Strap Locks

[HenryThe Horse]

Hi all - Guess this will be a pretty fundamental question for you folks, but I just bought a 360 C63 12, and I am wondering what strap locks (if any) will fit on the posts that come stock with the guitar. Or do I have to buy a set, and screw in new ones? Hope not. Any input would be appreciated.

[admin]

Of course, Henry the Horse, you can get them from Mike Parks here.

05904 Strap/lock button new style chrome, accepts Schaller straplock $10 each

[HenryThe Horse]

Thanks very much!!

[harquahalas]

I've got a set of new Nickel strap locks I can ship to you for $15 total. I bought them for my 620, but have been waiting for a strap I ordered to use them with. I still don't have the strap, but now I will be selling the 620. Let me know if you want them, I have a verified Paypal account.

[HenryThe Horse]

Shoot! I wish I had seen your offer before I went ahead and bought some. Thanks for the offer though!

[firstbassman]

OK, I will finally admit this – I have no idea what strap locks really are – other than some vague idea that they are straps that “lock.” But what does that really mean?
Everytime I go online all I see is a text listing and a price. No photos or description/explannation.

Anyone have a link to a good set of photos and a detailed explanation on how these things work?

And they apparently don’t work on “normal” strap buttons.

And why does anyone need them? I’ve read that some people “drop” their guitars or fear they will drop. Not sure I understand why. My strap had a baseball-type diamond shape leather end. The leather end has a half-inch long slit. I put the strap button through the slit. I’ve never dropped a bass or a guitar yet.

Thanks.

[captsandwich]

And why does anyone need them? I’ve read that some people “drop” their guitars or fear they will drop. Not sure I understand why. My strap had a baseball-type diamond shape leather end. The leather end has a half-inch long slit. I put the strap button through the slit. I’ve never dropped a bass or a guitar yet.

Thanks.

Sometimes I lose the strap on my guitar, but it usually only happens when I solo behind my head, in which case I tend to be on my knees already, so I don't really drop the guitar, I just sit it upright like a double bass and finish the song from a seated or kneeling position.

Honestly.



note: this has never happened with my Rics, but has been known to happen with my strat.

[BlueAngel]

Sometimes - especially with small strap buttons like the vintage-style Rick ones - when the strap twists or folds back on itself, it can pop off the button even if the slit is fairly tight. Straplocks stop this happening... simple.

But most straplocks are more complex than necessary and have their own set of hazards - there are two well-known 2-part metal designs (Schaller - which is what Rickenbacker's modern buttons fit - and Dunlop) which both have some issues and are NOT fail-proof. With these there is a metal mechanism which stays attached to the strap, and locks onto the button. However, the locking mechanism CAN fail, and although it's fairly rare, if it happens you're less likely to expect it because you should in theory be safe with the locks on... so you may be even more likely to drop the guitar. On the Schallers the nut which holds the strap to the lock can come loose if you don't check it regularly. There are also less obvious problems - the lock is still only as good as the fit of the screw into the body (not an issue on Ricks since they have a machine thread directly into the wood); the way the strap is suspended some distance above the body can bend or even break the screw, and also damage the finish under the edge of the button, and you can also quite easily ding the guitar with the metal piece on the strap while taking it on or off! As a shop repairer I have seen guitars damaged in all these ways by straplocks, and although not common it seems ironic that something designed to prevent damage should cause it. The damage has ranged from a small ding in the top to a broken-off headstock.

Luckily there is a much better solution - the rotary plastic locks sold by Dunlop, Stew-Mac etc that simply fit over the strap on the existing buttons. These look like a 'cheap' alternative (and they are indeed a lot cheaper than the metal type) but they are actually better in every way. They don't require you to modify the guitar in any way or fit different screws (risking loosening the fit into the wood), they keep the strap snug against the body where it belongs so the button doesn't get bent sideways, there is no metal piece on the strap to flap about, and you have to check them automatically each time you fit them so they aren't likely to come loose without you noticing. And don't think that they're not going to be strong enough because they're plastic - I tested one to destruction and found it would hold a pull of around 100lbs directly away from the instrument before it broke, which is more than enough even if you're swinging a Les Paul around over your head on the strap! And yes, they are compatible with the Rickenbacker buttons - there are a very few buttons (PRS are one) which they don't fit, but those are so large they don't really need the locks anyway.

[firstbassman]

Thanks John.

Got a link? Part number?

PS: I knew this topic was more complicated than it seems.

[BlueAngel]

Here you go...

http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page ... ccessories

[firstbassman]

Thanks again!
It took me a little while but after finding it at an online vendor I finally figured out how it works.
It's sort of a cam (like in flat-pack furniture) that is placed over one's existing leather slit-hole and since the cam is grabbing onto the guitar's button, it prevents the strap from slipping off.
Clever idea.
I'll get a couple.

[Darkhollow]

Another nice thing about strap locks is that it holds the strap ends further away from your guitar so you are less likely to get the swirl marks around the strap button after years of use.

Also if you sometimes wear your guitar on your back for whatever reason they are a must have.

[BlueAngel]

Another nice thing about strap locks is that it holds the strap ends further away from your guitar so you are less likely to get the swirl marks around the strap button after years of use.

Actually that is exactly one of the PROBLEMS with them. By moving the strap away from the surface of the body, you cause a large sideways bending force on the strap button and its screw. This can do one of two things - it can either crack the finish under the edge of the button as it tilts and digs into the finish, or it can even snap the screw, which obviously results in instant detachment of the strap! (Not to mention making it a serious pain to get the broken screw out of the guitar so you can fit it back without just drilling another hole.) The strap NEEDS to be close to the body, that's the best place for it.

OK, on a Rickenbacker with the modern buttons this isn't really an issue because the button and the screw (bolt, really) are one and the same thing and the bolt is a much larger diameter, so tilting and bending are very unlikely, but it's a real problem with other brands.

[1965]

They just look dumb too, especially dunlops that aren't flush mounted (stick out super far). I used to have them on some guitars but they're all off now. Now I just make it a point to buy good straps that fit tight.

[Darkhollow]

Another nice thing about strap locks is that it holds the strap ends further away from your guitar so you are less likely to get the swirl marks around the strap button after years of use.

Actually that is exactly one of the PROBLEMS with them. By moving the strap away from the surface of the body, you cause a large sideways bending force on the strap button and its screw. This can do one of two things - it can either crack the finish under the edge of the button as it tilts and digs into the finish, or it can even snap the screw, which obviously results in instant detachment of the strap! (Not to mention making it a serious pain to get the broken screw out of the guitar so you can fit it back without just drilling another hole.) The strap NEEDS to be close to the body, that's the best place for it.

OK, on a Rickenbacker with the modern buttons this isn't really an issue because the button and the screw (bolt, really) are one and the same thing and the bolt is a much larger diameter, so tilting and bending are very unlikely, but it's a real problem with other brands.

Yeah, I don't see that being an issue on my Rickenbacker. On the Schaller model I use on my 650 it is actually cradling the strap pin. So the engagement is not very far off from where it would be just using a strap.

But you are correct, the Rickenbacker strap pins have a larger diameter machine screw rather than the coarse wood screw thread that the off the shelf one looks like it uses.