String Swing

What String Swing does

String Swing is a Wisconsin-based, family-owned manufacturer of musical instrument storage and display hardware, founded in 1987 by Paul Thieman after he invented the first in-home guitar hanger on his farm in 1983. The company designs and produces a catalog of more than 1,400 SKUs centered on guitar wall hangers, multi-guitar slatwall rack systems, floor stands, case racks, and display hardware, with adjacent product lines covering violins, dulcimers, saxophones, trumpets, keyboards, and stage accessories such as drumstick holders, drink holders, and tablet mounts. Its products are built around three proprietary technical differentiators: a pivoting cradle yoke that adapts to asymmetrical headstocks, a deep-cradle "Guitar Keeper" geometry that prevents instrument slippage, and a composite padding material engineered to be chemically safe for nitrocellulose lacquer finishes — a claim validated by Fender, Gibson, and Martin, which use String Swing displays in their showrooms and trade shows.

All manufacturing takes place at the company's facility in Ontario, Wisconsin, with hardwood components handcrafted by local Amish craftsmen using North American lumber and metal components produced in-house. The company sells under a hardware unit-pricing model with a lifetime warranty, free shipping on retail orders over $50, and a tiered Spend & Save volume discount program aimed at dealers and multi-SKU buyers. Go-to-market is omnichannel and modest in scale: direct-to-consumer e-commerce through a BigCommerce storefront, an authorized dealer and distributor network serving music retailers, an Amazon marketplace presence, and direct international shipping. Customers include individual musicians, performing musicians, music retailers, and educational institutions; enterprise logos (Fender, Gibson, C.F. Martin) are reference accounts for showroom and trade-show use rather than disclosed volume OEM customers. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company has never raised outside funding and remains privately held by the Thieman family, with Travis Thieman serving as Vice President.

Name

String Swing

Legal name

String Swing

Website

https://stringswing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

String Swing is a family-owned Wisconsin manufacturer of musical instrument hangers, wall mounts, floor stands, and multi-instrument rack systems, founded in 1987. It sells over 1,400 SKUs to individual musicians, music retailers, performing musicians, and educational institutions through DTC e-commerce, dealers, Amazon, and international shipping, with proprietary pivoting-cradle and nitro-safe padding technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instrument Storage and Display Hardware

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE)

Keywords

• Guitar wall hangers
• Instrument display racks
• Musical instrument storage
• Multi-guitar slatwall systems
• Music store fixtures

Headquarters

HQ city

Ontario

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: One-time purchase of instrument displays including guitar hangers, wall mounts, floor stands, racks, and multi-guitar systems. Products are durable goods with lifetime warranties, resulting in low repurchase frequency but steady new customer acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

String Swing designs, manufactures, and sells musical instrument hangers and display solutions, primarily for guitars but also extending to violins, dulcimers, saxophones, trumpets, keyboards, and studio accessories. Its core products are pivoting wall hangers and slatwall multi-guitar racks made from hardwood, steel, and aluminum, sold direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and through authorized dealers/distributors, with all products manufactured in Wisconsin and backed by a lifetime warranty.

