OP
TVvoodoo
Ambassador of The Comfortably Slung
Today in the StrapLab we are manufacturing felt washers! OH RAPTURE! OH JOY!!!
I looked far and wide for a supplier to make these for me, could never get anyone to come in at a respectable price point and get me exactly what I wanted. So, necessity becomes the Mother of Invention as they say.
What I need, and is only good enough for Well-Hung Pro-Pin users, is genuine animal fur felt washers and absolutely NOT some poly fall-apart crap you find with most storebought and stock installed strap buttons. You may have experienced where they can melt right into the finish of your guitar due to some plasticizers in the washer, the finish or whatever. Usually the bottom of the button will hide the damage, but stick with me like those buttons to your guitar, and agree this is in no way any sort of optimal situation.
Now what often is the case is where fellas (like me in the past) who refin a gat and just cannot wait long enough for the finish to cure. We get all in a hurry to do mockups, install the hardware and take photos to show it off, set it up etc. With a rushed finish line, even these washers will stick to that, so FOR GOSH SAKES BE PATIENT!!!!
I have done this to myself in the past. Also, word is, even some big name G brand users have recently caught washers sticking to new guitar nitro, because, claims go, they've been shipping before finishes are fully cured. Another take on it is perhaps they're adding plasticizers to the nitro to minimize checking and cracking, which will also extend cure time. Who can say what the exact situation is? Trade secrets. Anyway, could be a combination of sticky cheap poly washers, and/or sticky finishes, and how fast the Earth is tilting on it's axis.
All things considered, leaning towards natural materials is far superior, in my opinion. NO plastic. These last longer, don't compress quite so much/so easily and are not so dang thin to disintegrate if you use 'em more than twice.
I source my felt by purchasing quality cowboy hats at thrift shops, cut 'em into pieces, then punch 'em out. I can get a lot of washers of out one lid. Stetson, Biltmore, Resistol, Akubra etc. Says right on the label, genuine fur felt, rabbit, beaver or whatever. I bang 'em out with 7/16" hole punch, then another 1/16" inch hole "roughly" in the center. Bang, bang, bang, bang. OMG it's pretty tedious work, but I only have to do it maybe four times a year. Today I had me some Black Sabbath on, Heaven and Hell, and seemed to help it all go a bit faster, made about 150 or so. Didn't count exactly. Figured I'd take pics. Somebody else must be interested in this right? OMG LOL!
Here are some brand new sest of Well-Hung Jumbo Oversize strap buttons sporting my fresh-made fur felt ring washers. I call 'em Pro-Pins and these three pairs are Alabama bound tomorrow morning. If customers don't specify, I'll normally send one pair with white, one with buff, and a set with black. I also entertain requests for super OG leather washers if someone wants 'em.
These jumbo strap buttons of my own design are milled from solid aluminum, and nickel finished. They have roughly twice the hold-back surface area of regular stock buttons, and a nice smooth bell that slips a strap on easier without cutting and grabbing. They work quite easily with every storebought strap I have tried. The button is also deeper, and will accommodates your precious beer gaskets AND a good strap end easily. These are also a great solution if you are tired of doing the old toothpick and gluethery process, or maybe you have some straps that are a getting a bit worn, seem a bit iffy on a regular button.
Some fellas just like the heavy duty look, I think they are quite beautiful. One guy called them "bulletproof." Several luthiers like these for new custom builds, as do a few working big name guitar techs.
The screw I send with come with is a manly screw, the best kind, and a genuine fur felt washer, made by hand by ME! The shaft is tight! tight! tight! No wibble/wobble like other buttons, which will always 100% result in a loosening button/screw.
Adopting a set of Well-Hung Pro-Pins oversize strap buttons will most likely steer you clear of all kind of frustration, and wean you off mechanical strap gadgets forever due to many reasons you've seen discussed before. Plus, every time I see attempted guitar pr0n with clunky straplock mechanisms on, I die a little inside.
Oh, and here's a "plywood" bass (you know I'm only joking buddy) sporting a 1969 strap, recently sent in...
