Guitar hangers... noob question

[betocool]

Hey all,

as a guitar DIY'er and aficionado, I've accumulated a few more than I can sell... maybe because I'm not trying to sell them.

I recently gave my office and music room a clean slate, and I'd like to have my guitars and basses hanging on the wall. I though of something like this (or variations thereof):

But I have two questions about them, and what your experience is:
- Question 1: Does the material (cork, soft rubber, etc) damage the finish on the neck?
- Question 2: The fact that the whole weight is supported by the neck, does that in any way damage or change the neck-body settings?

Any other things to watch out for, I'm very grateful!

Cheers,

Alberto

 

[corliss1]

1 - String Swings for sure has tested their material against nitro. I *think* Hercules has too, but you'll want to check.
2 - Nope
3 - make sure you hit a stud

 

[drmordo]

1 - I would worry if it was nitro
2 - No
3 - Find a stud or use wall anchors. Wall anchors work fine even with heavy guitars. I have a friend who (25 years ago) broke a high end Ibanez neck by not mounting to a stud or using an anchor.

 

[jackinjax]

Ditto on the "make sure you hit a stud". I found out the hard way that I missed.

 

[stxrus]

I’ve been using String Swings for the last 20 years with no problems. Mounting into studs is a great sense of security.

 

[jvin248]

.

Put a cotton sock over hangers you're not sure are nitro safe.

Never buy guitars coated in nitro.

.

 

[trandy9850]

Hey all,

as a guitar DIY'er and aficionado, I've accumulated a few more than I can sell... maybe because I'm not trying to sell them.

I recently gave my office and music room a clean slate, and I'd like to have my guitars and basses hanging on the wall. I though of something like this (or variations thereof):
View attachment 1081120

But I have two questions about them, and what your experience is:
- Question 1: Does the material (cork, soft rubber, etc) damage the finish on the neck?
- Question 2: The fact that the whole weight is supported by the neck, does that in any way damage or change the neck-body settings?

Any other things to watch out for, I'm very grateful!

Cheers,

Alberto

String Swing is the answer…they’re nitro safe…and it’s a USA-made product….Paul runs a good company….we had over 200 of their hooks that we used in the store….never had one fail.

 

[teleman1]

I like to stagger them. Much more attractive, but do not put them too high. You want to reach forward to grab them, not up. And keep them high enough to put things underneath or to vacuum underneath. Maybe the highest would be one head taller than you.

 

[MarkieMark]

"Hitting a stud" is really overkill unless you don't use decent anchors.

I have used simple drywall anchors rated at ~45Lbs each for years. Never had one work loose or fail in any application. Certainly not a ~<10Lb guitar.

*Edited for spelling.
My keyboard is worn.

Yeah. That's the ticket...

 

[Killing Floor]

I’ve had my heavy vintage MM and Fender basses and guitars on String Swing hooks with Sheetrock plastic anchors for 20-ish years and still waiting for one to come loose. And I am not gentile. No issues with finish either.

 

[Freeman Keller]

Don't hang acoustics on the wall (or leave them on stands) unless you have a darn good humidifying system that will maintain your music room between 40 and 45% relative humidity.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I just use one of these with some cotton cloth wrapped around the tines: wall hanger

 

[dazzaman]

I used a Hercules one on a nitro guitar for 10 years with no issues, but that is no guarantee they are fine with all nitro guitars. I would always check it when taking the guitar off to play it. Personally I will not hesitate to use them again, but it is my problem to fix if there should ever be an issue. I am fine with that.

 

[kuch]

+1 on string swings
I've used them with drywall anchors for over 20 years

 

[ReverendRevolver]

I use the Walmart version of what Charlie Bernstein linked. Right into a stud, all good. Now, the more recent ones aren't as narrow as the 20 years ago ones, and I'm having trouble hanging teles.
My house is lath and plaster, I don't trust just anchors hold much. I'd rather hit wood and have peace of mind than realize too late the key layer and top layer of plaster separated and the guitar concussed a child.

 

[Orpheum]

From my personnal experience, the foam used by Hercules doesn't hurt nitro finishes (Gibson, Guild, handmade acoustics, ...).

 

[G.Rotten]

I've had my Hercules hangers for a couple decades and used with guitars of all kinds. Never an issue with the finish.

Guitar stores have pretty much always hung their guitars. I think yours can take it.

I would suggest using a board. At the very least you must get the screws into the wall studs because no matter what a drywall anchor says, they have frequently failed. There's the weight of the guitar plus the leverage due to it not being directly against the wall.

With the board you don't have to worry about the possibility of having only caught the edge of the stud because the board will cover multiple studs. You're also then free to space the guitars however you wish instead of needing to follow the stud spacing.

 

[arlum]

I've used wall hangers off and on over the years. I've never suffered any damage to the guitar itself, neck or finish. I've never had a guitar fall or a hanger come loose. The one downside I've found is dust that collects, (especially in the pots which can become scratchy). I've found that throwing a cover of some type over the instrument's not in use mitigates this issue. A cotton cloth or piece of material. If the hanger has a short neck I recommend a piece of soft foam backing to be applied to the wall where the back of the guitar will be positioned. Music equipment companies make pads for this but hardware stores offer multiple products that work just as well for less bread. My personal favorite brand of wall hanger is Hercules and I prefer the metal base over the wood base just for security. I also prefer a 3 or 4 screw base over a 2 screw. Again for security. If you're going to be hanging an acoustic guitar consider a longer armed hanger. The depth of their body makes this important.

 

[Skydog1010]

I used String Swings for about 12 years, never had a problem, had more than 25 guitars displayed throughout our home. Used the supplied wallboard anchors.

These are very heavy guitars on the wall here; average weight around 11.5 pounds, the LPB one was over 13 pounds.

 

[tomasz]

There are also some minor downsides to hanging guitars on the wall:
a) they will collect dust
b) they will resonate if you play older in the same room, which deems that unsuitable for recording
c) acoustics may crack on you, always store them in their box