In 1983, Paul Thieman and Anne Tainter were running a small dairy farm in Elroy, Wisconsin. Thieman, who played guitar in a local band, pictured a guitar hanger that would allow his guitar to be stored out of a case, easily accessible and safe from damage while also being properly supported. At the time, there was no such product on the market for home guitar wall mounts so Paul did what he knew best, made his own out of spare parts from around the farm. His invention worked perfectly, keeping his guitar accessible anytime he wanted to play while also serving as a center piece on the wall.
Three years later, while assessing their finances- “or lack thereof”- Thieman and Tainter decided they would make more guitar hangers to sell commercially. String Swing was founded in 1987, where they produced the first mass-distributed guitar wall mounts.
The original CC01 Home and Studio Guitar Hanger Paul created in 1983 remains as String Swing’s most successful product today! Its simple, elegant design consists of an adjustable yoke to cradle the guitar which is mounted to a hardwood block. Our hardwood blocks are handcrafted by local Amish. The block securely anchors to the wall ensuring your guitar is held safely. After the initial trickle of distributor orders for the CC01 in the first year of business, String Swing received its first “large order” of 100 units. In contrast to today's business that was a very small order, but remains a very exciting day for the company. In addition to the guitar mounts, we now produce more than 1,400 other stands, hanging devices and display for all types of musical instruments.
In the late ‘80’s, with collections of fretted instruments in need of dependable instrument displays, music retailers quickly became some of String Swing’s most enthusiastic customers. Slat wall was becoming a popular fixture for retailers during this time period, peaking the idea for String Swing to begin manufacturing guitar hangers to fit the slat wall mounting system. This was the beginning of a profitable back-and-forth between the company and its customers that continues to this day, as many of our original product designs were hand-crafted on the request of music industry dealers. It is not uncommon for retailers to still call asking, “Do you have this? or “Can you make that?” And quite often, we say “YES”!
Since the beginning, String Swing continues to design and produce quality instrument hangers. Our product line has multiplied into a vast range of display solutions for every product category. The original CC01 guitar wall hanger has been refreshed with an updated model- the CC01K: Guitar Keeper. The Guitar Keeper has a deep-cradle design to ensure that the guitar securely rests without movement. The yoke pivots to accommodate various sizes and shapes of headstocks. With a protective padding to protect the guitar’s finish, rest assured you can gently and securely support your instrument with a CC01K guitar holder. In addition, String Swing’s catalog continues to grow, now offering dependable guitar stands and instrument holders for all manner of fretted instruments, band instruments, bowed instruments, keyboards, mixers, amps, drums and percussion- along with a wide variety of displays made specifically for retailers.
As the maker of a low-cost, made in the USA product that customers need in good times and in bad, String Swing has continued to keep a remarkably even keel during the economic struggles throughout the years. Many people turn to music when times are rough, making accessories more desirable to customers that cannot afford larger ticket items. Then again, when the economy was thriving and the guitar market was great, our business was also booming. Although we are now sold in countries around the globe, String Swing’s entire product line continues to be manufactured in Wisconsin. Customers want quality and we strive to offer the best quality products on the market. Operating a business in America can be expensive, but we believe it is worth the cost to have a hands-on manufacturing facility. We have the flexibility and control to create new products, make changes, and maintain great quality with top-notch customer service while actively supporting our local community. Our goal is to continue to adapt and grow based on customer and market demands while remaining a humble, family- owned business who values quality over quantity.