Argali Posted September 26, 2005 Report Share Posted September 26, 2005 Quick story: I originally had Dunlop Strap Locks installed on my Gibson Les Paul Custom. Those sucked, so I had my luthier put in Schallers instead. Catch with those was he had to insert dowels and glue to make the thinner Schaller screws fit. Well, three years later...during band practice yesterday, the screw holding the top strap button came right out. How the hell do I fix this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selmac Posted September 26, 2005 Report Share Posted September 26, 2005 can you just use a bigger screw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoSo_Spencer Posted September 26, 2005 Report Share Posted September 26, 2005 You can always re-do the dowel but better this time, i dont see how it come right out, i wouldave thought that the dowel would be really strong... did you do the toothpick method or what? as selmac said you can use a bigger screw..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted September 26, 2005 Report Share Posted September 26, 2005 a while back the screw on my strap button came loose, tightened it, came loose again , tightened it, came loose again so i took out the 1 inch screw and replaced it with a 4 inch screww, never had the problem again, dont think i ever will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted September 26, 2005 Report Share Posted September 26, 2005 No, you can't use a wider screw on the Schallers. You can use a longer screw, but you need to drill a longer hole. I wouldn't suggest a four-inch screw, either. That's the problem with Schallers--they come loose because of their design. I've switched to Dunlop--forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argali Posted September 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 No, you can't use a wider screw on the Schallers. You can use a longer screw, but you need to drill a longer hole. I wouldn't suggest a four-inch screw, either. That's the problem with Schallers--they come loose because of their design. I've switched to Dunlop--forever. ← Okay, but that really doesn't help my problem. The damage is done, and I'm wondering how to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 drill the hole slightly larger in diameter, get a peice of dowel that fits snug (like, REALLY snug) and glue it in there really, i mean REALLY good, let it sit for a few hours (or 24) then, do a pilot hole and screw on your schaller strap lock Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 Careful....a lot of readily-available dowels are just pine or soft maple. Can you tell for certain what the dowels are made of? I'd much rather screw into mahogany any day. I would NEVER have done that to a Les Paul (dowels), it would have been much better to epoxy the screws into the original holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 Okay, but that really doesn't help my problem. The damage is done, and I'm wondering how to fix it. Well, then I'll let someone else explain how to fix what your "luthier" did to your Gibson Les Paul Custom. Hint--the "toothpick method" won't work except in an emergency, and erikbojerik is right on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MI Guitars Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 to fix your problem i'd get some decent wood and sand it round to suit. Glue it in and redrill to suit. Dont use pine as this is likely to happen again. Tip: Make sure you keep the button screwed up tight. (Ie. Check them every month) When they become a little loose they work them selves out pretty fast... For fitting Schaellers I use this method as the screws are smaller than a lot of factory screws. 1. Get some larger screws and screw them into a piece of scrap wood about half way in. 2. Pull out your angle grinder and grind down the head of the screw so it fits in nicely. Dont take too much off or you wont be able to screw it in! 3. use a small round file to enlargen the hole in the button to accomodate the larger screw. Works for me everytime. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Crafty: I was just wondering what the difference is between the schaller and dunlop strap locks? I have the schallers right now and didn't really notice why they would come out easier, and I had the dunlops on a old guitar I use to have. Honestly I think the dunlops lock can come undone pretty easily and your guitar can hit the floor that way, thats not really possible with the schallers. Anyways I want to know why because I don't want my guitar hitting the floor, and if there is an obvious flaw in their design I would like to change. Thanks for the info. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 I challenge you to get the Dunlops to self-release, even if dropped. You have to push the plunger in fully to get it anywhere near loosening. The Schallers come off a touch more easily, but honestly, both systems do the job well. I just prefer the looks and managability of the Dunlop system. Have them on all my electrics, and I've never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 The Schallers are more prone to have the button turn and gradually loosen over time. More pressure is exerted on the side of the button instead of the center axis like the Dunlop, and in my experience has caused rotation and stripping of the hole. The other problem is that the screws are smaller than the stock screws 99% of the time and they'll strip out the hole with almost any kind of pressure. I like just about everything Schaller makes except for their straplocks. The Dunlop is just a superior design, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemm012 Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 I had a very similar problem with my Jazz Bass (The screw even tore out right at the beginning of one of my band practices. ) So what I ended up doing was packing the hole full of two part epoxy and waiting for it to dry. Once it had dried, I redrilled the hole and put the screw back in. It's held well since. It still loosens up occasionally, but that's just the schaller design. This may not be the right way to go about it, but like I said, it worked and the epoxy is probably going to be stronger than pine. Good luck with that. Galen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 epoxy is for schoolgirls. real men use Devcon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 Thanks for the responses on that. I did actually notice that the screw was smaller than the one that came with the guitar and the other screw wouldn't fit the straplock, but I doweled it with some titebond and never had any issues with it, it hasn't been tremendously long or anything but it hasn't moved, but I also added some glue when I put the screw in, not that titebond does anything with metal screws though. I have been happy with the schaller, I had no real problems with the dunlop, but I just prefer the locking design on the schaller. Again if I had any issues with the strap lock being tight I would dowel it, it's not worth risking your guitar, especially with set neck/neck throughs. I can't remember off hand what the wood I used was but it has held up great. But the real test is a couple years down the line. Anyways thanks for the info. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted October 1, 2005 Report Share Posted October 1, 2005 Just take the straplock itself and use a drillpress to rout the hole out to accomodate a larger screw. I had to do that with an Ibanez bass because the screw that came with the Schallers was too small for the hole, so I just routed the hole out and used the screw that came with the Ibanez. -Seth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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