| Author | Message | ||
| janriviere
Intermediate Member Username: janriviere Post Number: 112 Registered: 5-2002 |
After this thread, I finally took action and ordered some stringswing stuff straight from the USA. This morning, I took my time hanging these on the wall. I can't help it, but I still have an uncertain feeling about this. For the moment now I took my 6 string back off the wall, and put it in a normal stand. What do you guys think about the safety of this ? The 4 and 5 string basses have a weight of 4,6 kg (10.14 lbs), the 6 string weights 5,9 kg (13.01 lbs). I emailed Stringswing about this, and they replied : "All of our hangers are rated at 25lbs" so this should be save. I admit that I thought about hanging some extra hangers on the bottom of the basses.     I used these (4,4 cm should be approx. 11")  Live I will be using these : That's something I trust. Paul (TBO), these are the ones I have bought for you :  Any comments, suggestions about safety ? I can't imagine coming home and finding them on the ground .... I guess you all know that feeling. Thx Jan | ||
| dannobasso
Intermediate Member Username: dannobasso Post Number: 124 Registered: 7-2002 |
I use Off the Wall hangers and they use 3 screws and the metal plate is triangular. The holder "U's" can be removed if you spin them around and pull. I havent found any wide enough for my 6 + 7 string Alembics. I trust mine, in fact today I'm picking up a few more for 2 new arrivals and some existing non-Alembic guitars and basses. The "Mollies"(plastic inserts) should be fine with sheet rock. Danno | ||
| stoney
Advanced Member Username: stoney Post Number: 270 Registered: 7-2002 |
I had two of my Alembics on the wall suspended via the SwingString. As long as you have the anchor in the wall properly, you'll have no problem at all. Also, if you don't feel right about using their plastic wall mount screw you can purchase the type at a lodal hardware store that "spreads apart" behind your wall. SwingString makes a really good product in my opinion. | ||
| alemboid
Junior Username: alemboid Post Number: 38 Registered: 5-2003 |
I've never seen the Stringswing product in person. It looks certainly strong enough. My only concern is what they mount to. A long screw into a stud is the way I would feel comfortable. I really like the idea of displaying my basses as you have. Jan, your basses are incredible! Bryant | ||
| gbarchus
Junior Username: gbarchus Post Number: 35 Registered: 6-2002 |
I wouldn't put my basses on the wall using hangers that are screwed into dry wall. Maybe if they were directly into a stud. I've had book shelves fall using anchors like those. | ||
| janriviere
Intermediate Member Username: janriviere Post Number: 113 Registered: 5-2002 |
Thanks for the comments already. The anchors fit in the wall real tight. I didn't use the Stringswing smaller (plastic) screws. Danno, these Stringswing "U holders" must also be spinned around and can be removed. The holders just fit for a 6 string (comfort taper) if you remove the plastic circles. This will not fit for a 7 string I think. By the way, have we already seen pics of that 7 string of yours ? Gale & Bryant: excuse for my "not so perfect" English, but what exactly is a stud ? | ||
| alembic76407
Advanced Member Username: alembic76407 Post Number: 243 Registered: 5-2002 |
wouldn't a stud be one of the Paul's sorry that was too easy A stud is the 2x4 wood behind the sheetrock | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 991 Registered: 9-2002 |
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-hih-hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Explain: what am I doing behind the sheetrock?? And what is a "sheetrock"?? Is it good? Is it elfish (...again...) Paul the horse one | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 992 Registered: 9-2002 |
Ho Brother Jan the River one thanks a lot for doing this. For some reason I think these are inverse of what I thought it was going to be or am I wrong here? I found these pictures. I guess the 2 models work as well for holding up against racks??? Number 1  and number 2  I think you have number 2 there? No? Will it be a problem? I see on the picture it works. You tried it with a bass?? Paul the bad one | ||
| janriviere
Intermediate Member Username: janriviere Post Number: 117 Registered: 5-2002 |
Don't worry Paul, it is the number 1 i've got for you (2 items). You're right, on my pic above I hang them in the wrong direction. I already tried it, works fine ! This should also be ok for your rig. I'll contact you soon if I have news from the cables, ok ? | ||
| dannobasso
Intermediate Member Username: dannobasso Post Number: 126 Registered: 7-2002 |
