String Swing (Series 2)

String Swing
Ontario, WI

Protecting your instruments is why String Swing exists. For more than 30 years, they have been crafting the best musical-instrument hangers and display systems for players, collectors, and music shops alike.

I was asked by String Swing to capture the essence of their products in a small series of photos. I can honestly say that I have been a fan and owner of many of their guitar hangers, rack stands, and other musical equipment accessories for many years, so this was a fun and thrilling project for me. Above is my second series of images for String Swing.

Origins: In 1983, Paul Thieman and Anne Tainter were running a small dairy farm in Elroy, Wisconsin. Thieman, who played guitar in a local band, envisioned a guitar hanger that would enable him to keep his guitar out of the case, properly supported and ready to play in a moment, yet safe from damage. But because there was no such product marketed for home use at the time, he made his own out of spare parts from around the farm. The invention worked perfectly, keeping his guitar accessible any time he wanted to work on a song. Three years later, when he and Tainter were going over their finances—“or lack thereof”—they decided to make more guitar hangers and sell them commercially. In 1987 they founded String Swing, which produced not only the first mass-distributed guitar hanger but more than 1,400 other stands, hanging devices, and display modules for musical instruments of all types.

Below are a couple of the images in action on String Swings’ and Eastwood Guitars’ Instagram accounts!