Keep Your Strap On!

There's nothing worse than having your instrument fall off its strap. Here's how to keep that from happening

By Phil O'Keefe

If your instruments still have the stock strap buttons installed, and you use normal guitar straps and no locks, then sooner or later, you're going to have the uncomfortable and possibly expensive experience of having your strap working its way off the strap buttons, and your treasured and expensive instrument crashing to the floor as you watch helplessly. This can happen at any time, and it's almost always when you're least expecting it, which means that you're not always going to catch it in time. It's a sickening feeling as you pick the instrument up off the floor. Did it get a big ding in it, or even worse, did something get broken? I've seen headstocks break simply because a guitar fell a few feet from the strap to the floor and landed the wrong way, and that's an expensive repair… and one that can easily be avoided.

LOTS OF AFFORDABLE OPTIONS

There are all sorts of clever ways that people have come up with to keep straps firmly attached to the instrument, and most are under $20. Let's take a look at some of them.

Want a really cheap option? If you drink Grolsch beer, then the rubber washers that come with the bottles can be used as a strap retainer washer. You'll need to remove the strap button and attachment screw from the instrument completely, and attach first the rubber washer from the Grolsch bottle, then the strap. Each needs to be put on from the "inside" of the button (the part that's closest to the body of the guitar), then just screw the button back on to the guitar with the washer and strap in place. You won't be able to remove the strap from the guitar without reversing this procedure, so it's best for guitars where you don't mind having the strap semi-permanently attached, but it does have the advantage of being practically "free" - again, if you happen to know of someone who drinks that particular brand of bottled beer. The washers can sometimes be found in bulk separately (without the beer) and inexpensively on Ebay, but if you're going to go that route, you might want to consider Fender's Strap Blocks. These are similar rubber washers, and a set of four (enough for two instruments) can be had for well under $5.

Other systems are designed to use replacement strap buttons and a locking device that you attach to a standard guitar strap. These systems lock the strap to the guitar, but can be easily removed in seconds for storage. I've been using Schaller Strap Locks (Fig. 1) for decades on several of my guitars and straps, and have never had any issues with them. They make it easy to disconnect the strap from the guitar, but hold it securely unless you intentionally disconnect it. They're available in gold, black, and nickel to match the hardware of your guitar, and starting at under $20 for a set, they're reasonably priced.

Figure 1: Schaller's popular Strap Locks work great, are inexpensive, and allow you to remove the strap quickly

I've also had a few guitars with the Jim Dunlop Dual-Design Straplok System (Fig 2) installed, and have had good results with them. They use a push button to unlock the strap from the strap button so you can disconnect it, and while they're not directly compatible with the Schaller system, they're conceptually similar and work equally well in my experience. They are also available in a variety of finishes.

Figure 2: Dunlop's Straploks are equally effective and affordable

Ernie Ball has a product called Super Locks. Again, these are available in black, nickel or gold. As with the Schaller and Dunlop locks, they use a proprietary design with a replacement strap button and locking mechanism that attaches to any standard guitar strap.

A somewhat different approach is taken with replacement strap buttons that are designed to more firmly anchor the strap. Some vintage Ibanez guitars came with V shaped strap buttons that hold a strap more securely than the typical round strap buttons do. For those who want something similar, there are the Planet Waves Elliptical End Pin strap buttons. They are wider than standard buttons, which requires the strap to be placed at a sideways angle for attachment and removal - a position the strap isn't likely to be in unless you're intentionally trying to take the strap off.

Jim Dunlop makes a couple of plastic strap locks that can be used with standard strap buttons and straps. The Dunlop 7007 and 7036 Lok Strap Systems (Fig 3) both fit around the strap button and over the strap, and a simple turn locks them in place, preventing the strap from coming off of the button. They're similar in concept to the Grolsch washers and Fender Strap Blocks, but with the advantage of being easily removable without having to unscrew the strap button from the guitar.

Figure 3: Requiring no modification of the instrument, Dunlop's Lok Strap systems are inexpensive and removable

Another approach is to build the lock into the strap itself. One such strap with a built-in locking mechanism is the Planet Waves Planet Lock guitar strap. (Fig. 4) As with the plastic Dunlop locks, they require absolutely zero modification to most guitars - if it uses standard strap buttons, this strap should work with it just fine.

Figure 4: Putting the lock into the strap as Planet Waves did is another approach that can work well with stock strap buttons

CHEAP INSURANCE

The important thing isn't which of the methods you decide to use, but that you do something to insure that your instrument remains firmly attached to its strap unless you intentionally disconnect it. A few dollars and a little time spent now can protect your valuable instrument from damage, and help you avoid expensive and time-consuming repairs. It's cheap insurance that every guitarist and bassist should invest in!

Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Associate Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.