How to Fix a Strap Button and Install Strap Locks on Your Electric Guitar

[@dougmaccoll7564]

I've been fixing my strap buttons like this for 50 years. My only addition to this it that I first break off the toothpicks, pull them out and reinsert them fat end first and tapered end near the surface so that the screw seats better. Just my $.02.....Great video!

[@feral91_]

I cant stress enough how nice is to see Gibson getting in the real world. I would love to see polepieces adjustment (I know theres a pickup video, but it’s missing the polepieces)

[@gibsonguitar]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@noprob250]

This would be great, looking for this for week's now, would be great if Gibson themselves give us a clue 🧩😅

[@TempoDrift1480]

Yeah this video is pretty realistic. I'm glad it's not that fuckin Butthead looking dude.

[@GeorgeLennon100]

Jim's the only man i know who goes by you at work on a skateboard! You go Jim!

[@philokeefe8605]

"Dual taper-ended luthier dowel rods." lol - I'm going to have to remember that one, Jim!

[@ernie.cortes10]

Pretentious terms for basic shit

[@chrisf6216]

Thank you GTV and JD! Schaller - another name for these locks are, "Hey man, you got a phillips I can borrow?". The screws they come with are much too short. However, better than no locks at all, so I standardized on Schaller and put them on all my gits and straps way back in the day. Next, you will find you constantly have to tighten the nut/washer combo on your strap. *Then* I bought my first Les Paul which came with Dunlops. Mind blown. Far superior, to say the least. Gigged four nights a week for 10+ years and never needed maintenance. No more phillips. No more checking and tightening a nut on the strap. Plus, the "button" portion is larger and provides better real estate for a standard strap should you find yourself in that situation. I hope this helps someone - cheers!

[@rolandoperrin]

Hello please what is the dunlop do you use? Thanks

[@dvdpz89]

Been doing this for years. Glad Gibson is validating the info.

[@TracyLongo]

Great Job Jim! I have been doing the same for strap buttons like this for 44 years, haven't had one come loose !

[@lefty1949]

The toothpick is fine, but sometimes it may not last very long as it a soft wood. I usually cut off a sliver of wood from a broken drum stick and use it along with the wood glue. The maple from the drum stick is a much harder wood and thus is more secure and stronger.

[@larryburwell8550]

great video Jim for the guitar novice for sure. ive use the tooth picks and titebond to fix many guitars. being a les paul player myself for some 45 years, and the weight of the les pauls i always used the dunlop style strap locks and playing on stage ive never had the guitars come loose ever. so thanks for telling me i was rights for my career as a guitar player. you novice guitar players listen to Jim hes the man at gibson!! thanks Jim

[@joesilver1889]

Hi Mr. Jim. Could you please do a video showing how to reattach a pickguard that is detaching from the acoustic guitar? Thank you.

[@TomsRockinGuitar]

I used this trick back in 2018 with my Gibson Firebird. Just a toothpick, no glue. It's been holding up with my strap locks ever since. It'll be almost 6 years. I'm surprised that it worked!

[@john564holloway]

Thanks, Jim. I've used toothpicks before but this always has me learning something new.

[@nalukeko]

The Dunlop screw is slightly wider and potentially longer. Their instructions recommend drilling the hole slightly wider. I scrape the screw on some hard soap to make it go in easier. Using Dunlops on over a dozen guitars. Some have been on for 30 years and even the strap portion is still good.

[@justchico75]

I have Dunlops and want to install them on my Epi 335. But, I'm scared of cracking my guitar. Any tips/advice for a semi hollow or is the block basically in the same position as a solid body so it's a moot point? Does "hard soap" = "random brand of bar soap"?

[@jameshilton8942]

These are the exact things I always do to deal with a loose strap button, and to install Schaller locks on my straps.

Used toothpicks all my life to correct screw loose issues. Learned that trick from my dad who worked at Chevrolet assembly plant in Detroit starting in 1946. Good post Gibson!

[@rv6205]

is it a temporary fix or will it last for life ?

@@rv6205 long time fix!

[@albuie6495]

A 3/8" hollow steel leather punch cuts perfect holes for Schaller style locks. I have a General No.1280 I got from Amazon. Mojo Axe has Schaller style locks that fit the two different size Gibson screws without having to grind the screw heads down to get them to go in the button barrel.

[@robgroden]

The perfect color LP!!!

[@graemero5532]

Cheers Jim & Gibson. Good bush fix.

[@cowcrossstreet]

Good vid, as always. I wish you'd discussed why Les Pauls have two different sized strap button screws while you were at it.

[@felixmartinez5792]

Jim ! I met you in Midtown Miami. Super cool dude! awesome hang .

[@edwardwood6127]

thanks for the help! i just repaired the loose strap button on my '08 les paul studio

[@abozzone]

I just did exactly this on my old Les Paul and was perfect!! Thanks!!!

[@tacobreather]

Practical solution. Thank you.

