Hanging guitars on a wall

[richpjr]

I am remodeling my office in my home and have a long section of a blank wall that I'm thinking would be nice to hang my guitars on. I have seen some of the wall hangers from the usual online places, but was wondering what those of you who have used them think.

Do wall hangers damage the finish on the guitar at the contact points of where they hang?

Is hanging from the neck bad for the guitar? I know virtually every music store does this, but that is so that they can be displayed to customers. Or is the pressure exerted by the strings far more than what would occur hanging on the wall?

I have 4 electric (and shortly will have a new one) and 1 acoustic guitar. Any thought on a pattern - straight line? Staggered? How high off the floor do you hang them?

For those of you who do, would you mind posting some pictures?

Thanks!

 

[LPJunior]

For those of you who do, would you mind posting some pictures?

this...

I have often wondered this, I want to do it some time...

 

[StompBoxBlues]

I know for sure some of the cheaper guitar brackets can damage the finish. I have bought many different ones over the years, and always ask, pluss check now and then. Same thing with floor guitar stands.

I'm not sure about the neck thing, I would think though that it would actually be good for guitar as gravitational pull would be directly plumb.

But for really nice acoustic or some electric guitars I think the real problem if you are really picky would be the climate effects on it. In some offices (and homes) it can get humid, dry, warm, cold..some office buildings turn off air-conditioning, or heat on the weekends, which might be a concern.

I always heard the best thing (again, especially with acoustic) for a guitar is to keep it in its case, with a humidifier.

You can buy, and I did this for years, but have fallen out of the habit, some plastic hole cover for the soundhole, that have a sponge built-in and you get keep it damp to keep humidity in the guitar body.

Acoustics are way more sensitive to this, and their tone will change if they get dried out, or too humid..electrics (solid body) are less susceptible, but the finish might be affected by changs in temp over time.

I'm no expert, just stuff I believe affect it from what I've heard over the years.

Like you say, music stores pretty much have to hang them to display and easily get to, but even they usually have a climate-controlled room for acoustics.

 

[mlweidl]

i have a few hanging on my wall and i dont kno the name of them but they have the wood base that screws into the wall then its the bracked it all foam then when you set it in the latches.... if you know what im saying. only problem is when you sell a guitar you feel like you have to buy a new one to fill the empty wall hanger haha

 

[DemoColorScheme]

I'd love to know this as well. I've remodeled my room as well and I could use some extra space.

 

[alvarete]

I keep thinking about this, but I'm terrified of my ****** bricolage skills...

 

[carljoensson]

I have used K&M wallhangers for a couple of years. No issues with my guitars.

 

[Big_Daddy]

Just saw these advertised in a guitar mag over the weekend. They look kinda cool and you can supply your own graphics if you like.

More info at www.guitarmatz.com.

 

[mgarrison99]

I hang mine. You can take a bit of cheesecloth and wrap the neck hangers if you're worried about scuffing the finish. My guitars are not collectible enough for me to do that. Hanging them helps me get to them easier and play them all. I do need to occaisionally check the necks and oil the boards. If you keep them in their cases....out of sight, out of mind...

 

[StompBoxBlues]

Well..I gave the issues I'm aware of that are possible problems...but really the place to ask this is in the "guitars in general" or "guitar and bass technical" forums here on TGP. I'm not sure the all the luthier guys hang out in the pedal forum, but they are very knowledgeable.

 

[jnepo1]

I use Hercules guitar stands and wall hangers. Like their stands, they have actuators that are gravity driven that lock/secure the neck of the guitar, so there is no chance of the guitar coming loose and falling. The bracket the hanger is mounted to also swivels so as not to stress or place the guitar in an awkward position when you place it into the hanger. They normally run around $20-22 a piece, but I have seen them on eBay for 2 for $28 and sometimes 4 for $40.
Here is a link t their site: http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/hangers.html

 

[Hoth]

But for really nice acoustic or some electric guitars I think the real problem if you are really picky would be the climate effects on it. In some offices (and homes) it can get humid, dry, warm, cold..some office buildings turn off air-conditioning, or heat on the weekends, which might be a concern.

Living in a small crowded apt I HAVE to hang a number of my guitars. Otherwise I would have to sleep with them, which my wife would not be happy about. On second though actually... I have had no problems with finish and make sure that they hang plumb.

Otherwise, the biggest thing that I have had to worry about is climate, esp for the Guild acoustic that I hang. But Guild acoustics are built like tanks so that's why I chose to hang that one.

 

[jboyjams]

For an office, if you have the money - I would look into those fancy clear guitar cases - if you have good guitars. Otherwise it might not be a big deal to use cheap ones.

I was always taught to keep a good guitar in a good case. I have done that with my expensive guitars and this keeps them in excellent shape for the long run.

 

[gomez1856]

I've been hanging my guitars in my studio for nearly 10 years with absolutely zero negative issues. If you think about it, guitar stores have most of their guitars hanging for the entire time that they're in the shop.

Primarily, I use the Hercules Guitar Hangers. They have the little arms that flip up when the guitar's weight pulls down on them. They make me feel safer, in that I know the guitars won't slip off.

Rick

 

[otaypanky]

Where I used to live I had 14 or so hung all around the music room. I found they got really dusty and the strings would start getting a bit rusty quickly.
I didn't have any problems from the fact that they were hanging

 

[buddaman71]

I have a couple of these and just screw into a stud.

http://www.samash.com/p/Wood-Guitar-Wall-Hanger_-49963373

 

[ThePenwellCrash]

I wouldn't play my guitars nearly so often if they were locked away in their cases... Also, with small kids in the house, I'm really glad for the locked-'til-you-lift mechanism that the hercules hangers provide!

 

[Joe Silence]

i've been hanging mine from String Swings for years and years with no problem.

before that it was a similar product made from heavy gauge wire that hangs them from pegboard (often used in instrument retailer shops).

no scuffing issues, but some finishes might react with the rubber/foam used as padding. worthwhile to drop a cotton cloth in there to protect the instrument.

 

[jenkka]

 

[tubecreamer1951]

As long as you have a solid wall/ hanger connection, why not. I wasn't sure about hangers at first but after seeing how many people have used them successfully and how many guitar shops (all of them) and studios have guits hanging up I decided to go for it and I'm glad I did, convenience all the way but safety first, That's why I use Hercules (sounds like an advert lol).

On a side note I was recently in Dawsons Music, Liverpool and spotted a Melvyn Franks (Peter Green/Gary Moore) LP worth about £5500! hanging from some generic hanger, if it works for them, it works for me.