Guitar accessories

Best Guitar Accessories Every Guitar Player Should Have

Ā Last update 5/2/2024

Well – you did it. Finally! You decided to take the plunge and learn how to play the guitar. That means you’ve taken the time to pick the best guitar you can find to learn. It’s time to plug ahead, right?

Unfortunately, your investment in your guitar doesn’t stop when you buy it. A wide variety of the best guitar accessories with such a fine and noble instrument exist. It’s safe to say that some are nice to have…some are just cool to have…and some you absolutely, positively have to have.

Best Guitar Accessories

But which ones do you need to get to complement your outfit fully? That’s a great question, and it’s easy to understand why there may be some confusion there. Just walk into your local guitar store (or shop online), and you’ll find an almost endless selection of things that accompany having a guitar.

“I’d like to have a beer-holder on my guitar like they have on boats.” James Hetfield

We have you covered – let’s take a quick look at some of the guitar accessories that a prepared guitarist will have in their toolkits.

Guitar accessories

Fresh sets of guitar strings

This is kind of important… it’s hard to play your guitar if you break a string and don’t have one to replace it. A set of good-quality guitar strings isn’t all that expensive, and you never know when something (like you thrashing around and doing three-step bends as a madman guitarist would) will cause a string to break and take you out of commission.

DAddario Acoustic - Strings Phosphor Bronze
D’Addario guitar strings

Breaking a string while practicing is one thing, but think about if you played live. What would you do if you don’t have a backup guitar (not everyone has that luxury) and go into full-blown string breakage mode and don’t have a replacement? Refund everyone’s money and tell them to have a safe trip home?

We didn’t think so. Get a set of good-quality strings – or several – to always have with you. When you think you won’t need them, it is precisely when you will. It’s funny how that sometimes works, right?

Best guitar accessories – An assortment of guitar picks

Unless your playing preference is wholly based on some playing fingerstyle, then having a good number of spare picks also ranks right up there. Picks are often an item that goes overlooked, and the time when you need one the most isn’t the time to realize that you don’t have any.

Guitar picks
Assorted guitar picks

Just as with guitar strings, guitar picks are relatively inexpensive, so it won’t destroy your wallet to buy a few dozen. Trust us – they can be like the proverbial missing sock in the dryer; you’ll misplace them, set them down, and lose them without even realizing it half the time.

Some players carry a few around in their wallets as a ‘just in case kind of thing. Nothing like finding yourself in a situation where you can jam on a sweet guitar and nary a pick to be found within a 10-mile radiusā€¦

Guitar Accessories -A good guitar strap

If you’re a player who tends to stand when you’re playing, you should have a good quality strap. Not some cheap piece of nylon where the strap button holes can get all stretched out, but a good quality one that will hold your guitar securely.

Guitar strap
Guitar strap

And when we say ‘securely,’ we mean it. Countless stories exist where someone may be playing live, and in the heat of inspired performance, they take both of their hands off their guitar…, and it ends up crashing pitifully to the ground, with nothing to stop it from going down but…the floor itself. Not a good thing (ask us how we know)…

We recommend having a sturdy and rugged strap and considering using some strap locking system. These nifty little widgets lock the strap onto the strap button (several different types are available from several manufacturers), guaranteeing your guitar won’t be taking an unexpected fall.

A reliable guitar tuner

OK – so your guitar has all of its strings – check. Double-check you’ve got all the picks you need to play until the cows come home (or the gig is over for the night). There’s no way your guitar will leave your body because you have an excellent strap that controls everything – triple-check.

electronic tuner
Electronic guitar tuner

Guess what? None of that means a wet guitar cable if your guitar isn’t in tune. And the easiest way to do that properly is to have a reliable guitar tuner. A tuner is an absolute must, especially if you are a beginner.

Older guitar tuners

In the old days, tuners were quite different. They came with little boxes with a needle that pointed straight up if your string was in tune. These models tended to be very inconsistent due to the needle bouncing around. More often than not, they did not have chromatic functionality (meaning you could tune to any note, sharp or flat).

In these modern times, tuners couldn’t be any easier to use. You can find inexpensive units that work well (remember, ‘cheap’ doesn’t always mean ‘junk’). For under $20, you can get a clip-on unit that will light up with the name of the note you’re trying to tune to (once you pick the string), and some even have color schemes to let you know when you’re precisely in tune.

