Location: A hotel’s banquet hall. Event: Dress rehearsals for an international concert.
A crowd of musicians and singers milled around toting all kinds of musical gear, talking excitedly as they awaited the commencement of the dress rehearsal which will also be the final auditions for the groups that will be performing the next day. At one end of the hall, a group of musicians and friends were seated around a table talking excitedly and pointing out stars that walked by them. Suddenly, the group’s bass guitarist jumped up in a frenzy and began to race towards the point where they had stored their instruments. His colleagues watched in surprise, wondering what was going on. He raced on like someone on a mission and just as he was about to get to their gears, a cable that had been carelessly dropped tangled with his legs and he went crashing down.
Ouch! Well, he still stood up and got to their equipment just as a door behind where they had kept their gear opened. He reached out his hands and caught his
electric bass guitar, both embarrassed from the fall and relieved. Expectedly, his colleagues got to him and asked what the issue was. Apparently, he had brought his bass guitar out of its case and leaned it against the door. While they were talking at the table, he noticed that someone was trying to open the door on which his precious bass guitar was leaning. Knowing what could happen to the headstock of the bass guitar if it were to fall, he ran the race of his life to save his instrument. If only he had a guitar stand he would’ve been saved the embarrassment of the fall, not to mention his torn pants.
By the way, that was not a movie. It was a real life occurrence that gives us an insight into the importance of a guitar stand. Musicians are very attached to their instruments regardless of how much the instrument costs. When, however, you’ve spent some thousands of dollars on a guitar, the attachment becomes even more intense, pushing the musician to care for them like babies.
There are a couple of factors to consider if you want to choose the best guitar stand. The first thing to look at is the type of stand you want. There are two broad groups – free standing and wall mounted. Under free standing, you have the tripod, A-frame and others. The wall mounted ones may only differ in the materials they’re made of and how many guitars they can hold.
Some guitar stands are better for
acoustic guitars usually because they are not strong enough, or balanced enough to support the taller and heavier bass or
electric guitars. It’s also important to know that a stand that may be ideal for home use may not be suitable for stage or touring. So determine how and where you want to use your guitar stand so you can pick a stand that works well with your guitars and the location.
Price
Guitar stands are of different qualities with different features. However, from our research, you can get a good guitar stand from anywhere between $13 and $125. What will affect the price will be factors like the number of guitars the stand holds and the materials it is made of. The more features you want, the more you’re sure to pay. We’ve selected top quality products we believe will serve you well. These are by no means cheap guitar stands that do your guitar more harm than good. With our selection, you’ll get value for every dollar spent.
Features
Choosing a guitar stand is a deliberate action. You choose based on specific parameters which have to do with the type of guitar you have, the space you have, how you want to use the stand, how many instruments you want the stand to hold and more. We will simply point out major factors to consider as these will determine which stand will be best for you. These features include:
- Type of stand – Tripod, A-Frame, wall mount etc
- Material it’s made of
- How many guitars it holds
- Padding/ finishing
- Adjustability
Now let’s look at how these can affect your choice.
Construction and Design
The first thing to look at is the type of stand that will be best for your needs. Is it a tripod stand, an A-Fame, a rack, or a wall mount? Wall mounts are best when you don’t have a suitable floor space but have substantial wall space. It may also be great for people who have children or pets that may knock over the guitar if it’s in a free standing stand. Any other consideration can be aesthetics or just personal preference and nothing more.
A-Frames, on the other hand, are best where they are not likely to be bumped into. This is especially so for the A-Frames that have no neck support. If you have children and pets around, this may not be your best option. While the tripod stands appear to have more support base, they can also be knocked down by a child or pet, making it also best for locations without pets or children.
If you have many guitars, getting multiple A-Frames or tripod stands may take up a lot of space and make the place look untidy. In this case, your best bet will be getting a rack-like stand which can usually hold from 3 to 10 guitars. This will help you manage space better. For displaying guitars either in a studio or a music store, wall mounts and display racks are preferred.
The material the stand is made of is very important on two levels. First, it clearly affects the solidity of the stand. That much should be pretty obvious. The second reason why it’s important is how the material reacts with the finish of the guitar(s). Guitar stands can be made with any of these materials – wood, iron or plastic. Wood works well with all types of
finishing; while iron and plastic do not. You’ll also need to look at the padding of the stand. You don’t want your guitar all scratched up from resting on the stand so it needs to be well padded.
There are stands that can be used for different instruments. They’re usually adjustable to accommodate the size of said instrument. This kind of stand will be ideal if you need a stand for temporary use with different instruments. Your free standing guitar stands must be wobble free and have a low center of gravity for greater balance.
Performance and Ease of Use
If you have a guitar with a nitrocellulose finish, never allow it to rest directly against an iron or plastic stand. If you have to use those, first cover the stand with a fabric to protect its finish. For stage use, get a stand that is very balanced, sturdy, light weight and folds for easy storage and movement. You also may want something that you can easily take the guitar from while gigging and also easily replace when you’re done with that guitar.
Having read through thus far, you certainly have a better understanding of the different kinds of guitar stands and what makes them different. Based on all you’ve read, it’s now up to you to choose which of the features mentioned appeal to you the most. Having made this decision, let’s look at our top five selections so you can begin the process of making a choice.
It’s our hope that we’ve provided you with enough information to help you choose the kind of guitar stand that’s best for you. We are glad we could be of help. It’s now up to you to complete the process by placing your order so your guitar(s) can begin to enjoy the safety and comfort of a well chosen guitar stand. Remember, though, that there’s plenty more of them from these reputable brands, so even if you haven’t found one you really like yet, there’s always some more to look through!
