Guitar wall hangers. - Guitar Players Discussion

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

MrJonesey — Fri, 30 May 2008 04:22:41 +0000

My brother-in-law contacted one of the major guitar manufacturers a few years ago (I forget which one, but it seems like it was Taylor) and they told him that it is actually very good for keeping the neck straight if it's properly hung... I'll have to ask him again who told him this.

Anyway, I hang all of my guitars and have only had one problem... the finish on my Gibson had a reaction from the rubber on the hanger at the should of the neck and head... right where it rests on the hanger, the finish started to "erode' away. I have since placed a rag over the hanger and it has been fine since.

Other than that, all of my guitars seem to be doing really well and they have been hanging for about 5 years now.

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

notes_norton — Wed, 28 May 2008 05:19:22 +0000

<...> If a fellow says that he has "hung" his axe for 20 years w/ no damage to it, I can't argue with that. Still, from a mechanical standpoint, it sure would seem that hanging 9 - 15 lb. from the headstock, pulling on the neck glue joint or the screws would not be a good thing.<...> My ES-330 only weighs about 6 pounds. Sounds great, less weight (sounds a little like an old fashioned beer commercial) ;)

Same for my Casino, but it hangs on the stand in the same manner. But I haven't had it 20 years.

Notes

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

CitiZenNoir — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:34:36 +0000

I have my 88 Strat hung on the wall with a screw and the highest test fishing line I could find.
(This is after all the Northwood's of Wisco :wink: )

You can't really see what's holding it up there.
It's been working for a couple years now, I think.... Though I am careful not to nick the line when inserting or extracting the guitar.

It hasn't done anything to the finish on the neck (I would feel it when I play - very sensitive to any dings in my neck)

Since it's 'just' my 88 Strat, I don't really care if it gets dusty (and it does), or if the sun hits it and fades/discolors it (I wish).

My 71 Strat - NO, not on the wall and wont ever be.

Before I used fishing line, I used a rope of sorts.... It actually came apart one day and the Strat crashed straight to the floor!
Landed on the strap button; It hit so hard that the little cloth disk between the strap button and the body got squeezed thru the screw hole in the strap button - with the screw still in it!!!! :shock:
AND
one side of the bridge plate got knocked with sufficient enough force to come off the screw!
It's a two point sync trem so only one of the 'points' was holding the bridge on.... and that was with six strings at concert pitch.

Thank goodness it was a FENDER!!!! :D

I have seen 'nitro lac' neck finishes at GC get marred by the wall hanger.

Ken

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

gnease — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:05:31 +0000

this is a many-times recurring topic: there is no mechanical or structural problem with proper wall hanging. period. * Looks like I stand corrected! :shock: But you guys have the experience behind you on this, so I will take your word for it. If a fellow says that he has "hung" his axe for 20 years w/ no damage to it, I can't argue with that. Still, from a mechanical standpoint, it sure would seem that hanging 9 - 15 lb. from the headstock, pulling on the neck glue joint or the screws would not be a good thing.

But, you can't argue with the track record, so if that is what you want to do, I say listen to the knowledgeable guys on here & go for it. I will add this; There are certain kinds of cushioning material that can cause the finish to be marred where it lays in the cradle at the headstock. I was looking at a couple guitars in the past, and the owner pointed out that the rubber material must have interacted with the finish & marred it.

On his, it took the gloss off and made two dull spots there. The only other situation I could see is thieves; With all those nice axes hanging around out in plain sight, that is sure easy pickins'! (No pun intended)! :lol: 8) Okay, except I didn't give you the "in my experience" argument, even though I could have. I'm not inclined to accept fully single-person experience arguments alone, because one never knows how observant the testifier is. In large numbers, testimonials are more meaningful. Check my original response for the "fine print." That justification is a very simplified mechanical argument. Whaddya think is pulling on the glue and/or screws in the other direction? 90+ lb of string tension. Not that I think it's really significant, but hanging will actually reduce stress on the neck and joints by a small amount.

You are right about marring. It used to be an issue. The cheap, natural-colored "surgical tubing" used as cushions on the hangers of 10+ years ago definitely did discolor and dull lacquer and poly finishes on necks. I think it was probably the sulphur surfacing out of that poorly manufactured rubber. All of the good stands and hangers of today seem to use much higher quality, "safer" rubbers and foams. These days, I have three different commercial brands of hanger on my walls -- Off-the-Wall, String-Swing and Hercules, in addition to Ultimate, Hercules plus other floor stands. None of these have marred finishes in years of hangin' and standin' (okay, that one was an "in my experience" testimonial :wink: )

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

katmetal — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:27:32 +0000

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

gasbag — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:32:36 +0000

I used to use them, but now I am fortunate enough to have a room dedicated to my guitars and equipment. I now use floor stands for them. For some reason I prefer the floor stands.

One thing I did think of before changing over is that when hung on the wall, the guitar is closer to the ceiling which is always the warmest part of the room. In the winter when the heat is on a lot it would also be the driest. That is just my opinion of course and I could be wrong. Although that hasn't happened so far this year yet................... :wink:

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

kent_eh — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:11:49 +0000

While I don't have an opinion on "to hang or not to hang", if you do go with wall hangers, think about this style. Every guitar shop around here uses them, and I haven't heard of one failing.
That extra bit of security (versus a rubber band that'll break/fall off/get lost) should add some peace of mind.

yeah, I know.. They're more expensive...

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

ballybiker — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:46:41 +0000

I'm in total agreement with Chris C.....good to see you back on here Chris BTWall guitars are truly beautiful and should never be hidden away...hang 'em high

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

Elecktrablue — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:39:03 +0000

I've got all of my guitars, bass, mandolin and dulcimer on hangers. Opens up floor space, makes the instruments easy to get, and makes a great statement in my music room!

Re: Guitar wall hangers.

gnease — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:34:27 +0000

I've gone back & forth on the use of these...It seems to me that the weight of the guitar suspended by the headstock is not really a good thing for the long term. It is very convenient to have them out like that, easy to take down & play, however. I feel that the guitar shop has them set up that way for display & convenience as well. Plus, in a guitar shop, it is probably there only for what, 8 - 12 months max, before it is out the door? Not long enough to do real damage.

Not to mention the dust that will get into it, if you live in an area that is very dusty (I do), and I guess the finish possibly fading if it is in sunlight. I prefer to keep mine in the cases, even though it is a hassle to get them out, especially if you have to store them in a closet area like I have to. Just my .02! Maybe others will have different opinions. :wink: this is a many-times recurring topic: there is no mechanical or structural problem with proper wall hanging. period. *

dust and sunlight and humity aside (all good considerations), the biggest risks are (1) poorly mounted hanger and (2) whacking the headstock on the ceiling during hanging and unhanging

* those from Missouri should compare the weight of the guitar to the tension of the strings -- no contest. further consider that suspending from the neck counteracts string tension.