How Do I Make Room on My Guitar For Strap Block?

G

gvdv

Member
Hi,
I am wondering how I would go about making a bigger space between my strap lug and the body of the guitar in order to let me put on a Grolsch rubber washer, or a metal washer for use as a strap block.

I am asking this because, while this works on one of my electrics, there is not quite enough room on another guitar to get the washer fully over the strap lug; and the strap itself is not exactly thick.

Could I simply get a longer screw of the same type that is currently in the strap lug?

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
Last edited:
Different strap button. Or longer screw and washer to make your existing strap button stick out more.
 
RFR said:
Different strap button. Or longer screw and washer to make your existing strap button stick out more.
Click to expand...

Hi RFR,
Thanks for the extremely quick response.

Good to know that I am on the right track with thinking about a longer screw.
 
Hi,
I thought that I would post a summary of my experience with this.

Today I bought the D'Addario Planet Waves Dual-Strap Lock, and I am quite impressed by it.

However, on my Casino there is so little room between the strap and strap button/lug that once I had struggled to get the Dual-Strap Lock on, and I was testing it by pulling on the strap as hard as I could, I did eventually manage to get the Dual-Strap Lock to fly off (it was not easy to do that, though).

A strap lug with more depth is definitely needed for this guitar.

While I was at the guitar store, I successfully managed to avoid buying anything really expensive and/or unnecessary, and I also found and bought one of the Lok-It straps, which I had forgotten about.

As you can see if you play the video in the link below, the Lok-It strap has a strap block kind of arrangement built in to the parts of the strap that go over the guitar strap buttons/lugs.

I have to say that I am rather impressed, but we will see how long these last.

Lock-It Guitar Straps

So, to summarize my experience, I will in future:
1. Make the Grolsch rubber washers the first choice as strap-blocks on guitars on which they fit properly, as the cheapest and one of the most secure ways of preventing guitar straps coming off while playing guitar.

2. Try to find new strap lugs/buttons with extra depth/length to fit to a guitar onto which I cannot comfortably fit a washer.

3. Consider the Lok-It straps as the next - relatively expensive - choice

4.. Also consider the D'Addario Planet Waves Dual-Strap Lock as my fourth choice (again, like the Grolsch rubber washers, making sure that the Dual-Strap Locks can comfortably fit on the specific guitar on which I want to use them. If not, go to choice 3., above).
 
I don't understand why real straplocks wouldn't be the BEST choice, rather than 'workarounds' that aren't 100% reliable.
 
gvdv said:
Consider the Lok-It straps as the next - relatively expensive - choice
Click to expand...

Yeah...real expensive considering that you have to replace your entire strap...which may be OK if you have 1-2 guitars, or you are one of those weird people that uses one strap and moves it from guitar to guitar... :D ....but if you have a lot of guitars with existing straps, this is a pretty pricey solution.

I use these....real easy, real cheap and they work. I bought a container of 3 dozen, and put them on all my guitars. There were a couple that had a tight fit due to the narrow space between the button and body, but I managed to make them all go on. Most fit real easy....and no drilling or swapping out your existing buttons, and they work with your existing straps.

LOK STRAP - STRAP RETAINER SYSTEM - Round

...or they have this other design.

LOK STRAP -STRAP RETAINER SYSTEM - Triangle
 
miroslav said:
Yeah...real expensive considering that you have to replace your entire strap...which may be OK if you have 1-2 guitars, or you are one of those weird people that uses one strap and moves it from guitar to guitar... :D ....but if you have a lot of guitars with existing straps, this is a pretty pricey solution.

I use these....real easy, real cheap and they work. I bought a container of 3 dozen, and put them on all my guitars. There were a couple that had a tight fit due to the narrow space between the button and body, but I managed to make them all go on. Most fit real easy....and no drilling or swapping out your existing buttons, and they work with your existing straps.

LOK STRAP - STRAP RETAINER SYSTEM - Round

...or they have this other design.

LOK STRAP -STRAP RETAINER SYSTEM - Triangle
Click to expand...

Hi miroslav,
Thanks for this.

I should have said that I considered the Dunlop strap blocks, but I read that someone had a bad experience of those, so I disregarded them.

Maybe I should buy some as a test.

And yes, I was one of those weird people who (sometimes) moves my straps around :rolleyes: , particularly if I was using one guitar for a period of time.

But maybe having now acquired several different 'tools' for this purpose, I have enough to put on all my guitars, and I know which work for which guitars.

Thanks again for your post.
 
I have a bunch of guitars but only a few straps. I'm a strap switcher. I use dunlap straplocks on almost everything.
 
RFR said:
I have a bunch of guitars but only a few straps. I'm a strap switcher. I use dunlap straplocks on almost everything.
Click to expand...

