Floor and wall space is at a premium in my office and I was looking for a way to hang my guitars so I could free up the space the cases took up. I was just about to order the typical hangers–where the guitar hangs parallel to the wall–until I stumbled onto String Swing’s Slatwall Rail System.

They have these special hangers that hang the guitar perpendicular to the wall using up much less wall space. Unfortunately, the wall space I was targeting was 28 inches wide and their rail was 48 inches. So, I contacted the company and was told they would be happy to custom cut it for me for a nominal charge of just $2.

Anne, the salesperson, walked me through everything I needed, including mounting hardware. Turns out they have all kinds of different types of hangers you can choose from. You can get the 5 Guitar Rail and Hangers Bundle on Amazon for $100, but unless it fits your needs perfectly, I suggest you call String Swing up and let them put together something tailored to your specific needs. Mine ended up costing much less than the bundle ($65). I went with the fixed 90-degree hangers to maximize the number of guitars I could fit into my narrow space. I was hoping my three guitars would fit and they easily did. In fact, I could probably fit a fourth, if need be.

The materials are very sturdy and I am 100% confident the guitars will stay up. You really need to get the screws into studs and only my right and middle pairs of screws are. The left pair are using drywall anchors, which in my case is fine for such a short length. All of the necessary mounting hardware came with my order. Since the location of studs will vary from wall to wall, you need to pre-drill your own holes through the rail. Since it’s made of aluminum, the drilling is pretty easy. It probably took me less than 30 minutes to install everything.

String Swing specializes in displays for everything musical. All of their products are manufactured in Wisconsin and guaranteed for life! It’s a family-run business and I highly recommend you check them out if you need a musical instrument stand or display.

Helped with another MMK9 dog adoption event yesterday at Random and was lucky enough to see this band, The Strayhearts. They were really good live and for me to say that says a lot since I’m overly critical. The lead singer, Mark Monaco, had a strong distinctive voice and the backup vocals were just as superb. The mix and instrumentation were awesome. Their website describes the band as, “All acoustic Americana band with 3 part harmonies. Waylon Jennings meets Mumford & Sons meets Zac Brown Band” and I would say that is pretty accurate. Note that the “acoustic” description just describes their use of acoustic instruments: guitars, stand-up bass, fiddle and drums. The term doesn’t infer a soft sound–these guys can rock in a southern country way. Their material included a lot of covers as well as a smattering of originals (I think, since I didn’t recognize them.)

The drummer, Shane Haberstroh’s, kit really blew me away. He sat on a cajon which he used for the kick with a reversed pedal. Both his high-hat and splash were on his right as opposed to the traditional left side. He also had the weirdest snare. It appeared to be two pieces and the head looked stretched across the top like a conga instead of the typical metal hoop and lugs. He used brushes a lot…though not softly ;-) Pretty compact, efficient and effective set-up for a drum kit. Interestingly, he also sat at the very front of the stage…and I mean VERY front. He was so close that at one point, one leg of his stands went off the edge of the stage and he had to play one-handed as he held on for dear life with his other hand! HAHA very cool!

Check ’em out if you can. They are on Spotify, but I suggest you see them live.They play all around SA and their website seems up to date with appearance dates.

I got the bug to break out one of my old electric guitars and fire up the Fender Deluxe to see if it still worked. I also broke out my favorite fuzz box: the MXR Distortion +. Of course it needed a new battery, but the one that was still in there made me smile. The whole set up still worked, albeit with some pops and crackles. Boy, they used to make stuff to last, didn’t they. Read more