Should have been a 5 minute job...

merciful-evans

Where does the time go? If you have the patience and the belly for it, read on.

 

I only wanted a couple of new straps.

 Ordered two from the US. They arrived. Very nice. So far so good. Really need strap locks for these, so decided to try some Grovers. If good, I’d buy another set.

 

The Grovers arrived but thread OD was way too big for the W & W strap holes. So should I cut into the new leather straps? No. I put the Grovers to one side and try a Daddario set I have for size. They fit fine, so I order two more sets of those.

Once I receive the Daddario locks, I try to fit them to the Ric. I get a surprise. The Ric pins are ‘one piece’ integral types with studding. They are bolts, not screws. The thread OD is massive and the Daddario screws go in without touching the sides (yep, a pr1ck in a bowler hat). I have many screws but none of the right diameter has a large enough thread. So should I fill the Ric holes and recut? No. I put the Ric to one side and find another guitar to use instead.

I’ll use the LP. I remove the pins to find the tail end screw much larger than the forward screw. Odd, but no matter. It came from Gibson that way - I opened the box myself.

I fit the Daddarios to the LP. The straps attach to the forward pin fine, but will not lock on to the tail pin. Why? I try all 3 straps with the same result. Could that one pin be made out of tolerance? I check the size but it seems fine. Then I notice that the tail screw is slightly domed and sits higher inside the pin than the other one. I remove the domed screw and file most of the dome off. It now fits and locks ok.

The next guitar is the Squier. Both of these screws are domed and they also will not lock (BTW, the Daddario screws are smaller than all these guitar screws). So I file those screws into flatheads also. With the new pins and felt in place, the fit is not as good as it was. Partly because the screws are not penetrating so far and partly because there are weight relief cavities where the screws go. So I will need to figure this out later. Probably do the matchstick thing?!

 

Meanwhile I have the unused Grover locks. I find a strap to fit these. It’s a 25 year old Levy that’s still in good shape. I fit the Grovers to the Fingerbone Strat. Works fine.

 

Now I still haven’t suited the Ric yet. I notice the Ric pins look like the Grovers. They measure up exactly the same. So the Levy strap can now be used securely on the Ric.

 

It’s not quite what I had in mind and still not over. The Squier still needs sorting.  

 

I only wanted a couple of new straps & locks. Should have been a 5 minute job…

and that's where the time goes

crunchman

Grolsch Washers

riffpowers

crunchman said:

Grolsch Washers

That's what I used on my Ric .

grungebob

If like me you use the cheap Ernie ball webbing straps and Grolsch washers you not only have spare time but spare money, oh and a few free beers

Sassafras

Strap locks are stupid and more trouble than they're worth especially when those plastic Dunlop things or Grolsch type washers are so cheap.
The expensive, elaborate strap locks are a testament to marketing over common sense.

mooncat

Modern Rickenbacker strap bottons are designed to work with schaller strap locks.

ICBM

Sassafras said:

Strap locks are stupid and more trouble than they're worth especially when those plastic Dunlop things or Grolsch type washers are so cheap.
The expensive, elaborate strap locks are a testament to marketing over common sense.

This.



They work on any vintage strap button and all modern ones I can think of, except PRS and those weird wing-shaped 80s Ibanez ones.

Fit in seconds, no modification to the guitar, and a bit more secure than Grolsch washers. (You can pull Grolsch washers off with the strap if you try, especially the front button on a Les Paul.)

Unlike metal ones, the strap is held tight against the body so it doesn't try to bend the screw sideways. And you can't ding the guitar with the bit on the strap...

Snags

The Gibson end-pin thing is normal, as far as I can tell. Certainly my LP has a much chunkier screw on the end-pin than the shoulder, which ended up causing aggro with strap locks because the strap lock screws weren't as chunky.

skullfunkerry

When I get to gigging again I'll be using some Grolsch washers... in my previous gigging life all my guitars had D'addario cliplock straps, they work really well

merciful-evans

Grolch washers: I have the Fender versions on a couple of guitars. They are my preferred solution really, but the strap has to stay permanently attached to the guitar. Thats ok for a gig bag or a 3rd party case.

