Strap buttons come loose when using grolsch washers

Jtaylor

hi guys, so a while ago I changed the strap buttons on my gretsch to normal fender ones and have been using groslsch washers as strap locks as recommended by people on here, but the strap button near the neck joint kept coming loose so I took off the washer and it doesn't come loose anymore. the one at the tail of the guitar has never come loose, so I left the washer on it, but any tips for how I could use the washer without it loosening the strap button?

thermionic

Maybe the rubber is "gripping" the button and unscrewing it in miniscule amounts over time? If so, it was loose to begin with, so I'd be looking at sorting the screw hole out. Probably not the best solution, but I'd try a dab of Titebond first.

ICBM

Titebond or Evo-Stik Resin W in the hole, matchstick or toothpick in the hole and break off flush, put the screw back in straight away and do it up tight.

Kerpunk

ICBM said:

Titebond or Evo-Stik Resin W in the hole, matchstick or toothpick in the hole and break off flush, put the screw back in straight away and do it up tight.

This. Or if you feeling lazy just snap a few matchsticks (without the heads) and stuff them in the hole then put the screw back in.

GavRichList

Schaller or fender strap locks are like, a tenner. Always fit them; a tiny price for piece of mind.

ICBM

GavHaus said:

Schaller or fender strap locks are like, a tenner. Always fit them; a tiny price for piece of mind.

Not considering that I've had a Schaller fail, and seen quite a few others come undone/off/loose on customers' guitars. They give a false sense of security.

I don't like metal straplocks at all - a securely fitted standard button with something over the strap to stop it coming off (Grolsch, Dunlop Ergo lock, fibre washer etc) is actually better.

GavRichList

Never have for me. Have fender ones on both mine now. Less fiddly.

drwiddly

Don't use matchsticks, the wood's too soft. Use cocktail sticks - they're made of hardwood.

p90fool

Get a can of silicon spray, it's designed for the textile industry, Ratchfords or Siliglide. That'll stop the washers gripping the buttons and undoing them.
Seriously though Schallers are fine, they don't "fail", people just let the nuts come loose. You need to use superglue on them as you're tightening down onto leather or vinyl, not metal.

Grolsch washers are ok, but I use Schallers on Les Pauls because of the stupid angle on the front button.

stickyfiddle

I've had Schallers fall apart mid-gig before - not the nut on the outside (always lactated that), but the pin inside getting unscrewed from the bit you pull on. 

Never had trouble with Grolsches, and they come with free beer

octatonic

Lactated?

stickyfiddle

octatonic said:

Lactated?

Big lol, silly apple autoorrect!  Should've been "Loctited"

p90fool

Lactated works too, once it's dried.
I'm usually a bit sore afterwards though.

underdog

I really like the Dunlop strap locks myself.

ICBM

GavHaus said:

Never have for me. Have fender ones on both mine now. Less fiddly.

I haven't seen those personally, but in pics they look like a sort of 'inside out Dunlop', which means they have potentially the same failure of the locking mechanism if the spring which pushes the ball bearings out breaks. Very rare, but I've seen one which did that.

A bigger problem is that you're still at the mercy of the screw which goes into the guitar body, and those can work loose (common) or break (again rare but seen that on Schallers - the screw is slightly too thin and brittle). It does no good to have the button firmly attached to the strap if it comes off the guitar…

The biggest problem is overconfidence. Too many people assume that because they have straplocks the guitar *cannot* fall, so they don't take enough care to check that things are done up tight every time they put the guitar on, which you have to with normal buttons.

Although that wouldn't have stopped the Schaller I had breaking - the casting cracked in half where the threaded bit joins the cup bit. I've never trusted one since, or ever will. (This was mine personally, not a customer's.)

I think that all metal straplock mechanisms are an unnecessarily complex solution to a simple problem, which cause their own risks and still don't always stop you dropping the guitar. Most of them also have the problem that they lift the suspension point too far from the guitar, which puts a huge sideways bending force on the button and the screw, and can either damage the finish under the edge of the button or bend the screw - which is how the Schaller ones break. The Fender ones do at least look better for that.

Wazmeister

GavHaus said:

Never have for me. Have fender ones on both mine now. Less fiddly.

x 100. The simplest, safest solution for me personally...

Corvus

If the stud is coming unscrewed it doesn't matter what else there is, that needs securing - cocktail stick & glue if nothing else.

I like Schallers, had several sets, one guitar since the 80s with no problem, got two Gretsches with them on. Wouldn't trust Cheapnese copies of them though.
Need to re-check the nut for tightness after initial install, or threadlock's only a couple of quid and sorts that out.

fretfinder

I don't like strap locks either. I've never had a strap button come loose when using Grolsch washers. But these days I don't use them and mostly just use a good quality leather strap, that's not easy to get onto the strap button - and doesn't come off easily either.

EdGrip

Not to mention the enormous leverage on some straplocks relative to normal strap buttons...

Skipped

I use the Planet Waves locking strap and like it. But I am sure there is an even better locking strap (that also uses the factory strap buttons) just waiting to be invented (hint to clever forumites).
It is also a bit annoying that D'Addario have still not produced an Es-335/Sg version (with the front section reversed) despite my pestering them.

Lock-it straps look interesting and seem to have reached the UK - a basic cheap version is sold on ebay under the brand name Eagle Mountain. If you have tried one please post about it.

usedtobe

Never had a problem with Grolsch's. Jumbo strap buttons also work a treat!