Straplock Issue

[Turnaround]

Longer yes, the diameter need to remain the same.
Cram some glue covered toothpicks into the hole.
Screw the strap pin in while glue is still wet, let it setup for a day.

Longer is not the answer either. Let's say the original screw went 1" deep into the wood, but it got stripped. So you put in a 1-1/2" screw. The original screw had 1" of thread holding it, but now it will have only 1/2" of thread holding - the first 1" is already stripped., So that screw will strip more easily and when it does you put in a 2" screw, which will only be holding on the last 1/2" since the rest is stripped. Repeat with a 2-1/2" screw. and on an on until the screw comes out the back side of the bass at which point you replace the screw with a long bolt with a lock washer and nut on the butt end.

The problem is actually that the screw is going into the end grain of the wood. That strips fairly easily whereas screws going into the cross grain will hold much better without stripping. So both toothpicvks and dowels alone will not provide a more secure fitting - they buth provide end grain relative to the wood screw. But if you use glue on the toothpicks it will improve the situation a lot. Here's why.

This pic represents a screw going into the end grain of the wood. The fibres run parallel to the screw and you can see that the red fibres are severed by the screw threads into small pieces - for clarity I show large fibres. These chopped up fibres have little strength because their bond to the neighbouring fibre (yellow) has be broken for much of their length, The bond is reduced by about 50% and thus holding strength is likewise reduced.

Compare that to the the screw going into edge grain. Instead of the screw being held by a fibre that has been severed into small pieces, the screw is held by many fibres that retain their bond with their neighbours.

When dealing with a strap button, the screw will be going into end-grain of the wood, so the best approach to avoid further stripping is to reinforce the bond between the fibres. Glue is made for just that purpose. So toothpick coated with glue are a good solution. Another solution is to bore out the stripped hole and glue in a cross-grain plug - not a dowel which would only present end grain to the screw.

 

[JLGBss]

It looks like glue and toothpicks is the winner here.
Thanks, everyone.

No can do - you have to use the screw supplied….

Using a larger screw doesn't appear to be an option because the screw that comes with the Dunlop Straplok has a different shaped head which is specific to the Dunlop unit.

 

[JLGBss]

Longer is not the answer either. Let's say the original screw went 1" deep into the wood, but it got stripped. So you put in a 1-1/2" screw. The original screw had 1" of thread holding it, but now it will have only 1/2" of thread holding - the first 1" is already stripped., So that screw will strip more easily and when it does you put in a 2" screw, which will only be holding on the last 1/2" since the rest is stripped. Repeat with a 2-1/2" screw. and on an on until the screw comes out the back side of the bass at which point you replace the screw with a long bolt with a lock washer and nut on the butt end.

The problem is actually that the screw is going into the end grain of the wood. That strips fairly easily whereas screws going into the cross grain will hold much better without stripping. So both toothpicvks and dowels alone will not provide a more secure fitting - they buth provide end grain relative to the wood screw. But if you use glue on the toothpicks it will improve the situation a lot. Here's why.

This pic represents a screw going into the end grain of the wood. The fibres run parallel to the screw and you can see that the red fibres are severed by the screw threads into small pieces - for clarity I show large fibres. These chopped up fibres have little strength because their bond to the neighbouring fibre (yellow) has be broken for much of their length, The bond is reduced by about 50% and thus holding strength is likewise reduced.

View attachment 7017613

Compare that to the the screw going into edge grain. Instead of the screw being held by a fibre that has been severed into small pieces, the screw is held by many fibres that retain their bond with their neighbours.

View attachment 7017621

When dealing with a strap button, the screw will be going into end-grain of the wood, so the best approach to avoid further stripping is to reinforce the bond between the fibres. Glue is made for just that purpose. So toothpick coated with glue are a good solution. Another solution is to bore out the stripped hole and glue in a cross-grain plug - not a dowel which would only present end grain to the screw.

Wow!
Now that is an explanation!
Thank you!

 

[JLGBss]

The toothpicks and glue trick should take care of it. You probably don't even need to use glue. A fairly common problem, but I find it kind of odd in this case in that if the Spector came with Schaller straplocks ....I know my USAs did...don't know about the Euros, ....but the Dunlop Dual Design strap buttons come with larger screws than the Schallers. That should have been tight to swap over from the get go.

I don't like any kind of straplock, period. Particularly Schallers. Once the metal bits start binding, they make the buttons begin to unscrew themselves. And those buttons are too little to rely on as a regular strap button. The Dunlop Dual Design works best for me as a regular button, without all the extra strap hardware clanking around.

The Euro comes with standard buttons (I assume that's the correct term for them).
Or at least mine did.

 

[Killing Floor]

You can also set a drop of wood glue in the hole or on the screw before you replace the screw.

 

[mikeswals]

When installing strap locks for the first time, I use a dab of glue on the screw if it's a nice tight fitting screw to begin with. Otherwise I'll use a dowel if it's a hole too big for the supplied screw.
Over the years, my experience is that screws can work loose in softer body woods vs very hard woods.

