On the wall, or in the case?

1poorplayer

Power User
I was wondering how you guys feel about your electric guitars ( when they aren't being played ).

Like many of you , I have managed to collect quite a few guitars , ( or as my wife says ..... ANOTHER guitar ? )
A few hang on the walls in the studio , others are in their cases. I'd like to be able to display them all.

Better stored in the case , or on the wall ?
 
( or as my wife says ..... ANOTHER guitar ? )

Hey, we have the same wife! :eek:

I have a Hercules 5-guitar stand and a single stand for my Explorer. My Gretsch stays in it's case with a little humidifier. When I go away, I put them in their cases and hide them!

I can't see how hanging on the wall, by the neck can be any good for them. I certainly wouldn't want to be hung on the wall, by my neck, for days and weeks at a time.
 
I have a couple on a wall, a few in their cases and another couple on stands in my music room. I dust the ones not in cases and maintain at least 35% humidity in the house. I also bought some good wall hangers from Fender that have been mounted directly to the studs.
 
I can't see how hanging on the wall, by the neck can be any good for them. I certainly wouldn't want to be hung on the wall, by my neck, for days and weeks at a time.
Would like to know where you buy your guitars then. ;)
 
Would like to know where you buy your guitars then. ;)

Well, my 87 LPC weighs in at 10.5 pounds and I can’t imagine that much weight/stress can be good for a glued tenon joint. Also, unless the hook is anchored into a stud, I don’t think I would trust a couple of drywall anchors to keep it from crashing to the floor.

I buy my guitars at the corner store. Same place I get my bubble gum and hockey cards. :)
 
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Well, my 87 LPC weighs in at 10.5 pounds and I can’t imagine that much weight/stress can be good for a glued tenon joint. Also, unless the hook is anchored into a stud, I don’t think I would trust a couple of drywall anchors to keep it from crashing to the floor.

I buy my guitars at the corner store. Same place I get my bubble gum and hockey cards. :)

That 10.5 lb guitar SHOULD be "wall art" , or hidden in a case locked away - for life. ( Not trying to be a dick ) lol , just saying I would never strap a guitar that heavy on my neck - ever.

My LP reissues weigh in at 8 lbs. Solid bodies , no weight relief. Gibby had the means , they didn't care. ( I won't start another Gibson QC debate. We all know the deal )

On the wall, or on a gtr rack or they will never get played

I'm kind of on board with this , to a degree. Out of sight , out of mind. I'd like to hang most all of them all. I didn't know if there would be a humidity argument , or otherwise.

If it weren't for the wife , I'm pretty sure every room would have some.
 
Mostly on the wall. Either into a stud if I like the position, or if not, I use those heavy duty plastic anchors, the ones where you drill a hole about 3/8", and then the threaded anchor screws in, and then you put the mounting screws into those. I think they are each rated for like 50 or 70lbs, so with 2 of them, I think my 70's LP's are just fine.

I've also never heard of any damage to a neck from hanging by the headstock. Damage to finish, yes, but millions of guitars are hanging by head stocks, and have been since the advent of the electric guitar.
 
9C47B891-6E7E-4752-BC1A-E7A1B2D0A3D7.jpeg 32E6F6C7-3B00-4E59-8346-0956AF8EBB3C.jpeg On the wall - not in the case! Or you’ll just forget about them. I currently have 27 guitars and 26 of them are out at all times all in my studio. I monitor the room temperature and humidity and keep it within safe limits which means bringing in a couple of humidifiers during the winter months. It’s a joy to walk into my studio and ask myself which one I feel like playing. I use a wall hanging system by Diamond Life. No worries about them coming off the wall and you can reposition them in seconds.
 
I know acoustic guitars are especially sensitive to the humidity. I have an old Gibson acoustic with stars on the fretboard for markers. Blue. ( I was young.....once )
Anyways , never had a humidifier in the sound hole , and didn't know much about it. Strings bottomed out on the frets. Truss rod couldn't bring it back. I saved it eventually , but it wasn't easy , and it wasn't quick.
I'm talking electric guitars though - now
 
I have thought about this a while and I've come to a conclusion. The mass of the guitar hanging from the neck adds a tension force to the neck opposite the tension force applied by the strings. This cancellation of force (complete or partial) forces the neck and strings into a long term dynamic it wasn't intended to be in. I'll go with stands or in the case.

Also, I don't know where you live but if it's in a quake zone things tend to jump off walls.
 
I have thought about this a while and I've come to a conclusion. The mass of the guitar hanging from the neck adds a tension force to the neck opposite the tension force applied by the strings. This cancellation of force (complete or partial) forces the neck and strings into a long term dynamic it wasn't intended to be in. I'll go with stands or in the case.

Also, I don't know where you live but if it's in a quake zone things tend to jump off walls.


Dude........IMO, life is too short to worry about long term dynamic tension forces Lol

My guitars have seen decades of gigs, blood, sweat, dents and dings, bounced around in countless vans and trailers etc. Somehow I don’t think hanging by the neck is what is going to do them in.

Can’t wait til we start seeing reverb listings with “never hung by neck” in the ad copy
 
I have thought about this a while and I've come to a conclusion. The mass of the guitar hanging from the neck adds a tension force to the neck opposite the tension force applied by the strings. This cancellation of force (complete or partial) forces the neck and strings into a long term dynamic it wasn't intended to be in. I'll go with stands or in the case.

Also, I don't know where you live but if it's in a quake zone things tend to jump off walls.
Just a quick Google search on how much tension is applied to a guitar by the strings found this:

https://www.quora.com/How-much-tension-is-on-the-neck-of-an-acoustic-guitar

Which says:
Acoustic guitars with medium strings carry almost double the tension of electrics with .010"-.046" strings: 80-90kg (180-200 lbs) depending on the the scale and gauge of the strings.

That means that the physical structure of an acoustic guitar already supports 180-200 lbs. I'm pretty certain the structure of an electric guitar matches or exceeds that of an acoustic.

So, an electric has 90-100 lbs of tension. Do you think 8-10 more lbs from the guitar weight really matters?

I personally have no concerns leaving my guitars hanging, and most have been that way for at least 10 years or more. They stay in tune and exhibit no signs of stress.

Of course, do what you're comfortable with.
 
In the desert the humidity is brutal and dealing with a dozen or so in case humidifiers became overwhelming. So I converted a small walk-in closet into my guitar room for both acoustic and electrics. All the hangers (Hercules with auto grip) are secured into studs so they aren't coming down unless the walls do. Knocking on wood. :)

It's so much nicer to have my meager collection on the walls within easy reach. I have caused far more dings and scratches pulling them in and out of cases than I ever have with them hanging.

Plus it just looks cooler than a row of cases lined up in a closet. :)

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Well, my 87 LPC weighs in at 10.5 pounds and I can’t imagine that much weight/stress can be good for a glued tenon joint. Also, unless the hook is anchored into a stud, I don’t think I would trust a couple of drywall anchors to keep it from crashing to the floor.

I buy my guitars at the corner store. Same place I get my bubble gum and hockey cards. :)

A properly fit and glued woodworking joint is almost always stronger than the wood it joins. String tension already puts around 100 lbs or so of pull on the neck anyway. The weight of the guitar in the other direction is minimal in comparison.
 
Out and accessible, otherwise they're unlikely to be played. I try to keep one available throughout my house, whether it's wall mounted or on a stand. So I've got one in every room I tend to spend time in, short of the bathrooms. Not that I've considered that....

Only my acoustic lives in it's case. But I keep that case handy so she doesn't get too neglected.
 
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