'69 P bass - strap button on headstock?

[Jim Carr]

Zombie "Hootenanny Button" thread alert.

 

[rami401]

Could it possibly be modded into a counterweight to offset the dreaded deadspots? I've never had a fat finger so don't know how much weight is needed.

 

[bobyoung53]

Now don't quote me on this, but, (O'hell, quote me on it), up to about 66/67, before CBS screwed up Fender, Fender shipped their instruments with "STRAPS" (Da Da). ..... And the strap lock, as pictured on the back of the 60's bass headstock, was used for when the player would wear a tux., or (band matching)suit. ... Because, believe it or not, before punk came along, people would actually "dress up" to be on stage. The straps Fender sent out with their instrument were a long leather strap(kinky), that looped through a felt filled leather shoulder pad.(Adding to the comfort and fashion fit that todays modern musician needs for those grulling long nights under the lights). My first 66 P bass came with one in the case, though that was 30 years ago, and I don't know what happened to it. .... But, shorty after CBS took over Fender they stopped shipping out straps with the instruments, which soon meant, they didn't need to put the strop lock on the head stock. Which soon led to more corporate cut-backs, that lead Fender(CBS)into a 70's nose dive that saw the company near bankruptcy by the late 70's. ... But that a story for another day.

... Why did the bass player drive around town with a set of drum sticks on the dash of his car?
So, he could park in the handicapped zone.
Da D.

People stopped dressing up to play a long time before punk came out.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

I think that stopped being a stock position around '68 or so.
Someone may have added it because they saw an earlier one with it
or because they wanted a button there due to severe neck dive or
some other reason.
Also, if Fender found a back room with a bunch of necks that had holes
predrilled for strap buttons, it would make sense to just add the buttons and use them.

 

[Aelfwine]

I don't necessarily speak from experience, though I would likely say that bearing a strap button on the headstock would increment the possibility of the headstock breaking, especially in live shows

 

[Hamish MacCleod]

How do they even find these threads??

Search function.
H

 

[GretschWretch]

Could it possibly be modded into a counterweight to offset the dreaded deadspots? I've never had a fat finger so don't know how much weight is needed.

Sometimes even a fat)finger won't do; sometimes much less weight than a fat)finger is all that is needed. Depends on the bass.

The headstock strap came up in another thread a few weeks ago and got me curious, so I tried it. Unless the bass weights seven pounds or less, I may never hook a strap to the top cutaway horn again. The instrument becomes virtually weightless. All that downward pressure on the left shoulder that has given so many of us such miseries ceases to be an issue. All the pressure from the instrument is borne by the thorax and the latissimus dorsai muscles on the right side. The strap barely touches the left shoulder muscles. BIG light-bulb moment for me.

One does have to adjust to the altered geometry of the playing position (bass is higher and, yes, can more easily be played vertically), but the bass isn't going to slide down and the neck won't suffer under the tension.

 

[esa372]

Through the 40's 50's and 60's is was common to be wearing guitars or basses strapped to the headstock (like the guy above).

I know this thread is almost 13 years old, but calling Bill Haley "the guy above" made me laugh.

 

[Bill Fatty]

Here's Danny Bonaduce playing... something. Not a P- maybe a Jag or something. But look where the strap goes!

And the "normal" strap button is unused. This would bring the whole bass a good foot to the right, making it hard to play I'd think. Plus the body diving...

Why!!?? we have to ask

 

[sk8s]

I have a Mustang PJ that has considerable neck dive. I've thought about swapping the tuners for ultralites, installing a hi mass bridge etc. A strap button on the back of the headstock seems like a far simpler fix. Definitely going to give this a try.

 

[the_home]

Inspiration comes from Danny Partridge in a 16 year old thread!

The interwebs are a magical place.

 

[roswell1965]

Search function.
H

I know, right? LOL. These zombie thread cops who've never heard of google are hilarious. Tedious, but hilarious.

 

[kyral210]

Here's Danny Bonaduce playing... something. Not a P- maybe a Jag or something. But look where the strap goes!

And the "normal" strap button is unused. This would bring the whole bass a good foot to the right, making it hard to play I'd think. Plus the body diving...

Why!!?? we have to ask

View attachment 958324

Finally! A photo of someone using the headstock strap button. I have been searching forever for something like this.

Also, one of the longest running threads on this forum!

 

[Flamingo21]

Also, one of the longest running threads on this forum!

Some things must be slow. Like good port.

 

[getrhythm]

View attachment 2626528

Through the 40's 50's and 60's is was common to be wearing guitars or basses strapped to the headstock. (like the guy above)
If you look in past issues of Bass Player, you may find old pictures of guys wearing basses that way.

I was pretty sure that Fender stopped putting on the headstock mounted strap by 1968.

Just a comment on the pic...that's Bill Turner on guitar. I've played with him a few times. That is all.