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Neccesity of strap locks?

#61
I use them, our guitarist doesn't. The only one of us who has ever dropped our instruments is me. Why? Because the straplock went in but didn't lock and made me think it did, or the screw pulled out. So not having your bass fall to the ground by using straplocks isn't a given.
 
#63
No sense waiting till you bust or ding your bass to decide they are necessary. I don't "rock out" all that much on stage but without them, something always seems to happen. I'm a magnet for murphy's law. The 1st night I had my Spector, I was still waiting on my strap locks. I put my head under the strap as I was preparing to play when all of a sudden, the strap on the back side let loose. I managed to catch it thanks to my left hand already holding the head firmly, but it was a close call. My brand new bass nearly had a 4 foot drop to a hard wood floor in less than 2 hours of owning it. That would have sucked.
 
#69
JimmyM said:
I use them, our guitarist doesn't. The only one of us who has ever dropped our instruments is me. Why? Because the straplock went in but didn't lock and made me think it did, or the screw pulled out. So not having your bass fall to the ground by using straplocks isn't a given.
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This is a very important point. It doesn't matter WHAT type of strap lock you use if the wood around the screw is chewed up and the screw pulls out of the body.

Strap locks (whatever style you prefer) are a good thing; but you'd better check the strap button/screw for tightness on a regular basis or your bass might still hit the floor.
 
#70
Been playing 40 years now and have never had a strap come loose from a bass. The only way I see it happening is if you keep a strap so long that the part that goes on the pin is so worn that it just won't hold anymore. I don't keep straps that long. It just so happens I had a custom bass made for me and the guy put on straplocks. I didn't realize it until I was inspecting the bass one day. I asked him if he had the straplock buttons and he gave me a set. They work nice but I see them fatiguing due to them being so far off the body of the bass. I would prefer the recessed models.
 
#72
Before I started using straplocks, my bass had fallen a few times (caught in mid air). After I started using them, it has never happened once. So they go on any new bass I purchase before anything else. I use Dunlops. I used Schallers in the past but they were too bulky and awkward and had a tendency to come loose...thus defeating the pupose of using them. Never had a problem with the Dunlops. My only complaint with them is the cheap screws they come with are easily stripped and are kind of hard to replace because of their odd size.
 
#76
wyattharris said:
To me it appears that the general consensus around these parts is that strap locks are a necessity. Personally, i wear my basses pretty high and i honestly don't see any way the strap could slip off the button. Is there anyone else who just dosen't see the need for strap locks? Horror stories of basses dropping welcome :)
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It's as much of a no-brainer as anything could be. If you conduct even a quick, cursory cost/benefit analysis (a few dollars to buy + a few minutes of your time to install vs. what could happen to your instrument if you happen to drop it at the wrong time or in the wrong place, etc., strap locks have GOT to be one of the best investments - EVER.

What you "honestly don't see" is completely irrelevant. Guitars & bass guitars can wriggle off the strap in so many ways one could never foresee. I personally had a couple near disasters, prior to getting smart, and investing in strap locks for ALL my guitars & bass guitars... :eyebrow:


MM
 
#77
Maybe to some strap locks are not a necessity, however honestly if you do any sort of moving on stage (jumping, running, flipping, dancing etc) and have any sort of bass you truly care about there are huge huge pluses to have them on your bass. I cannot remember how many times either myself or I would see a bass damn near fall to the ground, luckily being caught. But none the less they are one of the first things I put on any new bass I buy shortly after new strings. Your call.
 
#78
I started using straplocks a few months ago. I take my bass off ad put it back on roughly eight times during a church service. There are just too many other things to keep me distracted without adding the possibility of my bass falling to the ground during the communion hymn.
 
#79
Never would leave home without them - period!. Schaller are my preference however, I bought a set off ebay recently from china for .55 cents to see what the quality was like. I'm amazed at what came in the mail. Certainly not german quality but damn hard to beat for 55 cents and 3 bucks shipping.
 

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