Poor Man's Strap Lock

[Uncle Bob]

Hi all -

I recently bought a Lakota strap for my Eastman (to help save some wear and tear on my prized Bill Bailey strap). The Lakota is a nice strap but it kept wanting to slip off the endpin of my mandolin. I heard about using an old square plastic bread tie over the strap end at the endpin to secure it. Since all the bread at my supermarket seems to be using only twist ties now, I'll just have to make something like it.

Using a cheap medium gauge guitar pick, I drilled a 1/4" hole in the center and cut out a channel from the tip to the hole. The 1/4" hole allows the pick to slip onto the shoulder of the endpin, securing the end of the strap between the mandolin and the pick.



Here it is in action on my Eastman with the Lakota strap. Works great!



Not a new idea but it works well. Just wanted to share it.

[MikeEdgerton]

We see this one from time to time. Not unlike the bread bag closures.

[Santiago]

D'Addario makes one of these already made for a few bucks, but you'll be a much poorer man if your homemade solution fails and your axe breaks. My advice: Shell out for a StrapLok. You'll be sorry you didn't.

[rbvintage]

I like it, Bob! And it has great recycling value!

[Jacob]

The Planet Waves Elliptical End Pin Strap Buttons work very well and require no attachments, but you may not want to replace the strap button.

[tilden]

I've found that the gaskets used for Grolsch beer bottles make excellent strap locks.

[jim simpson]

I used to use the D'Addario strap lock but found that when I rotated the locking mechanism, it would pull out the peg just enough to loosen it.

[Tim2723]

I think this is the first time I've posted in one of these threads and I'll probably regret it, but I'm pretty sure I'll be forgiven eventually. I don't direct this question at Bob or anyone in particular.

Why would someone spend weeks, even months finding their mandolin, spending money on set ups, tailored bridges, custom voicing, expensive cases with fitted covers, matching arm rests, boutique picks, hand-crafted straps, carefully selected strings and every other imaginable accessory, then top off the whole shebang with a plastic bread tie?

[John Soper]

I never trust that the end pin will stay in, or that the strap won't pop off at the most inopportune time... I always have a lace around the base of the tailpiece to back up that attachment. Even A-style headstocks will break if they hit the deck... rawhide lace looks better IMHO than a bright colored bread wrapper plastic square.

[epicentre]

Punch a hole in the strap, put the screw of the strap button through the hole, screw in the screw. Shouldn't fall off.

If you don't have a strap button, a washer will do.

Outside the box...................

[Ben Milne]

I've found that the gaskets used for Grolsch beer bottles make excellent strap locks.

Sure, but what poor man can afford Grolsch beer?

I tried this on my LM700 and found that the thickness of the gasket created pressure causing the end pin to come out of the instrument. A bit of gaff accross the inside of the strap over the expanding slit works for me.

[Mike Bunting]

Punch a hole in the strap, put the screw of the strap button through the hole, screw in the screw. Shouldn't fall off.

If you don't have a strap button, a washer will do.

Outside the box...................

What screw?

[Mike Thomas]

A solution for every problem, and a problem for every solution.

[epicentre]

What screw?

Hiya Mike:

If you lose the screw which comes with an end pin (strap button), a 4" deck screw will do. Bit overkill. Heck, a 3" nail..........just sayin.

(please don't try this at home)

[Philphool]

Hiya Mike:

If you lose the screw which comes with an end pin (strap button), a 4" deck screw will do. Bit overkill. Heck, a 3" nail..........just sayin.

(please don't try this at home)

I think Mike's point is that most end pins are ebony and fit by friction, not with a screw.

[wsugai]

Because it works very well. I sprung for a commercial straplok and it's great, but the plastic tie works just as well. The only thing I'd add is to use the plastic tie that comes with iceberg head lettuce (at least in my part of the country), which is a lot thicker and usually larger than the bread wrapper tie, which is flimsy in comparison.

