I have both Dunlop and Schaller on my basses. I prefer the Dunlop for sure and use the dual design on all of my Tbirds.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club thunderbird
I have both Dunlop and Schaller on my basses. I prefer the Dunlop for sure and use the dual design on all of my Tbirds.
I have always preferred the Dunlop strap-loks over the Schallers when i use them 
Not a T-Bird, but I picked up one of its cousins today for a steal...2004 EB-3
Not a T-Bird, but I picked up one of its cousins today for a steal...2004 EB-3
Klondike - happy new year!Today my Schaller Strap Locks arrived and the nipple that mounts to back of the neck will NOT work!The replacement screws are all over an inch short, and a totally different diameter (smaller). So that should be an easy fix, drill out the new nipple to accommodate the old screw, brilliant idea! Nope! The head of the screw is to big to fit inside the throat of the hole... No Lockie-Lockie for Klondike. Anybody have a good ideas? Have any of you run across this? Thanks.
I hear ya on the Schaller strap lock screw size. I have had luck on my Fender basses with the Schallers and have drilled out the Schaller male end to accommodate the original Fender screw vs the tiny screw Schaller gives you. Not sure if the Gibson screw is a different size than the Fender one but I did get it to work, I'll take a look at my basses tomorrow to see how I did it.
In the meantime, if your bass strap will always be attached to your Tbird and not swapped from bass to bass this is the best bang for the buck strap securing method I've found...
Or if you can't get that brand beer in your area...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/fender-strap-blocks-4-pack?pfm=sp
Happy New Year, Fellow Birdwatchers!
(Personally, I'm more of a Birdbrain myself...
)
(Personally, I'm more of a Birdbrain myself...
)
This thread is a great resource, if a bit intimidating based on its size.
I just discovered the "watch thread" feature, so it's now on my watch list.
I'm going to read it from beginning to end over the next day or two.
I just discovered the "watch thread" feature, so it's now on my watch list.
I'm going to read it from beginning to end over the next day or two.
Haji
Supporting Member
Yeah. When I got my first TBird, I set out from post #1 in the TB Club...and I've read EVERY SINGLE ONE of them, which took several days. I think there's something wrong with me....and maybe the reason I post so much in this thread is to make the next guy trying to do what I did have to work a lot harder. 
Dunlop strap lock question: since my Epi TBird IV has the front strap button being held on by the upper left neck bolt, do the Dunlop locks allow the use of the neck screw to attach the female end? I don't really like the idea of going to a smaller screw there.
Dunlop strap lock question: since my Epi TBird IV has the front strap button being held on by the upper left neck bolt, do the Dunlop locks allow the use of the neck screw to attach the female end? I don't really like the idea of going to a smaller screw there.
I have a couple of basses with the Dunlop strap lock, which is a push button release type lock. I'd be a little concerned using that style on the back of a bass body or neck heel since there's a high potential you could accidentally push the release button with your body or belt. On a upper horn where the button isn't facing you works fine but I'd look for a different locking system for the back of a bird where you might be pressing the bass against you.
Just my 2 cents, I'm sure there are plenty out there that have never had a Dunlop accidentally release. I have and was fortunate enough to have been sitting down so the bass didn't fall.
Just my 2 cents, I'm sure there are plenty out there that have never had a Dunlop accidentally release. I have and was fortunate enough to have been sitting down so the bass didn't fall.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,901
- 142,286
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Happy New Year Guys!
I'm late to the party......we.re out on a short trip and played last night.
Here's wishing you all a safe, prosperous 2015!
I'm late to the party......we.re out on a short trip and played last night.
Here's wishing you all a safe, prosperous 2015!
This was the issue I first found with the Schaller. So I wanted to use the screw that came out of the Bird, logical right? Well the ID of each button is different as in the Schaller has a smaller diameter ID. No problem I said to myself, drill it out. Perfect idea until I screwed everything back together. I didn't stop to make sure the head of the screw would recess into the nipple thus allowing the button on the strap side to pop into the nipple on the bird. Sure enough the screw head is to fricken big!
So I am off to work on plan B. (I'm sure several of you have already read my previous posts about what I'm doing...) I, like you Haji, don't like the idea of using a smaller screw and I would like to avoid having to use a toothpick. I will use the toothpick trick if I have no other option but an option should be findable. I hope.
Haji
Supporting Member
I've got the Schallers (the packaging says Fender, but they're the same thing) on a couple of other basses, and I keep running into problems with them loosening over time. I've repaired the holes with wood filler, and I think I'm either gonna try getting longer screws to get into "new" wood, or try gluing them in. It's an imperfect solution to a danged if you do, danged if you don't problem.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,603
- 222,068
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,603
- 222,068
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Last edited:
...a few posts back some one mentioned the Dunlop screws strip easy I called Dunlop and they sent me 5 extra sets of screws no charge. I use a 0 Phillips screw driver and wipe the screw over a bar of soap it is a great lubercant. My SG and T-bird both have Dunlops never had an issue with my body pushing the release button.
