The Top 5 Guitar Wall Hangers
By Michael Pierce & Giulio Chiarenza
Of the many ways to store your guitars in your home or studio, none are quite as cool as hanging them on the wall. The majority of the enjoyment of a guitar is actually playing it, but while it’s not in use, you might as well enjoy it for the beautifully crafted piece of art it is! Hanging just one guitar can be the perfect accent piece for your wall, and hanging a few (or all of them) can be a great way to keep your collection on display.
Beyond just aesthetics, hanging your guitars on the wall is practical! Taking one out of its case or digging it out of your closet is not nearly as convenient as simply taking it off the wall. And if you’ve decided to hang multiple guitars, having them within easy reach makes it more likely that you give all your beloved instruments some love, as opposed to forgetting about or ignoring the majority of your collection while their cases collect dust.
Since you’re here reading this, we’re sure you already know this, but buying the best guitar wall hanger can be a challenge! There are so many different ones available, and while they’re all relatively inexpensive, they have the very important responsibility of holding up a potentially very expensive instrument! You definitely don’t want to worry (or even think about) a bad quality guitar wall hanger giving way and ruining your precious instruments.
Well, that’s where we come in! In this guide, we’ll talk about the 5 best guitar wall hangers, their pros and cons, and their value for the money. There are dozens of options out there, so the 5 we recommend here are ones we endorse and have trusted (and would continue to trust) with our own precious instruments. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Why You Should Trust Us
First of all, the team at Equipboard makes a living out of testing music and audio gear. From picks to strings to amps and more, there’s very little we don’t have experience with. We’re a group of musicians from all walks of life with decades of music gear experience.
For this particular test, one of our team members recently dedicated a room in his house to his instruments, 5 of which are guitars he wanted to hang on his wall due to space constraints, and to keep them out of reach from his kids. We used this chance to test out various guitar wall hangers, and put them to the test over a couple of months (special thanks to him for letting us put several holes in his wall). We looked for sturdiness, safety, and durability first and foremost. We also took into account functionality, aesthetics, and of course cost.
Mounting Considerations
When you buy a guitar wall hanger, you’ll have to do a little work to secure it to your wall. If you’re not confident in your abilities, get help from someone who is skilled when it comes to these things.
That said, the most secure way to attach your guitar hanger to your wall is to drill directly into a stud. When hanging anything heavy on a wall, the preferred and most secure method is usually to use a wood stud. If you are unable to drill into a stud, you should use a drywall anchor. Here’s a short video on how that works.
If you mount your wall hanger correctly, you should have nothing to worry about! Just about everyone who has hung a guitar on the wall for the first time has been slightly nervous about the weight of the guitar causing everything to collapse. But you shouldn’t worry; if you drill into a stud or use a drywall anchor, these methods are rated to hold much more weight than your guitar, so your precious instrument will be just fine!
Top 5 Guitar Wall Hangers
Hercules Stands Wallmount Guitar Hanger
After extensive online research and our own testing, we’ve determined the Hercules Wallmount Guitar Hanger is the best guitar wall hanger money can buy. It’s pricier than other options, so if you’re hanging multiple guitars the cost can add up. It makes up for the steep cost by having the most secure locking mechanism out of any other hanger we looked at, and with your precious instruments at stake, the peace of mind the Hercules provides goes a very long way.
The beauty of this hanger is that it’s not simply a two-pronged fork where your guitar headstock rests; it actually has two little “wings” that open and shut as you take your guitar in and out. You can see it in action in this four second video. This essentially locks your guitar into the hanger. That means if, for instance, you have kids running around who might try to yank the guitar off of the hanger, the locking mechanism will make sure your guitar stays put. It is extremely confidence inspiring, and it feels like the Hercules Guitar Hanger would hold your guitar in place even with the most violent shaking. Lifting the guitar directly upwards is the only way for it to become “unlocked.” The interior of the grip is also padded, which will protect your guitar both when hanging and when taking it in and out. Another great feature is your guitar will hang a few inches from the wall with the Hercules hanger, which provides space to avoid the guitar banging against the wall in case it’s bumped into.
Installation of the Hercules Wallmount Guitar Hanger was fairly straightforward for us, though based on the reviews we read some people had a bit of trouble. The hanger should come with screws and drywall anchors, and it appears some people did not receive them when they purchased this wall hanger. The base of the hanger that screws into the wall has three screws in a triangle pattern. The way it’s designed, only one (ideally the center one) goes into a stud, and the other two are slightly too wide so they would need to go into the drywall. If you don’t have a stud available to you, using only drywall anchors should work just fine and provide a solid hold.
