sure they are as tight as possible.

I am more worried about the leather ripping from me jumping up and down so much :-)

[kraigo]

When I get a new strap, it goes on the bass and never comes back out of the buttons. People generally take them off and put them back on all the time but that just softens up the leather so it comes off easier the next time, like when you're playing. YMMV, but stop taking that damned strap off every time the bass gets put away!

KO

[chjohnst]

My strap lives on my bass. Never comes off.

[kydnav]

Hadn't had something like this happen, but whenever I practice/have lessons and can't find my strap fast enough I just put the lower horn in the right pocket of my pants. Works like a charm

[j.kernodle]

This did happen to me, first show with my brand new Sterling (that I had saved and saved for) about ten years ago. I was 21 and doing my flea impersonation. Hit the ground with a nice "BOOONNNNNNNGGGG!!!!!!!" landed flat on its back. No horrible damage, but it broke my heart and bruised the ego a little.

[nsmar4211]

First time I had a strap come lose was at a lesson, luckily I grabbed the bass......and my teacher introduced me to Mr. Straplock.

Last gig I was having trouble with a humming noise in my amp so I grabbed my backup bass to see if it was my bass..... Found out somehow the bottom straplock had come apart?!?!?! while in the case.......ohhhhhhh those were those pieces of metal i found on the floor and tossed *doh*. Luckily a) I ended up just putting up with the hum and using the main bass (it wasn't the bass) and b) the strap holes were big enough to fit over the straplock piece that was left....

My singer/rhythm guitarist almost had a problem though.... halfway through a set she looks at me puzzled, trying to figure out why her guitar feels lower... So I start looking at the strap, thought she'd put it on the wrong hole.... I look at the top part and realize that the wider part of the piece that you're supposed to thread through the little slits was almost pulled out of the slits! She hadn't done the "over under" thing, just used the strap the way it came and over time it was pulling through the holes. I managed to pull it back through between songs so it wouldn't drop her guitar and warned her to keep one hand on the guitar at all times just in case.... But it's something I wouldn't never thought of. Now I know why it gets threaded . It's fixed right now but for a minute there it was confusing .

[awakefie]

I had it fall once, I grabbed it on the way down.

Now I use Planet Waves Planet Lock straps. So far none have failed.

They are also easy to remove and adjust.

[Pilgrim]

Put a basic Dunlop strap lock over the top button...or a Grolsch beer rubber washer.

[tippr34]

Do those Dunlops work? I'm not sure I'd trust them.

[bassflyer19]

i used to have problems with the strap on my Squier all the time. its happened at least 10 times before, but i rarely take my hand off the neck so i just grabbed it and swooped it up before it can hit the ground. im thinkin of puttin the bass away though, so this aint gonna be a problem anymore.