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Ah ok... just checking to see if it was just me.... my inquiry is a bit unusual so just wasn't sure. I'll keep being persistent.
I don't know the inside story, but I found Kevin great to deal with (he even gave me his cell number so I could reach him outside of work hours if I wanted).
I know I also found him to be very helpful when I was planning my build and when I went to the shop also very helpful. .but no one knows wat happened . He's never talked about,almost like he didn't exist
Keeping it "professional", I guess. Not much point in speculating - all I know is that, for me, Kevin was a great representative for Sadowsky and he is primarily responsible for my having a good impression of Sadowsky's customer service. I will also say that Lisa has been fantastic to deal with but, yeah, it's a shame Kevin is no longer there.
I have had this with several basses and the Dunlop system, alder and ash bodies. I had to re-tighten the screws every 6 months, or the button on the upper horn would come loose. It is a real mystery why that would happen, I never understood that. For that reason, I removed all the Dunlop straplocks from my basses, and use the beer-bottle rubbers since.
that is very interesting. do you install these yourself or were they all on the basses originally? i have not had this problem with any of my basses except for one. what i noticed was that the pilot hole for the screw/button itself was a smigen too big. It grabbed the wood, but after awhile of use and wear, it would tend to loosen up. At this point I had to do the ole toothpick and glue trick and its been nice and tight since.
did you use a slightly bigger screw for the buttons for the beer-bottle rubbers?
Strap buttons (Dunlop or other) occasionally come loose, even on boutique basses. It may have happened on one of my Sadowskys, I don't remember. When it does, then I remove the screw and add a little bit of Elmer's glue to it before replacing it (you don't want gobs of glue to be pushed from the hole as the screw is tightened). That'll prevent frequent loosening.
If for whatever reason the hole seems too large, then insert a wooden toothpick (and don't forget the glue).
Love the Dunlop Dual Designs! They blow the doors off of that more commonly used button lock which I used for a decade prior.
I would suspect with NAMM (and the holidays) approaching, Roger has his hands in lots of things right now. Pure speculation on my part, as I am in no way affiliated with the shop, other than being a customer.
Some folks use the rubber stoppers from Grolsch beer bottles. You can also get something similar from Fender...
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I recommend the Grolsch because they come with a free beer.
Cheers!
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You finish a few of those:
Flip-top - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
and re-use the red rubber thingy from the flip top for your bass. Win-win.
Same screw for Dunlop system and standard system - Dunlop system loosens the screw, the beer-bottle rubber does not. Really weird.
PS: sorry for derailing this thread - I am reading here as I am planning on a Sadowksy RV5 soon....
One thing I've noticed with the Dunlop strap locks is that the point of support (where the weight is exerted) is out away from the body a bit more than a standard strip pin. So with simple physics of leverage, you're putting more stress on the screw/body junction. Maybe that's why some people see more issues with loosening screws, when using Dunlops.
I've had them on several basses (3 Sadowskys among those) over 10 years or so and never had any real issues.
Chef
In Memoriam
I have had screws back out with the Schallers. I've also had the "bucket" spin upside-down on the strap and nearly drop the bass.
I've not had any problems with the Dunlops.
If you've had screws back out on Dunlops, maybe you're not lubing the retainer/locking pin every one and a while?
I've not had any problems with the Dunlops.
If you've had screws back out on Dunlops, maybe you're not lubing the retainer/locking pin every one and a while?
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Same experience as Chef with the strap locks. The Schaller design is a nice idea; but the strap part of the fitting tends to put torque on the body button causing the screw to loosen. I must have twelve of those sets off of past basses in my utility storage. The Dunlops look a little questionable but are generally less prone to loosening the body fitting.
I don't jump around on stage. So, I just went back to good old solid leather straps and stock strap buttons. They work just fine for me. I got tired of the fix that is required to make the strap locks more secure; which I found to require installing a hardwood dowel into the body to capture the strap lock screw. Alder and ash is just too prone to stripping out, and toothpicks aren't hard enough. IME/O.
I don't jump around on stage. So, I just went back to good old solid leather straps and stock strap buttons. They work just fine for me. I got tired of the fix that is required to make the strap locks more secure; which I found to require installing a hardwood dowel into the body to capture the strap lock screw. Alder and ash is just too prone to stripping out, and toothpicks aren't hard enough. IME/O.
The biggest problem with the Dunlop Dual Designs can happen when retrofitting them, because the Dunlop screws are smaller than most other button screws. As you say hardwood dowel is the most reliable solution, but toothpicks and glue have always worked for me so I've never bothered with the dowel.
Plenty love the Grolsch washers, others prefer self-locking (ratcheted) straps... I just prefer the Dunlop Dual Designs above all, especially the Schallers, which I struggled with for over a decade. Chef cited some big reasons, and I could list even more (which I've done in the past, so I won't go there again).
