My son and I have a few beautiful guitars, a Gibson SG, a Fender Stratocaster, and a Fender Telecaster. We even have a nice Fender Parlour Acoustic. Each one has its own case or gig bag, but when we get home from our lessons, the guitars are never left in their cases.

Why Not Keep a Guitar in a Case?

If something is put away, I am likely not to unpack it unless I need it. I want to learn the guitar, so I want it where I can just pick it up and play any time I want. If taking a guitar out of the case prevents me from just one quick 10 minutes of strumming a song or practicing my chords, that's ten minutes less of practicing that I have done.

Guitars are too expensive to leave laying about

Of course anyone who has purchased a guitar knows how valuable they are, and won't just leave it laying around or leaning on a wall. The solution?

Hercules Guitar Stand with Auto Grab

These basic Hercules guitar stands are perfect for both electric and acoustic guitars. It is a tall stand (also adjustable) that is covered with a foam. At the top is a bracket with little arms that remind me of pinball levers. When no weight is on the top bracket, the levers are open. You place the guitar by the headstock onto the bracket, placing the lower part of the guitar resting on the triangle foam covered base. The weight of the guitar on the top bracket causes the levers to close, keeping your guitar on the stand. Simple, yet ingenious.

Halfway down the stand is a heavy plastic grip. You can squeeze it to loosen the main pole and adjust the height of the stand. Let it go, and it locks firmly into place. A screw at the base where the center pole meets the triangular base may also be loosened and tightened for further adjustments.

Is the Stand Safe?

We have a few of these stands in our house, with guitars sitting in different rooms, just waiting to be picked up and played. We've used the Hercules stands for almost a year now, and have never had a guitar slip out or a stand fall over. It has a durable three tube base, and the whole stand is covered in a foam material that won't damage the finish on your guitar. It works for electrics and acoustic guitars, and we have never had a problem. The stand is light enough to easily pick up, but durable enough to hold your guitar safely without tipping over.

Make it Easy to Play!

Since two of our guitars are set up with amplifiers nearby, all we have to do is plug in, turn on, and pick up! Plug the guitar into the amp! (sometimes, we already have the guitars plugged in), turn the amp on (and adjust the setting if necessary) and pick the guitar up. As you pick the guitar up, the weight of the guitar comes off the top bracket allowing the levers to open, thus freeing your guitar! Not only do the stands display the guitar very well, but it really does keep them safe, and easy to grab and play as you wish.

Value

The single stand costs about $30.00. Hercules offers stands that hold two or three guitars as well. I consider it a good value because it keeps my guitar safe, while making it easy to pick up and play at the same time.

My personal experience

My son and I are learning to play guitar as a hobby, neither of us are professional musicians. The guitar stands are used in our home in living rooms, bedrooms and rec rooms. Guitars used on the stands have been Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster a small Fender Parlour acoustic and a Gibson SG. Amps are a Line 6 Spider 3 and a Fender 25R. Music played ranges from Neil Young to Metallica. I do not believe this guitar would work with a Gibson ES Double neck or many of Rick Nielson's custom three and five neck guitars.

Summary

Take that guitar out of its case, and put it on a Hercules Stand! Then whenever you go by, you will be tempted to pick your guitar up and play it! After all that is what guitars are for right? I know I didn't buy any of my guitars to sit in their case all week.

Recommended: Yes