Problem with Schaller straplocks

[Guest]

I use the Marvel type.  Not the most svelte, but very robust.  My oldest pair must be over 2 decades old, no dramas in that time.

[pete.young]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

But you have had to regularly check that the nut isn't coming loose. 

You don't have to screw the straplock onto the strap. Put the strap on the button and then clip the straplock over the top.

[pete.young]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

 

Apologies for double post. I can't seem to delete it.

Edited October 28, 2021 by pete.young

[tauzero]

2 hours ago, Supernaut said:

But you have had to regularly check that the nut isn't coming loose. 

 

No I haven't. If the bit on the strap turned a bit when I put it on, I knew the nut was a little loose so tightened it with my fingers, then tightened it up properly when I got home. It wasn't a regular maintenance job.

[Sparky Mark]

My newish Rickenbacker 4003S have the one piece Schaller strap lock buttons and they were loose when I received the basses. Much prefer the old screw/button version. Everything can be made just a bit cheaper..... and just a bit worse.

[nilebodgers]

When I started buying basses again after a long layoff I looked again at straplocks. My old Yam bass had schallers, but I had used extra long screws and threadlock compound on the strap fittings to stop them coming loose. This was ok and secure, if a bit squeaky.

 

When I saw the new buttons had a captive screw I didn’t even try them, I knew that would be a problem so went straight to Dunlops.

[Woodinblack]

I have been using Schaller strap locks for many decades and dunlops for about 8 years, haven't had either type fail, although the guitarist in my band had his schaller fail in a rather disasterous way (guitar hit the deck, fretboard split off!).

I trust both of them. However, now it means I have basses with one, and basses with the other, and straps with one and the other (and straps with neither), which is a bit of a pain.

 

I think overall I prefer the dunlops in that they still work with an ordinary strap (I know shallers can if you have a new enough strap), but I have some spare shallers to put on something, the new ones with the grub screw (which fixes the only problem they really had).

[pete.young]

3 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I think overall I prefer the dunlops in that they still work with an ordinary strap (I know shallers can if you have a new enough strap)

As I said before, put the strap on the pin and then clip the straplock over the top, don't attach it to the strap. This way you can use a schaller with any strap, however new or otherwise.

[Stub Mandrel]

If the screw comes loos on the old style, the button will tend to slip if the strap causes rotation.

 

With the new screw button any rotation will tend to unscrew it.

[BigRedX]

On 27/10/2021 at 20:18, yorks5stringer said:

I had some Warwick straplocks which have a central plunger that locks. However they were on a preloved bass and I nearly lost it as it had not locked  properly. A little silicon grease on the plunger sorted it.

 

Moral of the story: 'Always grease your plunger'.

 

Except when you buy a guitar with this type of strap lock fitted there is no mention of this required maintenance, and it isn't until the lock fails permanently that you tend to find out.

[BigRedX]

On 28/10/2021 at 21:26, Supernaut said:

But you have had to regularly check that the nut isn't coming loose. 

 

You only have to do this if you haven't fitted them properly in the first place. 

[Dankology]

On 28/10/2021 at 23:04, pete.young said:

You don't have to screw the straplock onto the strap. Put the strap on the button and then clip the straplock over the top.

 

Genius. Why have I never thought of this before? All that time spent messing around stretching eyelets around straplocks, not to mention the chaos of needing a quick swap and discovering a strap/button incompatibility.

[chris_b]

19 minutes ago, Dankology said:

 

. . . . not to mention the chaos of needing a quick swap and discovering a strap/button incompatibility.

 

Why would you have more than one strap lock system?

 

All my basses get standardized to Dunlops as soon as they arrive.

[Sparky Mark]

23 hours ago, pete.young said:

As I said before, put the strap on the pin and then clip the straplock over the top, don't attach it to the strap. This way you can use a schaller with any strap, however new or otherwise.

Unfortunately, the leather on one of my straps is too thick for this method. I've come to prefer Grolsch rubber washers nowadays. 

[yorks5stringer]

10 minutes ago, Sparky Mark said:

Unfortunately, the leather on one of my straps is too thick for this method. I've come to prefer Grolsch rubber washers nowadays. 

Basschat rubber washers work well too.....

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

 

Why would you have more than one strap lock system?

 

All my basses get standardized to Dunlops as soon as they arrive.