I found out that for wide 6's there is a special order extra wide holder. I haven't gotten around to replacing my digital camera yet. (Been buying Alembic a lot lately)so no pictures of my stuff. My 7 has wide jazz spacing, just shy of 3" at the nut. I had Mica make two of my basses with the spacing of my original Spoiler but adding strings at the same intervals with no taper. Paul, you may know sheetrock as gypsum board. There is also a sound damping kind called homosote. BTW, It's not someone with a really thick Spanish accent describing really bad rock. Danno | ||
| wideload
Junior Username: wideload Post Number: 21 Registered: 6-2003 |
Jan the River One; I am very concerned about the safety of your Alembics hanging on your wall. I, on the other hand, am confident that MY wall is secure, and you should immediately send your basses to me for safekeeping! Seriously, my string swing has served with NO, ZERO, ZIP.NADA problem on my amp for 15 years. Larry | ||
| malthumb
Intermediate Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 154 Registered: 5-2002 |
My wife walked behind me as I was viewing janriviere's pictures of his Alembics on the wall. Here's the conversation that ensued. She: That's pretty cool. Why don't you do that? Me: I would, but the wall in my music room won't hold the weight. She: I wouldn't want you to hang them in the music room. They should hang in the living room. They're beautiful. They're like art. If they're in your music room, most people won't see them. Me: (stunned) Show me which wall. Keep in mind that this is the woman who goes into mild panic whenever I browse the "Items Matching Alembic" page on eBay. Peace, James | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 999 Registered: 9-2002 |
No Brother James, I think she outsmarted you! When you hang your -beautiful BTW- collection on the wall in your living room, than she has all arguments by hand to confront you with the fact that you don't need another Alembic. Ah-lalalala ...women. Paul the bad one | ||
| janriviere
Intermediate Member Username: janriviere Post Number: 118 Registered: 5-2002 |
Nice story James. You should definitely do this if you have the approval! For a moment I also considered hanging them in the living room. But I find it more practical if they hang in the music room close to my rig. Larry, you're more than welcome to build an extra wall here, now that you have the experience :-) Deal? Jan | ||
| dean_m
Advanced Member Username: dean_m Post Number: 262 Registered: 7-2002 |
Hey Guys, I used to have them in my living room as well. Right as you walked in the door, they were right there on the wall. Then an earthquake hit.... (this is when we were living in California). They didn't fall but they never hung on the wall again either. I do have reservations about hanging an instrument on anything. Off of your bass rig isn't so bad because on a stage, that might just be the safest place outside of it's case. Plus it's only hanging for the time you are on break. But to keep them on display that way really scares me now. As noted before, I would make sure that the screw is secured into the wood frame (stud)rather than the wallboard (sheetrock). That's just my 2 cents though. | ||
| xlrogue6
Junior Username: xlrogue6 Post Number: 49 Registered: 8-2002 |
I'd suggest using better anchors than the mollies String Swing provides. Here in the States you can get sheet rock anchors that are basically a large self-drilling self tapping screw that accomodates a #8 sheet metal screw in the center--way more solid in my experience than mollies. Kent | ||
| bassman10096
Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 88 Registered: 7-2003 |
Kent is right. Even the plastic version of what he describes is both more secure and even easier to use than the mollie bolts that usually come with hangers. Basically, you are screwing the whole thing into the gypsum board, giving you a continuous edge that "bites" into the wall rather than the mollies, which once expanded and put under any pressure away from the wall, actually serve as a wedge to work their way OUT of the wall. I have had bad experiences with mollies and none with the sheet rock anchors Kent described. That's my home improvement rant for the day! Bill | ||
| kayo
Junior Username: kayo Post Number: 27 Registered: 10-2002 |
Awesome collection! My only concern (and this is primarily because I live in earthquake prone SF Bay Area, CA - would be the likelihood of the sheetrock to give in - in the event of a formidably ranked quake (say anything over a 6.0 that lasts more than 30 seconds ). That could easily be worked around by using a stud finder, or by obatining a nice stong piece of thick wood to reinforce the wall with. Outside of these fears - I'd love to duplicate what you've done!!! | ||
| kayo
Junior Username: kayo Post Number: 28 Registered: 10-2002 |
Awesome collection! My only concern (and this is primarily because I live in earthquake prone SF Bay Area, CA - would be the likelihood of the sheetrock to give in - in the event of a formidably ranked quake (say anything over a 6.0 that lasts more than 30 seconds ). That could easily be worked around by using a stud finder, or by obtaining a nice stong piece of thick wood to reinforce the wall with. Outside of these fears - I'd love to duplicate what you've done!!! | ||
