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to strap lock or not to strap lock...

Do you use strap locks?

  • Yes, I use 'em

    Votes: 230 82.7%

  • No strap locks for me!

    Votes: 34 12.2%

  • Who cares - I want pizza ;-)

    Votes: 14 5.0%
  • Total voters
    278
#21
The Strap lock failed. I was playing my 94 Warwick streamer stage II which came from the factory with Dunlop recessed straplocks.
Those especially suck cuz if you forget your strap you cant borrow one unless it has Dunlop Straplocks already on it.
the bass had no Strap buttons on it. Cool asthetic. PITA otherwise
 
#23
Lesfunk said:
I don't use them and I'll tell you why. I began to take them for granted. I got so used to having them that I began to take both hands off my bass at times (adjust the mic stand, rearrange sheet music, etc)
Then it happened The straplock failed.
Never again. From now on I am ever vigilant and take proper care to hold onto my bass. No more locks. Just care on my part
Click to expand...
Well, what I think should be learned from that experience is of course not to give up on strap locks, that can't buy you any extra security, but to continue using them *and* at the same time take some care to check on them now and then.

I have strap locks on all instruments, I can't see why anyone would not want to spend such a small sum to get a bit of extra protection for an expensive instrument. I check the nuts on the strap every now and then when I hook the strap to the bass, or when doing other maintenance like cleaning the bass or changing the strings.
 
#24
That's fine. Nothing wrong with your logic FNM. My example was only one specific time they failed. It's happened several times over the years (believe it or not) and not just Dunlops. Schallers too.
The Ibanez strap buttons that were shaped like arrow heads were ingenious. The offered the advantages of a mechanical strap lock without any of the disadvantages (corrosion, wearing out)
buttonV.jpg
 
#25
I tried Dunlop strap locks once, and could never have any confidence in that system. It may be OK but it is just counter-intuitive to hang the bass from a pin that is secured by just some small balls. If they fail or are incorrectly seated the pin just slides out under the weight of what it is supposed to support. The Schallers on the other hand make perfect sense mechanically, even if the locking pin fails the bass is still hanging in the "cup" of the strap lock.
 
#26
I have used them but if you have a lot of basses, you wind up with a lot of strap locks and straps since they are "a set" or....a bunch of leftover strap halves of the locks and 1 or 2 straps.

I like the Planet Waves Elliptical strap buttons and I have had no problems at all with them. They are football shaped so that you have to turn the strap to get it on the button and when it turns back to playing position it can't come off. This lets you keep it to 1 or 2 straps for all your basses instead of 10-15 straps or a drawer full of the other halves. They are cheap too. Similar design to the Ibanez issue that Lesfunk pictured above^^^
 
#27
God's Favorite Bass said:
I have used them but if you have a lot of basses, you wind up with a lot of strap locks and straps since they are "a set" or....a bunch of leftover strap halves of the locks and 1 or 2 straps.
...
Click to expand...
I have a strap for each bass, they need to be at slightly different lengths for different models, so that's not a problem. Even so, I would still buy strap locks for all basses. But it would be good if they would sell the instrument part of the locks separately I guess.
 
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#28
The reason the Dunlops failed is that moisture and dirt got into the mechanism and caused the little balls to "freeze" from corrosion and fail to lock.
Schallers are better but what wears out isnt the mechanism but the button that attaches to the bass itself making them sloppy. Again, you need to keep an eye on them.
They're one more thing to maintain. One more thing to possibly fail
 
#29
I've had a couple Schaller failures and I didn't even use them very long for that very reason. The gizmo on the strap comes unscrewed with use, the gizmo on the bass comes unscrewed with use. Other times the gizmos don't latch.

I know, check that it's tight at the bass and check at the body and double-check when coupling and maybe add lock-tite ... easy to do since you have to remove the strap every use in order for the bass to fit in many cases or to prevent puncturing the bottom of your gig bag... I've found better things to do.
 
#30
I've been playing for a very long time, and started to use them on my two main basses when my rather tired and supple leather strap came off, yet again as I was putting the guitar on. They never fell off playing, but could fall off when the strap was loose. I unscrewed the old one, screwed in the other and to all intents and purposes, the strap and guitar is one piece. I can't see any issue with threads - after all, the screw going in was slightly bigger than the one coming out. I can only see issues if the screw has been in and out a few times - and then the same issue would be there for a non-locking button. I could take the strap off each time, but I can't be bothered and the guitars go in their cases fine.
 
#31
FretNoMore said:
I have a strap for each bass, they need to be at slightly different lengths for different models, so that's not a problem. Even so, I would still buy strap locks for all basses. But it would be good if they would sell the instrument part of the locks separately I guess.
Click to expand...
Good point! (face palm) DOH! I forget we all use different crayolas that require different gizmos for different designs. My math is simpler than yours in the design department I guess so I am lucky. 9 P-Basses & 1 Telecaster Bass = 1 strap, 1 Jazz Bass & 1 Jaguar Deluxe = 1 strap. I got lucky with a 2 strap requirement;)
 
#33
I put Schaller strap lock on all my basses and guitars the day they get bought. Do I really need them? I don't know, but i certainly like the piece of mind that it will take a lot more then my strap flipping over to pull it off. As with anything there is always still a chance of failure, but for $20 bucks and a lot more piece of mind it's worth it to me.
 
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#36
The only time I've ever had a strap fail was when I was using mechanical straplocks (Schaller I think, it was a long time ago) Now, it's oversized strap buttons with a Grolsch beer rubber washer, that has never failed. Or back in the 90's I just screwed the strap right to the bass, Billy Sheehan style.
 
#38
I use Schaller / Fender / Grover strap locks (they all seem to be the same). I continue to use the factory screws. Sometimes (EBMM comes to mind), you have to shave down the factory screw head to get it to fit inside of the button. Takes all but 2 minutes with a Dremel. The thing I love about these locks is that you can buy the buttons seperately and they usually only run about $5.

Never had a lock fail but you do need to check to make sure the nut on the strap side is tight or use Locktite on it.
 
#39
meteor said:
Hmm... I'll take your word for it.
Maybe it had to do with the instrument that they went on.
Click to expand...

Yes, it can depend on the instrument. We have actually had to repair a couple for people who have not enlarged the hole (when it was necessary) one person managed to break the screw off, the other got the screw stuck after chewing up the head. Both were with Dunlop straplocks in cheap guitars.

In most cases it's not necessary to re drill, but if you ever get to a point where you are putting way too much effort into tightening the screw, back it out and re drill the hole. Contrary to popular belief a screw doesn't actually need to be that tight. Re drilling is extremely easy to do and near impossible to get wrong provided you use the right bit, so I'm not for a second suggesting not to use strap locks...They come as standard on all of our instruments.
 

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