Want to keep your Taylor from hitting the deck while gigging? Consider strap locks and a new adapter designed for Taylor guitars.
Playing
guitar has been a passion of mine since I picked up my first one at age 12. A
few years after that, I emptied my bank account — money saved from years of
cash-stuffed birthday cards, lawn mowing and driveway shoveling — and bought a
BC Rich guitar with a Marshall amp. Hey, it was the ’80s.
I
waited four months for that guitar to be built and delivered to my not-so-local
music store. I remember the salesman, Randy, a long-haired ’70s rocker who
owned a BC Rich himself, going over the guitar with me. We reviewed all the
knobs and switches and how to install the tremolo arm.
“Here’s
your case key,” he said. “And these are your strap locks.”
“What?”
I said. “What are strap locks?”
“Dude,
these are cool. Hook these metal pieces to your strap, and they snap into the
strap pins on your guitar. There’s no way it’ll accidentally slip off and hit
the ground.”
“They
ARE cool!” I replied, and I’ve installed strap locks on every electric guitar
I’ve purchased since then.
On
electric guitars, it’s easy. You unscrew the strap pins on the body and replace
them with the pins from your strap lock kit. It’s a super simple safety device
that’s well worth the money. However, try adding strap locks to an acoustic
guitar and you’ll quickly discover some complications. Most acoustics have a
strap pin on the heel of the neck or on the upper bout of the body. These can
easily be replaced, same as on an electric guitar. The problem arises at the
tail end of the guitar, where many acoustics have a combination strap
pin/output jack. There is no basic strap pin held in place with a screw that
you can simply replace. So, what do you do?
I’ve
seen a lot of players stop there. They have a strap lock on one end of their
strap and continue hooking the other end over the output jack because they’re
not sure what to do with that end. One secure end is better than nothing,
right?
You have two options if you want to use strap locks on both ends of your acoustic guitar. Option one is to drill a hole in your guitar to install the strap lock button. It’s safe, secure and solves the problem. If your guitar is a workhorse, tool-of-the-trade gigging machine built for road play, you might not have a problem with this. The tail block is a solid chunk of wood at the tail end of your Taylor acoustic guitar. It’s about 2-¾ inches wide and spans the entire distance from top to back. If you’re drilling a hole for a strap pin, you want to hit this block so the screw can securely anchor the strap pin. Drilling into an area that is not reinforced would be disastrous, so I suggest having an experienced tech do this for you.
Acousti-Lok Strap Lock Adapter for Taylor guitars with a 9-volt battery box
The other option, which was made available in 2019, comes from a company called MusicNomad. Those of you who cringe at the idea of drilling a hole in the tail end of your cherished Taylor guitar will really like this. They recently introduced strap lock adapters called Acousti-Loks, which connect to your output jack with an offset strap lock button attached so you can use strap locks without drilling holes. It requires no permanent modifications to the guitar, and the adapter can be removed at any time. If your Taylor has a 9v-battery-powered Expression System® pickup, they’ve got you covered. (Part #MN272)
I’ve
heard from some players who use the same style strap locks on all their guitars
and straps, which allows them to use any of their straps on any of their
guitars. That’s a pretty handy trick, especially if your gig requires juggling
multiple instruments. No longer do you need a dedicated strap with one hole
enlarged to slip over the jack cap on your acoustic. Grab any strap or guitar
you need!
Acousti-Loks
come equipped with a Schaller-style strap lock pin, but if you prefer another
style, such as Dunlop’s Straplok Strap Retainers, you can easily swap out the
pin of your choice.
That’s
the story on strap locks. Whichever approach you choose, you can trust your
strap to keep your Taylor guitar safe.