Why would someone spend weeks, even months finding their mandolin, spending money on set ups, tailored bridges, custom voicing, expensive cases with fitted covers, matching arm rests, boutique picks, hand-crafted straps, carefully selected strings and every other imaginable accessory, then top off the whole shebang with a plastic bread tie?

[Tim Griffin]

I had a similar problem with a P bass. The washer from a bottle of Grolsch beer fits and is easily removable from a standard strap pin.

[restlesscourage]

Thanks for posting this. I needed a quick solution to this exact problem this week!

[Mike Bunting]

Hiya Mike:

If you lose the screw which comes with an end pin (strap button), a 4" deck screw will do. Bit overkill. Heck, a 3" nail.P.........just sayin.

(please don't try this at home)

Where did you get the notion that strap buttons use a screw?

[allenhopkins]

...Why would someone spend weeks, even months finding their mandolin, spending money on set ups, tailored bridges, custom voicing, expensive cases with fitted covers, matching arm rests, boutique picks, hand-crafted straps, carefully selected strings and every other imaginable accessory, then top off the whole shebang with a plastic bread tie?

'Cause we're weird. And cheap. Does seem a bit odd that OP is buying one high-end strap to save wear on another (I just got the Porsche so I wouldn't have to drive the Ferrari in the winter), but hey, life's full of li'l surprises...

I've used a variety of expedients to forestall end-pin disasters, including building up the pin's diameter with a layer of Duco Cement, so it'd fit more snugly, gluing a thickening layer of leather around the hole in a strap's end tab to increase sturdiness and friction, and, yes, forcing one of those little plastic squares from a bread package over the pin to keep the strap on. So far, no disasters, and a certain feeling of self-reliance at having addressed the problem "DIY." Don't have to take everything to the repair shop.

[Meadowview]

I never trust that the end pin will stay in, or that the strap won't pop off at the most inopportune time... I always have a lace around the base of the tailpiece to back up that attachment. Even A-style headstocks will break if they hit the deck... rawhide lace looks better IMHO than a bright colored bread wrapper plastic square.

I agree, a rawhide lace looks a lot better than a bread wrapper plastic square, just remember the buttons do come lose and come out at times. About all straps come with a braided nylon lace that works great for the purpose and will prevent a bad spill.

[Tom Wright]

I've been using the pick trick on my electric's upper strap button for a long time. But for the endpin positions on that and my Weber I double the strap, using both slots, so the two slots face in opposite directions. This is pretty much a lock. For my Buchanan, I had to install screw-type buttons, and I simply made the strap sort of permanent by installing a large rubber washer over the strap and screwing down the strap buttons. The setup allows the strap to swivel without rubbing, and does not rattle.

My original-equipment Weber braided strap has a thin piece of leather for the slotted endpin holes, so I can double it even over the tiny Weber button. The wider leather guitar-type strap for my Ryder has two slots, also, and I can double it. I have a nylon-webbing Ernie Ball for the Buchanan. I never remove the straps from my instruments, just keep them on all the time.

[G7MOF]

I agree, a rawhide lace looks a lot better than a bread wrapper plastic square, just remember the buttons do come lose and come out at times. About all straps come with a braided nylon lace that works great for the purpose and will prevent a bad spill.

Problem solved then!!!

[AlanN]

I agree, a rawhide lace looks a lot better than a bread wrapper plastic square, just remember the buttons do come lose and come out at times. About all straps come with a braided nylon lace that works great for the purpose and will prevent a bad spill.

This right here (photo) is the way to do it. Shoulda, coulda, woulda....

[Ivan Kelsall]

I used to do it that way,but found that the leather thong pulled too tight for my old,fumbly fingers to untie when i needed to remove the strap.I just nailed the strap to the tailpin block & i leave it on permanently.That way the strap won't slip off,causing the mandolin to crash to the floor,thus damaging it.The nice shiny nail head looks great as well.It reflects the stage lighting like a little jewel !,
Ivan