The Collings Forum

I recently bought an OM2HG SB and as you can imagine I need something sturdy and that won't cause issues with the finish. I've read that Hercules makes a solid product.

I do NOT plan to store the guitar on the stand, I just need some place to set it when I take a break. The stand needs to be able to take an inadvertent bump and not have the guitar or stand fall over. I'm not planning on it happening, but stuff happens sometimes.

Thanks for your input!

I really like Hercules Stands. There’s a great deal at Musicians Friend right now.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accesso ... s&index=18

Thanks Paul! Do I need to wrap the foam in anything to protect the finish? I've read that there can be some issues every now and then.

I use several of these with no problem. If you look at the specs it says this has been designed using SFF, special formulated foam — which is supposed to be ok with nitro finishes. If you don’t leave a guitar on a stand for long periods of time, it should be a non-issue anyway.

Hercules stands are good. I have a couple. But, I like the Hamilton KB-38 better. No plastic parts or mechanical parts to break down. Just metal with rubber sleeves that contact the instrument. I made felt tubes to cover the rubber just in case of a reaction but i have never had a problem in years of use. Available in chrome or black at a better price than the Hercules.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... stand.html

I don't trust my guitars to anything but a Hercules. I own 2, a triple that my guitars live on full time and a single that I use when I travel with a guitar. I have a Martin D-18V as well as a Collings D2H. Both have Nitro finishes and after 10+ years neither has any hint of a mark cause by the foam on the Hercules Stands. Besides the finish friendly foam I like that the bases of my Hercules stands are wide and sturdy enough that they can not be knocked over easily. I owned a big clumsy Lab for years and never worried that the stand might go over when she passed by. Now I have 4 grandchildren under 4 and similarly I'm not worried about the stability of the stands. The unique locking feature makes me feel even more comfortable. The guitars are in (on) the stand to stay. They can not just fall out. All in all I feel that short of keeping them locked in the cases my guitar are in safe hands with the Hercules.

A few years ago some of us on the old Collings forum had problems with our single stands. The handle that acts as the height adjustment was made of some sort of plastic that became soft and sticky over time. This NEVER touches the guitars but it was just not nice. Someone posted the contact information for the distributor and several of us wrote and sent pictures of our stands. In about a week a brand new stand with an improved handle arrived at my home free of charge. Never a question about receipts or how long I had owned the stand. That new stand has not had the same problem

Thanks for this info!

This forum is magic.

This is my first high-end guitar purchase and I plan for my Collings to stay in my family for many years. The only bad thing that should happen to my Collings is some subpar playing on those off sessions.

I've been using Hercules for years, more than 10 I think, never - ever - had a problem. My guitars live full time on the stands, not a hint of a reaction to the nitro finishes. No dogs or kids in my house, but I've bumped them a few times without any trouble. Great product, highly recommended.

I'm a big fan of Hamilton stands, the KB 38 specifically. Back when I was playing in a Bluegrass band in the 90's it was one of the few that would adjust to accomodate a guitar or mandolin. Been using them ever since. Still have my original in fact, plus a couple of extras.




And there's this one, one of only two produced. My father in law made this one for me.

Hercules. Used 3 of them for literally a decade with zero issues.