What a dilemma! We’ve all been there – too many guitars and not enough space to store them all in – what’s a guy to do!? I recently purchased a new Strat which unfortunately resulted in one other guitar being relegated to sitting precariously on the floor. With limited wall space left for hanging I pondered my options and luckily I found my answer with the ‘Woodies Guitar Hanger’ from Wia Music!
The Woodies guitar hanger is manufactured by Wia Music and is a simple, inexpensive guitar wall mount system which allows you to mount your guitar to a wall (or ceiling!) at any angle. The product is also designed to be virtually invisible when in use, so the guitar appears to be magically floating on the wall.
On paper this guitar wall mount system appeared to be the answer to my problems as it would allow me to mount the guitar at an angle, permitting me to utilise an otherwise useless area of wall-space. Read on to find out my thoughts on this simple, but innovative little product.
Woodies Invisible Guitar Wall Mount System – Review
Which Model?
Before you go ahead and buy one of these products you will need to ensure that you pick the correct model for your specific guitar. There are models for guitars with straight headstocks (e.g. a Strat/Tele), angled headstocks (e.g. Les Paul/PRS), acoustics, and also guitars with the strap-pegs located on the rear of the body (such as an SG). I picked the Strat model.
For a mere $20 the system will allow you to display your guitar vertically, horizontally, or at any other angle, or even upside down – talk about versatile. I was sold when I saw what this guy had done.
What’s In the Box?
Included in the box are the transparent top and bottom brackets, 3 wall plugs, 3 screws, some foam padding, a washer and the installation instructions.
The self-adhesive foam padding is supplied for those who want to hang their guitar in a vertical position. At this position the guitar will tend to swing in toward the wall, so the padding will help correct this.
The manual is very basic but with something as simple to install as this, it’s really all that’s needed. If you do get stuck there is also an installation video on the Wia Music website.
Installation
To install the guitar wall mount system all you really need is a drill, a screwdriver and a pencil to mark the bracket positions. Although not necessarily a two person job, it certainly helps to have one person holding the guitar so that the other can mark the positions. The process is literally as simple as screwing in the bottom bracket, positioning the guitar and screwing in the top bracket.
I found that I didn’t need to use the wall plugs as I was lucky enough to drill straight into some wood.
Operation
The Woodies guitar hanger uses your guitar’s strap pegs to hold the guitar in place. To mount the guitar in place we insert the rear strap peg into the bottom bracket hole and then slide the front strap peg into the upper bracket – simple! The top bracket is slightly flexible to allow for a snug and easy insertion. There is a rather satisfying ‘click’ when the guitar pops into place. Once in place, the hanger design prevents the guitar from touching the brackets or the wall – excellent!
To remove the guitar we simply reverse the process. Flex the top bracket to free the front strap peg and then lift the guitar out of the bottom bracket.
Woodies Invisible Guitar Hanger – My Thoughts
I decided to hang my guitar on an awkwardly shaped wall which would have been otherwise unused, and I think this is the big advantage to the Woodies guitar wall mount. You can really make use of your available wall space in the most efficient (and aesthetically pleasing) fashion. Although the wall is high up and difficult to reach it is absolutely no problem to insert and remove the guitar.
Once installed, your guitar will look like a piece of art mounted to the wall, as you barely notice the clear brackets at all. No ugly foam covered metal here! The brackets themselves are very sturdy and should easily hold your guitar in place for decades to come.
I also think that as far as guitar safety is concerned, the Woodies guitar hanger has the rest licked. The safest place to store your guitar when not in use is in a hard-case – but obviously this is impractical and tedious. Other options are floor stands which are easily knocked over, or traditional wall hangers which although safer, are still easy to trip over onto. The Woodies guitar hanger allows you to safely store your guitar out of harm’s way in an attractive format.
I did also try the system with a guitar strap installed and it still worked perfectly, the fit was just a little tighter.
At roughly the same price as a traditional guitar hanger ($20 ish) I think that these are definitely a great purchase, especially if like me you have limited or awkwardly shaped wall-space available.
UPDATE Feb 2016: I’ve now been using this guitar wall mount system for 5 solid years and it is still going strong. The plastic holders haven’t discolored at all and there is absolutely no signs of any cracking. I’m confident these will keep my guitars safely displayed for a long time to come. Highly recommended!
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