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View Poll Results: Front strap button/position poll: What would you do?
Don't drill a hole in that beautiful, new guitar! Tie to the headstock! 27 22.31%
Don't be such a baby! Drill the back of the heel and use your existing strap locks!! 19 15.70%
Suck it up, drill the 'Taylor position' hole and buy a new set of strap locks. 71 58.68%
Return the guitar. You don't deserve anything this nice and new anyway! 4 3.31%
Voters: 121. You may not vote on this poll

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  #1  
Old 12-22-2019, 10:19 AM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Default Front strap conundrum - to drill or not to drill - Updated with decision!

I know this issue has been covered many times before. I've even encountered it myself on a few occasions. I have just received a brand new guitar. A beautiful, custom shop Martin (NGD coming soon!). A new one. My first NEW Martin ever. As such, it's completely stock with no front strap button.

I always play standing, stapped. Gigging, noodling, practicing - I stand. So I'm very used to playing with a strap. Generally speaking I much prefer the 'Taylor' front strap button position which is on the treble side of the heel. I would always have front strap buttons installed there or on the rare occasion when I dared, installed one myself. I know it's not rocket science and fairly simple to do as long as you take your time. But it's still SO VERY HARD to put that drill to your new baby. Visions of the drill bit slipping and making a nice long gash or worse seeing the neck spit or crack are the things that nightmares are made of!

This new guitar I plan to keep at home. I have gigging guitars. So keeping it completely stock has an appeal to me. But the only recourse for strapping up without modification is tying to the headstock. But I've tried this before and I just don't like the feel of the way the guitar hangs using this method. Maybe I'd get used to it? Another wrinkle is that due to it being a slotted headstock the string angle is too severe to get any sort of strap or lace in the preferred spot just behind the nut under the strings. So I'd have to tie farther up on the headstock.

And speaking of wrinkles, while perusing some of the many old threads about this subject I stumbled onto a link to the great Stewmac page that talks about the various options for front strap button installation and they actually flat out state the following: "What about tying the strap to the peghead? Don’t do it. You don’t want that kind of strain pulling at the neck that you’ve so nicely adjusted the action on." I added the bold to the statement but that's pretty definitive. And yet of course we've seen many a player use this method for as long as there have been guitars and guitar players! Here's a direct link to that Stewmac page in case you want to see it:

Where's the best spot for your strap button?

As if all this wasn't bad enough, here's yet another wrinkle. Of all the front strap button placement options, I've always hated the back of the heel placement the most. The funny thing is that I recently went over to Cole Clark for my gigging guitars and this is where they place their buttons. So I've had to set up my strap lock system for this which means the front strap lock faces the opposite direction. So if I want to set up the new Martin to use this strap, it means putting the strap button in this location!

So, there you have it. My options are 1.) Do nothing, install no strap button and use the headstock front tie method and see if I eventually acclimate to it. 2.) Drill the rear heel and add the button there so I can use my existing strap lock system as set up for my Cole Clarks. 3.) Drill the 'Taylor' position and buy another strap lock system for one of my other straps. Barring the warnings from Stewmac about NOT tieing to the headstock, I think I'm going to do just that for now. After all, I never thought I'd acclimate to dreads in the first place and now that's mostly what I play. So why not give it a shot, right?

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear from anyone out there that has faced this dilemma, especially those that never liked the tieing to the headstock method but gave it another go and whether or not you persevered or just finally gave up and drilled the hole! Just for fun I figured I'd make this a simple poll.

Update with final decision:

While the vast majority voted for just sucking it up and installing the strap button in the neck heel side position it really didn't influence my decision to do just that. It was a combination of decided to have the bottom drilled out for a pickup install so while I was at it I had my guy install the front strap button. And while I had acclimated to the headstock strap position fairly well, it still never quite felt right. Now it does. Thanks for all your votes and opinions.

Photos


Last edited by Methos1979; 01-21-2020 at 01:21 PM.
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  #2  
Old 12-22-2019, 10:23 AM
Cameleye Cameleye is offline
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How about you start with the strap on the headstock and if after a while that just ends up not being comfortable then drill your new baby for the neck heel pin?
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Old 12-22-2019, 10:31 AM
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It's really no big deal. No different than drilling those 6 or 12 holes for the tuners. You need the strap button? Drill the hole!

