PSA...guitar wall hanger near tragedy...

[67blackcherry]

I did quite a bit of research prior and even spoke to the fine folks at Hercules.
Looks great, right? I used 100lb drywall anchors; no way those going anywhere, right? The general consensus was drywall anchors are fine but some folks said no way, attach a piece of wood directly to the studs and screw the hangers into the wood if you can't screw directly into the studs.

I'm having dinner one night, looking at (admiring) my guitars when I say out loud "why is the center one hanging down further than the others? OH SH!T!" as I bolt from my chair and take down the one offender first then immediately take the others down.

That would've been a fatal drop, onto the bookcase and then forward, neck first, onto the pool table; the headstock would've snapped right off.
I'm on my way to a lumber yard, found some nice flamed maple boards that I'll stain and then mount on that wall, directly into the studs, and screw the hangers onto the board.

I've got a friend of mine, she's an interior decorator, she says she hangs very expensive pieces of art using molly's....
NOPE.
If you can't screw the hangers directly into the studs DON'T DO IT.

 

[fusionid]

wait. You didn't put a dry wall anchor in?

or if you did, maybe the screw you used is not the right thread? looks like the screw came off leaving the anchor in.

 

[tenchijin2]

First, it doesn't seem like there is a drywall anchor of any kind in that one that's pulled down.

Second, there's just no way I'd trust anything *valuable* on a drywall anchor with any kind of overhang load. The guitar's weight sits out from the wall a bit, and because of the geometry of the wall hanger's base, there is a tremendous force pulling pulling straight out against the top screw. Sheetrock is pretty brittle stuff, and no matter how strong the anchor is, it can't defy the physics of the sheetrock. If the force is pulling or pushing horizontally into the sheetrock it's a failure waiting to happen.

I hang mirrors and other heavy objects on sheetrock pretty often. The important feature is that the weight is pulling straight down, very close to the sheetrock. There is very, very little chance of a failure in that case because sheetrock is very strong at a sheer angle.

 

[sbr]

I've had my guitars hanging from drywall for the last 7 or 8 years using Hercules hangers with anchors like this:

Still solid as a rock, they aint going anywhere.

 

[fusionid]

I still think he used the wrong screw thread. Either way I don't hang valuable instruments because in CA we have earthquakes.

 

[ieso]

duct tape

 

[67blackcherry]

The anchor pulled right out from the wall; look at the pic, the anchor is still attached and yes, I used the screws that came with it.

@tenchijin2 makes a great point, the weight (less than 10lbs) is pulling away from the drywall and not directly ON the drywall.

 

[travis_38]

Something isn't right with your anchor method. If you're using anchors you need to make sure you're using a screw long enough and wide enough to cause the "wings" on the anchor to expand on the other side of the drywall. There should be at least 1.5-2" of screw going into the wall and the screw needs to be wide enough to self-tap into the plastic. If it doesn't take a hefty amount of torque to turn the screw into the anchor, something is not right.

 

[tenchijin2]

I've had my guitars hanging from drywall for the last 7 or 8 years using Hercules hangers with anchors like this:

Still solid as a rock, they aint going anywhere.

These are my favorite anchors as well for pretty much all applications. They create a large flanged body behind the sheetrock that means the screw cannot pull back out through the hole. Best design, IMO, by far. However, even then you are still putting a lot of force at a 90 degree angle to the sheetrock when you hang the guitar. Over time, with repeated load cycles (hanging and removing the guitar) the sheetrock *may* fatigue and break in that location.

 

[Guitarwiz007]

Don't play around. Nice couple of pieces of wood into the studs and anchor the hangars to the wood.

 

[tenchijin2]

Something isn't right with your anchor method. If you're using anchors you need to make sure you're using a screw long enough and wide enough to cause the "wings" on the anchor to expand on the other side of the drywall. There should be at least 1.5-2" of screw going into the wall and the screw needs to be wide enough to self-tap into the plastic. If it doesn't take a hefty amount of torque to turn the screw into the anchor, something is not right.

The anchors in the photo aren't the "wing" versions. They're screw in bodies that only need a very slight flare provided by the manufacturer supplied screws.

 

[67blackcherry]

What kind of pickups are the double creams? Nice pool table, btw, love the red.

Thanks! Yeah the red really made the table pop and the room as well.
Those are DiMarzio 36th Anniversary on both my R8s; they sound great, you can’t beat the price and apparently DiMarzio will swap them out for something else if you’re not happy.

 

[Benz2112]

I just bought a new house with cement walls. There are a lot of issues with working with a cement wall, but this isn't one of them. I'm glad your babies are safe!

 

[Drew816]

My guitars and hangers are mounted on a furniture grade board; 4 across. That board is anchored to the studs. If the board comes down the guitars are the last of my worries as the house will have collapsed...

I don’t trust dry wall anchors no matter the type for just the reason you showed...

And I have a strap that I place across each mount as the guitar hangs. I had a Telecaster with that little headstock wiggle it’s way loose of the holder and fall years ago, it feel face first onto and unobstructed carpet and had no damage besides taking 3 years off my life for the shock!

 

[COYS]

Yikes! Glad your guitar is safe! I could never use hangers, I'd worry about them constantly. I don't even use a stand unless I'm right there with the guitar, after I play them they go back in the case.

 

[JCW308]

The close-up of the hanger that pulled out has no anchor.

 

[Guitarworks]

Always use lumber, IMO. All my wall hooks are mounted into the board that traverses across the wall, and the board is mounted to all the studs. Ain't nothin' goin' nowhere.

 

[JCW308]

PSA: Be sure to hang your guitars correctly.

 

[56Tweed]

I've was never interested in taking the chance of a failure. I went with the option of going wood into studs. I dressed it all up by covering the plywood in faux leather and then framing with with molding like a picture. After 10+ years, they are still secure.

 

[travis_38]

The anchors in the photo aren't the "wing" versions. They're screw in bodies that only need a very slight flare provided by the manufacturer supplied screws.

Right, but even the plastic ones have to flare out to an extent. It's hard to tell but it looks like OP screwed a drywall screw into a plastic anchor which will not sufficiently flare the anchor out enough to grab the drywall.