j45nick Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Yesterday, while cleaning my music room, I picked up one of my Hercules GS414 B guitar stands by the neck, and the thing came apart in my hand. It turns out that the entire height adjustment mechanism, which is made of some type of plastic, has turned into a gummy, disintegrating mess which comes apart and sticks to your hands. You can't get it off without heavy-duty hand cleaner or a petroleum solvent. On closer inspection, the knob that tightens the legs in place is suffering the same fate. A similar knob on the legs of my Hercules music stand is disintegrating as well. Another of these Hercules guitar stands--it may be a year or two newer--is still OK. It's fortunate that I didn't have a guitar sitting on the stand that came apart. This stand is a great design, but the materials are junk. You can't contact the manufacturer--the Hercules website has no mechanism for feedback, and no contact info. I did email Musician's Friend (where I bought them) to let them know what happened. My music room is temperature and humidity controlled year round, and gets no UV exposure--there are full-length Bahamas-style shutters over both windows. The two items currently showing signs of deterioration are about five years old, and would probably not be covered by any warranty. This is just a heads-up. If you've got them, check them, and keep an eye on them. Caveat Emptor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Duplicate post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Reminds me also of how many guitar stands, other than Hercules, will leave marks on a nitro-finished guitar. I mean, WTF, guitar stands are made to hold guitars, why would a manufacture use materials that would damage a guitar?? (That's a very rhetorical question) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Chinese drywall anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I hade a Kyser soundhole humidifier melt the finish around the soundhole on one of my guitars are few years back. That incident thaught me to never, never, never have anything made of rubber, plastic, vinyl or the like touch any of my guitars. This goes for straps, humidifiers, wall hangers, etc. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Chinese drywall anyone? I was thinking exactly the same thing. Cheap, looks and works great, but....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I am having trouble getting past the part about cleaning your music room. Have you been evicted? I have the same Hercules stand probably - looks ok. I am wary because I bought it at a discount type electronics store who specialise in pure junk, like imitation Shubb capos etc! It looks peculiar because after reading the internet complaints about guitar finish, it has a wool sock at both parts that would contact a guitar. I appreciate the good design after owning 4 ridiculous stands from the same maker - you had to take it all apart after a gig or it wouldn't fit in the car...really stupid design but real rubber bits. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 I am having trouble getting past the part about cleaning your music room. Have you been evicted? BluesKing777. Not evicted, just shamed into doing it by my wife. She won't touch the room, between the computers and the guitars. The dust bunnies were taking over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Dust Bunnies? Is that the name of your band? I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I'm very leery of guitar stands. To me, they are an accident waiting to happen. I've (We've) seen too many guitars get knocked-over, bumped-into...and no one had ever bumped that guitar stand before....until it happened. And guitar stands on a stage are a nightmare-waiting-to-happen. .......Never had much trouble with the heavy duty music stands, but the light-weight ones are not made for a big 3-ring notebook full of songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Dust Bunnies? Is that the name of your band? I like it. edit: make that Nervous Nick and the Dust Bunnies from Hell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Nervous Nick and the Dust Bunnies Here is a tune for the Nervies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lmgkDEvqtE BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfish Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I have read about this on other forms,sticky parts on them some were able to contact Hercules and got new stands. I have five of them,two I bought 6 months ago used they have the sticky parts the other 3 don't. I wasn't to concerned about it at the time because the guitar doesn't come in contact with these parts. But reading yours failed, I better keep an eye on them, I think Hercules has taken care of this issue with newer models Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriv58 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 after reading your post, and being tired of casing ang uncasing my guitars, i bought this today, will have it next week https://www.guitarstorage.com/shop/multiple-guitar-stand-deluxe/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain DeLay Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 There have been several threads on the Martin forum and Acoustic Guitar forum about this issue over the years. Here's one on the Martin forum with contact information for warranty replacement. Recent pictures and contact information are on page 3 of the thread. Hope this helps... http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/150286/Issue-with-Hercules-Guitar-stand?page=3#.VrQ3y432aM8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I've got 2 of the gummy ones. I wrapped all the gummy parts with black Gorilla duct tape. That is the best tape EVER....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 There have been several threads on the Martin forum and Acoustic Guitar forum about this issue over the years. Here's one on the Martin forum with contact information for warranty replacement. Recent pictures and contact information are on page 3 of the thread. Hope this helps... http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/150286/Issue-with-Hercules-Guitar-stand?page=3#.VrQ3y432aM8 Thanks. Good info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliasphobias Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Sounds like a near miss. Glad you avoided disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainpicker Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Hugh Hefner and the Dust Bunnies. But seriously, I think if you wipe the stand down with some tap water from Flint, Michigan everything will be OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Hugh Hefner and the Dust Bunnies. But seriously, I think if you wipe the stand down with some tap water from Flint, Michigan everything will be OK. That would probably finish dissolving what's left of the mechanism. I'm still waiting to hear back from Musician's Friend, where I bought them. Will hold off on trying to contact the importer until then. It will be interesting to see who stands up, and when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriv58 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 after reading about the frame failure, i received this rack in the mail today- easy setup, looks nice, even has nooks on top to hold picks, tuner, and hygrometer. No more in and out and in and out of cases yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 Got a non-answer from MF: "Thank you for your enquiry....." Wrote KHS music. We'll see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 after reading about the frame failure, i received this rack in the mail today- easy setup, looks nice, even has nooks on top to hold picks, tuner, and hygrometer. No more in and out and in and out of cases yay! I couldn't leave my guitars out like that. They would get too dusty. In the cases for me, and a nice case rack when I have time to design and build it. And have a place to put it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I couldn't leave my guitars out like that. They would get too dusty. In the cases for me, and a nice case rack when I have time to design and build it. And have a place to put it. Cases in a rack for me as well - my klutzyiness and a little labrador tail...... You are going to be really hard to convince on this one, Nick, but the Hercules multi-guitar stands take up the least room, the yoke thing at the top can be moved back (and forward) for case storage. The stand gets the guitars/cases of the floor nicely as well! I couldn't get Hercs, so use a generic one that looks similar : 5 guitars in cases on each and a bike lock chain through the guitar case handles and to the stand.... works way better than I hoped. http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GS525B.html BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriv58 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 yeah probably have a dustball competition sometime, see which one gots the biggest dust bunny :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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