• Ernie Ball
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Which Strap Locks fit stock MM buttons?

A great bass player (Phil Chen) told me he uses bass guitar string retainers(they look like strap buttons with a gland problem and are found on the bass headstock) He installs the string retainers, then uses the rubber washer from a bottle of Grolsh beer over that, and it has never let loose on him. He's crafty, that guy :cool:
 
Nice Jon, make shift do it yourself ingenuity I like it.

Hahahahahaha

Glenn |B)
 
If you guys don't know who Phil is, he plays bass on Blow by Blow (Jeff Beck) and his bass playing can be heard on Rod Stewarts "Do ya Think I'm Sexy" amoung others. I am going to call him tonight and see if he will be at the open house. he is currently playing with the Doors.
 
the only way there's an issue with that "u" breaking...if you put it on the strap UPSIDE DOWN....then the retainer pin on the strapside lock will wear out the strapbutton causing the guitar to fall...I'd really doubt the "u" broke if installed correctly unless you smashed it with a sledgehammer...
 
They do twist and turn, that's the problem. Mine, I guess had worn out, or become weaker over time. One afternoon, it got caught in a funny postion and it bent, letting the guitar crash to the floor. Hard. I've got neck pics similar to koog's JP from my busted Ibanez. The part that bent on the lock, was the part on the strap (the U), but like I said, the U didn't break, just the outside edges of it bent a little.

Though, I wouldn't say it was an issue with them breaking, just to be clear. They worked just fine up until then, and I know people who use them, and have had theirs longer than I did with no problems.
 
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I have used both the dulop and schaller strap locks and find they both work great. I prefer the schallers but you will probably need to cut the strap hole bigger to keep the strap loooking smooth and not bound up. Oh well just my two cents.
 
fsmith said:
I had "heard" that the Schaller's have broken at the "U" part. I wasn't sure if that those parts were machined or what we used to call "pot" metal. Although I guess you can break pretty much anything if you put your mind to it... Like I said I probably over analyzed it, though hey, what's $13, go buy the Dunlops and try them. Liked the ball bearing release mechanism. Go figure.
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I have used both Dunlop and Schaller systems in the past, but I use the Schaller strap locks exclusively now. I have been using them for years, and I have never, ever broken one and they've suffered much abuse. Actually, I'm looking at a set now, and they're heavy and hard steel: I can't imagine breaking these from normal - or abnormal - wear; hell, it would be a serious job to do them any damage with a freaking hammer! I simply can't credit any anecdotal evidence of failure on these things based on normal usage, unless someone's taken a chissel to it first. :rolleyes:

I did have issues with the set and release of the Dunlop locks though - especially with releasing the lock when I didn't really want to while idly fingering the button during rehersal "chats" or other pauses. The Dunlops "rattle" more than the Schallers too, ime...

In the end, both designs have their quirks - either way, you need one, the other or some alternative - no strap locks isn't an option, unless you like living dangerously...
 
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I've used both, I prefer the Schallers. They seem to be easier to install into the strap. With the Dunlops, you've got that little pain in the butt clip to try and snap on. With the Schallers, just screw 'em together, and you're good to go. Schallers for me on everything.
 
I used to use Schallers and Dunlops. Now I only use Dunlop. Reason being is that on the Schallers the nut would always come loose and then the whole thing would come apart. I've never had even one issue with the Dunlops so I decided not to use the Schallers anymore.

Chad
 
To get back to the original question, the EBMM screw didn't fit in the Schaller straplocks (the head was too big) - I had to go out and buy a new set of screws (same width) with a smaller head. I may have even had to file down the edges a bit to get it to fit in there...
 
c_mac said:
I used to use Schallers and Dunlops. Now I only use Dunlop. Reason being is that on the Schallers the nut would always come loose and then the whole thing would come apart. I've never had even one issue with the Dunlops so I decided not to use the Schallers anymore.

Chad
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Chad is right on this point - the Schallers do eventually work loose and come apart. Before putting my guitar on the strap, I always check that the nut is tight and everything is solid. The only real down side with the Schallers is I always seem to have to make the hole in the strap a little bigger to get it to fit properly
 
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