Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

[woemoejack]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

I've been a Schaller user for as long as I can remember. I recently picked up a set of Dunlop locks when they were in a clearance bin at GC. $8, why not give them a whirl? I put them on my recently acquired LP classic and in hindsight I should have picked a guitar I didnt care about so much to test a product like this.

Install was admittedly easy and done in under 5 minutes. No need to widen the strap holes. A big +1. Buttons installed just as easily. I've used them without fail for a few band practices and theyve held up fine... until last night. I was playing at home and the front lock failed. Came right out. I had been playing for about 10 minutes and it failed out of nowhere. Luckily I had a good hold of the neck and nothing bad happened. I visually inspected the lock and button and nothing seems out of place. All the bearings were in place, and I could reinsert the lock and it held in fine. I cant explain why it happened, but it did. Theres no way I didnt put it in all the way because it would have failed much earlier than 10 minutes in, it would have came right out.

I've never had an issue with dunlop. They have their cons, but for me they've been 100% over a period of years. Dunlops has one issue in a matter of weeks. I will continue to go with the product thats worked best for me.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

Theres no way I didnt put it in all the way because it would have failed much earlier than 10 minutes in, it would have came right out.

There really is a way it could have happened that way if they were not put in all the way. Even if they are not in properly (bearings in the interior channel), they will still hold a guitar up as they inch their way out. (Nearly 3/8 an inch or so, right?) I can see it taking 10 minutes of playing for that to happen.

I always pull on them once I put them in. I do the same with Schallers. (To me, those are more scary, because they are open hooks in a U shape.) Good practice IMO to double check all strap locks by tugging on them.

The other thing I often do is simply put a strap on over the buttons like normal, and then use the parts that are supposed to attach to the straps as a backup measure. Don't connect them to a strap, just click them into place while using the button like any other button. It also allows you to not have to dedicate your straps to the locking system.

 

[hareek]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

Arent the schallers standard on the newer american strats?

It was on my '99 american standard. I still had to buy a set though to get the pieces for the strap as they didn't come with the guitar. I did have a problem with the peg at the top cutaway always working itself loose when I played, but Loctite Sumo Glu fixed that problem years ago.

 

[H8Red442]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

(To me, those are more scary, because they are open hooks in a U shape.)

Turn the U upside down.

 

[hareek]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

Turn the U upside down.

Exactly the U should be facing up towards you when the guitar is around your neck, so the guitar hangs from the U itself. The pin in the middle just keeps the strap from moving in the other direction (which it never really should do unless your taking the strap off) so it shouldn't bear any of the load. Schaller is simply a stronger and better design than the Dunlop. That doesn't mean Dunlop is bad. But structurally, Schaller is better.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

I've always used Schaller, mostly because I started out with them and wanted all the straps and guitars to have the same hardware.

The main reasons I don't care for Dunlop is that the strap buttons protrude too far from the guitar, so when you tuck your cable through the back one, it's able to slide through too easily. If you step on the cable, it yanks the plug in the opposite direction. Also, it's sometimes hard to tell if the ball bearings have a firm grip or not. And, if you lose a C ring, it's a hard part to replace, unlike the simple nut on a Schaller.

As for creating the hole in the strap; years ago I found a piece of pipe that was the same diameter as a straplock, and I sharpened one end of it. I use it to punch out each end of the strap, so the leather doesn't have to be warped in that area, being crushed under the washer.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

I have both and both have served their purpose efficiently for many years.

I like better the looks of the Schallers.

HTH,

 

[woemoejack]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

There really is a way it could have happened that way if they were not put in all the way. Even if they are not in properly (bearings in the interior channel), they will still hold a guitar up as they inch their way out. (Nearly 3/8 an inch or so, right?) I can see it taking 10 minutes of playing for that to happen.

