A guitar is heavy, curved and made to be played. We hold it in padded cradles inside a deep shadow box, with no glue or screws in the instrument, so it can come out again.
We frame signed guitars, violins and other instruments in deep shadow boxes at 1242 Davie Street. A shadow box is a frame built deep enough to hold an object. An instrument is harder to frame than most objects for three reasons: it is heavy, every surface is curved and finished, and it may be played again one day. The mount has to carry real weight and leave no mark.
How the instrument is held
We use cradle mounts. A cradle is a shaped support fixed to the back board of the box. One or two cradles sit under the lower edge of the body and carry the weight. Another holds the neck, so the instrument stays upright and cannot tip forward. Each cradle is padded where it touches the instrument.
No glue goes on the instrument, and no screw goes into it. Strap buttons, tuning pegs and the finish stay untouched. To take the instrument out, the neck support is released and it lifts off the lower cradles.
Depth
The box is built to the deepest point of the instrument as it sits in its cradles, plus clearance. A solid electric guitar is slim, and its deepest points are the knobs and the bridge, the raised part that holds the strings. An acoustic guitar has a hollow body, so it is deeper from front to back. A violin is small, but its bridge stands high above the body. We measure the deepest point at the counter. A spacer, a strip hidden under the frame edge, keeps the glazing (the sheet at the front of the box) clear of it.
Paintings on canvas have a depth to measure as well: the thickness of the wooden bars behind them. Calm in the Dark is an acrylic on canvas, 80 by 60 cm, showing a blue whale in a dark sky above a small seated figure in red.
A framed instrument is one of the heaviest things we make, because the weight of the instrument is added to a deep frame and a large sheet of glazing. We use acrylic at the front. It is lighter than glass and does not shatter, which matters for a large frame in a room where people move around. Our guide to acrylic and glass compares the two.
We fit hanging hardware matched to the finished weight. Ask us for that weight, so the fixings in your wall can be chosen for it. See hanging hardware for framed art.
Weight grows with size for every frame. Cigarette Between Fingers is an oil on canvas, 110 by 145 cm, showing a face and a hand with a cigarette in black, grey and blue. A painting this large needs wall fixings chosen for its weight, and it is one of the originals in our gallery.
A signature on the body is usually in marker ink, which fades in daylight. We use acrylic with a UV filter, which removes ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that does the most fading, and we suggest a wall away from direct sun.
The strings can stay on. Whether they should stay at full tension for years depends on the instrument, so ask the shop that maintains it before you bring it in.
If you plan to play it again
Tell us when you bring it in. Taking the instrument out means opening the frame, and a box that will be opened often is planned for that. An instrument that will stay in its frame can go in a simpler box.
What changes the cost
Depth and size are the main factors. A deep box needs a deep moulding, the shaped length of wood or metal the frame is cut from, and a guitar needs a long one. The acrylic sheet is large, and the cradles are shaped by hand to that instrument. Adding a strap, a set list, a ticket or a photograph means more mounts and more labour. We quote at the counter with the instrument in front of us.
What to bring or send
Bring the instrument in its case, with anything you want mounted beside it. If you live outside Vancouver, send the full length, the width at the widest point, the depth at the deepest point, and a photograph of the front and the side. An album to hang beside it is covered on our record and album framing page, and the box itself is explained under shadow box framing.
Walk in at 1242 Davie Street with the instrument. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for everything else we frame.
How it works
1
Bring it in, or send photographs
Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.
2
We look at the actual piece
What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.
3
It is made by hand and fitted
Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.
Common questions
Can a guitar be framed without drilling into it?
Yes, a guitar is framed with no drilling, no screws and no glue on the instrument. It rests in padded cradles fixed to the back board of a deep shadow box. Cradles under the lower edge of the body carry the weight, and a support at the neck keeps the guitar upright. The strap buttons and the finish stay untouched.
Can I take a framed guitar out and play it?
Yes, a framed guitar can be taken out and played, because nothing is fixed to the instrument itself. The frame is opened, the neck support is released and the guitar lifts off its cradles. Tell us at the start if you plan to do this often, because a box that will be opened many times is closed differently from one that stays shut.
Can an ordinary wall hold a framed guitar?
An ordinary wall can hold a framed guitar when the wall fixings are chosen for the weight. A framed guitar is one of the heaviest frames we make, because the instrument is added to a deep frame and a large sheet of glazing. We fit hanging hardware matched to the finished weight. Ask us for the figure, so the fixings suit your type of wall.
Should the strings stay on a guitar when it is framed?
The strings can stay on a guitar when it is framed, and most people keep them for the look. Whether they should stay at full tension for years depends on the instrument and how it is built. Ask the shop or the person who maintains the guitar before you bring it in, and tell us what they advised.
Can you frame a violin with its bow?
Yes, we frame a violin with its bow in one shadow box. The violin sits in padded cradles and the bow has its own separate supports beside it, so neither touches the other. The box is built to the height of the bridge, which is the highest point of a violin, plus clearance for the glazing.
Can a strap, a set list or a ticket be mounted beside a framed guitar?
Yes, a strap, a set list or a ticket can be mounted beside a framed guitar in the same shadow box. Paper items are hinged at the top edge on acid-free board, and a strap is held by its own supports. Each added item needs its own mount, which adds labour, and the box may need to be wider. Bring everything when you bring the guitar.
Can an acoustic guitar go in a shadow box?
Yes, an acoustic guitar can go in a shadow box. Its hollow body is deeper than a solid electric guitar, so the box and the moulding are deeper and the finished frame stands further out from the wall. We measure the depth of the body at the counter and show you mouldings made for that depth.
Does a framed guitar need glass or acrylic at the front?
A framed guitar is glazed with acrylic. A sheet of glass large enough to cover a guitar is heavy and dangerous if it breaks, and the frame is already carrying the weight of the instrument. Acrylic is lighter and does not shatter. It scratches more easily than glass, so it is dusted with a soft cloth.
10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop
We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at
1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the
counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.
Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.
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In-shop offer · 1242 Davie Street, Vancouver
Get 10% off your framing at our shop
Add your name and email and your code appears on the next screen. Show it at the counter
and we take 10% off any framing, stretching or reframing job you bring us. It does not
expire.
Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
I received my painting today. The support team was great and very responsive. The artwork is exactly what I was hoping for – even more beautifull in person. Truly a valuable piece. I’ll definetely order again. Thank you!
