The ballad of a cheap strap (or: Straplocks, people!)

[drewsblues]

So, it's closing time at the homestead last night. I've got my blue-skinned beauty, and a glass of water in each hand; heading for the stairs to put the blue girl to bed, then jump in the sack with the missus. I get two steps away from the carpet and the back of the strap just lets go... Tele meets hardwood, with a bone-chilling crack-and-clatter.

Now, in addition to a chunk out of the floor in our entryway, I've got this:





*Sigh*

It's just a thing. A possession. At least it didn't drop on the cat. Or my foot. The ding in the floor's not that noticeable. But...

WAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

That kind of damage is totally fixable, right? RIGHT???

[casterway]

Tsk, tsk. This could have been prevented for $15. My buddy has a bunch of nice guitars, including an SG standard, with a cheap crappy strap on it. Last summer, during a gig, in the middle of a song, the strap pops off of the strap pin, and he had to wrestle with it to get it back together without dropping it. Not long ago, he had it strapped on and was leaning forward with it to write something down, and the strap came off again, causing said SG to fall flat, facedown, hard on the floor. How it survived without breaking anything is beyond me. Still hasn't put straplocks on it.

[drewsblues]

Needless to say, I'll be putting straplocks on all my guitars from now on.

Let this be a lesson to all you lazy wippersnappers out there! Learn from my misfortune!

--
The Guy Who Learns The Hard Way

[Jeff_K]

Sorry for your loss! You know of course that all the relic guys are thinking: Hey, that's a good start.

[The OB]

Originally Posted by Jeff_K

Sorry for your loss! You know of course that all the relic guys are thinking: Hey, that's a good start.

yeah not that im a relic guy but i think if u popped off that lifted paint it would look like what these people try to achieve artificialy

[neocaster]

Two bottles of Grolsch beer and you're all set. Pop the washers that seal the lids off, put them over your strap pins, and you're there. All you need now is somebody who likes Grolsch.

[Teleagain]

sorry to see the ding on your Tele, it helped spur me into action.

the strap came off the body/neck button on my SG the other day but I managed to catch it.

I went out and got some strap lock buttons for it. I already had strap locks on my MIA Tele, I had them but hadn't put them on the Black Dove.

I'd think the real strap locks are a bit better than the Grolsch gaskets...but better than nothing.

[Ricky D.]

How many of us never, ever take our hand off the neck? I started using strap locks 10 years ago, and I haven't broken the habit.

[jrich99]

Similar thing happened to me on my Squier standard strat a while back. The bridge, which is a two point, got so screwed up I had to go get it professionally repaired. It turned out to be a blessing, though, because I also got it set up, and it is now the nicest playing guitar I own. I still don't have straplocks, though, I am just always prepared for this to happen and I super-glue in my strap button screws.

[Tonealicious]

2 Glasses of water and a guitar and stairs?
Sorry for your loss Drew, but.....
I shall say no more.

[drewsblues]

Originally Posted by Tonealicious

2 Glasses of water and a guitar and stairs?
Sorry for your loss Drew, but.....
I shall say no more.

Hey... I never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Lazy-man's load, as they say...

[otaypanky]

Originally Posted by drewsblues

Needless to say, I'll be putting straplocks on all my guitars from now on.

Let this be a lesson to all you lazy wippersnappers out there! Learn from my misfortune!

--
The Guy Who Learns The Hard Way

Ouch ! Something similar happened to me last summer. I leaned down to adjust the amp and it popped off, hit the deck, and took a thumbnail size piece out of the finish, but no damage to the wood underneath. It bugged me all the way home. The next day I drove back to where we were playing, thinking I might find the missing piece. The restaurant people had set tables and chairs where the stage area had been. And the playing had continued for about 1 1/2 hours after my boo boo. But sure enough, there I found it laying under the table. A little wood glue and it looks good, with just a tiny speck showing.
Although I wasn't using them that day, strap locks are no guarantee. They come loose and sometimes the spring loaded pin can come apart too. The only safe way to wear a guitar is to always have one hand on it.

[mngsp]

I always put straplocks on my guitars as soon as I get them.

[guitarzan13]

Sorry to hear. Straplocks go on my guitars as soon as they become mine. Cheap or expensive guitars.

[F6_FullMelt]

Originally Posted by neocaster

Two bottles of Grolsch beer and you're all set. Pop the washers that seal the lids off, put them over your strap pins, and you're there. All you need now is somebody who likes Grolsch.

+ 1

works for me

[Stuco]

Sorry about your guitar, I'd just pull the lose paint off and learn to love it!

Public service announcement:

I've said this a million times and I'll say it again. YOU DON'T NEED STRAPLOCKS!

Straplocks are expensive, ugly, they tend to cause stripping of the screw holes and they limit the straps you can use. All you need is a set of oversized strap buttons. They look good and I've never had a guitar come close to falling off with them.

http://www.mojotone.com/Guitar-Parts...sized-Nickel-2

[drewsblues]

So I contacted my local luthier and sent them photos. They've told me they can't fix it, due to the poly finish. Best they can do is seal it and prevent further damage.

They said that the only real "repair" option would be to strip the body and repaint it. Otherwise, I could do some kind of patch, but -- to quote Bonasera -- "Now she will never be beautiful."

They recommended I go to a guy up the road a ways (a guy named Bernie Hefner) who does this kind of work. I've read good and bad about his work, though. I'm kind of dubious.

Anyway, does anyone have any advice about doing a repair? The wood's fine. It's just the paint that has cracked (all the way to the wood).

Advice is appreciated. I fear, however, that I am hosed...

[Badabing]

NICE!!! try dropping the other side and then rough up the headstock and you just increased the value by hundreds of dollars!!! Very cool looking personality to the guitar. Now you dont have to worry about every little nick that happens with it.
Enjoy it bro!! I think it looks cool!!

[chesire]

This is inspired me to spring for strap locks. I've always used one of the black plastic locking covers on the rear button, not noticeable there, but I've trusted to fate so far on the front. $15 is worth it.

[ChadBrooks]

Originally Posted by neocaster

Two bottles of Grolsch beer and you're all set. Pop the washers that seal the lids off, put them over your strap pins, and you're there. All you need now is somebody who likes Grolsch.

I have used almost every straplock out there, and this is my favorite. They are almost impossible to take off with the larger vintage style buttons on most fenders now. They don't squeak like the ones that came with my American Standard strat. I had a pair of those on a guitar once that got it's strapped tangled around something and they took out the entire strap button. That was a little to much protection.

Plus, coupled with an old style "hootenany" strap, they look really cool.

[Tim Armstrong]

I've been using the Grolsch-style bottle washers for quite a while as well. You can get a whole bunch of them for cheap from just about any beer homebrewing supply store (I got mine online)...

Tim

[tap4154]

I always keep one hand, and often two, on my guitars if I'm walking with them while wearing a strap (so nothing bumps into a wall or cabinet), and use a good leather strap too.

I also size my pics to 72 DPI and 5x7 or 8x10 before posting them online... ;o)

Sorry about the ding though.

[neocaster]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I've been using the Grolsch-style bottle washers for quite a while as well. You can get a whole bunch of them for cheap from just about any beer homebrewing supply store (I got mine online)...

Tim

You can take the man out of the brewery, but...