 

This used to be rationale for fitting the Schaller versions to all my instruments that required a strap. However I have come to realise that every instrument requires a different length of strap due to either its design or the way that I play it, and therefore having interchangeable straps is (for me) a last ditch backup measure. The only two instrument I have where I could use the same strap for both are the two Gus G3 5-string basses since they are identical in design and they are always used as my main and backup bass for the same band. 

[Dankology]

3 hours ago, chris_b said:

 

Why would you have more than one strap lock system?

 

All my basses get standardized to Dunlops as soon as they arrive.

 

You are presuming a degree of common sense that may not be justified here. I can't quite remember the sequence of events but I suspect my LP came with Dunlop buttons and my Ric with Schallers, which I then adopted for my Fender basses (or did they just arrive with compatible buttons?) plus there are the various instruments that have neither - and enjoy various bottle washers and cheap plastic locks.

 

One day I'll get them all the same. Or maybe not, now that I've learned this wonderful life hack.

 

 

[Cairobill]

I've used Schallers since the 90s. Never had any problem (heavy touring/ jumping around etc). My brother bought a new pair of the S locks and the 1-piece pin/button thing made them useless. 

Anyone tried and tested a '3rd party' manufacturer of the original design that is of good enough quality? I'm in need of a few pairs of the old version

 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Cairobill

[Stub Mandrel]

14 minutes ago, Cairobill said:

I've used Schallers since the 90s. Never had any problem (heavy touring/ jumping around etc). My brother bought a new pair of the S locks and the 1-piece pin/button thing made them useless. 

Anyone tried and tested a '3rd party' manufacturer of the original design that is of good enough quality? I'm in need of a few pairs of the old version

 

 

I bought some no-name ones from Amazon or eBay... they seem to be really good. But I only use them on basses whose original buttons are too small. I have a strap for each bass/guitar.

[chris_b]

30 minutes ago, Cairobill said:

Anyone tried and tested a '3rd party' manufacturer of the original design that is of good enough quality?

 

 

Yes. All Parts strap locks are made under licence from Dunlop at half the price. They don't fail either. 

[binky_bass]

I have maybe 10 straps I use on and off depending of how I feel, the bass I'm playing and if I'm seated or not. All basses have Dunlop locking pins on them and all straps have Dunlop strap locks, so any bass can be used with any strap. Surely problem solved?? 

[Cairobill]

13 minutes ago, chris_b said:

 

Yes. All Parts strap locks are made under licence from Dunlop at half the price. They don't fail either. 

Do you mean Schaller? I've seen some of the Schaller clones on all parts but none in stock over here. Might try some no names off Ebay!

I'm definitely a Schaller man. If my straplocks don't squeak like a mouse something's wrong!

Edited November 3, 2021 by Cairobill

[Cairobill]

8 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

I have maybe 10 straps I use on and off depending of how I feel, the bass I'm playing and if I'm seated or not. All basses have Dunlop locking pins on them and all straps have Dunlop strap locks, so any bass can be used with any strap. Surely problem solved?? 

Yes - I've always used the same approach but with Schallers. 3 good straps of differing lengths with Schaller clips and Schaller buttons on all my basses. I even drilled my 1978 Rickenbacker to take the Schallers....bwa ha ha ha

[Sparky Mark]

4 hours ago, Cairobill said:

Do you mean Schaller? I've seen some of the Schaller clones on all parts but none in stock over here. Might try some no names off Ebay!

I'm definitely a Schaller man. If my straplocks don't squeak like a mouse something's wrong!

I've just ordered black Dunlop buttons from Allparts for half the price of anywhere else. Hopefully they'll be compatible wth my black Dunlop strap part.

[tauzero]

On 03/11/2021 at 16:07, Cairobill said:

I've used Schallers since the 90s. Never had any problem (heavy touring/ jumping around etc). My brother bought a new pair of the S locks and the 1-piece pin/button thing made them useless. 

Anyone tried and tested a '3rd party' manufacturer of the original design that is of good enough quality? I'm in need of a few pairs of the old version

 

 

Yes, see page 1. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boston-Guitar-Strap-Locks-Chrome/dp/B0013NDUP0/ (also available in gold from Amazon) or https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boston-Straplock-system-Black/264998676193 for black ones. Also https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264970357764 

 

 

The ones with two nuts on the strap bit are better than the ones with one nut. Boston have proved compatible with Schaller but not all Schaller clones are.