Double strap buttons - why?

TinLip

I have an Ampeg Dan Armstrong and it has two strap buttons on the bottom of the body...but why?

Neither of them are in the centre which makes choosing a strap  button a bit tricky as it makes my normal strap length too long or too short.

Any idea why it would have 2 buttons? Am I missing something fundamental?

http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s386/TinLip/Meh/_86_zps891ivvy3.jpg

lloyd

Balance better when you lean them up against a wall?

ThePrettyDamned

So it balances better when you lean it against the amp or wall.

Cirrus

Use both, swing guitar round body like rotor blades of heavy metal death.

Roland

ThePrettyDamned said:

So it balances better when you lean it against the amp or wall.

This.  It was a selling feature before guitar stands became popular

GuitarZero

Tom Anderson uses two strap buttons on his guitars.

littlethoughts

You just wanted to show off that you have a Dan Armstrong Plexi didn't you? I'm on to you!

Gassage

Ok, if you use the bottom one, it's actually more comfy, as it kind of cants the guitar into your body.

TinLip

littlethoughts said:

You just wanted to show off that you have a Dan Armstrong Plexi didn't you? I'm on to you!

Secretly, yes

TinLip

Gassage said:

Ok, if you use the bottom one, it's actually more comfy, as it kind of cants the guitar into your body.

Good point @Gassage, never thought of that. I've been using the top button but might have to just get a dedicated strap for it and leave it a bit longer. 

I doubt I'll leave it balanced on the buttons against an amp or the wall though.

frankus

in the 60s before putting your balls between the D and G strings and strumming yourself to ecstasy it was considered polite to play with the double strap buttons for a few seconds first.

TinLip

Well that's me set for the weekend then...

Gassage

TinLip said:

Gassage said:

Ok, if you use the bottom one, it's actually more comfy, as it kind of cants the guitar into your body.

Good point @Gassage, never thought of that. I've been using the top button but might have to just get a dedicated strap for it and leave it a bit longer. 

I doubt I'll leave it balanced on the buttons against an amp or the wall though.

It was like an 'AHA!' moment when I switched to the bottom button on my Andy

ICBM

You're in good company!

http://www.mk-guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/schecter-red-1980-2.jpg

Personally I found it still felt odd on mine, I didn't like the way the guitar felt like it was trying to tip over. I didn't really like the top one either! It's a shame, since apart from it being the best-sounding Strat I've ever played and having the volume control in a more sensible position than a Fender, I didn't really like much about it… the neck was a bit too thick, it was *really* heavy (no-one weighed guitars in those days, but I would say between 10 and 11lbs from what I know now), and I didn't like the three mini-switches, although I later changed the pickguard for one with a lever switch. I still sometimes miss it a bit for some reason though! It was a particularly nice Lake Placid Blue, which makes up for a lot .

Maynehead

Ahh.. I've always wondered why the Schecter PT I had came with 2 strap buttons. I thought it was so you could have a choice of how the guitar balanced on the strap, never even imagined it was for making it stand upright.

ICBM

Maynehead said:

Ahh.. I've always wondered why the Schecter PT I had came with 2 strap buttons. I thought it was so you could have a choice of how the guitar balanced on the strap, never even imagined it was for making it stand upright.

It's actually to kid you that it will stand upright. In practice it's very little more stable than a single one - the buttons are far too close together for it to really work - and I certainly wouldn't trust it anywhere other than a room no-one was going to be in.

I would say it's a solution looking for a problem, and the wrong solution at that...

GuyBoden

TinLip said:

I have an Ampeg Dan Armstrong and it has two strap buttons on the bottom of the body...but why?

Neither of them are in the centre which makes choosing a strap  button a bit tricky as it makes my normal strap length too long or too short.

Any idea why it would have 2 buttons? Am I missing something fundamental?

http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s386/TinLip/Meh/_86_zps891ivvy3.jpg

Yes, I've put strap buttons higher on the guitar body, yes, it gives a different balance, I found that it was especially good for neck heavy guitars.

koneguitarist

ICBM said:

You're in good company!

http://www.mk-guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/schecter-red-1980-2.jpg

Personally I found it still felt odd on mine, I didn't like the way the guitar felt like it was trying to tip over. I didn't really like the top one either! It's a shame, since apart from it being the best-sounding Strat I've ever played and having the volume control in a more sensible position than a Fender, I didn't really like much about it… the neck was a bit too thick, it was *really* heavy (no-one weighed guitars in those days, but I would say between 10 and 11lbs from what I know now), and I didn't like the three mini-switches, although I later changed the pickguard for one with a lever switch. I still sometimes miss it a bit for some reason though! It was a particularly nice Lake Placid Blue, which makes up for a lot .

Always worked fine for me, it's probably, the distance between the buttons and strap used that makes the difference for me. http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/bargoedboy/cd3051ee-0c31-4815-bd63-1fe6ad35144a_zps8693adad.jpg

Sassafras

I'd cut another hole in the strap and use both buttons.

octatonic

ICBM said:

You're in good company!

http://www.mk-guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/schecter-red-1980-2.jpg

Tom Anderson started doing it when he worked for Schecter.

When he moved to his own company he kept doing it.

I asked him why he did it a few years ago and he said he didn't want to carry a stand with him when he gigged and having two points on the ground gave the guitar stability when lent on an amp.

ICBM

Depends what you mean by "stability", I suppose. To me, something which is "stable" when left carefully by itself, thus giving an impression of security, but will still get knocked over by the slightest push because the "base" of the "stand" is only about four or five inches wide and the weight of the guitar overhangs it, is actually *unstable* and an accident waiting to happen.

Not to mention it becomes even more unstable if you run the cable through the strap so the two buttons don't always rest tightly on the ground...

Just a bad idea. The only reason I didn't change my Schecter to a single button is because it would have involved a couple of unsightly holes in the body.