[@cubusaddendum]

I've even run out of toothpicks and used 2-part epoxy lightly on the screw thread. If you time it right you can unscrew the pin before the metal bonds to it (but the epoxy is hard enough to stay in place) and create a new thread that lasts decades.

[@rjb7260]

Awesome video thanks Jim and Gibson!

[@tadlehmann1906]

Thank you for these videos. Did this toothpick and wood glue fix on my strat tonight. Hoping I struck the right balance of enough wood, glue, and screw tightness (without overdoing any of them)

[@zealousguitar]

Such a great video !

[@rexnavarro2918]

Toothpick - glue - Schaller strap locks... they haven't failed me yet. Once at a gig I had a guitar with a loose strap pin (I hadn't put strap locks on it yet), but there where no toothpicks handy for a quick fix. But, I did notice that the table I was sitting at was made of wood. So I got out my Spyderco knife and whittled off a small piece of wood from the table and used it in place of a toothpick. On the road you got to be handy and let your inner MacGyver kick in.

[@brdcrp]

ha hah ah ahahah aha a ahahahaaa used to do that all the time! Was just talking about that the other day… a bit of the table, a bit of the stage, whatever it takes…

[@johnl9617]

Hi Jim, I was going to purchase strap locks years ago on my Les Paul's, but chose not to because the screw diameter was larger than the stock Gibson screw, which would require altering the guitar. Can you confirm please? Always wondered why the strap lock manufacturers didn't offer hardware that matched the original size/pitch. Thanks!

[@mikestrowbridge]

I take an eyedropper and fill the strap button screw hole with water and let it sit in there until it is absorbed. Then, after it is absorbed, I put more water in the hole and let that be absorbed. The water in the hole swells the wood and grips the screw much tighter. I let it completely dry and then put some white all purpose glue on the screw and screw it back in. Works great if the stages of looseness are early. This works well for loose pickguard and rear control cavity cover screws.

[@jimm4279]

Using multiple flat toothpicks also works very well

[@MAP448]

On the strap pins, is one pin supposed to be longer than the other? My 1950's Gibson Les Paul Standard has one smaller than the other? I removed them b/c I didn't want to over stretch my expensive leather strap, but I didn't pay attention when I was removing them to notice that one was longer than the other, until I went to re-install them both. That's when I saw that they were both of different lengths. So I put the longest screw into the bottom strap pin & the shorter length wood screw. I put into the top one, but I've been wondering if I did it correctly? Also why wouldn't they both be the same length? Also there was no washer & there was no felt on my strap pins? My Fender has really nice felt washers but my $3,000 1950's Gibson Les Paul Standard has none?

[@MrAcEsNeIgHtS1188]

I've been using toothpicks for this purpose for years. But I snip off the pointed ends. You should re-edit the guitar strap portion of both brands. You need to show more of the zoomed in footage for novices to clearly visualize the process. A stripped tuner screw extraction video would be nice!!

[@gilwatl]

Last time I had that issue it was in my smoking days, I used Briant and May matches.

[@JordanSamuel-dd2wq]

Is this a 50s standard les paul? And what finish is this? Could I get the same finish on a 60s les paul?

[@ginacademy8770]

This guy is just amazing!

[@jkwacker8225]

🤯. Wish I had this video a few months back. Not how I ended up fixing my strap button. At least I know now for the future if it ever pops out again!

[@StriveNJMusic]

Super helpful thanks man!

[@gibsonguitar]

Glad it helped!

[@TeleCustom72]

Matchsticks work just fine too. Been doing that as long as I can remember.

[@philhood4604]

In my experience, the straplock screws are normally larger in diameter and length than the existing screws. I always use a separate screws to enlarge the existing hole. Forcing the new larger screw often results in stripping the screw head

[@B---------------------------D]

Another method is breaking the head off of a wooden match and using the stick. Works great.

[@amaurythewarrior]

i prefer dunlops, but schaller are great too. i didn't want to get schaller on my sg because of the position... i tried warwick as well and was really disappointed...

[@cancelwoke9384]

Gibson makes some great guitars.

[@explorervango880]

The other day I was explaining to my daughter why my strap locks aren’t installed on my two new guitars. I don’t have toothpicks and wood glue in the house. I used to program and set up CNC machines working with metal and nylon. Working with wood my brain still wants .005 inch tolerance-machinists require too much perfection to work with wood!

[@dominicgibson9529]

Hi, love the tips and instruction so I thought who better to ask about my particular problem. I have an EDS1275, and no matter what I do I cannot fret chords on the 12 string neck without notes being hit by my fingers. Now I'm not Alex Lifeson, and I do not have huge hands with fingers like bananas, and I've played 12 strings before without issue. Any ideas? How big should the spacing be between string pairs? That seems to me like it could be the culprit. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[@ostrovmusic]

Well, I DID, but I was always ashamed of it 😂😂😂 Thanks for the video, Jim

[@frooke2]

I just bought a $3000 J-45 and it came with a strap button that was not even installed on the guitar. Really annoying that it's not preinstalled. Why don't they install these when they make them?