But no good for a guitar with a bespoke case. They are too snug to fit. So, for those I was using Daddario locking straps (and one Lock-It strap) quite happily. They lock fine and detach too.

My mistake was to indulge in these 2 new leather straps. One of the Gibson forum had been singing their praises, being nice and not too expensive. Ultimately of course they've been a PITA.

ICBM

merciful-evans said:

Grolch washers: I have the Fender versions on a couple of guitars. They are my preferred solution really, but the strap has to stay permanently attached to the guitar.

That's the other advantage of the rotary plastic locks... they're not only more secure when they're on, they come off easily when you want them to. (Although I don't find it a problem taking Grolsch washers on and off.)

merciful-evans

ICBM said:

merciful-evans said:

Grolch washers: I have the Fender versions on a couple of guitars. They are my preferred solution really, but the strap has to stay permanently attached to the guitar.

That's the other advantage of the rotary plastic locks... they're not only more secure when they're on, they come off easily when you want them to. (Although I don't find it a problem taking Grolsch washers on and off.)

Right. I may take a look. Thanks

joetele

ICBM said:

Sassafras said:

Strap locks are stupid and more trouble than they're worth especially when those plastic Dunlop things or Grolsch type washers are so cheap.
The expensive, elaborate strap locks are a testament to marketing over common sense.

This.



They work on any vintage strap button and all modern ones I can think of, except PRS and those weird wing-shaped 80s Ibanez ones.

Fit in seconds, no modification to the guitar, and a bit more secure than Grolsch washers. (You can pull Grolsch washers off with the strap if you try, especially the front button on a Les Paul.)

Unlike metal ones, the strap is held tight against the body so it doesn't try to bend the screw sideways. And you can't ding the guitar with the bit on the strap...

This. I've used these for years on my guitars. They just work. I did have the washer-type ones which were fine, but the oldest set understandably started to split after a few years' use. But these plastic ones will stay put and I've had the one set for around 20 years. 

roberty

#grolscharmy here too, recent convert

rossi

I use Grolsch too for what its worth

TINMAN82

Have fitted Schallers to nearly every guitar I own. Takes seconds to do. Rarely a seconds thought since and good peace of mind. Gibsons thicker tail pin is a special case but there are ways round it and the new s-lock system solves the issue...provided the holes were drilled straight in the factory.

boogieman

I’ve just fitted oversized strap buttons to a couple of my guitars. Cheap and easy. 

Philly_Q

The plastic Dunlop locks ICBM and Sassafras mentioned were the first type I ever bought, nearly 40 years ago.

Then for many years I became obsessed with fitting Schaller straplocks to everything (just as I was obsessed with fitting locking tuners on everything).  Allparts sold longer screws which got round the problem on Gibsons, and latterly Schaller themselves started supplying longer screws.

But I think I'm going to go back to the plastic Dunlop locks.

p90fool

Grolsch washers unscrew the buttons on a couple of my guitars, and I can't get any of my guitars in their cases with the strap attached.

It's the last thing I want to be faffing with at the end of the gig when I have a PA to pack as well as my gear. 

StuartMac290

I don't understand the problem with taking Grolsch washers on and off? I've done it on multiple guitars for every gig for 30 years without a single hitch - what can go wrong??

FWIW the Fender ones are better quality than the eBay bags

Dave_Vader

I've had more trouble with strap buttons pulling right out of the wood than straps falling off buttons over the years TBH

Never had a strap lock, and only thought about needing one when my Ric bass used to regularly fall off every time I leaned down to fiddle with a pedal. I found another fatter button and switched it out.

I have got fat old Tokai buttons on my main strat, and those annoying 80s Ibanez wing ones on my backup these days though (both of which pull out of the wood at the tail end if I'm not paying attention and have been epoxied back in more times than I'd like to admit).