1936 Gibson L7 endpin safety question

Gear & Tools Talk
1

I recently went to a jam where a friend ruefully showed me the $500 repair to their nice Martin. “You might want to invest in strap locks”, they opined.

So I purchased a packet of “Fender Strap Blocks” (aka fat rubber washers)

image
image263×219 11.5 KB

and installed them on my daily instrument, a new Yamaha.

They were too fat to work on the endpin of my mothballed/inherited Gibson L7.
Instead I bought a, slimmer, D’Addario “Dual-Lock Strap Lock” and clipped it onto the endpin.
Turns out: not a good idea

image
image268×130 7.5 KB

Yesterday I, belatedly, dropped off the new Yamaha to be setup by a luthier, and pulled out the Gibson to practice on until the Yamaha returned.

The strap lock totally secured strap to the endpin (good)
It also secured it so tightly that it twisted the endpin out when I put the strap over my head (not good)
(Turns out, the endpin was was held in only by friction with a thin sheath of rubber into a tapered hole)

image
image412×414 48.5 KB

This is the exact opposite of my intention putting the strap lock on! :woman_facepalming:

QUESTION: What is a good/secure way to attach strap to said guitar?

The low boogie, ugly, temporary, but oh-so-secure, way I’m contemplating is to insert into the endpin hole a toggle on a loop of sturdy nylon cording.
      Instead of an endpin there’ll be an endloop.

image
image446×232 28.9 KB

When the actual proper recourse is possible, push the toggle into the body of the guitar, and fish it out through an F hole.

Advice?
“Don’t practice for a week, work on music theory instead”,
      to
“Give me the guitar, then you’ll no longer have a problem on your hands”
      to
“Take it to the best luthier you can afford and follow their advice”

Thanks,
Bruce

2

Personally, I would have to have that guitar fixed real good and proper cheers Hec

1 Like
3

I think option 2 on the advice is the way. :wink:

1 Like
4

What I would probably do is to fill the hole in the guitar using a wooden dowel to match the size of the Endpin and fix it using cyanoacrylate or wood glue depending on what it’s going into, then cut the plastic Endpin to a length that would allow use of a rubber washer; drill a hole through it to use a sensible sized screw through it to fix it into the Dowel that you’ve filled the Endpin hole with. The dowel will need a pilot hole in it but not too big so it has a decent purchase on the dowel.
This is making the assumption that there is an end block behind where the Endpin fits.

5

Old Gibson Arch Top’s end pins are friction fit. My 1947 Gibson L48 has the same friction fit pin. Stick it back in until it is snug and don’t worry about it.
It lasted for 89 years without any problem. If you’re worried sit and play without a strap.

2 Likes
6

Whatever you do, make sure you test/ inspect the size of a straplock hole against the pin. It should swing freely. They are not always compatible, as you’ve unfortunately found out.
I have some of these D’Addarios and theyre great; but I did have shave a mm or two off to fit the pins on my LP clone, which are a different size to my Tele.
Hope you get a good solid fix on the ousted pin.

Cheers, Shane

1 Like