And, since you are here for the pr0n, how about this great bound tele matchup?
Pretty darn slick.
I looked far and wide for a supplier to make these for me, could never get anyone to come in at a respectable price point and get me exactly what I wanted. So, necessity becomes the Mother of Invention as they say.
What I need, and is only good enough for Well-Hung Pro-Pin users, is genuine animal fur felt washers and absolutely NOT some poly fall-apart crap you find with most storebought and stock installed strap buttons. You may have experienced where they can melt right into the finish of your guitar due to some plasticizers in the washer, the finish or whatever. Usually the bottom of the button will hide the damage, but stick with me like those buttons to your guitar, and agree this is in no way any sort of optimal situation.
Now what often is the case is where fellas (like me in the past) who refin a gat and just cannot wait long enough for the finish to cure. We get all in a hurry to do mockups, install the hardware and take photos to show it off, set it up etc. With a rushed finish line, even these washers will stick to that, so FOR GOSH SAKES BE PATIENT!!!!
I have done this to myself in the past. Also, word is, even some big name G brand users have recently caught washers sticking to new guitar nitro, because, claims go, they've been shipping before finishes are fully cured. Another take on it is perhaps they're adding plasticizers to the nitro to minimize checking and cracking, which will also extend cure time. Who can say what the exact situation is? Trade secrets. Anyway, could be a combination of sticky cheap poly washers, and/or sticky finishes, and how fast the Earth is tilting on it's axis.
All things considered, leaning towards natural materials is far superior, in my opinion. NO plastic. These last longer, don't compress quite so much/so easily and are not so dang thin to disintegrate if you use 'em more than twice.
I source my felt by purchasing quality cowboy hats at thrift shops, cut 'em into pieces, then punch 'em out. I can get a lot of washers of out one lid. Stetson, Biltmore, Resistol, Akubra etc. Says right on the label, genuine fur felt, rabbit, beaver or whatever. I bang 'em out with 7/16" hole punch, then another 1/16" inch hole "roughly" in the center. Bang, bang, bang, bang. OMG it's pretty tedious work, but I only have to do it maybe four times a year. Today I had me some Black Sabbath on, Heaven and Hell, and seemed to help it all go a bit faster, made about 150 or so. Didn't count exactly. Figured I'd take pics. Somebody else must be interested in this right? OMG LOL!
Here are some brand new sest of Well-Hung Jumbo Oversize strap buttons sporting my fresh-made fur felt ring washers. I call 'em Pro-Pins and these three pairs are Alabama bound tomorrow morning. If customers don't specify, I'll normally send one pair with white, one with buff, and a set with black. I also entertain requests for super OG leather washers if someone wants 'em.
These jumbo strap buttons of my own design are milled from solid aluminum, and nickel finished. They have roughly twice the hold-back surface area of regular stock buttons, and a nice smooth bell that slips a strap on easier without cutting and grabbing. They work quite easily with every storebought strap I have tried. The button is also deeper, and will accommodates your precious beer gaskets AND a good strap end easily. These are also a great solution if you are tired of doing the old toothpick and gluethery process, or maybe you have some straps that are a getting a bit worn, seem a bit iffy on a regular button.
Some fellas just like the heavy duty look, I think they are quite beautiful. One guy called them "bulletproof." Several luthiers like these for new custom builds, as do a few working big name guitar techs.
The screw I send with come with is a manly screw, the best kind, and a genuine fur felt washer, made by hand by ME! The shaft is tight! tight! tight! No wibble/wobble like other buttons, which will always 100% result in a loosening button/screw.
Adopting a set of Well-Hung Pro-Pins oversize strap buttons will most likely steer you clear of all kind of frustration, and wean you off mechanical strap gadgets forever due to many reasons you've seen discussed before. Plus, every time I see attempted guitar pr0n with clunky straplock mechanisms on, I die a little inside.
Oh, and here's a "plywood" bass (you know I'm only joking buddy) sporting a 1969 strap, recently sent in...
And, since you are here for the pr0n, how about this great bound tele matchup?
Pretty darn slick.
