Gibson Les Paul - The problem....

[GordonM]

I love my two archtops - L4-CES (2000) & Howard Roberts (1974)
I love my solid body - RD Artist (1978)
I like playing some tunes that back in the day Les Paul played - Nola, etc
I recently decided that it was now or never time to get myself a Les Paul guitar...
It's as nice as I was expecting, and the slightly shorter scale compared to my RD Artist makes it very easy to get used to.
But....
The problem is that the STRAP BUTTON seems to me to be in the wrong place. Why is it not at the back somewhere near near the heel of the neck? (as it is on every other guitar that I have). I play a lot with the neck up at an angle (no other way to get those "Johnny Smith" type stretches) and this makes the strap button lay almost flat meaning that the strap comes off very easily unless I use some form of strap lock and even then it doesn't give that much confidence.
Any thoughts? (- I know it's an easy thing to fit one in a better location but this would probably devalue the instrument)

[JCat]

The Les Paul model is obviously a great design, but the neck strap button is not safe. Some sort of strap lock solution is a must. Once the strap is safely secured, the position of the neck strap button is great when playing standing, imo.

[DawgBone]

If it's a player guitar I would just move it to the heel. If it's a collectible and you're just playing around the house why use a strap at all? I either beat my stuff like it owes me money or I barely play it at all so modding doesn't generally bother me. You might be different.

I hate strap locks but I have used them. I think the schaller's are a better design since if the lock fails the guitar won't (hopefully) automatically go crashing to the ground. Watch out for fake schallers. Still requires messing with the guitar to some degree. Some of the screws may be larger than what the Gibson factory uses. I know that is the case for sure with the Ernie Balls.

Been thinking about a good japanese copy of a Les Paul myself lately and I don't have a lot of money so don't provoke me!

[Stringswinger]

If it's a player guitar I would just move it to the heel. If it's a collectible and you're just playing around the house why use a strap at all? I either beat my stuff like it owes me money or I barely play it at all so modding doesn't generally bother me. You might be different.

I hate strap locks but I have used them. I think the schaller's are a better design since if the lock fails the guitar won't (hopefully) automatically go crashing to the ground. Watch out for fake schallers. Still requires messing with the guitar to some degree. Some of the screws may be larger than what the Gibson factory uses. I know that is the case for sure with the Ernie Balls.

Been thinking about a good japanese copy of a Les Paul myself lately and I don't have a lot of money so don't provoke me!

DB, you can get a used Gibson Les Paul Studio for less than some of the Japanese lawsuit Les Pauls these days. I have a 2017 Studio and it is a superb Lester. With the ultra modern weight relief, it comes in at just under 8 pounds (which is a good thing for an aging musician who is still gigging).

It is always good to have a Lester in the toolbox (I have two myself) and I have always liked the strap pin position on my Lesters and have never felt the need to mess with them. I hate strap locks myself.

Yesterday I used my 2016 Les Paul Traditional (which is essentially a reissue of a 90's Les Paul Standard) on my regular solo jazz guitar gig. I have that guitar strung with DR Pure Blues 10's and I was using my Bud 6 amp. While on the gig, I was thinking that my jazz guitar tone was pretty damn good and it inspired my playing. But last week I played that gig with a hardtail partscaster Strat. My jazz guitar tone was damn good as well.

Tone is in the fingers. I am sure of it.

[Christian Miller]

I enjoy an LP studio. Underrated jazz guitars.

I wish I’d had the readies to buy the prototype LP Studio ES I once tried … that would have been a good use of £1500…

[DawgBone]

DB, you can get a used Gibson Les Paul Studio for less than some of the Japanese lawsuit Les Pauls these days. I have a 2017 Studio and it is a superb Lester. With the ultra modern weight relief, it comes in at just under 8 pounds (which is a good thing for an aging musician who is still gigging).

It is always good to have a Lester in the toolbox (I have two myself) and I have always liked the strap pin position on my Lesters and have never felt the need to mess with them. I hate strap locks myself.

Yesterday I used my 2016 Les Paul Traditional (which is essentially a reissue of a 90's Les Paul Standard) on my regular solo jazz guitar gig. I have that guitar strung with DR Pure Blues 10's and I was using my Bud 6 amp. While on the gig, I was thinking that my jazz guitar tone was pretty damn good and it inspired my playing. But last week I played that gig with a hardtail partscaster Strat. My jazz guitar tone was damn good as well.

Tone is in the fingers. I am sure of it.

I have become a big fan of Japanese guitars, specifically Edwards, with the purchase of my E-SA. It's just such a good playing and sounding guitar for the money I can't overlook the other offerings they have. I actually sold my Gibson because the Edwards was better all around and I am not brand loyal in any way shape or form. I like binding and ebony is an absolute must so that is where I have started my search. I know the resale will always be better with a genuine Gibson but i'm looking for something to gig when my E-SA goes down for fret work next year. I may wind up with another one of the E-SA's instead but I get sick of always just buying doubles of everything just to scrape by doing regional gigs. Something new and fun that can still approximate the tones I need would be nice.

Here is a couple guitars I am looking at recently:

EDWARDS / E-LP-CTM WH New! [100859] | Reverb

Edwards E-LP-120CD/QM 2012 - Les Paul Custom | Reverb

[icr]

Les Paul strap button location has not been consistent.

[bluejaybill]

Les Paul strap button location has not been consistent.

Uh oh- looks like someone from the factory went out at lunch and had a couple of pops...

OP, those rubber rings that are like Grolsch bottle washers work fine on a Les Paul. I just bought a set called tifanso on Amazon for $5 bucks, they work fine so long as you don't yank on them. And for the record, that is my favorite location for a strap button by far, I have them there on all of my electrics. On an LP they can slip off very easily- ask me know I know!

[JCat]

Les Paul strap button location has not been consistent.

Yep, this variation is real. Just secure the strap with a strap lock solution of choice.

(Gibson is now using oversized strap buttons. They either work or they don't, depending on your strap...)

At first glance this topic may appear trivial, but don't underestimate the need for a dependable strap solution. Don't overlook the strap buttons, or they could ruin your gig or your guitar.

A safe strap assembly involves the strap, the strap button and the strap button screw. Failure in any of these areas will compromise the function. A common pitfall is when someone replaces a strap button but use a screw that doesn't match the threads of the guitar, which could lead to catastrophic failure...
...Then the effort of trying to improve the solution turned out to make it worse...

[Jimmy Mack]

Grolsch. They work great.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

the strap comes off very easily unless I use some form of strap lock and even then it doesn't give that much confidence.

I never used a strap lock in the first 60 or so years of playing the guitar - I never had a strap break or come off.........until it did. I much prefer to play sitting down, but it's just not possible on some gigs. I was standing while playing my Carvin solid body and the strap just slipped off the endpin. Fortunately, I was able to catch and hold it with my left hand (which was around the neck at the time), so it didn't hit the ground. But it scared me straight and I chose locks the next day. I put them on all my solid body guitars and have used them ever since. I do check the strap under the device every few months, and there's no sign of wear or elongation of the strap hole after a cumulative 20+ years on multiple guitars.

I can't prove that the Dunlop Straplok I chose is the best system, but I'm not sure there is a "best" given the number of different systems in common use. It looks and feels solid and the design seems sound. So I got one set to try and liked them enough to put them on my Carvin, Les Paul, ESP, and Tele too. I've never had a doubt about them - they're easy to use, and I've had no near misses and no visible or palpable wear after lots of gigs.



The strap buttons on my Les Paul and Tele are about where yours are. Like you, I play with the guitar angled high, and no guitar has felt insecure that way.