PSA HERCULES Guitar Stand GS414B - Check your's now!

SRich

If you're using these, you need to check them carefully......and here's why.

I was alerted to a real problem with these after my g/f's stand collapsed. The height adjustor part (which is a rubbery substance) now feels gelatinous and very sticky and disintegrated sending her acoustic off to the floor. She called me to get me to check too........ditto problem although happily discovered before my 335 suffered a similar floor impact.......thanks to her for that.

See the pics......but do check yours - use disposable gloves (we've all got them now!).


  

mgaw

happened to one of mine as well

danishbacon

This have been well documented and rectified in more recent versions. 

danishbacon

danishbacon said:

This have been well documented and rectified in more recent versions. 

https://forum.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/index.php?topic=34025.0

DB1

Exactly the same thing happened to one of mine. Fortunately I chucked it away before it did any damage.

merlin

Yup, I've experienced this on an older one too. And with a guitar stand. 

CMW335

Anyway to tell how old a stand is and if it’s likely to have the defect?

webrthomson

It's happened to two of mine luckily when I was adjusting them both times and not when guitars were actually in them.

DB1

I thought I remembered this topic appearing before on the forum - it's discussed in this thread...

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2377430/#Comment_2377430

WindmillGuitars

Usually replaced under warranty too if you contact Herc ...

ICBM

CMW335 said:

Anyway to tell how old a stand is and if it’s likely to have the defect?

As far as I know the problem was fixed some years ago so it's only pretty old ones. You'll probably know about it by now if it's going to - the plastic goes sticky long before it disintegrates, you have plenty of warning. It's just the pole grip piece and the rim of the handwheel that tightens the base that are affected.

I've repaired mine by fitting metal handwheels and a filed-down nut to fit the shape of the groove in the pole piece, so the threaded part engages with the holes. Slightly more of a faff to adjust up and down but I very rarely do that anyway.

SRich

WindmillGuitars said:

Usually replaced under warranty too if you contact Herc ...

Possible statute of limitations here....just checked the purchase date which was 2009!........ planned obsolescence?

CMW335

ICBM said:

CMW335 said:

Anyway to tell how old a stand is and if it’s likely to have the defect?

As far as I know the problem was fixed some years ago so it's only pretty old ones. You'll probably know about it by now if it's going to - the plastic goes sticky long before it disintegrates, you have plenty of warning. It's just the pole grip piece and the rim of the handwheel that tightens the base that are affected.

I've repaired mine by fitting metal handwheels and a filed-down nut to fit the shape of the groove in the pole piece, so the threaded part engages with the holes. Slightly more of a faff to adjust up and down but I very rarely do that anyway.

Ah mine is hard plastic so should be ok but will maybe put my guitar back in the case for storage... Just so handy having it on the stand for quick strums when the opportunity presents 

danishbacon

Gibson owners have reported that the failed stand is a right pain in the neck

RaymondLin

I have this stand...not gone sticky though.  I got it about 5 years ago.

ICBM

SRich said:

Possible statute of limitations here....just checked the purchase date which was 2009!........ planned obsolescence?

Not planned - they changed the design to the hard plastic when the problem became known. It must have cost them a significant amount in warranty replacements too.

Many types of plastic do nasty things like this when they age - going brittle is common (the switch handle on my lawnmower snapped off literally yesterday, it's about 15 years old and the plastic had obviously degraded, when I looked at it), but going sticky and 'self-dissolving' is also fairly well-known for 'rubbery' types... foam 'rubber' does that too - the notorious MXR pedal foam rot is a good example.

prlgmnr

I was just about to buy one of their 6-way stands, which of course I'm sure would be fine, being brand new...

hassleham

I've just had a brand new replacement from Hercules completely free of charge following one of my stands doing this! You need to contact 

Strings@stringsandthings.co.uk (UK Distributor)

andy_k

I had a single and a double that both went this way, single failed, double has gone sticky.
Contacted UK dealer and they asked for some pics of the bar code, sent out 2 replacements within a week.
This was just before xmas last year-but I bought the stands probably 10 years ago.
I now have 2 singles, and 2 doubles, but only adjust 1 of each.
Great customer service.

hassleham

I should add that I originally contacted them asking to purchase a replacement for the broken part so that I could fit it to the existing stand but they ignored my request and just sent me a full new stand instead 

DB1

prlgmnr said:

I was just about to buy one of their 6-way stands, which of course I'm sure would be fine, being brand new...

The footprint of the 6-way stands is pretty big, bigger than I thought anyway. I have one that I don't use for that very reason (and that I could let go!), but I don't think it uses the same mechanism.