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  #1  
Old 02-08-2023, 08:51 AM
theblues88 theblues88 is offline
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Default Would you pass a guitar with a strap button on the heel cap?

Found a guitar I want to purchase in great condition but unfortunately the owner installed a strap button on position 2:



I never had a guitar with a strap btn on this position but I've read that folks don't like it very much.

Thoughts?
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Old 02-08-2023, 08:52 AM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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If I really loved the guitar, no, I wouldn't pass on it but I would relocate that strap button to the #5 position.
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Old 02-08-2023, 08:58 AM
musicman1951 musicman1951 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
If I really loved the guitar, no, I wouldn't pass on it but I would relocate that strap button to the #5 position.
I would agree. It's a very small hole to plug, and I can't see the back while I play.
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Old 02-08-2023, 09:08 AM
Bob from Brooklyn Bob from Brooklyn is offline
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Hardly a deal breaker. Just relocate it.
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Old 02-08-2023, 09:08 AM
buddyhu buddyhu is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
If I really loved the guitar, no, I wouldn't pass on it but I would relocate that strap button to the #5 position.
I am another who shares this view. I don’t like the way a guitar hangs with the button in position two, but it wouldn’t be a big deal to get it relocated and get the old hole patched.
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Old 02-08-2023, 09:11 AM
mercy mercy is offline
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Generally I would pass, especially in that position. Ive played guitars like that and they dont hang right. If though it was the perfect guitar other wise I would remove it and get someone to craft a semi circle graft to cover it. But on that particular guitar, I dont like heels shaped like that. Its not just that they look clunky but they get in the way trying to play high. Perhaps the OP doesnt go up there though.
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Old 02-08-2023, 09:15 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theblues88 View Post
Found a guitar I want to purchase in great condition but unfortunately the owner installed a strap button on position 2…
Hi tb88…
I'd not pass up on a purchase for a strap pin.

I'd just remove it or leave it there. If I removed it, I'd patch the hole or have it patched.

I'd install one where I prefer.



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Old 02-08-2023, 09:16 AM
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I don't think it would be particularly difficult to fill the hole there nor would it be noticeable when you did. I bought a Yamaha years back with the strap button positioned like that and I just got used to it and it wasn't a problem at all. But I wouldn't put one there myself.
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Old 02-08-2023, 09:48 AM
theblues88 theblues88 is offline
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Thanks folks! I think I'll pull the trigger. Cheers
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Old 02-08-2023, 09:52 AM
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Depends on the guitar. I do loathe that position and recently did pass on a guitar in the classifieds due to the button being in that position.

I might still buy a guitar with the button in that position and relocate it to position 5 (preferred) or position 4 on guitars with wide and shallow neck heals which tend to occur on higher-end guitars like Froggy Bottoms. If I felt that removing/relocating a strap button might negatively affect the resale value of a guitar - like for instance the previously mentioned high-end Froggy Bottom in pristine condition - then I would likely pass.

That said, I have in the past owned guitars that come with this position from the factory like Cole Clark guitars. While this position does make the guitar hang on the body in a less-than-ideal manner, the biggest issue I have is that it requires me to have two different straps since I use strap locks and it requires having the front strap lock hardware on the opposite side of the strap. More an annoyance than anything.
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Old 02-08-2023, 10:03 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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ALL my flat tops have a Schaller Straplock on the "no2" position.
The enable the strap to hang without twisting or affecting the hand at all.

I make all my straps out of 406 m/m leather, and this works perfectly.

In the past I've bought used guitars with strap buttons in the "traditional" place which is most annoying as it is difficult to plug them.
Should you want to plug a hole in the end cap, then simply fill it with a fret marker (available online for pennies) or at worst replace the end cap (prety pointless really)

I strongly suggest that the OP try to use the fitted button for a while to test it out.

The reason the No 5 position seems universally recommended by luthiers is because they fear a break in the heel should something disastrous happen.

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Old 02-08-2023, 10:50 AM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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The hole can be made to go away by changing the heel cap.
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Old 02-08-2023, 10:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arnold View Post
The hole can be made to go away by changing the heel cap.
Right - I thought this was the entire reason for doing it - If you don't like the button there, just remove it and replace the heel cap. Seems like the least invasive way to place the button.
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Old 02-08-2023, 11:00 AM
jaymarsch jaymarsch is offline
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Default Would you pass a guitar with a strap button on the heel cap?

I wouldn’t and I didn’t. My Wingert 00 that I purchased used in 2003 had the strap button on the heel. I took it in to my local guitar shop and had it changed to the treble side of the neck near where it joins the body. #5 in the photo. Totally worth the time and the little bit of money it cost me.
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Old 02-08-2023, 11:07 AM
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Default Would you pass a guitar with a strap button on the heel cap?

No, it wouldn’t faze me if everything else about the guitar suited me. But I would remove it and re-install it in the correct position (No. 5 AFAIC) the first day I brought the guitar home.
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Last edited by JayBee1404; 02-09-2023 at 01:23 AM. Reason: Demonstrate the correct spelling of ‘faze’.
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