Thanks for the quick explanation Rob. Is vinyl OK? I found out the hard way about the staining of guitar headstocks from foam cushions on wall hangers. I solved the problem by slipping 5/8" ID clear vinyl hose from a hardware store, over the cushion. Time will tell if this is OK.
Here is an explanation Diamond Life posted about the problem:
Are the cushions safe for guitars with nitro-cellulose finishes?
Unfortunately, no guitar hangers have completely nitro cellulose safe cushions, ours included. As we understand it, damage can occur in two ways: the material used for the cushion 'out-gasses' causing the lacquer to stain, or the cushion prohibits air and moisture movement from the wood of the guitar through the finish causing it to stain.
There are accessory items that address either of these problems, but not both. Leather covers can be purchased (Ingles #SA-10HC) that allow the wood/finish to breathe, but they don't completely stop the cushion gasses from passing through to the finish. There are 'gas-free' cushion materials, but these are relatively expensive and, like the leather covers, address just half the potential problem..
Somewhere in between is likely a solution, but so far none of us manufacturers have found the confidence to state "this is the solution".
For our guitar hangers we use a material that we consider to be comparatively low in its emissions. We can suggest that cloth or leather 'pads' be placed on the hanger arms.
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