Birthdays, anniversaries, christmas time – these are all times when you might need or want to buy a gift for someone. What better thing to get a guitarist than a guitar related gift? It’s a good idea, but there’s just so much out there you could choose from. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Picks and strings: These make a great gift idea, for a number of reasons. Firstly, because they’re fairly affordable. And secondly, because guitarists can always use more of them! Even the guitarist who has everything will wear out his picks and strings and need to replace them periodically.
Make sure you get the right type though! Strings need to be replaced by strings of the same gauge, otherwise the guitar will need a new setup for a new string gauge. Picks will also need to be a similar material and thickness to what the guitarist is used to.
If you don’t want to ruin the surprise of the gift by asking what they use currently, you can always ask their partner or somebody who lives with the guitarist to see if they can have a look at the packaging of the strings or set of picks that they last bought 🙂
Effects Pedals: There are a lot of pedals available at all sorts of price points. Pedals can often cost upwards of $100, while boutique and highly sought after pedals can cost vastly more. But some of the cheaper pedals by brands like Behringer and Danelectro are very inexpensive, and a lot of fun to use. They can make great gifts, especially for younger guitarists.
Amplifiers: A high end boutique amplifier like a Soldano SLO (Super Lead Overdrive) can easily cost four thousand dollars brand new, even more with custom options. At the other end of the scale there are a lot of really fun little portable amplifiers, like the Smokey amps that are built out of cigarette packets and produce a really ratty, gnarly distortion at low volumes.
Guitar Instruction: Guitarists can always learn more.. instructional DVDs, books of guitar tablature, guitar instruction software, instructional books, and magazines subscriptions make great guitar related gift ideas.
Guitar Paraphenalia: You don’t necessarily have to get something that’s actually used to play to get a guitar related gift. There are always guitar themed T-Shirts, Ties, Cufflinks, Figurines, Pendants, Hats. And don’t forget music CDs and live DVDs!
Other Accessories: There are all sorts of other items a guitarist might like, including Metronomes, Polishing, Guitar Straps, Cases.
I hope you enjoyed these guitar gifts ideas, all the best and happy shopping!
Michael Molenda, the transformative Editor in Chief of Guitar Player magazine from 1997 to 2018, revolutionized its content and expanded its influence. With over 2,500 published works, including in-depth interviews and technical analyses, he’s a giant in guitar journalism. Post-Guitar Player, he launched CONTENT BY MOLENDA and co-founded music websites, bringing his unmatched expertise to the forefront of music marketing. At Fretterverse, Molenda continues to shape the guitar world with insightful commentary and trendsetting journalism.