Klondike - as promised, I took a look at my Schaller strap lock installations and it appears I did exactly as you did - I drilled out the strap lock male nipple to allow the larger original Fender screw to be used. But in addition to that it also looks like I turned down the size of the Fender Phillips screw head so it would recess into the nipple and not abstruct the female end of the strap lock from locking in.Today my Schaller Strap Locks arrived and the nipple that mounts to back of the neck will NOT work!
I vaguely remember doing that by putting the threaded end of the screw in a drill chuck then turning the drill on and gently touching the screw head very briefly to something abrasive (concrete floor, brick, sharpening stone). It only took a couple of lite touches against the abrasive to bring the diameter of the screw head down enough to fit into the Schaller nipple.
Hope this helps.
Dude that's brilliant! The Schallers may just work then. Hot Damn! Thanks for the good idea. Let you know how that works out.
Not sure how much experience you have with Schallers but I have them on most of my basses and they've been problem free. Here's some tips and tricks that apply to their use...
- use the original screw that came with the bass if at all possible. Its typically bigger and better than what Schaller gives you.
- if you have a thick leather strap you're going to find out that the threads on the strap end of the device barely come in contact with the nut after they've gone through the thick strap and the backing washer. Ideally you should be able to tighten the strap end nut all the way down on the threads such that you can see at least a portion of the threads exposed above the nut. I normally set my strap on a concrete floor or bench vise and give the area where the strap lock will be fitted through the strap a few good hits with a ball peen hammer before I install the strap locks. This flattens out the leather and makes it a bit more supple and usually brings the overall thickness down to something that works well with the Schaller short shaft thread.
- when you put the strap ends on you'll need to make sure they're good and tight. I normally wrap some tape around the sides of the female fitting to protect it (dont get any tape between the strap and the fitting) then either clamp the fitting in a vise or use channel locks to hold it steady while I install the strap, washer and nut. Use an open end or crescent wrench (not pliers) to tighten the nut. If you don't get it tight it will eventually work loose and fail, defeating the purpose of having a strap lock system.
- make sure the female ends on both ends of the strap are positioned such that the open end of the cup is pointing straight up when the bass and strap are in their normal playing positions. This eliminates a lot of the off angle strain the cup or female end puts on the nipple or male end.
- once or twice a year check the nipple screws and the cup nuts on the body and strap to ensure nothing is working its way loose. I do it out of habit when I replace batteries or strings or when I'm oiling the fretboard.
Do all that and you shouldn't ever have a Schaller failure. I'm at 10 plus years with no issues on my Schallers.
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
This was the issue I first found with the Schaller. So I wanted to use the screw that came out of the Bird, logical right? Well the ID of each button is different as in the Schaller has a smaller diameter ID. No problem I said to myself, drill it out. Perfect idea until I screwed everything back together. I didn't stop to make sure the head of the screw would recess into the nipple thus allowing the button on the strap side to pop into the nipple on the bird. Sure enough the screw head is to fricken big!
Alternately you could always drill a 5th hole on the neckplate in the right size to fit the Schallers - I've been doing that on a couple of Epi's of mine that didn't already come with the strap button mounted on the neckplate. The older Epi T-birds have some really thick screws with really huge heads (consederably larger than Fender and newer Epi neckplate screws), that are not suitable for neither drilling and filing of the head.
+1... These are really good and sound advices.
I've used one for years on the neck heel and never had that happen. Maybe because if your body or belt is pushing the button in it is also pushing the strap lock toward the body instead of pulling out like when you press the button to release it. Of course YMMV.
Lately I've been using it without the strap lock on my strap for a different reason. With the strap lock the strap sits on top of the button so the bass sits a little farther away from the body and feels like it tips forward just a little bit. I just like it tighter against my body like you get without the strap lock.
I've used Dunlop strap locks for more than 20 years and only had the button accidentally release once (on a Fender with the button on the horn). And that is because I didn't make sure it was locked in when I put it in. Since then I make a habit of giving it a little pull after I seat it to make sure it is locked in. I haven't had a problem since.
Last edited:
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,603
- 222,068
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Yah - at first I wasn't keen on that either, but the security and ease of use overrode that eventually. In regard to getting it tighter against my body, I've done a few custom basses and considered the inset version but there's that one time when you forget your strap-loc equipped strap and luckily there's a spare standard strap to use if only there was a button to attach to...