If I were playing a strat, maybe. But the front strap button on a LP is angled upwards slightly, and it sits at an even more upward angle when I play standing up.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

If I were playing a strat, maybe. But the front strap button on a LP is angled upwards slightly, and it sits at an even more upward angle when I play standing up.

It happened on my Paul, which is actually why it came to mind...and I tend to hold Pauls somewhat like Bill Wyman held his bass. Just sayin', it can happen; it's not impossible, as you had stated. Whether it did or not in this case, I cannot say, but it definitely can happen.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

Have used Schaller for ten years now. I have two complaints about them:

1. I wish the threaded bushings were a few mm longer so I could use straps with thick ends.

2. The nuts ALWAYS start to come loose after a while, which causes the U bracket to rotate around to an unsafe position (the open end should always point upward). That said, this can be solved by putting a few drops of Crazy Glue or similar into the threads of the nut.

Those issues aside, I like them. They are simple to install, have a low profile, and have a much stronger design than the Dunlops.

 

[Rich_T]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

Schaller. I've had the balls fall out of the Dunlops. With the cuff on the Schallers, even if the pin fails, you're not gonna drop your guitar unless you're swinging it behind your head.

Exactly. Even if it fails, the Schaller won't dump your SG onto the floor.

 

[Zhaggy]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

For me Schaller hands down. It comes down to the design and practicality. I've used both.

Schallers you can install on any guitar no mods required. For Dunlops you have to drill the hole for the thing that goes inside the guitar (don't know what you call it in English). The thign that goes in the strap is good on both, Dunlop is smaller and doesn't get on the way.

I have Fender 2011 Yngwie Strat and it has Dunlops pre-installed and they annoy me very much. I'll tell you why. The guitar comes with Fender's cheetah-type strap which is not very good-looking and I wanted the Dimarzio cheetah cliplock strap (as Yngwie had). But since now there is the huge hole for the Dunlop straplock I actually CAN'T install the cliplocks in it which is a huge turn-off for me. Another thing is that I can't even buy the normal Dimarzio cheetah strap because our distrubutor doesn't import it here, only the cliplock.

Another plus for the Schallers is the if for some reason you don't have the strap that has the dunlop locks in it you can't put any strap on you guitar. With Shcallers you can because it's just a normal strap button where you can put the lock or just a strap.

 

[stratsandaks]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

Have used Schaller for ten years now. I have two complaints about them:

1. I wish the threaded bushings were a few mm longer so I could use straps with thick ends.

+1

I usually wind up using Schallers on most guitars and Dunlops on Les Pauls because of the larger screw diameter of the end pin that Gibson uses. With the Schaller I either had to fill the hole in the body for the smaller diameter screw of the Schaller pin or drill out the pin and cut the head of the screw down on a lathe to fit inside the Schaller.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

+1

I usually wind up using Schallers on most guitars and Dunlops on Les Pauls because of the larger screw diameter of the end pin. With the Schaller I either had to fill the hole in the body for the smaller diameter screw of the Schaller pin or drill out the pin and cut the head of the screw down on a lathe to fit inside the Schaller.

???

I'm talking about the bushing that goes through the strap end; the one that the nut threads on to. It has nothing to do with what kind of guitar you have.

 

[stratsandaks]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

???

I'm talking about the bushing that goes through the strap end; the one that the nut threads on to. It has nothing to do with what kind of guitar you have.

I wasnt clear. I was agreeing with you that the threaded bushing needs to be longer on the Schaller. Then headed off on a tangent on why I sometimes use Dunlops

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

No Dimarzio option?!?!?!?1

My choice.

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

Neither. Kepur.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

Neither...

I use these now and couldn't be happier.

 

[Kam]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: Straplocks: Dunlop VS. Schaller

I have both and both have served their purpose efficiently for many years.

I like better the looks of the Schallers.

HTH,

+1.

What I've really liked lately are the dual-purpose Dunlops, that have normal-sized buttons on them so they can be used with regular straps as well as ones with the locking parts installed.