Bottom Line: The Hercules Wallmount Guitar Hanger costs a bit more than the other hangers on our list, but the rock-solid locking mechanism makes it absolutely worth the splurge. It’s also aesthetically pleasing, provided you don’t mind black. It’s also available with a wood base, and that one requires two screws as opposed to three. It’s constructed very well, and the way it’s designed even guitars with odd headstock shapes will rest on it perfectly. Aside from some users not receiving the proper drywall mounting hardware, the reviews are glowing. When it comes to the best guitar wall hanger, this is it. Best of the Best.
String Swing Hardwood Home & Studio Guitar Hanger
The String Swing Hardwood Home & Studio Guitar Hanger has the honor of being one of the most reviewed guitar wall hangers on the market, with thousands of happy customers singing its praises. It’s popularity is largely due to its affordable price point and its “no frills” nature.
The String Swing doesn’t have a fancy locking mechanism like the Hercules wall hanger. The yoke is well padded to protect the finish on your guitar, and it bends in such a way that the guitar’s headstock will be cradled and secure. Inside of the box you’ll find the wooden block which mounts to the wall, the yoke, and a pair of screws and drywall anchors. It’s available in a natural finish and black walnut, so you can match the decor of your home or studio. Be aware that the wood shade might vary from what you see online, which some customers have complained about.
As with all guitar wall hangers, it’s recommended to secure the String Swing to a stud if possible. In case you can’t, the package does include drywall anchors but they’re not particularly good quality. We ended up heading to our local hardware store and buying something a bit more robust. When attaching the yoke to the wood base, the screw unfortunately goes past the back of it when fully tightened, which prevents you from mounting this hanger flush against the wall. It’s not a huge deal but you might have to work with it a bit if you want it flush against the wall.
Bottom Line: The String Swing carries an attractive price tag, and provided you mount it correctly (which is pretty easy) will securely hold up your instrument. This is a quality, no frills guitar wall hanger that looks good and works well.
Top Stage Guitar Hanger
The most inexpensive yet still good quality wall hanger for your guitar or bass is the Top Stage Guitar Hanger. It’s fully black and minimal looking, and has a foam-like material to protect the finish of your instrument.
There’s nothing fancy about this guitar wall hanger. The arms adjust to accommodate guitars, basses, and ukuleles of all shapes and sizes. The biggest gripe with the Top Stage wall hanger is that the drywall anchors are of inferior quality, and the screws are too short. Just like with the String Swing, we purchased better wall anchors and screws than the ones that were provided, and after that installation was a breeze. After properly installing it (using better hardware), you’ll find it to be a very solid wall hanger that's very capable of holding even your heaviest guitars.
Bottom Line: If you’re looking to hang one or more guitars and need a functional wall hanger for very little money, this is the one for you. It has a ton of online reviews, most of which are positive. Best Bang for Your Buck.
Ohuhu Guitar Hanger
Another one of our favorite guitar wall hangers is the Ohuhu Guitar Hanger. For the price you actually get a 2-pack, making these very inexpensive. This wall hanger is actually very similar to the String Swing. It uses a cradle design (with padding) so that your guitar, bass, or ukulele stays securely in place as it’s hanging. Using two wheels you can also adjust the width of the Ohuhu, depending on how wide your instrument is.
Bottom Line: The Ohuhu features a no frills design that simply works. As with some of the other guitar wall hangers we tried, we would recommend replacing the included screws and drywall anchors for better quality hardware. Aside from that, we found installation to be easy and the reliability to be rock solid. The Ohuhu comes in a wood/brown/black color combo, and looks pretty nice hanging on your wall. With hundreds of positive user reviews and the fact that you get two of them for one low price, it’s hard to go wrong with this guitar wall hanger.
Gator Cases Frameworks Wall Mounted Guitar Hanger
While the Gator Frameworks Wall Mounted Guitar Hanger doesn’t offer anything innovative in terms of features, it’s our favorite for the color options. You can choose to have the base in black, cherry, mahogany, maple, and our personal favorite, satin chrome. The satin chrome is the one we ordered and it looks beautiful. It’s nice to have that option if you want to avoid wood or black.
In terms of features, this Gator guitar hanger is pretty simple. The yoke is curved to cradle the guitar headstock, and it swivels to accommodate non-symmetrical headstock shapes. It’s also rubberized to protect your instrument’s finish. This hanger also provides a generous distance between the guitar and the wall, which is nice in case the guitar is accidentally bumped into.
Installation was simple, and pretty much the same as the other wall hangers we tested. Just like the others, we recommend hitting a stud if possible, and if not we recommend buying some superior drywall anchors and screws.
Bottom Line: This is definitely a personal opinion, but the Gator guitar wall hanger in satin chrome finish is the best looking one we tried. It has a more minimal and modern look, which we’re fans of. Looks aside, it’s easy to mount, it works well, and it’s backed by Gator who are known for making good music gear cases. With the Gator Frameworks Wall Mounted Guitar Hanger you won’t worry about your precious instrument as it’s stylishly hanging on your wall.
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