“Best thing since sliced bread” was the tagline I recently saw in an ad for Goby guitar stands.
Have you ever tried to slice bread on your own? Use too much force, you’re smashing the bread. Use too small of a knife ... well, OK, you get the point I’m trying to make. Pre-sliced bread is genius!
Goby Labs is a company in Venice Beach, California. It offers microphone stands, guitar stands, tablet stands and — more recently — guitar-care products, through Hosa distribution. I checked out the Universal Guitar Stand (pretty self-explanatory) and the GuitarHook Thingy (a clamp-based stand that allows your microphone stand to double as a guitar stand).
The Universal Guitar Stand is what I'd consider a deluxe model, at least when compared to a basic guitar stand. It trades in that not-so-secure, rubber-band-on-the-neck support for a rubber-coated bar that can lock open or be released via a spring-loaded button. Anywhere your instrument touches the stand, it rests comfortably against rubber, so it doesn’t scratch or damage the finish.
The stand can function as low as 21 inches high or extend up to 36 inches high. It does fold up, not as small as some stands, but it is very manageable and easy to carry. I tested it with various acoustics, electrics and basses. Even the oddball offset body of a Fender Jazz Bass felt secure.
On to the GuitarHook Thingy. (Was it named by a drummer?) It’s a single clamp that attaches to a microphone stand, so it also can be used as a guitar stand. I want to stress that this is a well-built metal clamp. Besides the clamp, there's a secondary clasp that acts as a safety.
My amateur calculations have it working for any pole perpendicular to the ground up to 3 inches in diameter. The good news: It works on most microphone or music stands. The bad news: A stripper pole is out of the question, and so is pranking your buddy by safely clamping his guitar to the top of a flagpole!
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Once clamped on, the GuitarHook Thingy holds your instrument by the headstock. The foam-covered, U-shaped bracket has a 2-inch opening. It held everything I had in my collection, from electric guitarss and basses to a 12-string acoustic guitar. Realize it is only going to be as stable as the stand you clamp it to. I’d suggest clamping it on to something that offers a tripod base.
Web: gobylabs.com Street Prices: Universal Guitar Stand (GBU300) — $48; GuitarHook Thingy — $18
You can't believe everything you read on the Internet, but Billy Voight is a gear reviewer, bassist and guitarist from Pennsylvania. He has Hartke bass amps and Walden acoustic guitars to thank for supplying some of the finest gear on his musical journey. Need Billy's help in creating noise for your next project? Drop him a line at thisguyonbass@gmail.com.
