DPA body clip - tightness

[Melt_in_the_Sun]

Caveat emptor, I know....

I bought a used DPA guitar mount and I think it's got a problem. It seems unable to tighten - the ratchet doesn't engage and so I can easily pull it further open, down/right in the below photos.

It doesn't appear damaged in any way so I am hopeful that I'm just an idiot and someone has an easy solution for getting this thing to work properly.Attachment 208834

[poul hansen]

I don't know that one but it seems easy to just sharpen the plastic brake lever with a file, a coarse nailfile might even do it, so it will hold.

Just looking at the construction, you can see that that "tooth" will be rounded with use and time, if indeed the spring inside isn't broken

[stevo58]

I use the cello clip instead - I’ve never been able to get the guitar mount to stay put. I mount the cello clip in the strings between the tailpiece and bridge. Much less fussy, more secure. I realize this isn’t your question, but I find the guitar mount thoroughly useless.

[Dave Hanson]

I may seem stupid but what is that device used for ?

Dave H

[stevo58]

The clip is fixed to the instrument body, the mic (which is mounted on a gooseneck) fits in the clip. DPA makes mounts for a wide variety of instruments. If you search for “DOA 4099 guitar” you’ll see plenty of photos.

[jim simpson]

I'm guessing yours may be faulty/worn? I used to use one on my mandolin before I went back to just using a mic.

[jherm]

IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS NOT GOING ALL THE WAY DOWN INTO THE SLOT >><>MAYBE YOUR LEVER IS SHEARD OFF and no your not an idiot this thing is pretty much fool proof ...it should just lock into place ...if not you could have a bad one

[Melt_in_the_Sun]

Thanks all. If I stick something underneath the other side it holds well. Here's what saving 20 bucks gets me I guess! I can probably rig up something more reliable.

[Ray(T)]

Just had a look at mine - not used it in a while. The prong which goes into the ratchet rocks backwards and forwards and is spring loaded to hold the end in the ratchet. You simply press the opposite end to release it. Clearly the spring is either faulty or broken. The device is so compactly made that it’s probably unrepairable and you’re likely to destroy it trying but once it’s on your instrument there’s no need to adjust it so poking something under one end; as you’ve done, or holding the other end down; with say a rubber band or a cable tie should be a work-around.

The ratchet mounts are horrendously expensive so I suspect that whoever sold it to you may well have seen you coming.

Edit - the manufacturers list the mount at €34 so possibly only “horrendous” after you’ve added shipping, tax/duty etc. unless you can find one locally.

[Melt_in_the_Sun]

OK, surgery time. Looking closely at the whole thing it's clear that it should come apart. Let's see...the little cap at the end is glued on, but with a firm grip it comes loose. Then cleaning off a bit of glue residue allows the pinchy part to come off the ratchet bar. The tiny cap that was on the end (preventing disassembly) sits off to the left.



A quick look inside shows there's no spring or any other mechanism here - it's just held in place by the stiffness of the plastic. There's some wear on the edge of mine, which is probably why it struggles to grip.


Looking more carefully at it, the seams indicate that it's an injection-molded plastic part, which means it is probably a thermoplastic like ABS. I decided to try and heat-bend this thing. Gripped it with pliers and then hit it with a heat gun until it started to soften, then I held it in place (lifting the pliers up/counterclockwise in this photo) while it cooled.


Success! So far! It definitely held its new shape and grips the bar firmly now. The heat melted the surface a bit so it doesn't look uniform anymore, but who cares? We'll see if this is a permanent fix!

[Ray(T)]

So the “spring” is in the plastic itself then. Well dissembled.