Straplocks

[Woodinblack]

On 27/06/2022 at 16:51, chris_b said:

Our guitarist had the same thing happen (the strap lock came apart in the middle of a song) 3 gigs in a row. He was using Schallers!!

 

I suspect he put them on incorrectly thought,. I must admit I would be very puzzled why anyone would use a strap lock a second time if it failed, let alone a 3rd time!

 

I have had Schallers on many instruments and gigged them many times, never had them fail although they can loosen over time if you let them.

[stewblack]

These are the best I've ever used.

 

 

Harley Benton do their own version for those who want to save a quid.

 

 

The idea of replacing 50 odd pairs of strap buttons doesn't appeal to me. I have used the expensive clunky things other folk like, but never again.

[ped]

28 minutes ago, stewblack said:

These are the best I've ever used.

 

 

Harley Benton do their own version for those who want to save a quid.

 

 

The idea of replacing 50 odd pairs of strap buttons doesn't appeal to me. I have used the expensive clunky things other folk like, but never again.

Have you ever tried their cliplock straps? Really good but they only do guitar width at the moment. Similar idea to these clips. 

[chris_b]

6 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I suspect he put them on incorrectly thought,.

 

 

There are a lot of people who can't install strap locks then, and it seems to affect Schaller users the most!

[Sardonicus]

I used to swear by Schaller strap locks but now I use the rubber discs on all my basses and guitars.

[BigRedX]

31 minutes ago, chris_b said:

There are a lot of people who can't install strap locks then, and it seems to affect Schaller users the most!

 

I have to admit that the old Schaller design required the correct tools to be able to tighten them up properly - a pair of mole grips to hold the locking part of the mechanism in the correct orientation while using the correct fixed size spanner to turn the nut. Hoping to get everything tight enough by gripping the lock part in your hand and using an adjustable wrench on the nut would never result in a suitably secure fit. You did also need to enlarge the holes in the strap where the locks went or the strap material would exert extra outwards pressure on the nut making it difficult to do up tight enough. 

 

It's quite a bit of faff and IME most people don't bother, with the result that eventually (and normally at the worst possible moment) their strap locks come away from the strap. However if you have the correct tools and know what to do then your locks will stay attached to the strap without loosening forever - I have straps whose Schaller locks are still securely in place from when they were originally fitted 35+ years ago.

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

I have straps whose Schaller locks are still securely in place from when they were originally fitted 35+ years ago.

 

My oldest strap with schallers i about 25 years old, never had a problem. Wasn't aware there was that much of a skill to it, other than doing up a bolt.

 

But if I did have a failure in a system that wasn't my mistake for not doing it up and not attributable to a one off defect, I wouldn't use them again. If I had two failures, I wouldn't use it again full stop.

[stewblack]

9 hours ago, ped said:

Have you ever tried their cliplock straps? Really good but they only do guitar width at the moment. Similar idea to these clips. 

If they ever do a padded, non leather, 4"er then I'm in!

[tauzero]

11 hours ago, stewblack said:

The idea of replacing 50 odd pairs of strap buttons doesn't appeal to me. I have used the expensive clunky things other folk like, but never again.

 

Stop buying basses in batches of 50 then.

[stewblack]

9 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

Stop buying basses in batches of 50 then.

Hey that's a good idea.

[ped]

11 hours ago, stewblack said:

If they ever do a padded, non leather, 4"er then I'm in!

Actually I mean ‘auto lock’ not the clip lock. Might ask D’Addario if they will do them in burly bass guy size

[gjones]

I'd recommend buying bigger strap buttons and then you can fit your normal rubber thingies to them. I've got those big cumbersome strap locks on my Fenders (they came fitted) and they're a real pain, as you have to remove them when you put the bass back in the case.

[sky]

sad lack of love for the dimarzio cliplock here : (

[gafbass02]

My experience matches many others on here, but I’ll add it in case it’s useful to someone. 
schallers are the ones I’ve typically used most since the 90s, but I have had a few fail and fall apart. They also need tightening regularly and over time can stretch out the hole in the strap. 
Knock offs are a wild card. I also now own several left over half pairs that randomly fit/don’t fit and it would make an unexpected emergency strap swap situation tricky. 
Only recently have I tried the rubber washer thing, I’m not convinced tbh, but time will tell. 

[Bunion]

I’ve always used shallers, never had one fail, I am however sick of selling basses and losing my buttons because I forgot they were on there (yes I know you can buy them separately) 

After a period of entering the high end and then true vintage market I didn’t want to start modifying the basses so I’ve gone to the ‘bass chat’ washers and they work fine, particularly with the older wide top buttons. 

[nilebodgers]

Dunlops. I used to use Schaller, but the fixed screw in the new design makes them useless.

 

I tried the rubber washer idea briefly, but they would split.

[Woodinblack]

I used my first 'new' shallers the other day, and was surprised to see they had the built in screw thing. In the case of the guitar I was putting it on, a Gibson 'the paul', it worked ok, but I certainly couldn't have put it on any of my SRs as the screw is completely different.

I think it means that I will probably stick with the dunlops. They are much more of a pain to put on, but when they are on they feel better and you can use them without a straplock if necessary.

