Strap button installed at local music shop?

bunnyf · Feb 15, 2013

I just got a beautiful new custom LoPrinzi tenor. It has a strap button for the pick up jack. I thought I'd just use this button and tie my strap to the headstock, but I find that I don't like so near to my left hand when I'm playing, just feels restrictive. I'm thinking of having a button installed at the heel underside (like Aldrine has). I wouldn't do it myself but I'm wondering if any local guitar shop can do it (we don't have much in our area) and I'm pretty sure there are no luthiers. I hate to give it up to send out to LoPrinzi's shop (or drive there, several hours away). Don't know enough about local shops to trust them and don't know other uke/guitar players in the area. Am I worrying for nothing?

Nicko · Feb 15, 2013

Add a strap button like no one is watching?

stevepetergal · Feb 15, 2013

Yes, it's perfectly safe to have this done at a local place. Hard to mess up. This is a job I would do myself on a lesser instrument, but if I had a LoPrinzi, I too would hate to take a drill to it. So by all means, take it to the guitar joint and tell them how precious your instrument is and that you entrust it to their care. It'll be fine.

bunnyf · Feb 15, 2013

thanks for the reassurance, just a little worried since the two shops nearby are both really small, one has only one Lanakai uke in it and the other specializes in drums

Paul December · Feb 15, 2013

Guitar shops have a lot of experience installing them.

Tim Mullins · Feb 15, 2013

You might want to check out the new Mobius Strap first. It doesn't require adding a strap button or any other modification of your instrument to work.

Best,

Tim

PhilUSAFRet · Feb 16, 2013

I'd personally recommend one sized for a mandolin. Most of the guitar buttons look too big and out of place to me, except on a baritone maybe.

Phil

Shastastan · Feb 17, 2013

I've had them added to both my tenor and pineapple by a local shop. They don't carry many ukes. They also have Lanikais. However the guy who runs the place has installed a lot of buttons. He put a mandolin button on mine since I'm using a mandolin leather strap. Both my ukes are Mainland. However, Had I know about the Mobius strap, I probably would have gone that route. I was thinking about trading in my pineapple for a Mainland concert. Mike at Mainland said that having a button on decreases the value. A button would be an asset to me rather than a deal breaker, but if you don't want one on there.........

I just moved my strap up to be between the pegs. Makes a big difference in being out of the way. Again, the Mobius strap would solve this problem.

bunnyf · Feb 19, 2013

too late

PhilUSAFRet said:
I'd personally recommend one sized for a mandolin. Most of the guitar buttons look too big and out of place to me, except on a baritone maybe.

Phil

I wish I had read your post before I took it in. The button looks OK but not great, I didn't know that there were smaller buttons and I have to say that I agree that it looks kinda large, oh well..

Patrick Madsen · Feb 19, 2013

bunnyf said:
I wish I had read your post before I took it in. The button looks OK but not great, I didn't know that there were smaller buttons and I have to say that I agree that it looks kinda large, oh well..

Should be easy to replace with a mando button. Just unscrew the one on there, put the new button on using the same screw.

hoosierhiver · Feb 19, 2013

If you do it yourself, be sure to drill a pilot hole that is just very slightly smaller than the screw, otherwise you will be displacing a lot of wood when you put in the screw and this could crack the ukulele.

byjimini · Feb 19, 2013

I went to have this done at my local, and they backed out at the last minute, big wusses.

Anyway, put masking tape in the area that you want to drill. It ensures the drill bit won't slip on the wood, thus marking it. As Mike says, make sure the hole is a tad smaller than the screw head, and screw it in gently.

bunnyf · Feb 19, 2013

done deal

the loprinzi is already done, but I do think I gonna take the suggestion to replace with smaller mandolin button, I was just a little worried that if I backed off the guitar one and put in the smaller mandolin button the treading from the guitar one might be larger or even if they're the same I worried a little that rescrewing in the same hole might leave me with a not so tight strap button..don't know- I am gonna put my own button on my inexpensive ukes, especially my baritone, might experiment with undersaddle pick up while I have the drill out:uhoh:

Strap button installed at local music shop?

bunnyf

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