Guitar stand for custom guitars

[fretnot]

I have several custom "small luthier" guitars, and I don't want to leave them on a crappy tubular stand that take the nitro/paint right off of the bottom and neck of the guitar. Anyone use any really good, SAFE FOR NITRO/PAINT stands? Perhaps something felt lined?

[Jim Soloway]

I've been using an Old Dog stand for three months. I've become a real fan and they seem to be nitro safe.

http://www.olddogproducts.com/

[fretnot]

Thanks Jim!

[decay-o-caster]

I can't believe this thread has been up for more than 6 hours and no one has recommended one of Joe Driskill's stands! :rolleyes:

You might look into this one? (http://www.recreationsmusic.com/guitars.html)

[Diablo]

Yes, I went stand shopping last night in Dallas. Found a really nice one in a tiny green mini dress. No pictures but she was begging me to stay in Dallas and then wanted to make sure that I called her this week. Guess I'll have to do that. :) It's just not fair that it's so easy to find hotties in Big D. I hate going to Dallas to shop for stands but sometimes you just have to do it. :)

[A440]

I like the design of the hercules and foam is supposed to be nitro safe.

http://herculesstands.com/guitars/guitarstands.html

[Distortion]

I picked this up last year..
It definitely fits in the Custom Guitar Stand arena..

http://outlawguitars.net/images/05040001.jpg

http://outlawguitars.net/images/05040004.jpg

[fretnot]

Hey Joe, you better spend more time working on guitars and less time working on stands! :D

[cnardone]

Originally posted by fretnot
Hey Joe, you better spend more time working on guitars and less time working on stands! :D

I don't know about that. As much as I love guitars, a good stand can be much more fun.

cmn

[jamess]

Distortion, nice guitar stand. Is it made of aluminum or some sort of metal sandwiched between hardwood? If you don't mind my asking, what is the ballpark price of a stand like that? I know that a $20 stand can support a guitar, but I too like the idea of a fine guitar resting on a fine stand.

js

[samdjr74]

Speaking of stands, I really need to get some good ones that want harm the finish but mostly won't harm the guitar, like the neck and it must be safe or atleast very difficult to tip over. I know the neck hangers aren't the best idea but I have limited floor space, any ideas?

Sam

[slowburn]

I wish I would have known that stands jack with nitro finishes.... alas shortly after aquiring my grosh it took the nitro right off where the body was supported in 2 spots. I'll see if I can't post pictures later on to show what happened...

[fretnot]

What I HAVE found that works is to take a normal stand that you probably already have, and cover all contact points (neck, both supports on the bottom, etc.) with a guitar cloth/shammy. This keeps the rubber or cheap padding from touching the paint. Cloths can be otbained relatively cheaply and are safe. My buddy left his red 1971 sg on a rubber stand for a while while he was mainly playing his tele, and the yellow rubber turned red. Sucked!

[Mark]

Originally posted by slowburn
I wish I would have known that stands jack with nitro finishes.... alas shortly after aquiring my grosh it took the nitro right off where the body was supported in 2 spots. I'll see if I can't post pictures later on to show what happened...

I'm really surprised that the builders who use nitro don't give a little disclaimer card with each guitar. It wouldn't be that hard to let people know to be careful with stands and certain straps.

[fretnot]

I think that would open up a can of worms for builders that they really don't feel like going through, because then some builder would say, "Don't rest this guitar on a rubber stand." Some guy would buy a non rubber stand that may hurt the finish, and then complain that the builder didn't say to avoid that stand as well. I guess they should just say, "keep guitar in its case when not in use." :D

[Jim Soloway]

Originally posted by Mark
I'm really surprised that the builders who use nitro don't give a little disclaimer card with each guitar. It wouldn't be that hard to let people know to be careful with stands and certain straps.

I agree with Fretnot. If you're not sure, wrap the stand with a safe material.

About 60% of what we build has a nitro finish. We don't do a card (I guess we probably should), but I always exlain at great length the dangers that a lot of stands pose to a nitro finish. I also let people know when they're trying to decide which finish they want on a custom order, so understand before they make a decision. And now that I've tested it on my own guitar, I'm repared to recommend the Old Dog stands to our nitro customers.

I learned this one the hard way about 12 years ago when a stand ate hole in the finish of a one-of-a-kind arch top. It was not a happy lesson and I wish someone had warned me back then.

[slowburn]

Originally posted by Jim Soloway
I agree with Fretnot. If you're not sure, wrap the stand with a safe material.

that's just the thing though, it was never a question of me not being sure, the thought that a stand could eat the nitro finish never entered my mind. I have had several guitars in the 10 yrs prior to owning my retro classic (that I now assume had polyurethane finishes) and had never had reactions like that. I had no idea, and dealer I bought it from didn't mention it. not that I blame the dealer or don grosh, it's just one of those unfortunate things that happened...

[Mark]

I still believe a warning card would be good. A LOT of people not knowing about nitro would be very thankful. I've seen way too many posts over the years with someone not understanding why there stand or guitar strap damaged their finish.

IIRC my Gibson R8 and Martin 000-28ec both came with some warnings from the factory about the delicate finish. The Martin even warned against using polishes with silicone.

[Distortion]

Originally posted by jamess
Distortion, nice guitar stand. Is it made of aluminum or some sort of metal sandwiched between hardwood? If you don't mind my asking, what is the ballpark price of a stand like that? I know that a $20 stand can support a guitar, but I too like the idea of a fine guitar resting on a fine stand.

js

jamess,
Yes, the center portion is aluminum and it is layered between two pieces of mahogany.
I picked this up from Warrior guitars and I believe it was around $125. You have a choice of multiple types of wood and they are quite nice..

