We often have customers tell us that they are buying the Strumstick as much as an art piece as for its musical capabilities. We have won numerous awards at top national Art Fairs for the Strumstick as a visual object. So we thought it might be fun to point out some of the aesthetic possibilities of the Strumstick, and offer suggestions about displaying your supremely functional instrument that is also designed to be beautiful to look at.
Over the years we have experimented with various forms of ornamentation on the Strumstick;
In the 80's stripes and spatters,
In the 90's hot rod flames and colored pickguards,
In the 00's Swarovski crystal bling.
These were all fun, mostly tongue-in-cheek, but none of them looked any better than the simple elegance of the Strumstick in its natural woods.
• More recently:
We have settled on two types of ornamentation that we feel genuinely add to the looks of the Strumstick and work great with it's shape. These are:
Woodburned Strumsticks with design and pyrography by artist Heather McNally
Our Midnight Sky abalone inlay series.
• The Big Wave Strumstick
In addition we designed a shape for a larger-bodied Strumstick, and let our hair down aesthetically; the Big Wave Strumstick is visually about festive flair and dramatic verve.
Big wave Strumstick pic
We are very pleased with the outcome of our visual experiments. Any of these current Art Strumsticks can grace a wall without calling to mind "period" styles. Please check them out. And sorry, we are all out of Stripes, Flames and Bling.
1. Use a nail or picture hook:
Vertical Display: Extend the strap part way and loop it over the nail or hook, and let the Strumstick hang vertically. You can let the lower part of the strap hang casually, or tuck it behind the Strumstick for a cleaner look.
2. Use our Wall Hanger accessory.
This carefully shaped wood hanger holds the Strumstick vertically, with the lowest tuner nestled into a form fitting pocket to keep the Strumstick in place. To remove, lift the Strumstick straight up a short distance before moving it outward away from the wall.
1. Our Straight Up Magnet Stand poises the Strumstick "ready for launch" and brings out the sculptural aspects of the Strumstick's design. The stand is a weighty wood base with an upright acrylic pylon. A centering pocket in the base captures the end button of the Strumstick, and a calibrated pair of magnets (one on the pylon and one on the back of the Strumstick) hold the Strumstick steady against the pylon.
To remove the Strumstick, lift it straight up (sliding the magnets apart).
To reposition it, place the strap button (bottom of the Strumstick) into the centering pocket. Hold the Strumstick leaning a bit outward, away from the pylon. Then gently swing the Strumstick to a vertical position and the magnets will "click!" snap together.
We sell the Straight Up Stand in conjunction with purchasing a Strumstick, so we can properly attach the magnet to the back of the Strumstick with the polarities of the pylon and Strumstick magnets correctly aligned.
The Straight Up Stand has been field tested by the vast public at outdoor art shows for several years, the most rigorous testing environment we could devise. When used as instructed, it has held up to many hands, bumped tables, and wind gusts. We do recommend that you use it indoors, and we cannot guarantee it's security if exposed to large animals, grasping 3 year olds, flying objects, or shelf-emptying earthquakes.
Choose an indoor location such that the Strumstick is not in direct sunlight and not close to sources of heat or cooling.
In addition, the space the Strumstick is in should not be heavily sunlit for more than a small part of the day ( even if the Strumstick is not sunlit). Ultraviolet light in sunlight can affect the natural colors of the woods we use for the Strumstick, and sunscreen is just not a good option in this case.
The Strumstick is long and narrow, and can attractively be displayed in areas less amenable to large rectangular art. Wall sections adjacent to doorways, vertical sections of archways, and odd empty spaces isolated by other art works are some ideas to start with. Close to couches, work stations, and in family rooms are some other logical locations.
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