If a screw hole wallowed out or is too big, then I will dowel with maple rods that I ordered specifically for this task. I will never use toothpicks because they are made of a softer wood than any of your bodies.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

When installing strap locks for the first time, I use a dab of glue on the screw if it's a nice tight fitting screw to begin with. Otherwise I'll use a dowel if it's a hole too big for the supplied screw.
Over the years, my experience is that screws can work loose in softer body woods vs very hard woods.

If a screw hole wallowed out or is too big, then I will dowel with maple rods that I ordered specifically for this task. I will never use toothpicks because they are made of a softer wood than any of your bodies.

I have maple and other hardwood toothpicks.

 

[Minimalist]

Just to clarify, the repair might work without glue or anything else cramped into the hole might work, but wood and glue is definitely superior. The damage is to the wood of the guitar body and that needs to be fixed.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I've added a Jim Dunlop straplock to my Spector Euro.
All's working fine, but the screw that holds the bit attached to the horn that the strap bit clicks into has worked loose (yeah, don't know the terminology, hahaha!).
I think it's because of the way the bass hangs; it's not hanging straight down; it hangs so that the strap is pulling slightly away from the body and so puts stress on the fitting.
I hope that make sense.
I have to tighten it fairly frequently, but when I do so, I have to be careful because it's threatening to strip the hole in the body.
Any suggestions on how to fix the thing in place once and for all, or at least so that I don't have to tighten it every now and again, and fear stripping the hole?
Would filler do it?

As always, thanks again for any and all advice.

Shove a toothpick into the hole, and break it off. Screw in the screw. Done.

 

[StringCanvas]

I have no plans to sell the 3 basses I have, so I`ve used both Threadlocker or superglue. If youi`re not sure if you`d ever sell your bass, any of the above suggestion will work. You may even go with a longer screw.

I agree with toothpicks

Also, for the above post, I've used superglue and wood glue on wood screws before. Just making a note here that I never have problems getting it out, so I wouldn't worry about the issue of resale. While superglue might help bond and hold in general, as soon as you put rotational energy on the screw (ie: when you loosen it with a screwdriver) it breaks apart easily. That's always been my experience.

 

[darwin-bass]

I've always thought the toothpick fix was a substandard hack. My solution has been to drill out the hole and glue in a dowel piece (hardwood, not softwood). After the glue has cured, I drill a new hole for the strap screw.

And when mounting new strap buttons in existing holes I always use the original screw to avoid cutting new threads into the wood. Even if I have to put the shank in my cordless drill and spin the head against a sander or grinder to gently machine it down to fit in the new strap button / lock.

 

[Camarillo]

Remove strap button, cut a tooth pick or match to length, dip them in wood glue, enter into screw hole, reattach button, let dry for at least 24 hours.

+1
Easy fix

 

[micguy]

This is the big problem with straplocks. Because they are taller than usual, they put a lot more stress on the strap button to pull it sideways, and they wear out the hole.

View attachment 7017570

Dunlop's flush mount straplocks put less stress on things, as they're shorter than normal strap buttons. I've put them on a couple dozen basses, and never had anything work loose.

 

[DWBass]

Some folks are saying 'a toothpick'. I used several toothpicks and glue. The screw is in there nice and tight. I doubt it'll ever free itself!

 

[Zooberwerx]

Some folks are saying 'a toothpick'. I used several toothpicks and glue. The screw is in there nice and tight. I doubt it'll ever free itself!

I use several of the thin flat toothpicks as they more easily deform to fill the thread void(s)...don't forget the TiteBond! It's also not a bad idea to wick-in some thin super-glue to reinforce the wood fibers.

Riis

 

[BadMonk]

I take wood shavings / sawdust mix it up real good with wood glue. Stuff the hole with the the mixture, tamp it down, install the screw. Let dry. It takes a few minutes longer than the toothpick or match stick thing but it works better for me.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

Redrill the hole, wood glue in a properly fitting dowel, let sit for a day, drill a pilot hole working your way up from smaller to near the size of the screw, and finally slowly drill the screw. Finish the screw with a hand tool if you are able.

You can also do the toothpick thing, but this can sometimes undo itself.

 

[JLGBss]

Toothpick and glue have just gone in.
I'll send an image after the bass hits the floor. Hahaha!

Thanks again, everyone.

 

[StringCanvas]

I'm surprised nobody tried to start an argument over the tonal qualities of birch vs bamboo toothpicks.
"The cellular structure of bamboo allows a more open, natural sound (see diagram 1), but the screw maintains more rigid contact with the body when using birch (diagram 2), creating a harsh, aggressive tone."

 

[JLGBss]

I'm surprised nobody tried to start an argument over the tonal qualities of birch vs bamboo toothpicks.
"The cellular structure of bamboo allows a more open, natural sound (see diagram 1), but the screw maintains more rigid contact with the body when using birch (diagram 2), creating a harsh, aggressive tone."

If anyone wants to argue about it, I used the toothpicks from my kitchen drawer.
They were cheap, generic, store-bought with spikes on both ends.
And six hours later, the bass is still in one piece with no noticeable change to the tone, at least not to my ears.
Let's hope they hold up...