Basswood....Too Soft For Straplocks?

[Nightsblood]

Ive never had this problem before and I fixed it but, it still bothers me.

I put a set of straplocks on my Dean Z Tour this morning, replacing the original butons and as I was screwing them in, the screw stripped out the wood in the body. Ive never had this problem before, usually I have to fight to get the screw all the way in, but not this time. Even when I moved the button up on the body, it went in and is good and solid, but it went in way easier than it should have, I think.

You guys ever have this problem or find the screws go in super easy? Ive never had a set go in so easy and now its buggin me, Im thinking the straplocks are going to bust out once its on a strap and loaded down. I thought about taking the screws out and puttting wood glue in the hole first, then screwing them back in.

What do you think?

 

[thisSNsucks]

I've owned a MM Bongo which is basswood, and installed straplocks with no problem. Wood is wood and varies from piece to piece.

I say shove a few toothpicks in there (with or without woodglue) and then screw them in. You should be good to go.

 

[Craig_S]

Glue 'em in.

Bongo's are basswood??!

EDIT: I guess they are... hmmmm...

 

[bassist 4 life]

The basswood thats used in bongos is probably different and better than the one used in deans.

 

[mongo2]

The basswood thats used in bongos is probably different and better than the one used in deans.

Yeah, they got it from the "Better Basswood For Bongos Co. LLC."

 

[wvbass]

I say shove a few toothpicks in there (with or without woodglue) and then screw them in. You should be good to go.

+1. Toothpicks are to strap pins what duct tape is to... well, anything but strap pins, really.

 

[spade2you]

If you've already stripped out the hole, I'd recommend having someone put in a dowel. I'd recommend a nice n' coarse thread, preferably something a little longer. I had a guitarist back in the day who was always pulling out the strap buttons in his basswood Ibanezes.

 

[Nightsblood]

Well, I put the button in a different spot and it worked fine and everything snugged up. I just dont trust it now. Ive got another one of these basses and its set up the same way and has never given me any problems. I think Im going to squeeze some wood glue in the hole and that should atleast keep things snug.

Keep the suggestions coming though. Ill take all advice.

 

[Ric5]

I have put straploks in a few basswood bodies with no problem.

 

[lefty007]

I just put Straploks on a Bongo today, and yes, there was much less friction than in, say, alder or ash bodies, but it was tight enough for a secure install.

I've had the same experience with some basswood MIJs, but again, the wood was dense enough to allow for a snug fit. But as others mentioned, cheaper basses might have especially cheap and less dense basswood, hence the problem you experienced.

On the other had, I hate when I had tried to install Straplok on certain basses and the wood was so dense that I nearly stripped the screw. . . I guess the right way to do it in those cases is to drill before installing.

 

[atheos]

Basswood is not too dense in any case and it's a bit cheapish material even at its best. It does its job fairly well but I certainly wouldn't use basswood if I was building an instrument. But yes, toothpicks and wood glue and you're good.

 

[Oric]

I wish instrument makers would use screws with a wider and bigger thread so it holds on better.

 

[Jeff K]

Well, I put the button in a different spot and it worked fine and everything snugged up. I just dont trust it now. Ive got another one of these basses and its set up the same way and has never given me any problems. I think Im going to squeeze some wood glue in the hole and that should atleast keep things snug.

Keep the suggestions coming though. Ill take all advice.

Here's what I use. Rubber washers that cost about .49 cents at a hardware store. Now that you have it snugged up, you should be good to go. Just lightly wiggle the strap button every so often to make sure it's still solid.

 

[anyonefortennis]

I wish instrument makers would use screws with a wider and bigger thread so it holds on better.

http://www.dingwallguitars.com/html/products_afterburner.html

Scroll about 2/3 way down...

Strap Pin Screws
Extra Long, Aggressive Thread Design

Traditional strap pin screws are doomed to fail. For one, most solid body woods are quite soft. Secondly, the screws are inserted into “end grain” which has a hard time “holding” a screw. Thirdly, the strap pin screw is constantly being pulled on by the strap. This is why it is quite common for strap pin holes to strip out. On the Afterburner, we've come up with a solution. We replace the standard strap pin screw with a longer much more aggressively threaded screw designed for soft materials that strip easily.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Oric]

Excellent.

 

[Nightsblood]

Well, after repositioning the strap button in the body, I took it to practice and played 2 forty five minute sets and its still solid so, maybe the first hole was just screwed up (pun intended).

Hopefully, thats the end of it.

 

[JazzV]

I do the rubber washer thing, too. Works pretty well as long as your strap is not so thick as to keep the washer from contracting around the shaft of the strap button. They're easy to put on, very inexpensive, and hold well. I don't think I'd swing my bass around my head using washers, but I've tried to get them to slip by pulling on my strap. Unless they're not seated properly to begin with, it's very difficult to pull the strap off.

I tried Dunlops once but stripped a screw on installation, so I gave up. They didn't seem too secure to me anyway. The other brands I looked at had smaller screws than are on my bass, so I would have had to do the toothpick/filler trick.

 

[millsbass5]

wooden matchsticks seem to work better than toothpicks. IMO.Ive used both in the past,matchsticks seem to work best.

 

[baalroo]

I had the same problem with my basswood ibanez, so I just drilled 2 holes straight through the body (front to back) and bolted a friggin strap to the darn thing... it's my beater bass so I obviously wasn't concerned with resale or general appearance.

 

[bovinehost]

Basswood....Too Soft For Straplocks?

So the answer is - no?