Sure, you could tune by ear, but that can be unreliable, especially if your ‘ear’ isn’t well developed yet. Playing with other instruments is a prime reason for ensuring your guitar is tuned up as accurately as possible.

A soft cleaning cloth

You’d be surprised at how dirty your hands can be. And that grime can easily transfer to your guitar when you play.

cleaning cloths
Cleaning cloth

Simple guitar maintenance should have you wiping down your entire guitar after every practice session or gig. Keeping your guitar clean will avoid the buildup of crud over time on your strings and fingerboard (which can extend the life of your strings), and getting your fingerprints off the body will help maintain your guitar’s finish and keep it looking top-notch.

As with many essential guitar accessories, the correct type of cleaning cloth can be reasonably cheap. Don’t just use any old rag or towel; a flannel or microfiber cloth is the way to go. Other materials may be slightly abrasive, leading to fine scratches and swirls.

A quality guitar case (or gig bag)

Regardless of what you paid for your guitar. It should be looked at as an investment. An investment that you should make every effort to protect. The best advice we can offer is to get a quality guitar case (preferably a hardshell one) or – at the very least – a gig bag with a fair amount of padding.

Guitar case and Gig bags
Gig bag and hard case

Not only will a case or bag keep the dust off. But it will also guard your guitar against damage while transporting it around. And here’s a bonus. Most of them have something convenient. They have pockets or compartments to store all the accessories we’ve looked at. Score!

Guitar accessories for gigging guitarists.

On the other hand, if you’re a gigging musician, that’s a whole different scenario. If you’re fortunate enough to be gigging, the absolute last thing you want to do is be unprepared. Murphy’s Law does exist, and things can go wrong when you least expect it. Having the right guitar accessories (some big and some small) can help ensure your gig goes off without a hitch.

The ‘right’ extra guitar

So you’re jamming along. Everything is going great…the audience is into things and giving off a great vibe.

Then it happens. You break a string. Or, all of a sudden, you start to get some weird grounding hum. Or, your guitar quits working altogether.

This is the prime reason for having a backup guitar. Now, to be sure, if your gigs demand multiple guitars, to begin with (that is, you have an electric – or several guitar types for different tones, an acoustic, a 12-string, etc.), then it may be a bit much to have extras for all of them.

At a minimum, we’d recommend one solid backup electric (or, obviously, an acoustic if that’s what you primarily play). You can still pull off most of your set with a good solid-body electric guitar, even if you must sacrifice varied sounds (single coils vs. humbuckers, for example) or play that acoustic song with an electric tone instead.

“Puberty was very vague. I literally locked myself in a room and played guitar.” Johnny Depp

The bottom line is that it will get you through until you have time to see what may have gone wrong, to begin with.

The ‘right’ guitar stand

Multiple guitars mean having a way to get to them if you need to quickly. This can mean just having them out to switch guitars for various songs or having your backup ready to go at a minute’s notice.

Accessories for gigging guitarists guitar stand
Guitar stand

Leaving your other guitars in their cases will make it hard to switch quickly, and having individual stands for each guitar can take up space on the stage (which can be very limited, to begin with, at some venues). We recommend getting a single locking-type stand that comfortably accommodates as many guitars as possible to complete a successful show.

The ‘right’ backup rig

Guitar amps

If you prefer to use amps, then it may be safe to say that many players fly by the seat of their pants in a live situation. Most do not have several amps, at least not ones they would want to lug around to every gig as a backup. Some amp problems (such as a bad tube) can be handled if you keep a set of spares, but switching one out at a gig isn’t the right time to do something like that.

Orange Guitar amp
Guitar amplifier

Fortunately, guitar players have a lot of options these days. You can get a small practice amp to have as your backup; it may not sound as good as your main rig, but it’ll be a heck of a lot better than losing your amp and not being able to play.

Another choice to strongly consider is the world of amp modelers. Numerous manufacturers make them these days, and the quality (tone-wise) level has dramatically increased as technology advances. Some units may be stomp pedal-sized packages that may simulate an amp, or you can get more expansive units with both amp modeling and effects.

Maybe a modeling solution?

Digital Modeling amps do take some getting used to if you have always used a real amp. Still, the benefits are undoubtedly real: sounds that approach using real amps, onboard effects, small form factor/package size, and cost (some of the models available today can produce amazing sounds for much less than you’d pay for a good amp).

Some players migrate to using modeling units exclusively and merely having another one as a complete fly rig/backup. But that’s a story for another time.

