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Strap locks

#21
I like the leather ones.
89b4_35.jpg


The metal ones tend to stick out away from the guitar and form a lever that works the screw loose over time due to strap motion.

The leather ones screw right down flush with the wood so they tend to stay in better... for me, YMMV.

I've found it's good to tighten them up anytime I'm changing strings or otherwise working on the bass.
 
#22
Rickett Customs said:
I just started using the Dunlop recessed locks. I used Shallers for alot of years (since 1988). I had recently discovered, after 5 years of hard gigging with my spector, that the strap button on the horn, got eaten up, by the angle that the schaller had rested (not depicted, was the center hole, which became somewhat deformed as well):

IMAG0159.jpg



.......And went with the countersink instead:

IMAG0157.jpg


Now it's time to find some faults in Dunlops design.....
Click to expand...

OOHHH, I like the look of the countersink! I use dunlops now but like others here, I don't really like how far out they extend from the bass. Where did you get the countersinks? Is that the brand name? Thanks
 
#23
They're Dunlops. Dunlop carries two types, "dual" design (can be used with a "regular" strap) and recessed design.
They both work with the same lock mechanism.

keiththebassist said:
OOHHH, I like the look of the countersink! I use dunlops now but like others here, I don't really like how far out they extend from the bass. Where did you get the countersinks? Is that the brand name? Thanks
Click to expand...
 
#25
Just found some new straplocks on the market and they are pretty slick. They hold the strap closer to the body and the locking mechanism is on the outside of the strap, so even if the lock completely unscrews from the strap it still won't fall off. Shallers and Dunlops will.

Link Removed
 
#26
TodB said:
...and the locking mechanism is on the outside of the strap, so even if the lock completely unscrews from the strap it still won't fall off. Shallers and Dunlops will.

Link Removed
Click to expand...

Is it not the same with the Dunlop? The locking insert runs from outside the strap, through a flange, through the strap, then a washer with a locking clip (that won't/can't unscrew) and then into the button on the guitar.

I must say that I do like the way the Loxx button installs with that little wrench.
 
#28
Grateful said:
Is it not the same with the Dunlop? The locking insert runs from outside the strap, through a flange, through the strap, then a washer with a locking clip (that won't/can't unscrew) and then into the button on the guitar.

I must say that I do like the way the Loxx button installs with that little wrench.
Click to expand...

It looks like you're right about Dunlops. It was a Shaller that I had unscrew and almost drop the bass.
 
#29
when the strap on my '62 harmony h-22 started getting worn and almost letting go, i needed a solution but the strap pegs are just kinda wedged in there, no screws. so i couldn't replace them with new straplocks, but i found this little thing near the pick section of a music store. it's a little plastic circle that clamps on the top of your peg, holding your strap on. sorta like the tab that holds the bread bag together. anyone else ever see these around? works perfectly for me.
 
#31
Rickett Customs said:
I used Shallers for alot of years (since 1988). I had recently discovered, after 5 years of hard gigging with my spector, that the strap button on the horn, got eaten up, by the angle that the schaller had rested (not depicted, was the center hole, which became somewhat deformed as well):

IMAG0159.jpg
Click to expand...

That is cool. I have never seen that happen. I am in teh habit of always keeping an eye on the buttons anyway, giving a little twist to check if they have loosened at all every time before attaching the strap because I have had some occasionally work loose. This is one more little thing to watch for I guess. Easy enough to catch really early and a cheap enough fix should it be found.



Rickett Customs said:
I just started using the Dunlop recessed locks.......And went with the countersink instead:

IMAG0157.jpg
Click to expand...
I did this on an old NS2A I had years ago. Looks very cool but, man, that's a commitment... very nice.
 
#32
nervous said:
That is cool. I have never seen that happen. I am in teh habit of always keeping an eye on the buttons anyway, giving a little twist to check if they have loosened at all every time before attaching the strap because I have had some occasionally work loose. This is one more little thing to watch for I guess. Easy enough to catch really early and a cheap enough fix should it be found.
Click to expand...

I could have easily just replaced the button, but what fun is that? This is my first time at bat with Dunlop, so we'll see just how much it can take from my dumb ass, pouncing around on stage. For the record, never had that strap button loosen up on me.



nervous said:
I did this on an old NS2A I had years ago. Looks very cool but, man, that's a commitment... very nice.
Click to expand...

It's not so bad, in a sense, if I had to reverse this, I could easily make a "plug" out of hardwood and the piece of felt would actually cover over the plug, it's a win/win regardless.
 
#34
I used to countersink Dunlops on a few basses. Being that drilling into my bass sometimes affected resale, I stopped countersinking. To me, the Dunlops looked goofy w/o countersinking, so I switched to Schaller locks.

I usually buy two sets of these.
straplocks.jpg


Then, as I buy additional basses, I save a few bucks by just purchasing these.
Straplocks2.jpg
 
#36
I was opening for another band way, way, way back at the beginning of time for me (1986) and the bassist had a BC Rich with straplocks. The straplock popped off and flew into the crowd, and suddenly he was forced to play sitting down.

I offered him my Hondo bass and he was far too proud to play it, so he played looking like a dork for the rest of the show, either struggling to keep the bass in his hands, or sitting down.

After watching that spectacle, I never wanted to use a straplock. But when I got my '73 Ricky it fell off the strap buttons the very day I bought it. Cut some nice grooves in the neck, really upset me.

So I bought a strap that had very small holes in it that you screwed the strap buttons over the top of, essentially bolting the strap to the bass. That strap has stayed bolted to the bass since 1987. I took it to a leather shop in Louisville to re-sew it a couple of years back.

For my other basses, I typically buy those $2 strap lock things that you fit over the strap button after you've put the strap on. They are on the counter at every guitar store I go to. I can't remember the name of the maker (I thought they were dunlop) but they are basically a big triangular washer with second washer inside, round and off-center, that you rotate into "lock" position after you've put them on the strap.

That way if the strap "lock" breaks I still have a usable strap with me. Of course, I never gig with only one bass either. One major catastrophe at a gig (a broken string) was all I needed to convince me that doing so was a prescription for a miserable show.

Also I don't have to modify my bass to use these things. I do not like the idea of drilling more holes in my instruments.

One day that $25+ year old strap on my Ric is going to fall all the way apart and I suppose I'll have to come up with another solution, but it was a $15 investment and has now cost me less than a dollar a year. I have not dropped my bass since.
 

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