[gman]

thanks for posting about the Hercules stands. They look like really practical tools for gigs, fold up compact. I may give the 2 guit model a try.
My Lentz was my first nitro, and I learned pretty quick about straps. I tried many, actually still have problems with it.
What do you nitro guys use for straps? Hope that is a little related to the topic.

[shamster]

I have a stand that has some kind of high friction foam padding rather than surgical tubing. But just to be safe, what I did was cover all contact points with some old cotton socks.

[KKauffman]

The John Page Guitar Stand. Check out the store page on his site...

http://johnpageguitars.com/

Here's mine...

http://www.pbase.com/crumblebum/jpstand

[David Myka]

Good point about the cards. 95% of my finishes are nitro so this is really a great idea to spread awareness of this issue.

Speaking of cool stands that fit in with a custom built guitar I have a friend Jeff Niggel that builds these laminated wood stands with custom veneer options. He works in a custom furniture shop and builds these there. He also has access to just about every veneer species under the sun from Certainly Wood (http://www.certainlywood.com/).

Here is his website:
http://www.havengs.com/

I believe he was working out the padding material and was leaning towards leather but contact him to be sure. I do know that whatever he uses will be nitro safe as he is aware of the problems with certain foams, etc.

~David

[avincent52`]

I use the Hercules with the auto grab and it's completely nitro safe. It's also stable and idiotproof. I find that I tend to use a stand most when I need to put a guitar down in a hurry--phone, doorbell, kids--and I like the fact that I don't have to remember to secure it in any way.

best
Allen

[dkap]

I like the design of the hercules ...
+1, nice design, no probz trusting any of my solid bodies to the one I have.

[googoobaby]

+1 for the triple Hercules. I was tripping over my many floor stands before getting this one.

[jamess]

Here's a stand I built 5-6 years ago and gave to an artist whose guitar playing style is in my top five. It was my first attempt and steaming and bending wood. The woods used are walnut, paduak and maple. The pads are hand sewn padded crushed felt fabric like they use to line cases. It was a lot of fun to build and even more fun to give to someone whose work I really admire.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e378/jds-design/gt10.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e378/jds-design/gt9.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e378/jds-design/gt5.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e378/jds-design/gt6.jpg

[dkap]

Nice MILF-stand!

[KKauffman]

Wouldn't get much guitar playing done with a stand like that! :drool

[Dana Olsen]

I use these Hamilton stands:

http://www.hamiltonstands.com/guitar/kb38.htm
http://www.hamiltonstands.com/productshots/kb38.gifTime proven design…

I like 'em. The grab and switch is real easy, and with a guitar actually in the stand they're very stable on stage. I put a fuzzy pad on the part where the headstock rests to make sure ...

But I like 'em - works for me. I paid like $40 each for 'em. They're not works of art, but you can run one over with your car and it'll still work.

Dana O.

[John Page]

As far as the concerns regarding the material the guitar rests against, I use the same bleed-proof plush that G & G Cases use for their guitar cases. It's totally safe for lacquer, one of the reasons it's used in all of the Fender Vintage style cases. That was a major concern for me when I designed my stand. I too have seen stands eat through finishes... it's not pretty.

[larrylover]

And then there's also this guitar stand that I found on ebay: looks like, errrr, like a "well-padded" guitar stand to me:rolleyes:

http://i4.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/90/f1/0cea_3.JPG

man, usually not my type, but I guess when it is functional, the zoftik can really get the juices flowing.

[trisonic]

I use these Hamilton stands:

http://www.hamiltonstands.com/guitar/kb38.htm
http://www.hamiltonstands.com/productshots/kb38.gifTime proven design…

I like 'em. The grab and switch is real easy, and with a guitar actually in the stand they're very stable on stage. I put a fuzzy pad on the part where the headstock rests to make sure ...

But I like 'em - works for me. I paid like $40 each for 'em. They're not works of art, but you can run one over with your car and it'll still work.

Dana O.


Dana,

Do the pieces just hang off the top part? What sort of fuzzy stuff do you use?

I've got a stack of nitro finished guitars and never had an issue with the finish, now you guys are worrying me (a little, I'm not that anal).

Best, Pete.

[Dana Olsen]

Dana,

Do the pieces just hang off the top part? What sort of fuzzy stuff do you use?

I've got a stack of nitro finished guitars and never had an issue with the finish, now you guys are worrying me (a little, I'm not that anal).

Best, Pete.Hey Pete -

My stands actually came with the 'fuzzy' piece. It's probably synthetic material - polyester-ish - and it's cut for the stand and fastens on with velcro like a little 'stand sock'. It's fuzzy, like fake fur, but it doesn't react at all with nitro lacquer. I think it'd be easy to make and fasten a little 'stand sock' out of any material you wanted to and fasten it on, if you want a custom color or feel, or didn't like the material it comes with.

Mechanically, yes, the guitar's weight is held from the headstock but the weight of the body rests on 2 of the 3 legs (padded rubber-ish covered - don't know what the material is made of). When the guitar is in the stand it's quite stable, and it's easy to grab a guitar out of the stand, or place one in the stand while onstage.

The spread of the legs is adjustable, and the height too. It can be adjusted to fit any guitar I have, both electric and acoustic.

I used to use those "a-frame" stands, but these are much more stable when bumped into (I know - the scary part).

Somebody makes a plastic version that works the same, but I prefer these metal ones. It's pretty industrial looking - the other stands pictured in this thread are beautiful works of art; these by contrast are sturdy and roadworthy rather than beautiful.

Dana O.