Types of Guitar Stands

Guitar stands come in many different shapes and forms, that’s to be expected. We already covered what to look for in a good guitar stand, which you can read all about here ‘What Makes a Good Guitar Stand’ .

Now it’s time to see what types of guitar stands are generally available, and which ones offer the most for the money. If you’re looking for a guitar stand, you are in the right place. We will cover models that are great for those who have only one guitar, as well as models which are suitable for those who have many guitars.

The point of this article isn’t to review specific models, but to give you some idea what you can expect to find on the market. After reading this short guide, you should have enough information to go out and get exactly what you need.

Types Of Guitar Stands

There are generally three types of guitar stands that can be considered as standard. You will find some oddball designs out there, but those have a flimsy reputation, and are probably not something you’d want to trust with your most valuable guitars. On the other hand, it’s completely up to you.

Standard Guitar Stand

Standard guitar stands are pretty simple in nature. They are small, easy to use, and many people opt for this exact type of guitar stand for many reasons. One of the biggest ones is the price, which is usually very low. Standard guitar stand has that triangular form and uses three points of contact to support the guitar.

Some are designed specifically for electric guitars, while others support acoustics as well. The main drawback of this design is the fact that they don’t offer that much stability. If you accidentally bump a guitar in this kind of stand, chances are it will fall out. With that said, if you are careful enough, or if your guitars are stored in a part of the room that isn’t obstructing your daily movement, a standard guitar stand will do just fine.

Guitar Stands With A Neck Brace

This type of guitar stands is an evolution of the standard model. They are pretty much the same with the addition of neck brace. This feature wraps around the neck and holds the guitar in place no matter what you do to it. As long as you don’t tip the whole stand over, the guitar will most likely remain within the safety of that stand. Stands with a neck brace generally cost a bit more, but that extra cost is definitely worth it.

After all, the whole point of a guitar stand is to have your instruments readily available in a safe and secure way. In terms of drawbacks, there is nothing worth mentioning. The only thing that comes to mind is the extra time it takes you to get the guitar out of the stand. However, that is completely marginal in the grand scheme of things. It’s is fair to say that most guitar players would rather spend a few seconds more dismounting their guitars from a stand, than increasing the risk of damage to their favorite instruments.

Guitar Racks

This is where we enter a gray area. Some people don’t consider guitar racks as stands, while others do. This definitely comes down to semantics, but either way, we definitely think guitar racks are something that needs to be mentioned when talking about guitar stands in general.

Some guitar players have more than one or two guitars, and guitar racks are the perfect solution for them. The thing about guitar racks is that all your guitars are stored sideways. This reduces the display potential that a typical guitar stand has, but it’s the most practical way to store more than one guitar.

Guitar racks come in several different shapes. Some offer additional padding, while others come with locking mechanisms that prevent guitars from moving around. In general, guitar racks are probably the safest way to store guitars.

They offer all the stability you need, and the way the guitars are positioned prevents them from falling out. Add the extra safety features we just mentioned, and you have a system that is pretty much foolproof.

Some people don’t like guitar racks because they look pretty empty unless you have enough guitars to populate each slot in the rack. That is completely aesthetic, and up to each individual. If you can get over this fact, owning a guitar rack might be the best option for you even if you only have two guitars. Another thing that makes most guitar players skip guitar racks unless they absolutely need them is the price. These things are expensive compared to other guitar stands. Again, we think the extra cost is more than worth it.

Conclusion

These different types of guitar stands are what you’d generally expect to find on the market. Which one is the best for you depends on how many guitars you have, and how adamant you are about the safety of your instruments. If you’re on a strict budget, a standard guitar stand will do just fine as long as you pay attention not to bump it or your guitar.

A guitar stand with a neck brace is the sweet spot in the range, as it offers the best bang for the buck. A rack is about as good as it gets, and should be considered even if you don’t own more than few guitars.

With all this stuff out of the way, feel free to check out our rundown of Best Guitar Stands on the web.