And NOT at the back of the heel! I hate that.
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Old 12-22-2019, 10:34 AM
beatcomber beatcomber is offline
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Most probably won't agree with me, but I will not buy a used guitar with a neck heel button. I find it visually unappealing, and tie my straps around the headstock.
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Old 12-22-2019, 10:38 AM
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Find a repair shop you trust and have them do it and move on.
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Old 12-22-2019, 10:43 AM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Be careful when drilling by putting a mark on the drill bit at the depth you want to drill to and make sure the drill bit is TIGHT in the drill chuck. Make a small pin-prick in the heel where you want to drill to keep the drill point from wandering, Also, while drilling, maintain the correct angle that you want in relation to the curvature of the neck heel at the strap button's location.

Let me relate a horror story about a new Huss & Dalton DM I was going to buy. Per my request, the technician took it in the back work area to install a neck-heel strap-button and drilled right through the heel! Needless to say, I didn't buy the guitar and the tech was both flummoxed and embarrassed over his error with the drill. Luckily, the tech was the owner's brother.
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Old 12-22-2019, 10:45 AM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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Yeah. As my guitars have become more dear I've found it less and less appealing to take the tools to them. I've got a fantastic luthier/tech who does my work and I let him brandish the tools if I'm squeamish.


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Old 12-22-2019, 10:55 AM
cmd612 cmd612 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KenL View Post
It's really no big deal. No different than drilling those 6 or 12 holes for the tuners. You need the strap button? Drill the hole!
Quote:
Originally Posted by J-Doug View Post
Find a repair shop you trust and have them do it and move on.
Any new (or new to me used) guitar I get immediately goes to my favorite tech for a strap button on the treble side of the heel (if it doesn't already have a button). There's no point to me in having a guitar that I can't use the way I want to use it.

Last edited by cmd612; 12-22-2019 at 11:12 AM.
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Old 12-22-2019, 10:57 AM
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Didn't vote - regardless of guitar I just prefer the feeling of tied to the headstock, nothing to do with aesthetics. Go with whatever is most comfortable for you.
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Old 12-22-2019, 10:57 AM
sayheyjeff sayheyjeff is online now
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I don’t play standing much but there are occasions so a strap is sometimes needed. Found that I much prefer to have it tied at The headstock so I do that for all the guitars. Easier to have the 2 straps I use at the correct length for me and my guitars in the same position without thinking about it. These probably aren’t concerns for those who play standing up more often. I’m also not too handy with tools so I would never chance doing anything beyond string changes or cleaning my guitars.
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Old 12-22-2019, 11:06 AM
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Who's guitar is it???
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Old 12-22-2019, 11:16 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpruceTop View Post
...Let me relate a horror story about a new Huss & Dalton DM I was going to buy. Per my request, the technician took it in the back work area to install a neck-heel strap-button and drilled right through the heel! Needless to say, I didn't buy the guitar and the tech was both flummoxed and embarrassed over his error with the drill. Luckily, the tech was the owner's brother.
I believe the applicable legal term is "fratricide"...
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Old 12-22-2019, 11:17 AM
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I do them myself these days.

Many years ago, I took one in to have it done. The tech guy said, "Here, watch." And he did one in about 90 seconds, just like SpruceTop described above.

Then he told me it's simple and I could do it myself. He's right, and I do.
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Old 12-22-2019, 11:22 AM
zombywoof zombywoof is offline
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Me, I just tie the strap around the headstock. I grew up doing it so it is pretty much a habit for me. My wife though goes for the front strap lock.
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Old 12-22-2019, 11:28 AM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beatcomber View Post
Most probably won't agree with me, but I will not buy a used guitar with a neck heel button. I find it visually unappealing, and tie my straps around the headstock.
Fortunately, most folks who buy used guitars don’t seem to share your reservations. I routinely install strap buttons on the treble side of the heel of the neck, and so far as I can tell, it’s never stopped anyone from buying any guitars from me.


whm
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