Straplocks

hey guys

just briefly, was playing my gibson les paul the other day when my straplock flew out of the hole and left a pretty big one in the space.

i had a schaller straplock in it, and then went to try a dunlop straplock but neither screw would go in.

i posted this over in the effects forum as thats where i tend to post but thought id post it in here aswell.

the guys over there recommened using matchsticks for it, but i could use glue. they said not to use glue. but i will never sell my guitar and i will always need the straplocks in it.

is there any specific glue i need ?? for the paint and the wood ??

Thanks

The guys in effects are nuts. Gluing matchsricks in place is perfectly acceptable. A more permanent fix is to get some hardwood dowel to glue in place. Cut it to length and then glue. Redrill and you're good. It's under the strap button, so I can't see how it could have a negative effect on resale value. If you really want to make sure you never have this problem again, get some 6/32 screws and some 6/32 threaded inserts. You can get the inserts made from stainless steel that thread in with an allen wrench @ Ace Hardware. These are the ones I prefer. Drill the holes out to 1/4" and put the threaded inserts in with a touch of ca glue on the outside. With a bit of blue loctite on the threads of the screws, you'll never have a problem with strap buttons coming loose ever again. This too is under the strap button and won't show.

Glue is not necessary.

I remember learning here on DIY about the toothpick trick. Those usually are made of pretty hard wood. I repaired a few screw holes using toothpick pieces. But I never thought of using inserts. Sheesh! And I just bought some last week to use on the neck of one guitar. It didn't even dawn on me to go a little bigger/sturdy with the strap pins. I use strap locks, but I don't like how far away from the body most of them hold the strap. To me, that's just putting more stress on the entire thing.

/rethinking

The originally problem occured because the strap lock screws werent the same length or thread as the original strap button screws.

I agree just using some tooth picks and wood glue or even some steel wool and wood glue work fine. Its not like you're gluing the screws in perminantly. Wood glue doesnt stick to screws very well.

Getting some longer screws at the hardware store works well too. I often use those brown drywall screws for strap buttons because they have deeper threads and will grip the wood well, they also fit inside most strap buttons.

They arent shiny but the strap lock will cover them anyway.

any reason you wouldnt use glue ??

I've done at least literally a hundred (okay, maybe dozens and dozens, but it seems like 100) straplock installs on guitars back when I worked at the music store. I started out using matchsticks and elmers wood glue, but eventually found that the hardwood toothpicks seemed to do a better job. This might be overkill, but I'm OCD about things being done right the first time. I would take a piece of sandpaper and rough the toothpicks up. This caused better adhesion of the glue to the sticks. I was also very OCD about making sure that the toothpicks didn't stick up out of the screw hole, so I would cut them to the right size and push them down in the hole.

The threaded insert is really the way to go if you are a perfectionist. But I've never seen the toothpick/matchstick route fail either.

It's just not necessary and you don't have to wait for the glue to dry. The only real benefit you get using glue is that the toothpick doesn't fall out before you get the screw in.

If you still have the Gibson screw you can make that work with the Schaller buttons if you file down the edge of the screw head. Chuck the threaded end of the screw into the drill and buzz down the edge of the head on a file. You'll probably still need to use the toothpick but the Gibson screw is a bit longer (at least on the guitars I've had) than the screws that were included with the locks and should get a hold on a few of the original threads.

used the toothpick trick on my pantry door the other day thanks, HC!

also, i use schallers were you doing guitar swings or something?

I'm a faithful user since 1978 of the Bandstand Straplock

http://www.bandstandinc.com/straplock.html

Look at my avatar pic, and you'll see one hanging off my '78 Les Paul.

used the toothpick trick on my pantry door the other day thanks, HC! also, i use schallers were you doing guitar swings or something?

Innnteresting. I haven't seen one of those in years! I completely forgot about those. Not seeing them, I would have thought they no longer were made. Looking at the pictures (albeit crappy ones), that wouldn't be too difficult to make. If major online retailers carried them at a decent price, that would make a difference, but I have plenty of leather scraps around and can always pick up more if needed. The down side to using one of those is that you can't quickly disconnect it if you are used to popping the cap of other straplocks instead of pulling the guitar strap over your head.

I only use one straplock on each guitar, on the upper bout. When I take off my guitar, I just release the other end of the strap, at the endpin. I don't recall that end of the strap ever having accidentally come off.

I haven't seen them at a retail store in years, which I think is a shame. Nowadays, I buy them directly from Bandstand.

And just what do you do with those leather straps, hmmm?

And just what do you do with those leather straps, hmmm?

Oh, you know, the average Saturday night. Chips, dips, chains and whips. Or was that from a movie I watched while drunk or stoned?

I once did leatherwork. I did custom leather tooling on western belts, wallets, and such. You never know when having scraps of leather will come in handy. This would potentially be one of those times, but I decided to stick with more simple measures, such as sticking with my cheapie straplocks for guitars that I like to switch straps around, and for others that the straps will stay on, I'll just cut a little piece of leather to put over the strap end, or sew the slot closed.

Okay, I just got another idea. This could be something I can make a few bucks on.