Chances are that your guitar playing friend or relative has enough guitar themed T-shirts or home décor. If you’re looking for a gift and not sure where to begin, check out some of these ideas at various prices.
#10 Pick Pouch Key Chain
Make sure you always have a few picks on hand with a pick pouch key chain. This has saved me on a few gigs when I could have sworn I packed the picks that I needed, only to find later that I hadn’t.
Price: $6
#9 Strap Locks
Guitar straps can become less reliable over time, and cheap ones can lose their grip on the strap buttons which could cause you to drop your guitar. These strap locks can provide some reassurance that your guitar strap won’t slip off the buttons and cause your guitar to fall.
Price: $3.50
#8 Humidification System
For acoustic and classical guitarists, one thing to watch out for is letting your guitar get too dry. The bare wood on the interior of the guitar is especially vulnerable to the elements. This is why you may see mist humidifiers running in many acoustic guitar shops. Humidifiers help protect your guitar from minor or major humidity issues. D’Addario’s Two-Way Humidification System maintains a constant 45%-50% relative humidity level within your instrument case.
D’Addario Two-Way Humidification System
Price: $20
#7 Capo
A capo allows a guitarist to play in more keys with more ease (I’m going to trademark that!). Acoustic, electric, and classical players alike can find uses for capos. And if you’re worried they may already have one, keeping a spare in your guitar case isn’t a bad idea, especially if its part of your act. The Dunlop capos work well and have a very practical grip design. First know if you’re buying for an acoustic, electric, or classical guitar though, as the shapes can vary slightly.
Dunlop 83CB Acoustic Trigger Capo, Curved, Black
Dunlop 87N Electric Trigger Capo, Curved, Nickel
Price:$12-15
#6 Hercules Guitar Stand
There are a variety of stands and wall mounts out there these days – single stands, multi-stands, easily collapsible stands, boutique hard wood stands, etc. This is by far the best stand that I’ve ever owned. As far as guitar stands go, Hercules can be a bit pricey (which is why I only own 1), however it does feel nice to know that my guitar is sitting stably and securely.
Hercules GS415B A/G Guitar Stand Fold Neck
Price: $50
#5 Electric String Winders
Every guitarist has to change strings and if they’re doing it without the aid of some type of string winder, they’re wasting time. The Pyle String Winder is basically a low powered drill that makes the process of changing strings go by pretty quickly.
Pyle String Peg Winder Electric Guitar Drill with Built-in Powered Rechargeable Battery. (PCBLWN41)
Price: $25
#4 Cleaning Kit
Cleaning kits often come with some micro fiber cloths, guitar polish, and formulas for cleaning and conditioning the fretboard. Cleaning your fretboard can not only make it feel better to play, but can also extend the life of your strings. This kit comes with most all you need to maintain a clean guitar.
Dunlop 6500 System 65 Guitar Maintenance Kit
Price: $22
#3 Clip-on Tuner
Clip-on tuners are convenient since you don’t have to hold them while tuning, and most of them work off of the vibration of the instrument rather than room sound. This means that you should be able to tune the instrument in a noisy environment with little to no interference. The D’Addario Micro Tuner is an inconspicuous and accurate tuner that most of the audience won’t even see, and it won’t knock into anything if you leave it attached when putting the guitar back in the case.
D’Addario NS Micro Clip-On Tuner
Price: $11
#2 Guitar Tool Kit
Adjustments need to be made from time to time to keep your guitar in top playing condition. While professionals have the experience and tools to make those routine adjustments for you, some adjustments are simple enough to do yourself with the right affordable toolkit. Having the right tools and learning to make some of the minor adjustments yourself can save a lot of money in the long run.
Ernie Ball Musician’s Tool Kit
Price: $30
#1 Guitar Pro 7
Guitar Pro is an editing software that allows you to write and edit music scores and tablature for guitar, bass, and ukulele. You can even have your music play back with deceivingly real-sounding samples. Download from the library of over 2,000 already transcribed scores of your favorite songs. This can be great for learning a new song since you can hear the notes played back in real time, select sections to loop, and slow everything down. I use Guitar Pro for a lot of the lessons on this site.
Price: $75 ($37.50 if you’re upgrading from Guitar Pro 6)
