How do you keep the strap on the guitar?

axisus

once my guitar straps get worn a bit, they seem to be forever coming off. It's darned annoying and very occasionally dangerous for both my toes and the structural wellbeing of my guitar. What do you lot do to keep them from coming off? I've tried various locking things and I hate them all. What's the best option?

Alnico

Grolsch tops.

Do away with the button and use a flat washer and a felt washer and screw the strap permanently to the guitar.

Stand still.

Bridgehouse

Yes. These:



I'll send you a pair to try if you don't believe us.

bbill335

I thought you could get 200 of those on eBay for £2 but a quick search says just 12 of them for £2? Dammit Brexit!

octatonic

Grolsch washers here too.
I thought people were being weirdly retro about them until I tried some for myself about 10 years ago.
They are simply the best engineering solution for this problem.

Get a bag of 50 from a home-brew shop and never worry about any of your guitars falling off a strap.

crunchman

octatonic said:

Grolsch washers here too.
I thought people were being weirdly retro about them until I tried some for myself about 10 years ago.
They are simply the best engineering solution for this problem.

Get a bag of 50 from a home-brew shop and never worry about any of your guitars falling off a strap.

Or alternatively just buy some Grolsch and drink it.

guitarfishbay

Dunlop Lok Straps. The round ones, the pick shaped ones don't fit some of my guitars.

Bridgehouse

octatonic said:

Grolsch washers here too.
I thought people were being weirdly retro about them until I tried some for myself about 10 years ago.
They are simply the best engineering solution for this problem.

Get a bag of 50 from a home-brew shop and never worry about any of your guitars falling off a strap.

Unless you have vintage-worn Gibson buttons rear mounted by the heel. Oh, and a fat belly. Then they pop off. Sigh.

Gassage

A bit anal, but on my vintage guitars, Grolsh, on my newer, straploks. I don't want to lose the old strap buttons y'see.

jpttaylor

guitarfishbay said:

Dunlop Lok Straps. The round ones, the pick shaped ones don't fit some of my guitars.

The same for me. I know I'd be better off using proper strap locks but I can't be bothered to drill into the body and find the right screw width/length etc. 

That said, some of the new straps with integrated locks look sort of interesting like the Ernie Ball ones.

TTBZ

Schaller if they can be fitted because even if the mechanism fails the design will keep the strap on. Or grolsch rings.

ICBM

Vintage Rickenbacker buttons: Dunlop plastic rotary locks. Everything else: Grolsch washers.

As inspired by Bridgehouse, if the Grolsch washer isn't a tight enough fit on an old small button: Grolsch washer with a fibre washer from a Cliff jack over the top.

Roland

TTBZ said:

Schaller if they can be fitted because even if the mechanism fails the design will keep the strap on. Or grolsch rings.

Schiller locks for the same reason, and because they sit closer to the guitar and put less mechanical strain on the screw than Dunlops

dogload

Strplocks on my Rics and Grolsch washers on the rest

SteveRobinson

Roland said:

TTBZ said:

Schaller if they can be fitted because even if the mechanism fails the design will keep the strap on. Or grolsch rings.

Schiller locks for the same reason, and because they sit closer to the guitar and put less mechanical strain on the screw than Dunlops

The recessed Dunlop "buttons" are pretty good in that respect, the strap lies very close to the guitar body. They do require drilling a big hole which some people might be reluctant to do.

dern

Schaller for me.

octatonic

crunchman said:

octatonic said:

Grolsch washers here too.
I thought people were being weirdly retro about them until I tried some for myself about 10 years ago.
They are simply the best engineering solution for this problem.

Get a bag of 50 from a home-brew shop and never worry about any of your guitars falling off a strap.

Or alternatively just buy some Grolsch and drink it.

I'm teetotal- I think axisus is as well.

Grunfeld

Schaller on all guitars.
And the icing on the cake is adding a couple of blobs of Loktite blue to stop the nuts loosening from the strap locks.  They're pretty good anyway but this sorts it completely.

Sassafras

Dunlop Straplok.

p90fool

Schaller with Loctite here too. I always used Grolsch washers until I got a Les Paul, where the angle of the front button tries to peel the strap off if you're in the habit of lifting the headstock up when leaping about. 

FelineGuitars

Dunlop straplocks all the way for me 
My V and Rhoads guitars have the recessed buttons on the rear so the strap has a lower profile and doesn't tip forward.