Hercules Stands

I've been using this Hercules Tri stand in my live setup for over 2 years now. I keep a strat, epi les paul and a double neck ovation acoustic on it for all shows. I had to have the first one I bought replaced because of a faulty connection but luckily I knew someone who worked for the company at the time so that wasn't a big deal. I had one sent out to me quickly. Other than having to tighten the nut screw at the headstock part of the stand (the part that holds all 3 guitars at the top), this stand has been a very good investment. It folds up at the top, the middle bar slides down and the leg base detracts, making it easy to pick up and transport and also saves a ton of space when packing your gear. It is a VERY solid stand, made out of what seems to be a certain type of metal. The guitars are held securely as there is a "lock" that folds up when the guitar's weight pulls down on the headstock of the stand. You don't need to keep 3 guitars on it for it to feel stable. 1 guitar works as well as 2. I've even picked the stand up by the middle metal bar with 3 guitars on it to move and it held up just fine, although I would rather not do this...but I always do...just makes things easier. If it broke or was stolen/lost, I would definitely buy another as it is the type of stand that I need for my band. There are other types that sit flat on the ground that are good too, but for my application, this stand is the way to go. The flat on the floor stands always give me trouble if I need to keep a guitar or two plugged in for live purposes as the cable will hit the ground and eventually will cause damage to the guitar's input jack.

I mostly play at my church's local youth group. We do some crazy stuff on stage (We once ended up with people swinging from the ceiling...), so I decided that I should probably get a decent guitar stand. After researching several options, the Hercules stand seemed the best route to go. I knew I needed a good stand, especially since my guitar, a BC Rich Warbeast NJ, is very pointy. I didn't want it hitting the hard concrete floor on one of it's points. Obviously the part I like the most about it is the whole locking feature. It works great and since it automatically locks when you set your guitar on the stand, you don't have to worry about putting some sort of rubberized band across the front of the yoke. The one thing I would change though is that it is still a little big when collapsed. The reason for this is because Hercules made this stand so that it also works for Bass guitars, so the actual stand can extend pretty high, much higher than you need for guitar. If Hercules Stands would make a separate model for Bass guitar it would allow the guitar stands to be collapsed further. Granted, this is a truly minor complaint, and it's by no means a deal-breaker. Just something I figured I would throw out there. :) Besides that, I can't really find any other fault in it. It's a sturdy stand that is very easy to adjust and keeps your guitar safe. All the parts that come into contact with your guitar are well padded, and won't leave scuff marks or scratches on your guitar. Overall, I can't recommend this stand enough. It will more than pay for itself the first time somebody trips over your guitar cable when you have it in the stand. I would gladly buy this stand again in a heartbeat. Honestly, $40 to protect your guitar from hitting the floor? Seems like a great deal to me!