Product overview

String Swing is a manufacturer of musical instrument storage and display solutions, offering a comprehensive portfolio centered on guitar hangers, wall mounts, floor stands, and multi-guitar rack systems. The core product line includes the original CC01 guitar wall hanger (introduced in 1983) and its upgraded CC01K Guitar Keeper variant, alongside multi-guitar slatwall systems (SW3RL for 3 guitars, SW5RL for 5 guitars, and SW10RL for 10 guitars), floor stands (wooden CC22 and metal BZ-Stand), and case racks (CC29). The product ecosystem extends to accessories including cradles, yokes, slatwall panels and clips, and studio accessories such as headphone stands, drumstick holders, drink holders, and tablet holders. String Swing also offers displays for other instruments including violins, violas, saxophones, trumpets, dulcimers, and keyboards. All products are manufactured in Wisconsin, USA, and feature signature technologies including pivoting cradles, deep-cradle 'Guitar Keeper' designs, and nitro-safe padding materials. The company operates on a business-to-consumer and business-to-dealer model with free shipping on orders over $50 and a tiered Spend & Save discount program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Original Style Guitar Wall Hanger (CC01) The original String Swing guitar wall mount featuring a pivoting padded steel cradle designed for classical nylon string guitars, mounted to a hardwood block handcrafted by local Amish craftsmen.
• Wooden Guitar Wall Mount with Guitar Keeper (CC01K) Upgraded guitar wall mount featuring a deep-cradle 'Guitar Keeper' design that prevents improper placement, with a pivoting yoke accommodating various headstock sizes and shapes and protective padding to safeguard finish.
• Multiple Guitar Wall Rack (SW5RL) Slatwall guitar rack system capable of holding up to 5 guitars, with 4 feet of heavy-duty aluminum slatwall and five pivoting hangers accommodating acoustic, electric, and bass guitars.
• Guitar Wall Rack for 10 Guitars (SW10RL) Largest slatwall display system spanning 8 feet, anchoring to multiple studs to securely hold up to 10 guitars with adjustable hangers featuring protective padding.
• Guitar Rack for 3 Guitars (SW3RL) Modular slatwall solution for up to three guitars with adjustable pivoting hangers and a heavy-duty aluminum panel designed for future expansion.
• Acoustic & Electric Guitar Floor Stand (BZ-Stand) Metal floor stand with a stable wide base and slender stem featuring the signature pivoting cradle that adjusts to any style headstock.
• Wooden Guitar Stand Rack (CC34) Hardwood floor rack designed to rest multiple electric guitars, acoustics, or a combination, folding easily for transportation.
• Guitar Case Rack Stand (CC29) Handcrafted, foldable wooden rack designed to organize guitar cases and store up to 5 cases neatly.
• Wooden Guitar Stand (CC22) Floor stand crafted from North American ash hardwood, designed for both wide and narrow-bodied guitars, folding flat for easy transport and featuring the 'Guitar Keeper' deep cradle design.
• Classical Guitar Hanger Wall Mount (BCC11) Wall mount specifically designed for classical guitars with wide necks, featuring pivoting cradle technology.
• Jumbo Guitar Hanger (CC01J) Extra large guitar hanger for jumbo body instruments with extra spacing from instrument to wall, featuring an adjustable pivoting cradle mounted to authentic North American hardwood.
• Horizontal Guitar Wall Mount (CC151) Low-profile horizontal wall mount for electric guitars, designed for headless and bass guitars.
• Nitro Safe Guitar Stand Plush Cradle Cover Dye-free soft instrument case lining cloth sleeve designed to reduce pressure on delicate nitrocellulose finishes, preventing marking and dye transfer, and compatible with all keeper cradle guitar wall mounts.
• Aluminum Slatwall Panels - Strong Wall (SW1/SW22/SW24) Extruded aluminum slatwall panels available in 2-foot and 4-foot sections for displaying stringed instruments, with tongue-and-groove tabs for seamless stacking.
• Headphone Stand for Desk (CC59) Desktop headphone stand with sturdy base preventing tipping and padded cradle for protecting headphones, designed for recording studio use.
• Violin Hanger Hardwood wall mount hanger designed specifically for violins, handcrafted by local Amish craftsmen.
• Wooden Dulcimer Hanger Hardwood wall mount hanger designed for dulcimers, handcrafted by local Amish craftsmen.
• Alto or Tenor Saxophone Wall Mount Wall mount designed for alto and tenor saxophones for retail or home display.
• Horizontal Trumpet Wall Hanger Horizontal wall hanger specifically designed for trumpets.
• Vertical Trumpet Wall Mount Vertical wall mount for trumpets.
• Multi Angle Wall Mount for Keyboard Wall mount for keyboards that offers multiple angle adjustments.
• Keyboard Displays for Reinforced Slatwall Keyboard displays designed for use with reinforced slatwall systems, featuring telescoping adjustment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 million guitars have been safely stored using String Swing products since 1987
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hercules Stands: Hercules Stands is a direct competitor manufacturing guitar stands, wall hangers, and instrument support products for musicians and retailers — overlapping closely with String Swing's core product categories and target customers.
• On-Stage Stands: On-Stage (by Music Tribe/Behringer parent) makes a broad catalog of music stands, instrument stands, and accessories serving musicians, retailers, and schools — a directly comparable peer in instrument support hardware.
• Ultimate Support: Ultimate Support designs and sells instrument stands, guitar stands, keyboard stands, and music-product furniture to musicians, retailers, and venues — a directly competing accessory brand in the same channel as String Swing.
• Gator Cases: Gator Cases manufactures instrument cases, stands, and racks serving musicians, retailers, and schools — closely comparable as an instrument protection and display brand with overlapping B2B and B2C distribution.
• SKB Cases: SKB makes instrument cases, racks, and stands for guitars, band, and orchestral instruments — a comparable brand in the instrument storage/protection category with similar retail and professional customers.
• Quik Lok: Quik Lok produces keyboard stands, guitar stands, mic stands, and music accessories for musicians and retailers — a directly comparable maker of instrument support hardware sold through similar channels.
• ChromaCast: ChromaCast offers guitar stands, hangers, and instrument accessories at value price points via major retailers — a direct competitor focused on the mass-market segment overlapping with String Swing's entry-level SKUs.

Broad incumbents

• D'Addario (Planet Waves): D'Addario's Planet Waves line sells instrument care, stands, and accessories to musicians worldwide — a broader incumbent accessories player with overlapping instrument care and storage categories.
• Fender Accessories: Fender sells its own branded guitar stands, hangers, and wall mounts directly to consumers — an incumbent instrument maker whose accessories compete with String Swing in retail channels and who is also a String Swing showroom customer.
• Roland Accessories: Roland manufactures keyboards, electronic instruments, and a range of branded stands and accessories for its product ecosystem — an incumbent with adjacent overlap in keyboard and electronic instrument display/storage solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StringSwing
• Instagraminstagram.com/stringswing
• Xx.com/stringswing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about String Swing