An assortment of spare instrument cables

Guitar cables can – and do – go wrong. You’ll do yourself a favor by having a few extras just in case they do fail.

Accessories for gigging guitarists spare instrument cables
Instrument cables

One recommendation is to buy quality cables to begin with. Yeah, this may cost you a bit more upfront, but you’re much more likely not to be having things go bad on you right at the wrong time. Your backups should be of the same quality as well.

It’s easy to cheap out on this – don’t do it! Personal experience has shown us that getting a bunch of no-name cables online at a great price doesn’t mean a lot if most of them die out with regular use. Get ones that have a reputation for being durable, and having some warranty is never a bad thing, either.

The ‘right’ assortment of tools

Alright – you just broke a string. Because you are smart, you managed to pull out your backup guitar to make it through the set. Now, you have a few minutes to change that string and have your number one guitar back in operation for the next set.

Guitar tools
Guitar maintenance tool kit

You need to get the job done Until you realize you don’t have the tools.

This is just one example – a prepared guitarist will have an assortment of the tools needed to care for just about any issue you may encounter. For example, if you’re an electric player using certain types of tremolo bridges, you must have a good set of Allen wrenches and a string cutter to get things moving again.

Let’s say you have a guitar like a Fender Strat with a through-body design for the strings. What if a string snaps, but you can’t get to the hole in the back of the trem block because you leave the back spring cover on (yes – you should still be able to get to it through the holes in the guard, but they don’t always line up very well). In this case, having a small screwdriver can save the day.

Acoustic players aren’t immune here either – have you ever tried to get a bridge pinout using your fingers? It’s not exactly the easiest thing to do, if not almost impossible. In this case, a pair of needle-nose pliers or an actual pin puller (yep – these do exist and are pretty cheap) will take care of things for you.

The ‘right’ power options

Everyone’s rigs are different, for sure. So, it’s logical that what you need to power your gear will differ.

Some may use multi-effects pedal units that require separate AC power, therefore needing a power supply. Have you ever had one fail? We have, and it’s not fun by any stretch of the imagination. It’s always a good move to have one as a backup.

Accessories for gigging guitarists power supply
Power supply

What if your guitar has some battery-powered preamp system (more common in acoustic guitars but can be found in electric models as well)? You may notice some weirdness during the gig if you don’t keep fresh batteries around and change them frequently. Your tone may begin to suffer, and you might lose things altogether if it dies. Batteries are cheap – change to a fresh one before every gig, and keep some spares around just in case.

The ‘right’ guitar accessories bag

OK – so you’ve got what you need to cover almost every situation you can think of. You have extra strings, instrument cables, picks, tools, and a tuner (if you don’t already have one in your signal path). Well, you get the idea. You’ve got to have something to carry this stuff around in, right?

Guitar accessory bag
Guitar accessories bag

General-purpose bags are a must-have in this case. It has to be a ‘guitar accessories bag’ designed for this but may carry a premium price. Nope. Countless guitarists have made do with camera bags, laptop bags, you name it. The point is to have something that will let you safely carry your accessories and organize them simultaneously (that is, having different compartments for different things) reasonably.

Gigging guitarists -the final word

Having all the right guitar accessories as a gigging guitarist will keep you in the game no matter your situation. It shows any potential client that you are professional and prepared. That can be a huge deal if your line of work includes higher profile (and higher-paying) gigs like private events and weddings.

Most smaller things – like cables, power supplies/batteries, and tools – are must-haves that won’t break the bank. There is a point where you have to assess your risks regarding the bigger ticket items. For some semi-professional musicians, the cost and troubles of having a complete backup rig may be a bit much to deal with on a gig-by-gig basis.

Ultimately, you should have all the guitar accessories you feel are needed to pull off the perfect gig without a hitch – every time.

Conclusion

When you add it all up, these essential guitar accessories we’ve mentioned really won’t cost you all that much. In fact, unless you go for a high-tech strobe tuner or an industrial-grade, flight-proof guitar case. You can get everything here for much less than you may think.

Yeah, we know – extra money is extra money. It is – there’s no doubting that. But the bottom line is that these items are pretty much essential to your success as a guitarist. So you should view the cost as just another way to invest in yourself. And there’s no one better to spend your money on!

Transparency disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning that I may earn a commission if you click on a link and make a purchase. This commission comes at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products and services that I believe are helpful and valuable, and we never let the potential for a commission influence our recommendations.

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