Good poins @Barney about the surface area with toggle bolts.
My engineer side would hate that some albums would stick out further than others and look misaligned (I drew the room in AutoCad and made the album grid to maximize space but keep them all even on each wall, so its gotta be all even).
Therefore, the basses stay in the rack…correction - racks.
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And THIS!!!
All my basses are anchored into studs using 2 3/4 screws. I did not use the ones that came with hangers. It ain’t worth the tears if one of your beauties fall.
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That and one long wall has saxes all in racks at the foot of the wall. Damaging the bass would be the least of my worries. Nope, no walls for me.
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I hate wall mounting option, lol
Seriously, if you are at the point of considering a hanging option you’d probably at number 5 or 6 instruments and the rack is filling up, whatever cheap option would do. Amazon offers a lot for very reasonable price, I made a mistake of ordering my first 3 the premium, they do the same thing.
Mount the 2x4 then mount the hanger would be the best option. Easy and effective.
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I just recently went through this process and ended up going with this two-pack. These have four mounting holes, and I replaced the anchors that came with the unit with better ones. Very solid after that and I don’t worry about them falling. The holder swivels, so you can either mount the plates sideways or up and down. I went with sideways to distribute weight since I was not going into a stud. Great price and does the job.
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Good guess!
I have 2 guitars and 3 bass.
I don’t use a rack for normal storage as they’re not child/dog resistant so instruments are stored in cases or gig bags, which are bulky.
I’m not sure if I’ll hang all five, probably just three for the moment.
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Thanks, that’s good to know in advance.
I had anticipated potential issues with the Nitro finish on the Les Paul (so it’ll probably stay in its case) but I wasn’t expecting there to be issues with Poly or Lacquered finishes.
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Not gonna lie, I have some accidental banging to a couple of my basses, it was a small learning experience. You’ll need some space between them. I don’t like the switch lock type they are kinda finicky and if it’s not center properly, it would tilt one way or another.
I just hang the ones I would like to relic or start a roadworn process next to each other so it bang to each other a bit. Still a this rate it’d take decade, lol.
In the space I currently have available I can have about 60cm / 2ft between each bass and still maintain decent aesthetics. Is that likely to be sufficient to avoid accidental relicing?
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Both the poly and lacquer had faint discoloration but on my other basses it was noticeable.
There was a Gibson Goddess that kept doing the rounds on the classifieds here and you can see they had a similar problem, right under the headstock on both sides. Problem was they put some paint over those areas. AHHH! Shame too cause its a beautiful SG. So I would not hang a Gibson without some protection.
I oiled and waxed my basses as per manufacture suggestions and restored the finish where the bass touched the foam rollers. I was very disappointed because I expected more from Hercules. The terry towel solution worked. Other than that the hangers are great. And I need the locking ones do to some curious and adventurous minds. Hoping to inspire them to pick up and play if they see them all the time.
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My basses are hanging on hangers fixed to the studs at about 16" apart. I did the swing test (side to side, not to hard) and they didn’t hit each other. The Hercules locking hangers don’t let them swing much. I am sure a bad enough hit would cause them to swing 2 feet or more and hit but lets just hope that doesn’t ever happen.
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I’ve had no issues with String Swing. But I have maybe a different outlook. I think an instrument is a tool. Made to be used. If it has the odd mark or faded part so what?
It’s not a Fabergé egg. Hang it on the wall out of way. Take it off the wall and play it. Rinse and repeat.
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You are right. I am a bit finicky that way but on the other hand they all have a little something here or there. The problem is when a company says they guarantee no damage to a finish I expect them to be true to their word. I know stupid me for believing anything a company says.
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Dear sir, have you ever used any cleaners or polishes on your instrument? We do not warrant against any interaction between finish, cleaners/polishes and our hanger.
There is always, always always an out clause. I came up with one in seconds, I bet they have dozens at the ready.
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I decided to avoid Hercules. I like the construction but I came across some posts from people who talked about the foam padding on their stands drying out and getting crumbly. This report certainly doesn’t help their case.
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So there’s a small music shop in the village I live in. He doesn’t sell any instruments that I’d be interested in but he’s great for consumables like strings, picks, cleaners and , apparently, stands.
I walked down this morning and he’s using Hercules clamps on a lot of his stock and had a few on the shelf so I picked one up to give it a try.
I prefer to support the small local shops when possible.
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They are good hangers. They are solid. Its just the foam that you got to be careful about on different finishes. A thin layer of soft cotton cloth will help.
My Hercules floor stands have not done anything to the finishes but the basses are not on them constantly and when they are they are not in the exact same spot as they would be on a hanger. I guess this avoids a ‘sore’ spot.
I have also had quicklok, Yorkville and a couple of other stands in which the rubber left marks (nothing bad) so it could just be a foam vs finish thing in general. Even a Snark clip on tuner left a mark on my fretless headstock. It is no longer around.
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^^^ Good stuff here.
I’ll add this. One day several years ago, I was watching some workmen install a large dry erase whiteboard at the office. The installed anchors like these, driving them in with a phillip screw driver (that is, to drive the anchor into the sheetrock, then to drive the screw into the anchor).
The anchors work really install easily and they hold really well if you tension things correctly. However, as was mentioned before, it’s just gypsum board. What I have done with these anchors is use them to mount plywood over a larger area, then screw hangers into the plywood. Works nicely when a stud isn’t handy.
Available locally, and not expensive at all:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/E-Z-Ancor-4-Pack-Standard-Drywall-Anchor-Screws-Included/1098799
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FYI all,
Just learned something about hanging basses.
Don’t try it with a Drop D extender tuning machine. Puts all the weight on the little lever. I bought a 3 bass stand to expand my basses and was going to put the aerodynes on. No dice. One has a drop D (which I should actually just change out with a regular tuner anyway).
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My Warwick 4 strings come mighty close to the foam of the hanger. Thankfully there is just enough clearance that its not resting on it.
Thanks for the head up.
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