Put My First Set Of Straplocks On Last Night.....

[lowenduser]

......and by God, it was a struggle. Strap and bass were almost been thrown out the window, but I got them on and delighted I did. I didn't know such little things could cause a grown man to sweat like he'd just run a marathon.

I generally hate the thoughts of any maintainance work on my basses but it's a neccessary evil as I see it!

On saying that, I did manage to put a new set of strings on, adjusted the neck and action, all without giving up, going to a shop and handing over the bass and say "do this please, thank you"

Anyone else have any maintance nightmare or just "I hated doing that" stories?

 

[lomo]

I hate doing it, too, because I'd rather be playing. However, it is a necessary evil, and beats the crap out of depending on someone else.

 

[Jonyak]

hmm. I love tweaking and setting up my bass. Thats what I do when I am not playing. constantly adjusting to make it feel and play better. I should have been a roadie tech.

 

[threshar]

You know what is worse than trying to get straplocks on?
Getting them off.

There's a vid on youtube showing a trick on how to do it, thank god I found it... I was near my wits end trying to get them off (to adjust the strap)

 

[Fassa Albrecht]

You know what is worse than trying to get straplocks on?
Getting them off.

There's a vid on youtube showing a trick on how to do it, thank god I found it... I was near my wits end trying to get them off (to adjust the strap)

+1000000! I had to get the dtrap off one of my basses to put on another (it was the longest strap I had and I needed it to be long) and the locks meant it took well over 15 minutes.

I've also punched myself in the face changing strings......ow.

 

[bassman1185]

The biggest problem with straplocks is that the screws that they use aren't standardized. I think they might fit just right with a Fender bass, but for other brands, the screw is either too big or too small. I had the worst time ever getting the straplocks on my TBC, because the screw hole on those basses are both too narrow AND too short.

However, I don't think that getting the straplocks off of the strap is so hard. You just pop the retainer clip off with a flathead screwdriver.

 

[DaveDeVille]

here's a tip for you ...
before installing the straplocks , stick a plain round toothpick into the hole ,
snap it off flat to the body { thus filling the hole with useable wood ,
and giving the screw something to bite into ...}
and then screw in the strap lock .

do not use wood putty or any kind of glue or paste ,
this will only cause more problems in the future ...

 

[Pilgrim]

I don't mind working on basses - it's a lot cleaner than working under my cars. However, it's certainly not something I love doing. It's just necessary maintenance and adjustment.

 

[seanm]

The biggest problem with straplocks is that the screws that they use aren't standardized. I think they might fit just right with a Fender bass, but for other brands, the screw is either too big or too small.

At least with the Dunlops, the screw is too small for Fenders Nice that the don't handle the 90% case.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I found that my straplock pins were often coming loose on certain basses. The threads on the provided straplock screws are just not aggressive enough for wood. The toothpick trick works temporarily, but what I ended to doing is getting drywall screws (very aggressive screw thread pitch), grinding the head so it will fit through the pins, adding a little bit of wood glue on the threads and added rubber washers. These pins are like a rock now and won't move. So far, no problems.

By the way, my straplocks are Schallers.

 

[MoD_Scotty]

here's a tip for you ...
before installing the straplocks , stick a plain round toothpick into the hole ,
snap it off flat to the body { thus filling the hole with useable wood ,
and giving the screw something to bite into ...}
and then screw in the strap lock .

do not use wood putty or any kind of glue or paste ,
this will only cause more problems in the future ...

I've found that toothpicks or matchsticks are too soft, and the screw will eventually become loose again.

I use a ziptie, and it works perfectly, and never comes loose. (just use scissors to cut the end of the ziptie...make it a hair shorter than the depth of the hole).

On my LTD D-4, I had to drill the holes a little deeper to get the straplock screws in all the way. Came out great.

I also enjoy tweaking my basses. I just had to re-solder the input jack on a Rockbass (they were wired incorrectly fro mthe factory), and it was pretty satisfying.

 

[CBRStingray]

I just used the screws that were already in the bass, and filed the heads just enough so that they fit in the strap lock recess. This way, you know the screws fit the hole already and there is no need to stuff around with toothpicks or wood putty or anything like that.

 

[kydnav]

Am I the only one that seriously had nó problems with putting the straplocks on or off?

 

[bassman1185]

I'm going to try to flush-mount some Dunlops tomorrow night on my project bass. I don't think that it will be too hard.

 

[EastCoastThump]

The toothpick trick works temporarily, but what I ended to doing is getting drywall screws (very aggressive screw thread pitch), grinding the head so it will fit through the pins, adding a little bit of wood glue on the threads and added rubber washers.

I'd be wary of using drywall screws as they're fairly brittle and prone to break under stress.

 

[Bass Pleasures]

Am I missing something here?
Reading these posts, it sounds as if fitting a certain type of strap lock involves major surgery to one's bass.

What's wrong with the little plastic strap locks that I use, which are cheap, simple to use and most importantly, do the job perfectly?

 

[MoD_Scotty]

Am I missing something here?
Reading these posts, it sounds as if fitting a certain type of strap lock involves major surgery to one's bass.

What's wrong with the little plastic strap locks that I use, which are cheap, simple to use and most importantly, do the job perfectly?

They're fine if you don't move around much. I could probably avoid straplocks if I bought a new strap every couple of weeks. But once that leather end part gets a little worn, it'll drop your bass faster than a cornered looter.

I've had way too many straps come undone to ever risk that kind of thing again. The $20 straplocks and 10minutes of install time are well worth it in my book.

 

[seanm]

They're fine if you don't move around much. I could probably avoid straplocks if I bought a new strap every couple of weeks. But once that leather end part gets a little worn, it'll drop your bass faster than a cornered looter.

I use the Italia straps with oversize buttons.

These straps are very thick and won't go over the buttons. You have to push the buttons through and then install on the bass.

Pros:

* Very secure.
* Looks clean.
* Cheap.
* Doesn't rattle.

Cons:

* You can't remove the strap without a screwdriver.
* Because of this, adjusting the length is awkward.

I realize for many not being able to remove the strap easily would outweigh all the advantages, but it works for me!

 

[MoD_Scotty]

Those straps are nice but kinda pricey for me. Plus, Not being able to take the strap off? So I'd have to have TWO of them (in case I need to switch to a backup bass during a show). No thanks.

 

[Feast]

yeah i got pissed at mine, since my strap is a thick leather one, they barley fit on .