A Few Centimeters of Strap Pin

Hello.
I'm Mieno, the bass player in the HammondOrgan instrumental band “Banana Needle”.

This time, I'd like to write about the position of the strap pin on the bass body.

Let's take a look at the Fender Jazz Bass as a basic shape.

Fender / American Professional II Jazz Bass Roasted Pine

One button at the top of the cutaway on the neck side.
One button in the middle of the body end.

The bass is played standing up, with the strap hooked onto this button.

So, what do you think would happen if the position of this dot was different?

How could that be? !

Yes, it changes the way it feels when you hold it while standing.

If the feel of the instrument changes, I can't play phrases on the fly, or I get really tired... It's a very important part for me.

Basically, you can see that the tip of the cutaway on a Fender-type instrument is at the same position as the 12th fret.

The cutaway is at the 12th fret, so the center of the strap pin is between the 11th and 12th frets.

This is just my own impression, but if the strap pin is positioned closer to the body than the 12th fret, the 1st fret will be further away, but the higher frets will be easier to play.

On the other hand, the first fret is closer to the head, but the instrument shifts to the right (for right-handed players), so the high fret is a little difficult to play because my arm hits my stomach (compared to my stomach).

Killer Guitars / KB-FERVANCY 2 Sunset Purple

Now, for something easy to understand, it's a Les Paul-type bass.
This instrument has a strap pin at around the 16th fret.

Gretsch / G6136B-TP Tom Petersson Signature Falcon

The Gretsch is around the 18th to 19th fret.

Jackson / JS Series Concert Bass JS2 Snow White

I think this type of Jackson is around the 14th or 15th fret.

Yamaha / TRB1006J NT

This Yamaha is around the 12th and 13th frets.

There are various things, from things that are extremely different to things that are only slightly different.

Now, what I want to say here is the problem of “it's somehow difficult to play when standing”.

When I sit down and play, I can play well, but when I stand up and play, the feeling is completely different.

Of course, the thigh pivot and the strap pivot are completely different, but I think the position of the strap pin is also related.

For me, these few centimeters have a surprisingly big impact.

Personally, I prefer the position of the strap pin to be closer to the first fret, rather than the higher frets being easier to play, so I prefer the position of the strap pin to be closer to the head.

If you take it to a repair shop, they can extend the strap pin, but there is also a risk that the screw will break.

This is a useful item that I learned about from a repair shop.

Fender / FENDER INFINITY LOCKS, GOLD

JIM DUNLOP / SLS1034G　Straplok Dual Design Gold

Commonly known as “strap lock”.

This item prevents the strap from coming off and the instrument from falling.

With a regular strap pin, the strap will be attached to the cut end of the body, but with the strap lock, the strap is attached to the tip of a part that looks like a strap pin, so the strap is naturally attached to the head side.

It's really not much more than a centimeter, but it makes a dramatic difference to the feel of playing.

If you feel that the low notes are a little distant, I hope you will give this a try.

By the way, I only use the strap lock on the neck side.

Fender / FENDER INFINITY LOCKS, RED

The fenders come in lots of cute colors...

So far, I've been looking at strap pins on the side of the instrument, but for instruments where the strap pin is not visible from the front, it is attached to the back of the neck end.

Epiphone / SG Bass (EB-3; 2-Pickup) Cherry

Epiphone / Rex Brown Thunderbird Ebony

This is a SG-style or Thunderbird-style bass.
When it is not possible to attach it to the side, etc., there is a strap pin on the back, which is common on Gibson-type instruments.

I think that many people understand and play the guitar to some extent, such as when the head falls when standing, but surprisingly, changing the position of the strap pin at the end of the body rather than the neck side can make it much easier.

I have previously examined the neck dive, so if you are interested, please check out the video below.

Just a few centimeters or a small change can reduce the stress you feel when playing, so please try out different things.

See you later!

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