Hanging a guitar on the wall is an incredibly common way of storing your instrument and keeping it out of the way, but is it truly the best way to do so?
This article will discuss whether or not it’s safe for your guitar as well the pros and cons of guitar wall hangers, which can help you decide if it’s the right choice for you or if you should try one of the other guitar storage methods out there that may be able to give you more peace of mind.
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Are Guitar Wall Hangers Safe?
Hanging a guitar on the wall is generally considered safe; after all, they’re used all the time in music stores, but they come with some risks you can minimize.
Firstly, the walls in your home, whether it’s drywall, plaster, or wood, can be impacted by temperature and humidity changes which can cause them to be susceptible to shifting over time.
For example, if you drill a hole into a wall, especially drywall, the hole can become loose over time and won’t securely hold the screws in place.
To prevent this, you should use drywall anchors.
These are used for anything from hanging paintings and picture frames to mounting mirrors and large TVs on your wall.
A lot of guitar wall hanger products already come with them to match the screws that are provided, but if you happen to find one that doesn’t, drywall anchors are pretty cheap and can be found just about anywhere. All you have to do to find the right sized ones.
Aside from using drywall hangers, many individuals like to try to locate a wall stud and drill into that with the proper screw.
If you simply screw your guitar wall hanger into the wall without taking precautions like the ones above, then their safety can be called into question.
At the end of the day, guitar hangers aren’t inherently unsafe; otherwise, stores wouldn’t use them to display all of their expensive inventory. You just have to be mindful of how you’re installing them.
Here’s a short but sweet tutorial by Music Is Win, showing you how to properly install a guitar wall hanger if you have drywall:
Lastly, people commonly have concerns about how hanging a guitar affects the headstock and neck of the guitar. The pressure when hanging the guitar isn’t as significant as you might think, and it won’t cause any lasting damage to your instrument.
Usually, the worst that might happen is some wear around the area where the neck and headstock meet, but using a hanger with soft padded arms to support the guitar can help prevent this when you remove the guitar and place it back in when you’re done playing.
Why Use Guitar Wall Hangers?
As mentioned before, if hanging your guitar was considered totally unsafe, no one would use these products, and they wouldn’t be on the market for all of these years.
Although they do take some work to get set up, they are evidently one of the most convenient ways to store your guitars. Not only that, they do offer some other benefits that people love!
Some of the main reasons why people like to use guitar wall hangers include:
- They free up floor space and reduce clutter
- They help your instrument safe from kids and pets
- They are decorative (guitars look cool on walls!)
In my opinion, having a guitar that looks like an art piece on your wall and having it nearby can be quite inspiring and make you want to play more frequently. This is especially true if it’s a guitar that you’re proud to own, so you might as well show it off, right?
Even if you’re pretty much the only one who sees it every day, the potentially increased motivation alone is a huge advantage of hanging up a guitar and having it on full display and directly in your sights.
When Shouldn’t You Use Wall Hangers
Guitar wall hangers do have benefits, but there are also some drawbacks as well.
Firstly, handling it can potentially make you accidentally bang your guitar into your wall, possibly chipping the paint on it and your instrument. You can be super careful, but most likely, this will happen at some point, sometimes from factors outside of your control.
For example, if you live in an earthquake zone, earthquakes might cause your instrument to swing around. However, in most developed areas, even a strong earthquake won’t be enough to rip your wall hanger out of the wall.
Just invest in a good one, and install it correctly, and everything should be fine!
Secondly, I don’t particularly recommend using a cheap wall hanger if you have a heavy guitar. For example, a Les Paul is a guitar that’s considered to be on the heavier side at around 10 pounds, give or take.
A lot of guitar hangers are more suitable for instruments that weigh around 8 pounds or less, which is the average weight for an electric guitar. However, there are also just as many wall hangers that can support considerably more weight than this – you just can’t cheap out, and you’ll need to do some research!
Before buying a wall hanger, I’d suggest looking into how much your guitar weighs. I’ve also written a guide for how much various electric guitars weigh and used some of the most popular models as examples.
While there are things you can do to reduce the risk of your wall hanger coming loose and your guitar falling out, there is always the possibility that it could happen, even if it’s unlikely. Despite the weak odds, that thought alone can make people uncomfortable, and therefore, guitar wall hangers aren’t for everyone.
It’s also worth noting that not every wall hanger is good for every headstock. For instance, Telecaster headstocks are smaller than others and can easily slip through the holders on some wall mount units. Obviously, this can have tragic consequences.
There are plenty of guitar hangers that can, however, accommodate Telecasters and other “unconventional” headstocks like the ones on Jacksons, Kramers, etc.
In the next section, I will share with you one of the best guitar wall hangers on the market if you’ve decided this is the route you’d like to take.
What Is The Best Guitar Wall Hanger?
When it comes to looking for something reliable to hang up your guitar, I think the Hercules GSP39WB PLUS is the best of the best for a few reasons.
Let’s talk about the first one – its versatility. This wall hanger is about to accommodate any guitar shape, regardless if you own an electric, steel-string, classical, or bass. This is because of the built-in swivel system that will automatically move based on the shape of your headstock.
It also comes with little attachments called NINA (Narrow Instrument Neck Adjustment) that you can place on the arms in case you happen to use instruments with even thinner necks and headstocks, such as banjos and mandolins. This is especially great for Telecasters, which typically have smaller-than-average headstocks!
This guitar wall hanger can also handle up to 15lbs, which is more than enough for the vast majority of guitars and basses. You should still see how much your instrument weighs, just to be sure, though!
Next, I like the steel base mounting system that the GSP39WB PLUS has since it looks less bulky and comes with three places where you will screw it into your wall. To me, that makes me feel more confident and secure. A lot of people enjoy the GSP38 guitar hangers, too, though, which come with different types of wood bases and two screw slots, which are sufficient to hold your guitar steady.
However, it’s all a matter of preference, and I think both the GSP38s and 39s are worth looking into.
Once you place your guitar in, the weight of your instrument will force the arm grips to close and lock it in place, and that’s also a feature that helps Hercules guitar wall mounts stand out from a lot of its competitors.
Finally, one of the best aspects of this guitar wall hanger that you’re sure to love is its affordability. For such a great product, you can usually find these going for around 20 bucks. I think this is a totally reasonable price for one of the most well-made guitar accessories you can use every day.
If you’re sold on the idea of hanging your guitars in your home, I would definitely go with a Hercules because it’s hard to beat the good quality at this price.
Conclusion
Hopefully, by reading this article, you have a better idea if hanging a guitar up on your wall is something that you’d like to do. If you’ve been worried about safety, you don’t really have anything to worry about, provided you do your due diligence and ensure you installed it right.
Sure, as mentioned before, there is always the risk that something could happen, but it’s not likely by properly setting up a great hanger like the Hercules one mentioned before or even other reputable brands like Swing Swing.
Nonetheless, if you still have any reservations about hanging your guitar up on a wall or think it’s too much extra work for what it provides, you can always store your guitar on a stand or in a case or gig bag. It’s hard to go wrong with any of those, and they have the same fundamental purpose! That being said, guitar hangers do have their upsides, and ultimately, it’s up to you to decide if they’re worth it to you or not.