Other than stowing your guitar safely away in a case, there are two main types of guitar storage solutions. A guitar stand sits on the floor, upon which your guitar will safely sit, with some support to ensure it doesn’t topple over. Stands take up more room than a guitar hanger, but they make switching instruments nice and easy. A guitar hanger on the other hand will be mounted onto your wall – so may not suit DIY-phobes – which means it takes up less room, however, it won’t be quite as instantly accessible as a guitar stand.
For many guitarists, they will often move their guitars, be that for gigs, in the studio, or simply around the house. Wall hangers aren’t made for players on the move, so you’ll need to look at a guitar stand that’s lightweight and easily transportable. There are countless stand options on the market, with three, five, and even seven guitar variants available, so no matter how large your collection is, they will have somewhere to safely reside when not in use. Many of these are foldable so they can go wherever you do too. If you stick pretty rigidly to one instrument, and you’ll want something to take to shows with you, look for a compact stand that folds away into a small footprint – some of these will even fit in your guitar case! That means you can avoid the treachery of leaning your guitar up against a wall or amp; we’ve seen too many guitars knocked over by overzealous support acts or careless sound techs. Bring your own stand!
If you’re looking for something for the home or home studio, then you may want to take the aesthetic into account. Lots of guitar wall hangers come with designs on their mounting point, so you can match the wooden finish to that of your home, or just pick something that stands out a little more. You’ll tend to find there’s less choice here when you’re looking at guitar stands, but there are some interesting choices out there if you look hard enough! Sites like Etsy and Reverb can provide some great choices for alternative guitar hangers.
Ultimately, a handful of wall hangers (if you’ve got multiple guitars) plus a stand or two, for when the guitar is in frequent use – the studio for example – is an ideal combination that should cater for all environments. We know, buying one of each sounds like it could get expensive, but the good news is that you can get some really great guitar stands and hangers for really good prices. If you do want to have both a stand and a hanger, but finances won’t allow that right now, a stand is a great place to start and then look to invest in hangers down the line.