Over my many years of playing, teaching, and recording the guitar, there have been quite a few things that I just can’t get my head around. These include why don’t beginners get a teacher? - you wouldn’t get into a car having never driven in your life and try and make it work. Why does everyone think that reading music is so important for beginners - most professional guitarists can’t read music, so why make a beginner’s life even harder with something they simply don’t need at that stage? But possibly the ultimate is…
Why do guitarists spend thousands of dollars on a guitar and then keep it on a stand costing less than they would pay for a decent meal???
I simply do not understand this but encounter it all the time. Someone shows me their stunning guitar costing the same as a secondhand car and then afterward places it back on its cheap, unsuitable, shaky stand. It’s a scary thing to watch if you absolutely love guitars as I do. So, I ask them why?, and the reply is nearly always “It hasn’t fallen over yet, so it should be fine”. Luckily the fan they use to cool the room in the summer hasn’t been on full blast, or it would have been another story. Plus, Fido, their dog, has been in a gentler state of mind recently so he hasn’t been rushing around as much as he normally does.
Cheap guitar stands don’t instantly fall down, they do have some level of stability, but nowhere near as much as the better ones. We are all clumsy to some degree. It’s so easy to get part of your clothing attached to a machine head while you are walking in the other direction, or simply knock the guitar with your foot while maneuvering around the stand.
So let’s take a closer look at what guitar stand design is the most sturdy, why it’s worth spending more on a quality guitar stand, wall-hung vs. floor-standing guitar stands, and the different configurations available. But before all that, let’s get started with the basics…
What is a Guitar Stand?
A guitar stand is in its most basic form, a stand to put your guitar on. They are designed to be sturdy enough to remain stable even if knocked protecting your guitar from the damage that would occur if it fell to the floor.
The excellent Hercules GS405B SHOKSAFE Guitar Stand
History of the Guitar Stand
For younger guitarists reading this, it might come as a surprise that guitar stands have not always been part of our daily lives. In fact, they didn’t start to gain popularity until the 1970s, before becoming more widely used in the 1980s. Before then guitarists used to just keep their instruments in their cases and took them out when needed. The closest thing to a stand was resting their prized instrument on a piece of furniture or in the corner of a room - both highly risky options.
Why Should You Buy a Guitar Stand?
I’ll start with a shocking revelation, the best place to keep your guitar is… in its case! This can’t be argued with on any level. As long as you have a fitted hard case that snuggly holds your guitar in position, then that is the safest place in the world to store it.
However, as the old proverb says… “out of sight, out of mind”, so the massive negative of having your guitar stored in a case is that you are far less likely to play it. That’s where a quality stand comes in, if you keep your guitar in a place where you can see and instantly access it, then you will play it a lot more. This not only makes playing it more fun but over time will make you a far better player.
But what if you live in a small apartment and haven’t got much room? Well, that leads us nicely to…
Floor Standing vs. Wall Mounted Guitar Stands
As long as they are securely fastened to a sturdy wall, then wall-mounted guitar stands are your safest option. Not only do they save space and allow you to show off your guitar to friends and family, but they make it next to impossible to damage it. Good luck to Fido in getting one of your prized instruments off the wall if it’s attached to one of these...
Hercules GSP39WBPLUS Autogrip Guitar Hanger
But maybe you’re a neat freak and don’t want dust gathering on your beloved instrument when you're not playing it. Then you can go one step further and really make your guitar into a piece of playable art with a wall-mounted guitar display box, such as these…
Your guitar won’t quite be as accessible as it would be on a standard wall-mount guitar stand. However, I think the extra effort involved is more than made up for by less cleaning and the fact that they make any guitar look like it should be in a Hard Rock Cafe.
Floor Standing Guitar Stand Designs
But wall-mounted stands are not to everyone’s taste so let’s take a look at some of the best floor-standing guitar stand designs available:
Amazon Basics Foldable Padded Guitar Stand
This is about as basic a guitar stand as you can buy. To be honest it isn’t terrible, it’s very lightweight, making it a good option for gigging. However, the reason for this is the relatively thin grade of metal used in its construction, so it isn’t very durable. In terms of stability, again, not terrible. But it’s nowhere near as sturdy as the better quality brands using this same basic design such as the Hercules GS405B pictured in the ‘What is a Guitar Stand’ section. However, that is six times the cost of this stand, but I still think worth every penny.
Amazon Basics Adjustable Guitar Folding A-Shape Frame Stand
If you want to spend a bit more and need something even more portable, you could go for an A-frame design. Cheap and cheerful, they are a good choice for musicians on a budget.
Hercules GS415BPLUS AutoGrip System Guitar Stand
This is a fantastic option if you have a more unusual guitar shape such as a Flying V, Firebird, Explorer, etc, or for bass players. It features the same AutoGrip System as the Hercules GS405B and their wall-hanger, but on a stand with no base, allowing for any unusual guitar shapes.
Hercules Stands GS523B 3-Space Guitar Rack
If the guitar collection is starting to grow then you might need a stand to hold more than one instrument. This one from Hercules is a very sturdy, quality option allowing you to keep your favorite acoustic and a few electrics at arm's length with no risk of any damage.
Why so many Hercules guitar stands?
You might be reading this and wondering why I keep on going on about Hercules guitar stands, do I own the company or am I sponsored? Well, no I’m not, but in my experience, no one makes a better guitar stand. When fellow guitar players or pupils ask me what stand they should buy, I say, Hercules, when I need a gift for a special birthday of a guitar-playing friend, I buy them a Hercules guitar stand.
I think the brand name says it all, like Hercules himself, they are strong and provide the ultimate in protection. In my studio, I have three GS405B and two GS415BPLUS for guitarists who use cool-shaped guitars or bassists. In my house, I have one GS405B for whatever guitar I am playing the most at the time, the rest are either kept in their cases or in wall display units, each of which is fitted with a Hercules GSP39WBPLUS.
I have been using Hercules stands since the company was formed in the early 2000s and have never had a problem with any stand. They have been abused while touring and nothing has ever gone wrong with any of them. I honestly can not recommend them highly enough.
Wrapping it Up
You should now know everything there is to know about guitar stands and why you need one or more in your life. I’m obviously a huge fan of Hercules, but if your budget doesn’t stretch that far, don’t worry. The Amazon ones I featured are excellent value for money. On the whole, any stand is better than no stand, but I have seen some appalling designs over the years that go against this rule. That said, either of the Amazon stands will serve you well.
Regardless of what guitar you play, I’m sure you love it. We all love our guitars, irrespective of their value. Whether it’s a vintage Fender or a second-hand bargain from a pawn shop, it deserves a quality stand that will protect it if it ever goes for a tumble. So, get your shopping hat on and buy the best guitar stand you can afford.
