Duck Taping your guitar

FruitarGeek

We've all seen it before. Bands (ususally rock bands) will use tape to hold their strap to the body. I know why they do this, but what I want to know is:

1. Why do they do this instead of just getting strap locks and
2. Does it damage/decrease the value of the guitar (i.e. if you sell it and get the tape off, will it leave marks).

singemonkey

Like taping a duck to your guitar? ?

I think it's just to look all "I don't give a crap." Can't imagine it does much harm. You can probably get all the gunk off it with the right chemicals.

Stoffeltoo

Duck tape also has the nasty habit of removing paintwork during removal. Guitars are simply worth too much unless you stick it to a Cash converters/crusaders cheapy or something like that.
I use it to patch my sailing dinghy as a temporary repair after a rocky altercation. Sadly the boat now weighs more in paint than wood after removal of the tape for repairs it also rips of strip of paint with it.

No!, I would definitely not use duck tape on any instrument that I value.

Grolsch top seals works just as well and it is always a pleasure obtaining them

studmissile

Idiot.. ?

FruitarGeek

Stoffeltoo wrote: Grolsch top seals works just as well and it is always a pleasure obtaining them

haha right you are there.

The problem is I prefer strap locks, but the part of the body where the screw goes in is too big and the screws for the strap locks keep slipping out. And yes I've tried the tooth pick, and dowel and glue trick. Nothing. I'm thinking of alternate and working solutions - hence the duck tape?

Stoffeltoo

studmissile wrote: Idiot.. ?

Could'nt agree more. Must have had an ear shattering gig

Adrian a boating trick and is bullet proof
Use RS106 or similar 3:1 epoxy, mix with fine sawdust obtaiable from the dust collecter of hand sanders.
Mix the poxxy resin add the sawdust and keep on stirring till a putty like texture. Tape the existing hole with masking tape (NOT DUCKTAPE!) and fill the cavity with the sawdust resin. Leave for 12 to 24 hours, get your favourite dremel and redrill the hole to fit the screw hole size. Remove masking tape and Voila!

Stoffeltoo

You can approach CKD - Roy McBride in Hout Bay who may be willing to part with a small amount of poxy for the repair

guidothepimmp

I used tape for a while... i always had the grolsch seals but at this particular show my strap started tearing and got perilously close to coming off.. end of song, out came the tape.. and then i just left it on.

When i did take it off, the strap was a goner and the glue came off easily with naphta

FruitarGeek

Interesting. And how long had the tape been on there? There obviously wasn't any paint peeling

21Fretter

Speaking of duck-taping; an idea which I always thought was smart is that when you finally find the "sweet spot" on your amp for mic'ing, duck-tape a square around it.

AlanRatcliffe

Adrian Rogowski wrote: The problem is I prefer strap locks, but the part of the body where the screw goes in is too big and the screws for the strap locks keep slipping out. And yes I've tried the tooth pick, and dowel and glue trick. Nothing.

A trick I use when the original wood is too punky to hold a screw or dowel is to use baking powder and superglue to fill the hole. Fill a bit at a time, leave overnight, tap a hole and put the screw in. Ends up very hard.

Chocklit_Thunda

Duct tape is bound to leave a sticky residue... So don't use it, use gaffer tape instead. Gaffer tape is designed to have the same adhesive strength but still able to be removed cleanly. It's pretty much the stuff they use on stage and at concerts to cover wires etc without leaving gunk all over the floors and walls

FruitarGeek

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Adrian Rogowski wrote: The problem is I prefer strap locks, but the part of the body where the screw goes in is too big and the screws for the strap locks keep slipping out. And yes I've tried the tooth pick, and dowel and glue trick. Nothing.
A trick I use when the original wood is too punky to hold a screw or dowel is to use baking powder and superglue to fill the hole. Fill a bit at a time, leave overnight, tap a hole and put the screw in. Ends up very hard.

Awesome. What do you mean by 'tap a hole'?

AlanRatcliffe

Drill a pilot hole. Once it's set, it's very difficult to just drive in a self tapping screw. So you drill a hole the same size as the screw shaft.

Someone else mentioned the baking powder and superglue trick for fixing a chipped or worn nut - it excels anywhere you need something hard.

I did my Sanox' straplock holes like this about 15 years ago and I've never even had to tighten the screws again since...

FruitarGeek

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Drill a pilot hole. Once it's set, it's very difficult to just drive in a self tapping screw. So you drill a hole the same size as the screw shaft.

Someone else mentioned the baking powder and superglue trick for fixing a chipped or worn nut - it excels anywhere you need something hard.

I did my Sanox' straplock holes like this about 15 years ago and I've never even had to tighten the screws again since...

I hate the idea of drilling into my guitar - But I guess it must be done

V8

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Drill a pilot hole. Once it's set, it's very difficult to just drive in a self tapping screw. So you drill a hole the same size as the screw shaft.

Someone else mentioned the baking powder and superglue trick for fixing a chipped or worn nut - it excels anywhere you need something hard.

That is a great tip - Thank you for mentioning Alan! My Hohner GT2 needs this done for the one strap button.

Duct/gaffer tape on a guitar...Heish I can't believe! I always thought the DiMarzio strap lock systems were a good way to keep guitar attached to person - especially when that Ynwgie moment strikes...(the hula hoop thing he does). I tried that on my old warlock once w/o the locks, thereafter it was no longer a pointy guitar :-[.

singemonkey

Chocklit_Thunda gets the Singemonkey award for fighting cruelty to ducks.

AlanRatcliffe

Adrian Rogowski wrote: I hate the idea of drilling into my guitar

You're not. You're drilling into the filler. ?

On gaffa tape:
Wonderful stuff. Roadies' go-to for anything from securing cables to fixing guitar cases. IINM, Turnkey imports/stocks the proper stuff which - as Choklit pointed out - has glue that is not as vicious as duct tape and leaves less residue when peeled off.

Chabenda

singemonkey wrote: Chocklit_Thunda gets the Singemonkey award for fighting cruelty to ducks.

"Duct Tape" is just PC to prevent PETA from getting the wrong idea. :?

Chocklit_Thunda

singemonkey wrote: Chocklit_Thunda gets the Singemonkey award for fighting cruelty to ducks.

Chabenda wrote: "Duct Tape" is just PC to prevent PETA from getting the wrong idea. :?

Haha ? It's to throw PETA off ones trail while they secretly adhere ducks to all the cracks and voids they're trying to fix.

That being said, both duct and duck are applicable names seeing as the tape was originally designed as a waterproof repair tool for soldiers in WW2 using waterproof "duck cloth" (canvas to you and me)
The name duct tape only came around after the war when it was used to seal up air ducts.