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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 Blues Frog on August 24, 2016 at 11:30pm

Nice lookin shirt. I had some made too, for when I get around to selling some of mine.

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Permalink Reply by 3pefhwwnvfj2q on August 25, 2016 at 4:48am

I am hoping to sell some. We'll see. I also had the shirts made because I have been wearing the same Sitting Bull T shirt for months now almost every day. I seem to go for comfort in my later years, but sometimes I feel just downright raggedy. I guess I'm just a poor boy long ways from home.

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on August 25, 2016 at 1:10pm

Most of my tshirts(and other clothing) are old and worn. I have some that are older than my kids and they're 26!

Nothin wrong with being comfy.

Maybe you need a Blues Frog T-shirt.....

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Permalink Reply by 3pefhwwnvfj2q on August 25, 2016 at 1:33pm

Maybe I do!

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on August 25, 2016 at 3:09pm

OK. I propose a trade. One of yours for one of mine. Friend me and i'll send you one. if you have an address I can send one to.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Constance on August 23, 2016 at 1:37pm

A materials list, lengths and a how to......Nice...... Thanks Janis

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Permalink Reply by Greg Thompson on August 24, 2016 at 9:32am

That's cool Janis!
I need to come up with a system for my small space.
BTW, I like the forms in the window!

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Permalink Reply by 3pefhwwnvfj2q on August 24, 2016 at 3:52pm

Stacking with towels is not a bad idea.I used to transport my paintings this way. I have some space under the bed, but I had putting them in a hard to get place.

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Permalink Reply by 3pefhwwnvfj2q on August 25, 2016 at 4:59am

Nice work Janis! I like the sculpture too. Reminds me of back when I was a sculpture major almost 20 years ago. I wish I made guitars then. I was too influenced by the notion of non functional. I did a bunch of large scale installations that got some pats on the back, but ended up in the trash later because I had nowhere for it. I had access to every tool imaginable then. Now I have a few hand tools and a dremel, but it seems to be enough. Imagination and will prevails over lack of tools.

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Permalink Reply by Hoss Firooznia on September 30, 2016 at 3:37pm

Thank you for posting the photos and your plans, Janis. You've come up with an elegant design that's easy to build. I just put one together, and it works very nicely. Now I don't have to trip over CBGs any more — woohoo!

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Permalink Reply by Hoss Firooznia on October 2, 2016 at 8:42am

And here's the result. The dimensions are taken directly from your plans. I added two ideas I got from a photo Habanera Hal uploaded to the thread on the design where the guitars hang upside-down: a small foot in the middle of the front rail to prevent bowing, and a set of nubs on the top rail to minimize the possibility of a domino-effect collapse. (I don't have wrestling dogs to set something like that off, but I'm clumsy enough to do it myself.) Thanks again for the ideas and inspiration, Janis.

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Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on October 2, 2016 at 8:49am

Looking great Hoss. Fine looking guitars you've got on show too. Now you're going to have so much space around the house from where they used to be stored you're going to have to build more so it doesn't look empty. Then another rack. Then more guitars. Then...