[tauzero]

Schaller seems to have improved one part while making the other part worse. The old locking bit had a single non-locking nut holding the lock bit to the strap. The new locking bit has a circular nut that can be tightened by threading an allen key through a hole drilled at a chord through the nut, and then secured by tightening a grub screw (possibly with the same allen key). So that's an improvement. The new buttons, as has been said a few times, have a fixed screw which reduces their flexibility. Boston do a truly compatible straplock which used to have two nuts on each lock, so the second nut would lock the first in place, but I think now has only one. I don't think any of the Challers/Chostons that I've bought have turned out to be compatible with the real thing.

[vsmith1]

I have used Schallers, and the later Schallers with the lock ring, but my nice Mono Strap  ended up pulling the Schaller strap through the keyhole in the end of the strap. It was difficult to "repair" as there was insufficient depth on the threads on the lock to add additional large diameter washer. 
I have switched to the Loxx strap locks, from a purely mechanical perspective the height of the pin and the lock on the strap are much less, so less leverage than Schallers. This was a good thing. The lock on the strap is nicely wide and the tool included allows tightening of the lock. This is also a good thing. Tightening the Schallers needed two tools (eg small spanner and hex socket). 

[BigRedX]

13 hours ago, tauzero said:

Schaller seems to have improved one part while making the other part worse. The old locking bit had a single non-locking nut holding the lock bit to the strap. The new locking bit has a circular nut that can be tightened by threading an allen key through a hole drilled at a chord through the nut, and then secured by tightening a grub screw (possibly with the same allen key). So that's an improvement. The new buttons, as has been said a few times, have a fixed screw which reduces their flexibility. Boston do a truly compatible straplock which used to have two nuts on each lock, so the second nut would lock the first in place, but I think now has only one. I don't think any of the Challers/Chostons that I've bought have turned out to be compatible with the real thing.

 

IMO both parts are less good than before, although they may have slightly reduced the possibility of user error resulting in catastrophic failure.

 

I personally don't think I have managed get the new nut system as tight with the allen key (before it snaps) as I could with a the right sized spanner on the old system. And the locking mechanism requires a jeweller's screwdriver to do up the grub screw. That means two less practical tools compared with one (and you still need a set of mole grips to hold the other part firmly in place while you do up the nut).

[three]

Having used both Schaller and Dunlop systems for years - both a bit fiddly to fit properly and to maintain (though not a massive deal!) - I moved away from using the strap-end part of the system.  I noticed that with age, I was starting to feel more aches and pains, and some fairly unpleasant discomfort in my back when wearing a bass, even for a fairly short period of time.  So began an extended period of experimentation with straps, positioning, bass ergonomics etc.  As part of this, I realised that the strap locks (both S and D) imply that the bass sits slightly differently than it might if just connected strap to pin (without the lock).  Indeed, I found that when wearing a bass fairly high, which is my preference, the upper bout of the instrument tends to swivel forward a little.  This led to me removing the strap-end component and just fitting the strap to the pin in the conventional way, and then securing with the rubber/silicone grommets noted in several posts above.  Whilst is wasn't a complete cure for the pain, it contributed positively to alleviation of the latter as it aided in holding the bass more more consistently and closely to my body, i.e., the swivel/tipping effect was eliminated.  I went on to fit Dunlop pins to most of my basses as these are wider and taller than the Schallers and the basses feel more secure with the grommets in place.  In short, I go for a hybrid form - Dunlop pins with silicone doughnuts.  Picture attached for the avoidance of confusion re: pin style (I imagine Dunlop offer several). 

[martthebass]

Schallers on 3 of my basses (Status, MM and G&L) and Grolsch tops on the 2 Mustangs.  I just have one strap equipped with Schaller and swap it to whichever bass I'm using.  On the Mustangs I just leave the straps permanently attached to avoid fiddling about.  In terms of Schaller pins I've used both OEM and 3rd party and not really found a difference - just need to be careful which screws you use - I generally use the ones that came with the bass rather than the pins to make sure things are secure enough.

[Baloney Balderdash]

I use these Harley Benton rubber washer strap locks :

 

Simple, cheap and effective.

 

 

[pete.young]

You don't need to install Schaller strap locks on the strap. Just put the strap on the button , then click the lock in place on top of it.

[Baloney Balderdash]

3 hours ago, three said:

Having used both Schaller and Dunlop systems for years - both a bit fiddly to fit properly and to maintain (though not a massive deal!) - I moved away from using the strap-end part of the system.  I noticed that with age, I was starting to feel more aches and pains, and some fairly unpleasant discomfort in my back when wearing a bass, even for a fairly short period of time.  So began an extended period of experimentation with straps, positioning, bass ergonomics etc.  As part of this, I realised that the strap locks (both S and D) imply that the bass sits slightly differently than it might if just connected strap to pin (without the lock).  Indeed, I found that when wearing a bass fairly high, which is my preference, the upper bout of the instrument tends to swivel forward a little.  This led to me removing the strap-end component and just fitting the strap to the pin in the conventional way, and then securing with the rubber/silicone grommets noted in several posts above.  Whilst is wasn't a complete cure for the pain, it contributed positively to alleviation of the latter as it aided in holding the bass more more consistently and closely to my body, i.e., the swivel/tipping effect was eliminated.  I went on to fit Dunlop pins to most of my basses as these are wider and taller than the Schallers and the basses feel more secure with the grommets in place.  In short, I go for a hybrid form - Dunlop pins with silicone doughnuts.  Picture attached for the avoidance of confusion re: pin style (I imagine Dunlop offer several). 

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash