Dunlop Straplok Nickel Flush Mount

In tegenstelling tot de meeste andere security locks (b.v. Schaller, Warwick, Fender), hebben deze Dunlops me nog nooit in de steek gelaten. Ik gebruik ze inmiddels op al mijn bassen (maar dan meestal de dual design versie). Bij Schaller vind ik het vervelend dat je het gat in de band groter moet maken om het ding te laten passen. Bovendien gaan de moeren regelmatig los. Dit geldt ook voor de Fenders. De Warwick locks lijken op de Dunlops, maar de kwaliteit is veeeel minder. Waar ik nog nooit heb meegemaakt dat de Dunlop los schoot, is me dat bij de Warwick wel vaker gebeurd. Voor mij zijn deze Dunlops by far nummer 1 vanwege de betrouwbaarheid, de borgring (kan niet loslopen), de eenvoudige montage en bij de dual design versie ook nog eens de mogelijkheid om een normale band te gebruiken als je je band met locks vergeten bent.

...i'm missing its ergonomics – and the Dunlop flush-mount Straplocks take my non-headless instruments where my headless one was.

i've been installing the flush-mount Straplock socket on all my Fender and Ibanez solid- and semi-solid guitars – on their lower horn backside.

it allows me to aim the neck upward, in the typical / formal fashion of classical guitar, at which the upper end of fretboard shall align with the player's shoulder bone.

i'll soon be sixty, and i've been playing mostly sitting for the past twenty years – even before i started this major change, my guitars were never hanging low on a long strap, always high, chest-high, heart-high...

...which is where Strandberg guitars' ergonomics truly excel, with all their peculiar shapes and measures – now my current instruments are no longer headless, but i can play them (sitting) in the exact same position of my Strandberg – and i'm happy, happier, happiest at it!

if you're afraid to nick your instrument's finish at drilling, ok, take it to a knowledgeable luthier or craftspeople – still, installing it on your own isn't a big deal, if you observe the drill bit size specifications.

here in Europe, it means you gotta have the two drill bits in imperial size, but it's no hassle to buy them online these days (and you shop online if you're reading this, don't you?).

EDIT, 2 years later: the drilling process went south, and it chipped one of the last guitars i installed it upon, its body made of such lightweight, fast-growth wood...

after i spoke to luthier friend, i realised there's a gross simplification on the product's installation tip: you don't want a drill bit to make room for this, but a Forstner bit, and a drill press turning high-torque, low-rpm, to avoid chipping the wood, and a paper flag to signal when you've reached no more and no less than the intended depth.

on matters size, here's another thought that came about luthier's talk: as 3/8" diameter isn't on the shelf of many hardware stores here in Europe, it's just easy to get smart and choose a 9.5mm bit (that's often labeled 3/8")... only it's slightly too big a bore, and the piece will have some play into it (while i indeed would have wanted a snug fit instead).

The smartest system for securing your shoulder strap, but poor tightening on the end caps with the clips. It should be nuts on threads.
You must apply yourself with good tools because you have to drill in your instrument, be careful and protect as much as possible around the place of the drilling.
The price is exaggeratedly high. But if you want flush mounting, there is only that to be found on the market, even in China!
Then, if you forget your shoulder strap, there will be nothing to replace it to hang your guitar on your neck!
The button may be too exposed and could be released by bumping an amplifier edge for example, to be tested.