Strap locks: do you actually need them?
Guitars fall off straps for three reasons: the button is worn smooth, the strap hole has stretched, or a new stiff strap has not yet closed around the button. Strap locks solve all three by replacing the button with a socket and putting a spring-loaded pin on the strap that cannot come out until you press the release.
When to skip them
- A broken-in leather strap on a factory button, on a guitar you play at home.
- Acoustics with a headstock tie, which cannot take a lock at the neck end anyway.
The straps this guide is about: full-grain leather, suede back, 2.5, 3 and 3.5 inch widths, Regular and Long. From £74.00 with free tracked UK delivery and a free length exchange.
When to fit them
- Guitars over about 8 lb. When a heavy guitar drops it does not bounce.
- Worn or wobbly buttons.
- A brand-new strap, for the first month.
- Any stage where you move. A guitar that swings is a guitar that tests the button.
Fitting
- Unscrew the existing strap button (one Phillips screw).
- Screw the new button into the same hole. No drilling.
- Push the pin through the strap hole and tighten the nut on the back.
- Press the pin onto the button until it clicks. Pull to check.
Ten minutes per guitar. If the original screw hole is loose, fill it with a matchstick and wood glue, let it dry, and re-screw.
Do they mark the strap?
The pin sits in the existing hole. On a leather strap the hole is reinforced so it does not tear. On thin nylon it can, which is another point for leather.
Ours are steel, nickel or black, and fit any standard button: strap locks.