Buying the Right Stand or Wall Hanger for Your Guitar

A guitar stand is one of those musical accessories that everyone should own, and thanks to overzealous relatives, I've got dozens of them.

The thing is that guitar stands aren't all the same, and although there are very few out there that can damage your guitar, it's important to know what to look for before buying any type of guitar stand or wall hanger. Here's a look at the three main types of guitar holders and what to look for in each type if you're trying to find a product that will hold your guitar without damaging it.

Single Guitar Stands - Standard guitar stands have a base where the guitar sits and a neck support. The most important thing to look at here is padding; a good stand should have no exposed plastic or metal on any surface that contacts your guitar. Other than that, most standard guitar stands work fine, so don't spend a ridiculous amount of money on a "premium" version.

There are also really, really small guitar stands that are more portable, but don't provide any support to the guitar's neck. Avoid these; they don't hold the guitar very well and they're easy to knock over. This is especially true if you're using them with an acoustic guitar.

Wall Guitar Hangers - Wall hangers can display your instrument for anyone to see, and if you've ever been in a major music store you've seen them--they're what holds the guitars to the walls. They're very easy to install in a home, as you'll only need to drive a few screws into a stud, but before you head out to buy a wall hanger keep temperature in mind. Some home walls can get pretty chilly, and you don't want to set an expensive guitar on a wall that's repeatedly cooling down and warming up or the guitar will do the same. This will lead to cracks and permanent damage for the guitar.

Keep your wall guitar hanger (and your guitar) at room temperature. Also, try to find a wall hanger with three screws, and be careful when putting your guitar up or taking it down. Consider putting a small patch of soft carpeting on the wall to allow the guitar to rest against something other than a hard surface when it's on the hanger. Most guitar hangers have adjustable components to let you hold any guitar on them, regardless of headstock, and they'll also hold ukuleles, violins, bass guitars, or almost anything else.

Multiple Guitar Stands - There are various types of multi-guitar stands, which are obviously ideal if you've got multiple guitars to display. Multi-stands can hold anywhere from 2-12 guitars, depending on the model. Again, watch the padding, and be careful when placing multiple guitars on a briefcase-style stand to avoid knocking them into one another.

One thing that I've discovered about multiple guitar stands is that they're way overpriced. My advice is to look on eBay--there are a few folks selling basic components to guitar stands that you can cheaply build yourself, which will let you hold all of your guitars with excellent padding without spending more than twenty bucks or so.

What guitar stands or guitar wall hangers are your favorite? Post below.