I had a feeling you were one of those weirdos. :D ;)

Way back, when I only had a couple guitars and I didn't bother with the strap locks...I use to take some nylon twine, and literally tied the leather strap end to the strap button. It wasn't ugly or obvious as it may sound, and it worked great...but you weren't going to take off that strap quick-n-easy.
My original Hagstrom Swede that I bought in '75...still has the original strap, and it's still tied down with the nylon twine I put on about 40 years ago. :p

When my guitar stable started to grow rapidly, I was looking for good, comfortable straps, and I found the Planet Waves tubular woven straps. I tried one, and loved it, and then I saw they had a huge line with a variety of woven designs, and not priced stupid high like some straps...so I initially bought maybe 20 of them...and as more guitars showed up, I added more of the same type of straps.
Having sold a few guitars recently to thin out the pile...I know have a few of the PW straps for spares (or if a new guitar shows up at my doorstep).

So it was the same with the Dunlop plastic locks. I've never had a guitar fall because a strap slipped off...but I did see one that was close to it, and that made me look for a strap solution...and I knew I wasn't going to bother with new, lockable strap buttons...so I looked around and found the Dunlop locks, which were real cheap, and provided a simply solution.
 
miroslav said:
I had a feeling you were one of those weirdos. :D ;)
.
Click to expand...
Yup. :D
I won't say how many guitars I have, but.....

I only have 3 straps. Vintage too! 2 wide leather. One Tan, one black, perfectly broken in. Real soft leather.
One strap I got in the early 80s, is some kind of stretch memory foam covered in fabric.
You can move the neck around.
By the end of a gig it has the guitar hanging a bit lower, but next time around it goes right back. It's my go to gigging strap. And in all these years it hasn't stretched out. Unlike the elastic band in underwear lol :D
Its a wonderfully comfortable guitar strap.

With the leather ones, they are like jeans. Just not comfortable until broken in.

For a strap, comfort is everything.

And yeah, I'm a dunlap straplock whore.
One beauty is that if you forget a strap you can still use a 'normal' borrowed one in an emergency.

:D
 
I'b got Dunlops straplocks on my electric guitars and bass - definitely preferred over the Schaller on my Taylor (that's the kind the shop had in stock). And yes, I have a separate strap for each guitar.
 
I like to think that my Strap-Switching Behaviour (SSB?) is born out of practicality, but maybe I am just trying to justify it :laughings:

Although I do not (yet!) have a huge number of guitars, I have had more guitars than straps for quite a few years.

At any given time, I keep a few guitars in their cases, and have a few out. I do not like to just have straps sitting unused in the guitar cases, so I put the two or three I have onto whichever guitars I choose to have on my guitar stand at any given point in time.

I have to say, too, that I have had the experience of straps coming off quite a bit over the years, and I am not gigging, and do not jump or move around much when I rehearse/practice.

Hence the need for strap blocks.

Put that together with the fact that I am a bit of a klutz, and I feel much more secure with some form of blocks on my guitars.

RFR and miroslav, do the Dunlop plastic blocks simply fit over the strap lug, in the 'normal' kind of way? I am asking because I got the idea somewhere that one had to use two together, i.e., either side of the strap.
 
gvdv said:
RFR and miroslav, do the Dunlop plastic blocks simply fit over the strap lug, in the 'normal' kind of way? I am asking because I got the idea somewhere that one had to use two together, i.e., either side of the strap.
Click to expand...

You put it over the button and turn it (it's actually two pieces)...when you do that the hole in the lock "shrinks"...which is what keeps it on and provides the strap locking action.
Pretty simple and very cool.

Buy a couple...they are cheap. If you don't like them, it's not a big loss.
The beauty is NO re-drilling and/or swapping out your existing buttons or buying new straps....and it takes about 15 seconds to put these on the two strap buttons....same if you want to remove the strap.
 
gvdv said:
RFR and miroslav, do the Dunlop plastic blocks simply fit over the strap lug, in the 'normal' kind of way? I am asking because I got the idea somewhere that one had to use two together, i.e., either side of the strap.
Click to expand...

I don't use those plastic things, i know some like them but they're not for me.
I only use the metal strap lock assembly. One part replaces your strap button and the other part goes onto your strap.

Oh, btw, I think those who have a dedicated strap for each guitar are.....

A) like girls who have to have shoes for every outfit.
Or
B) people with more money than sense.
Or
C) suffering from guitar strap fetish addiction.
Or
D) insincere unless they also have a dedicated guitar cable for each and every guitar they own.
:D :D :D


(My apologies to any actual girls here on this forum)

:D
 
I use genuine Schaller strap locks on all of my guitars, except one that has Dunlop push buttons... and wouldn't buy a new guitar without first buying a pair of Schaller's to put on it first. Strap locks are the one and only thing I'd never skimp on.
 
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