| kayo
Junior Username: kayo Post Number: 29 Registered: 10-2002 |
Awesome collection! My only concern (and this is primarily because I live in earthquake prone SF Bay Area, CA - would be the likelihood of the sheetrock to give in - in the event of a formidably ranked quake (say anything over a 6.0 that lasts more than 30 seconds ). That could easily be worked around by using a stud finder, or by obtaining a nice stong piece of thick wood to reinforce the wall with. Outside of these fears - I'd love to duplicate what you've done!!! | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1004 Registered: 9-2002 |
This is going weird! As I understand Brother Jan the river one needs a Paul as a stud to screw his basses at the shitrock. He has to take care with earthquakes? I think you all should come over and check out Jan's house. That's an Alambic with doors and a roof!!! You bet!! We build very strong over here. Bonnie hangs in the living room on a hanger (not stringswings but a real ugly one) for ...euh ....1,2,3 ...8 years now! We even had an earthquake ...well ...a teeenyweeny one. I even live at 50 meters from the railway were heavy loaded traincargo's pass every 10 minutes. After the 18 years we live here you don't hear it but I can imagine the vibrations. Solid with good plugs! Paul the bad one | ||
| janriviere
Intermediate Member Username: janriviere Post Number: 119 Registered: 5-2002 |
Like Paul said, I don't follow the suggestions about studs, sheetrock, wallboards, mollies etc.... because we build our houses and walls completely different than in the US. I used my own plugs and screws (check the picture above) and not the plastic ones Stringswing delivered. I don't think it is necessary to reinforce our walls with some extra things like wood etc. The walls inside the house are made of thick red bricks of approximately 10-inch depth! On both sides of the walls, we place a kind of white primarily decoration material like you see on the pictures (Paul help me with this, how do you say "bezetten” or “plakken" in English?). We normally paint or decorate with paper straight on that white material. The plugs fit into the brick real nice. When you put the screws in, the plugs open a little bit further, so they can't move anywhere without breaking the brick which is way to strong. Don’t bother about earthquakes here in Belgium. In my entire live, I never experienced one, but I can imagine our US friends think completely different about this. I’ve just checked the collection: after 48 hours they are doing fine. I feel more relaxed now Cheers Jan | ||
| u14steelgtr
New Username: u14steelgtr Post Number: 5 Registered: 7-2003 |
Jan; I have concerns about storing instruments so close to the brick you describe. Brick and concrete in the proximity of wood _can_ over-dry wood and/or glue if the environment is not kept adequately humidified. I learned my lesson about proximity to concrete and masonry the expensive way. I loaned a beautiful 00-size guitar to a friend about 15 years ago. While on loan the guitar was stored in its Anvil case by a cinderblock wall. I had not provided the borrower a humidifier to keep in the case. The combination of very dry 50-plus year old hide glue and very dry wood under string tension lead to a cracked neck block. The string tension pulled the neck forward a bit and the necks dovetail joint spread the 2 halves of the cracked neck block apart creating cracks in the sides of the guitar where the sides were glued to the neck block. Several hundred (late 1980’s) dollars later the cracks were reglued and cleated, and the guitar was fully repaired. However the reset of the neck meant replacing the bridge and the guitar has never sounded as good as it did before the accident. I will re-plane the bridge some time and bring the instruments sound back closer to its formal glory. I now keep and _maintain_ the humidifiers in my instrument cases diligently. To this day I still feel guilty about my ignorance and about the subsequent injury which the guitar sustained and has never fully recovered from. My Alembic came from its previous owner with numerous hairline craks in the finish where the laminations are bonded. I suspect that it got that way as a result of storage similar to what my beloved little 00 was subjected. Regards -- Eugene (Message edited by u14steelgtr on February 03, 2004) | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1011 Registered: 9-2002 |
Now brother Eugene that's quite a statement there. So if I understand it right brick wall and concrete are sucking humidity out of the air. So hanging a bass close to a brick or concrete wall places the instrument in a high-dried air-zone? Ergo: not so good for the instrument. Or am I overreacting here? With the OO-size guitar you describe a f.i. Martin-style acoustic?? Paul the bad one |