[@JonnyMaxxx]

Will this affect the guitar tone?

[@UnpleasantDog]

Awesome! Thanks.

[@TheSoulsandRevive]

Very informative! Cheers

[@V_I_S_A_L]

@Gibson TV why Gibson stop there work from india 😭😭 we miss you ( Love from ❤️❤️) hope you will come back 🥺🥺🥺

[@blindguitarfox]

This makes me feel a lot better about my collection of guitars filled with toothpicks...

[@santiagodelmonte2341]

When. How to straighten the guitar NECK ?

[@임정렬-y6m]

즐거운 주말 잘 보내세요 👍🤗😊😄😁💕

[@Jesse-xi5tf]

Strap locks are very nice. The way you have the headstock just down like that makes me nervous. The moment it slips. Bad day..

[@peterconnolly5885]

Mr DeCola mentions two types of strap lock. Didn't catch the names. It would also be nice to see close-ups of both types.

[@MothEater667]

Jim Dunlop and Schaller strap locks. Cheers!

[@peterconnolly5885]

Schaller: www.amazon.com/Schaller-Locks-Guitar-Buttons-Nickel/dp/B07F7F2SQJ/ Dunlop: www.amazon.com/Dunlop-SLS1503BK-Straplok-Traditional-Retainer/dp/B000EEL920/

[@MobileDecay]

Over a grand for a guitar with a plastic jack plate. Meanwhile the sub $200. Les Paul style Grote has a metal jack.

[@oscarguzman5548]

Maybe a closer view to show the explanation will be a good idea next time. Thanks.

[@dinolisi9812]

My dad is a carpenter.. he showed this to me 50 years ago

[@mr.k905]

For a Les Paul Mahogany tooth picks sound best of course.

[@davidkhammer]

Funny this video came up today. I literally received my brand new Gibson acoustic with no strap button on the heel. All the photos I've seen showed a strap button. So I put one off of a made in Mexico fender Stratocaster on it

[@feral91_]

sometimes this allows you to install it in the rear of the heel or the side, I actually like when the top one it's not factory installed

[@GarryWan666]

Now I know how to be rich! Toothpicks - 1$ / package Gibson Dual taper-ended luthier dowel rods - 1000$ / unit

[@Synismyhero]

Can you hurry up and send my LP Modern

[@TempoDrift1480]

I can't believe Slash still uses those Shaller locks. Those things suck. I took the Pepsi challenge and went with the Dunlop. Out of 17 instruments in service I've never had a Dunlop fail. The "E clip" he's talking about is called a Jesus clip.

[@flooptydoo1178]

Most of my guitars have the toothpick mod

[@davegreeley]

I used toothpick before some one showed me.

[@chrisbja79]

De la colle et des cure-dents dans une guitare à 6000 dollars 💵 A ce prix Gibson peut faire installer des strap lock d’origine

[@ldtriplesix]

One of the strap buttons on my BRAND NEW Les Paul pulled right out of the guitar just by removing the strap. Dear Gibson, please drill smaller pilot holes. There was literally no wood for the screw to grab on to.

[@ElcanaldeReyesManuel]

Genial

[@54lespaul77]

Good information, but not great editing. You need more tight shots of the process.

[@ronnielawson8276]

Do be the toothpicick a thin g a thousand times

[@GP-Music.]

Elmers glue lmao

[@soundpainter2590]

Elmer's IS "Hyde glue" They also make a brown version. ( "Elmer" is a Cow ) hmmm... Cowhide & Horsehide.... Hide glue. What the 50's Originals were glued with. The wood pores "Drink it in" when building a guitar. Yeah, "Laugh your ass off" NO Offense.. you didn't know.

[@GP-Music.]

​@@soundpainter2590 Ill stick to aliphatic resin based, tyvm.

[@jhwk1970]

Metal strap locks are the next ding on your guitar. It must be in the Bible someplace.

[@iromanovsky]

Terrible, unreliable fix, especially for heavy and expensive guitars like LPs. Every time I buy a used guitar, the buttons are loose and toothpicks fall apart. I have to drill a larger hole, glue a hardwood dowel, and redrill for the original strap button screw size. Another option is to use longer, neck mounting screws, but they might not work if you need to keep the existing strap button unmodified.

[@ianturley502]

Toothpicks!! How dare you! You heathen!! At least have the decency to use match sticks like the rest of us.. lol

[@matthewpaluch777]

🤣 Never had these problems with my PRS guitars!!!

[@scoobydoo936]

I did

[@MobileDecay]

This could happen with any guitar. The first result I got when searching for the fix to this issue was a guy fixing his prs guitar.

[@michaelmetal71]

wow thanks Gibson 🙄i never would have known how to do any of these things if you hadn’t made a video of it,give me a break 🙄 changing strap buttons and stuff like that is for beginners make a video showing how to do real modifications not kids stuff