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Neccesity of strap locks?

#42
I think anyone that doesn't; use them is in for a biiig surprise further down the line, not a nice one either. The first time my guitar fell to the ground and smashed the head off, i decided that something must be dine. Then i found straplocks. They are on all of my instruments that require a strap, i will not take that chance again. Plus even if you catch it in midair on stage, you know how much a pita it is to play while holding up your bass? :-D

You can always kneel down, but it's imo a bit silly to say "I don't need those," You never know what's going to happen, so why not take preventitive measures? ;-)
 
#44
bassguitarthund said:
That is what Gene Simmons does on his basses. Seems very effective but not sure I would want to screw those into my bass.
Click to expand...

Certainly effective, but I'd worry about it generating a huge rattle. I've nearly dropped basses several times (a couple of times repeatedly on the same bass) so long ago I standardized on Dunlops.

If you put a bit of white lithium grease on them they tend to not have the common problem of not locking completely and pulling out. Which is still better than the Schallars which clearly lock more positively but tend to unscrew themselves from the strap. Schallers can be fixed with a drop of Locktite. Rubber washers are OK but a bigger pain, but cheaper. I just put out the cash for locks for each new bass. This is made less painful by the fact you can now just buy the buttons without buying the entire mechanism.

The problem I had was that the ordinary strap button and the slotted strap works fine when new but after you use the strap a while, the hole elongates and the strap is coming off by itself. The cheaper the strap the worse the problem. Straplocks of any kind cure that problem completely! I've still got some of my guitars to do, which though lighter still have the elongation problem though to a much lesser degree than the heavy basses.
 
#45
Shakin-Slim said:
On my old Ibanez P bass I unscrewed the strap peg, held the strap in place, but a washer over it and then screwed the strap peg back in. On the downside, this means the strap can't come off without a screwdriver. On the upside, this means the strap can't come off without a screwdriver.
Click to expand...
+1

I have done this to all my guitars. Ridiculously cheap and totally effective!!!
 
#48
My first bass once dived head-first into the floor and came out of the incident with a huge crack at the back of the neck between the first and second frets.

I don't like strap locks so now I just make sure my left hand is holding the neck all the time. :x
 
#50
I'm using some "non standard" strap locks (well, it aint really strap locks) in holland we've got a brand of beer that has an top which is made leak proof with a little red rubber, that rubber is a tight fit over standard strap holders, no need for any screws of stuff. I do this cause i have an thunderbird with a strap holder at the back of the guitar, this doesn't add any height to the strap holder. If you guys want i can post a pic.
 
#56
I bought a set of Fender strap locks (they're the same style as the Hennessey ones that Geroi Asfalta linked). The problem I found with those was that the screw hole near the bridge wore out fast.

I currently use the "elliptical" style end pins. The idea that you only need to buy one set per instrument (versus one set per strap) seems pretty sweet. Problem with those is the same as standard end pins; the hole in the strap wears out fast if you tend to change your strap frequently.

The idea of the "planet lock" straps was great. However, the fact that they only had them on certain straps (2" straps only) was a bit disappointing. If Planet Waves sold just the locks, that would kick ass.

The best solution, IMHO is to get plain strap locks. Yeah, it can get a little expensive if you have multiple straps or instruments. But what's cheaper; a set of 'locks, or a replacemnt bass? I only have a cheap-o Squier, but when I decide upgrade, I would have made the majority of f mistakes on the "learner" bass (think of it this way; how many people get a NICE/ Brand New first car if their parents are buying it?)

I use them for piece of mind.
 
#58
Necessary? Maybe... A little like condoms... It seems as though every time my strap came off, was when I was doing something other than playing bass, like reaching over to the sound mixer, adjusting monitor position etc. all of which have your attention away from holding your instrument. All my guitars and basses have Dunlop Dual Designs. All of my cases have a plain old fiber strap folded up and tucked into the little flat compartment that's not good for anything else, just in case.
 

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