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Straplocks


Burns-bass

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16 minutes ago, No lust in Jazz said:

Personally, having lost a couple I don't like the fine threaded nut that secures the strap on the Schaller offering, 

Ditto.  Mrs B bought me a lovely padded leather strap at Christmas, but the threaded part wasn’t long enough to allow the nut to fit, even when I used a thinner washer than that provided.

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2 hours ago, Baxlin said:

Ditto.  Mrs B bought me a lovely padded leather strap at Christmas, but the threaded part wasn’t long enough to allow the nut to fit, even when I used a thinner washer than that provided.

I have had that. I am glad they have improved that in their new offering (and the screw coming apart thing). That gets rid of the main problems with schallers. 

Probably is when you have 10+ basses, the decision to switch from one to the other is a bit tricky! Thats why I have both, and ones that don't have either.

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Ive spent a few bob on Schaller locks over the years. But now I use the washers from Grolsch beer bottles. You can get a bag on e bay for about a fiver and as long as the original strap buttons are secure, they do a a fine job.

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I use the Dunlop flush mounts. Downside is if I ever forget a strap I'd have to play sitting down. (I keep a spare in my accessories bag, and I've never fogotten the main strap strap anyway). Upside is they're almost not there when you're practicing sitting down, and you don't have to worry about the end pin getting impacted in a gig bag.

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I've been a Dunlop user since 1989 when I dropped my first bass. I've installed a set on nearly every bass since. (150+) 

To me the Dunlops are better for several reasons; they use a larger screw then the factory bass screw, Schaller uses a smaller screw so right off the bat you have to plug the hole for a smaller screw to work.

On the Dunlop the 'E' lock clip goes on the inboard side of the strap. The Schaller uses a threaded nut on the outboard side, and it likes to unscrew itself!

The Dunlop dual design strap buttons also work as regular strap buttons should you lose your strap or have to borrow one without locks. Can't do that with Schaller.

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4 minutes ago, mikeswals said:

The Dunlop dual design strap buttons also work as regular strap buttons should you lose your strap or have to borrow one without locks. Can't do that with Schaller.

I have no problem using the Schallers as regular strap buttons.

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When I was last playing live I used Schallers and never had any problems. From an engineering point of view I like the fact that even if the locking mechanism was flaky the weight of the bass is still held by solid metal. If it failed you could stick a cable tie round the U and that would hold securely.

 I am intrigued by the new ones as they fix the problem with the thread being too short for some straps and the nut unscrewing itself (I think I added loctite and really cranked it tight on mine).

I wouldn’t try using the locking buttons with a normal strap except in an emergency, there isn’t enough of a lip to be secure.

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On 04/03/2020 at 23:25, Frank Blank said:

I’ve got to ACG basses, one with Dunlops and one with Schaller S-Locks. The Schallers are really nicely made and I feel confident with the bass on the strap, the Dunlops are not as sturdy and I find them more fiddly to use. No doubt it’s a matter of personal taste but imho the Schallers are superior in every way.

MyMMV coz I’m exactly the opposite! Lol. Horses for courses! Dunlop’s all the way!

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The fact boutique builders use both shows there’s nothing in it. 
 

The Dunlop flush mount were notoriously unreliable on Warwicks back in the day (I had to find a chair mid song) but have since improved. 
 

I was Schallers all the way then got a Roscoe with Dunlop pins, and all basses are Dunlop now. Both systems are easy to use and neither has let me down. Marginal win for Dunlop on the aesthetic. 
 


 

 

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On 05/03/2020 at 08:43, Woodinblack said:

I used to like the schallers, but had a few that unscrewed themselves. Apparently they have fixed that problem now, or mitigated it somewhat, so worth trying out.

The advantage the dunlops have is that if you end up with the wrong strap, you can still use a normal strap on a dunlop where you can't with a schaller.

That was what put me off Schallers when I was first looking at strap locks. Everyone I knew who had them on their straps regularly hadn’t realised that the cup had rotated so that the mouth of the U was pointing down. It looks like the  newer design is a bit better designed in this respect.
 

So been using Dunlop’s for 20 years now with No problems and, unlike others, I find them very secure, easy to use and maintenance free. All comes down to personal taste, I guess. The one thing to remember with installing them is to drill your guide hole before screwing in the screw otherwise there’s a risk of reaming out the cross head. The screws are longer than your average strap button screw and aren’t tapered self tapping.

Edited by TrevorR
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Be careful about the strap lock attachment that fits to the strap. I had Schaller ones on a Fender Jazz, but the nut came undone on the strap and the bass crashed to the floor! Check them regularly or perhaps put a touch of superglue on the thread to keep the nit in place. 
Alternatively the “rubber rings” originally for Grosch bottles but now sold for holding straps on - look on eBay.

Edited by Grahambythesea
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