FAIL!! Schaller Strap Locks

[/\/\3phist0]

Had a couple like that the best for metal

 

[HeavyDuty]

This is starting to feel like a windup...

 

[gidbass]

I check mine as part of basic (and routine) maintenance i perform on all my basses. Never had one fail yet.

Good Luck!

 

[mdogs]

I have been using Dunlops for God knows how long, never a failure. This includes 1 strap that is 36 years old and has probably had the same Dunlops for 25 years and used on the same bass that whole time. Somehow, 10 or 15 years ago I got some Schallers, put them on a bass and strap and had a failure within a week, needless to say, they were gone immediately.

 

[orange joe]

that means you had that "U" cup pointing down, didn't you?

U-cup facing up, a pinch of mild loc-tite on the nut, a pinch of wood glue on the screw, done.

+1 to @Zooberwerx's point that you can't actually tighten that nut enough to be permanent, since the strap material itself squishes under it. that's why the loc-tite is essential.

that said, i ditched mechanical locks a long time ago, it's the grolsch washers for me.

were i the type to throw guitars around my back like the pop-punk kids i'd use big plate washers in front of straps permanently mounted to the instrument.

Nope.The U cup was facing up the way its supposed to.It wasn't user error.Facing down doesn't make sense.The thing just deteriorated in less then 2 years of normal use.I took it off one day and the round knob on the top came off,a spring went one way and the locking pin went the other.The threads in the knob that usually shouldn't come off stripped out.I think I still have it kicking around in a bag of parts.I'll see if I can dig it up and post a pic.

 

[walterw]

Nope.The U cup was facing up the way its supposed to.It wasn't user error.Facing down doesn't make sense.The thing just deteriorated in less then 2 years of normal use.I took it off one day and the round knob on the top came off,a spring went one way and the locking pin went the other.The threads in the knob that usually shouldn't come off stripped out.I think I still have it kicking around in a bag of parts.I'll see if I can dig it up and post a pic.

OK; when you said how you just managed to catch the bass, that implied it fell right out of the lock, which wouldn't happen if that pin flew out unless it was upside down.

and yeah, i've seen this before, that little knob unscrews itself from the plunger pin. in use on the instrument though, if that happens the lock doesn't fall off, in fact the opposite, you can't get it off unless you can grab that little threaded bit with your fingers or pliers to pull it up.

off the bass, yeah, the parts go flying.

 

[matthewbrown]

LOC-TITE. Nuff said.

 

[delta7fred]

I've had Schalers on all my gigging instruments since the 80s and never had a failure. I have had to replace one set because they wore out after many years.

I do however perform periodic routine maintenance (check the nuts and screws for tightness) rather than wait for them to fall off.

 

[gjbassist]

Never had a Schaller failure - but I check and tighten all things twisty including straplocks, tuners, pickguards, input jacks, etc on a regular basis.

Same here. I have had the nut on the strap work it's way loose over time. A little dab of loctite stopped that from happening.

 

[Jefff]

20 years, not one failure.

 

[nofrets5]

I've found on BOTH mentioned brands you need to spray some WD 40 on a Q tip and give the mechanism and the inside of the button a good cleaning to keep working properly. Maintenance as most everyone has said, unless nobody on the boards here have ever had to tighten the jack plate on their instrument ; )

 

[SirMjac28]

Nice I've never used them but it seems a lot of people do now. I've been lucky I've never dropped a bass or guitar.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I've had two drops with Dunlops, but they were both because I didn't take my time to make sure they were clicked in. Now I give them a tug.

 

[John E]

I've used both Schaller and Dunlop. I prefer Dunlop for 2 reasons:

1. Schallers pull your hair, Dunlops do not!!! (I know this only applies to some of us.)
2. The Dual Design buttons are much more effective at keeping a regular strap on than the ittly-bitty Schaller buttons. This is great for when your strap was in the bag that didn't make it to the gig and you had to borrow one.

I guess I could state a 3rd being you constantly have to screw the release button on the Schallers back in or they will fail!

 

[stingrayK]

Okay so these are brand new strap locks. The "U" was not upside down. The nut must have come loose. I don't have pictures because I had to quickly put everything back together, re-tune and start playing.

I use Dunlops on my EBMM Stingray and haven't had any problems. The owner of a small guitar store in Houston said to stay away from the Ernie Ball strap locks. I have no experience with the EB strap locks so don't take it as gospel. I was shocked the Schallers failed.

 

[Gunnerhea86]

I've been a Dunlop user since 1998. They've never failed me, and I used to thrash around like a madman in the mid-2000s. (Disclaimer: I have no experience with the Schaler strap locks.)

 

[stingrayK]

Wow, such vitriol about something as simple as a strap lock.

You can put me in the 100% success rate for Schallers for over a decade now. A beautifully elegant design.

I believe the OP hasn't returned with more info about the nature of the crash? That's probably meaningful.

Or I just had other things to do...
Just looking for advice. Thanks for your help.

 

[Sav'nBass]

Wow, such vitriol about something as simple as a strap lock.

You can put me in the 100% success rate for Schallers for over a decade now. A beautifully elegant design.

I believe the OP hasn't returned with more info about the nature of the crash? That's probably meaningful.

No vitriol... All I see is differing opinions.......

 

[wmhill]

Never had a Schaller failure - but I check and tighten all things twisty including straplocks, tuners, pickguards, input jacks, etc on a regular basis.

it's easier to beach it about than take a few minutes ever no and again to check the things that are attached to an instrument that is designed to cause & pickup vibration

 

[stingrayK]

ANY mechanical device can fail. I will never trust any strap lock again. Again this was just installed. Yes I used tools. No I didn't just hand tighten it. Yes the U was up.

The lock just failed.