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Lean-Back CBG Rack Design

First off, I'm still a newbie 'round here and not sure if this should be a blog post instead. This is my first time starting a 'discussion'. I figure it's easier to reply here if someone has a question or new idea. So anyway...

I'm a tinkerer. I can't help it. I built one of the PVC racks that was posted here where the guitars sit on top of a dual rail with the necks hanging down. It worked great, but after a few months I wanted to try something different. Yesterday I was looking at it and thought, hey I could convert that to a leaning rack like 1 of those travel guitar cases. So today I went at it. I'm sooooo happy with it! Thought I'd share in case it helps someone else. If you build one, you don't have to follow my dimensions exactly. Do what's right for your needs, tweak it, make it better... But to get you started, here's the design I used.

Notice the front lower rail is higher than the back lower rail (only by 1 inch), but this makes the guitars lean back against the top rail. This is key! The gap between the 2 bottom rails allows your neck through tail to hang down.

At first I did a quick assembly without the elevated sides (they look like arms on a chair). It worked great, but I decided to put the sides on to prevent a cbg domino slide onto the floor if my crazy dogs rammed into it while wrestling.

The whole thing's made from 1/2" PVC. I inserted a 1/2" aluminum tube inside the front lower rail which bears all the weight to keep it from bowing. Works really well & keeps it light. I tried a dowel, but it didn't stop the bowing.

I ended up with a lot of extra PVC vs where I started from with my original hang down rack. Like I said, I liked that design, but I'm a tinkerer and wanted to mix it up. I have a feeling a lot of people around here are tinkerers too! :)

Hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on April 17, 2016 at 10:20am

Nicely done Janis. The store bought one similar to this that I use was around $50. I like yours better!

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Permalink Reply by Janis Wilson Hughes on April 17, 2016 at 11:12am

Thank you Jim! I'm really happy with how well this works and how stable it is.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 17, 2016 at 3:16pm

Well done, Janis! For those interested in materials bill and measurements, here's a similar-but-different version:

https://howtomakeaguitarrack.wordpress.com

3/4" diameter PVC will give it more stability ( but add somewhat to the cost).

But I like your angled bottom bracket solution better.

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Permalink Reply by Janis Wilson Hughes on April 18, 2016 at 12:25pm

Nice Oily!

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Permalink Reply by Reeds Taylor on April 18, 2016 at 6:14am

This is very cool, thanks for sharing

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Permalink Reply by Janis Wilson Hughes on April 18, 2016 at 12:28pm

Hey Reeds Taylor, I'm happy to share what I can. I've gotten lots of help here. You guys are great!

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Permalink Reply by Preston J. Laisure on April 19, 2016 at 1:06am

First, Thank you. I followed your design and I'm very happy with the rack. Mine seems to be strong enough without the support rod (truth be known, I accidently forgot to install, during assembly). I'll be using mine at our club meetings for display purposes and at home. I'll probably print up some copies of the plans for club members too. KUDOS!!!

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Permalink Reply by Janis Wilson Hughes on April 19, 2016 at 5:10am

Aw, Preston, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear that! I'm so glad you like your build. Hope the folks in your club like it too! Let me know if y'all come up with some good mods for it.