How do you position your strap buttons?

[sdeeg]

When I got my W Thinline I simply put the strap buttons in the normal place, and it's always felt "neck heavy". I think I saw someone on here suggesting this was really a matter of geometry not so much weight. Makes sense to me, and I can see how moving the button on the bottom of the guitar can make it more balanced. But before I go and start punching new holes in my guitar I thought I'd throw it out to the group here.

So, how do you position your strap buttons so the guitar is balanced? Do you try taping it in different places? Hold it here and there to see what feels okay? Some other black art?

 

[Bruce Campbell]

I finally found where it balances perfectly with my Gibson Conversion Strat - the neck screw closest to the headstock and bass strings. The screw is a 2" #8, just a little longer than the other regular neck screws. This puts it in a Gibson SG/335-type position, although even better than that IMO. The oversize strap buttons sold on W shop fit through the screw I used (Amazon). The 2" length is as close as I could estimate to ending up with the same length screwed into wood as the others.

 

[sdeeg]

That's a really interesting suggestion @Bruce Campbell. I played around with it a little and found that it makes more of a difference then trying to move the bottom button. Although it changes the angle of the instrument making it hard to see the fret board. I suppose I shouldn't be looking anyway, but I suck and use that crutch too much. More experiments to come, and I might end up doing both (button on the neck screw and moving it on the bottom). Thanks for the idea!

 

[Bruce Campbell]

That's a really interesting suggestion @Bruce Campbell. I played around with it a little and found that it makes more of a difference then trying to move the bottom button. Although it changes the angle of the instrument making it hard to see the fret board. I suppose I shouldn't be looking anyway, but I suck and use that crutch too much. More experiments to come, and I might end up doing both (button on the neck screw and moving it on the bottom). Thanks for the idea!

Yeah, it's definitely harder to see the fretboard and your fingers that way, but I have to go that way for sake of my hands. It's tough because I am fighting neuropathy so I like to have visual confirmation of fretting, but I'm also finding that I rely more on the side dots now that the body hangs away instead of towards the player. So, as long as you have side dots, try focusing more on those instead of the face of the fretboard.