Strap Locks

Back in the eighties when strap locks first hit the scene I scored a set from the local music shop and installed them on my bass with great excitement.  That excitement turned to dismay the first time they failed me at a rehearsal.  From that moment on I employed a different method to secure my strap to my bass.

I discovered that a nice sized set of fender washers would secure the strap to my bass without the risk of the strap slipping off the strap buttons.  It is a semi permanent solution that does not allow you to remove the strap from the bass but it also ensures the strap will not come off the strap buttons as well.  Since doing this simple modification I have never had a strap come off a bass under any conditions.  The trade-off of not being able to remove the strap from the bass is a small price to pay for the piece of mind I have gained.

Having my strap semi-permanently affixed to my bass does require one small additional step when putting my bass in its case.  To protect the body of my bass when stowing it in the case I lay a hand towel on it to protect it from the buckles on the strap. Other than that the fender washers do not interfere with playing, storing, or transporting the bass.  As far as low-cost/high value modifications this one has to be my favorite.  While the galvanized look is just fine for me I might try to put a patina on a trial set of washers with a blow torch outside to see how they turn out.  As a note to the reader galvanized steel off-gasses toxic fumes when heated so if you elect to try this out yourself make sure to do so outside in a well ventilated area and avoid breathing the fumes.

For now the galvanized fender washers somewhat match the color of the hardware on my bass.