Gifts for Guitar Players: What to Buy for the Guitarist in Your Life
Buying for a guitarist looks easy until you walk into a music shop. The walls are full of pedals and strings in a dozen weights, and the person at the counter asks questions you can only half answer. The good news is that most gifts for guitar players fall into a few simple groups, and the best of them are small things a player uses up or loses every month.
This guide starts with a little homework and works up from stocking gifts to bigger ones. The last section covers the leather keychains we make for guitarists, which carry the player's name the way a record sleeve carries a credit.
A Little Homework Before You Shop
Two questions will save you a return trip. The first is whether your guitarist plays mostly acoustic or mostly electric. Strings differ between the two. Acoustic strings are usually made of phosphor bronze or 80/20 bronze, while electric strings are usually nickel-plated steel, because the magnetic pickups on an electric guitar need a metal they can sense.
The second question is gauge. String sets are often named by the thickness of the thinnest string, so a guitarist might say they play tens or elevens on an electric. Many players have strong feelings about their gauge. Look at the empty string packets in the case or the gig bag, or ask a bandmate quietly. When in doubt, a gift card for a local music shop lets the player choose for themselves.
Small Gifts That Always Get Used
These are the stocking stuffers of the guitar world, and none of them will sit in a drawer for long:
- Fresh strings in the gauge and material they already use, since many players keep a set on long after it has gone dull
- A clip-on tuner that sits on the headstock and reads the pitch through vibration, which helps at a loud rehearsal
- A capo, which clamps across the neck to raise the key of a song while the player keeps familiar chord shapes
- A variety pack of picks in different thicknesses, so the player can find a new favorite
- A string winder with a built-in cutter, a small tool that makes a string change go much faster
- A polishing cloth for wiping sweat and fingerprints off the strings after playing
Picks deserve a special word. Players lose them at an astonishing rate, in coat pockets and sofa cushions. A big bag of their usual pick is a gift that gets used up, and nobody has ever complained about owning too many.
Bigger Gifts for the Serious Player
A professional setup is one of the most useful bigger gifts a guitarist can receive. A repair technician or luthier adjusts the neck and the string height so the guitar plays easily and stays in tune up the neck. An old guitar often feels like a new one afterward. Ask a local shop whether they sell a gift certificate toward one.
For acoustic players in dry climates, a soundhole or case humidifier helps protect the wood. Solid-wood guitars can crack when winter heating dries the air, and a humidifier keeps the instrument steadier through the season.
Electric players often want a new pedal, though pedals are personal and easy to get wrong. A safer choice is a good instrument cable or a padded strap with strap locks, which keep the guitar attached to the player during a show. If you know their rig well, a pedal from their own wish list makes a memorable main gift.
Lessons belong here too. A block of sessions with a good teacher can lift a self-taught player out of a rut, and many teachers now work online as well as in person.
Gifts for the Whole Band
Guitarists rarely play alone for long. If the player in your life has a band, the people around them are worth a thought as well. A drummer always needs sticks, and our drummer gifts carry the count-in that starts every song.
Bandmates sometimes split the cost of one larger present, such as a few hours at a local recording studio, which leaves the band with a finished song to share. A good pair of musician's earplugs is another quiet hero. These lower the volume evenly across the range so the music still sounds clear, and they protect the hearing every player depends on.
Leather Keychains From The Liner Notes
Our gifts for guitar players borrow their idea from the small print on the back of a record sleeve, where each musician gets a credit line. The centerpiece is a personalized keychain with a flat-top acoustic guitar standing over the player's name in brush script. ON GUITAR sits below in engraved capitals, so the fob reads like the credit every guitarist has imagined.
Two lighter designs speak to the habits of the instrument. "One more / GUITAR" sits under the same acoustic guitar on deep red leather, for the player who always finds room on the wall. "Spare picks / IN THE COUCH" puts a single plectrum on golden tan leather, a nod to the cushions where lost picks end up. Bass players get their own credit, with a bold bass clef over their name and ON BASS.
Every keychain is pressed into full-grain leather with a metal die and made by hand after you order. The design sits on the front, and the leather darkens and softens with use. Gold foil is available at checkout, and 17 leathers can be requested. Shipping is free in the US. The full set of credits for singers and drummers lives in our gifts for musicians collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good gift for a guitar player who has everything?
Consumables are the safest answer, since strings and picks run out for every player. A professional setup is a thoughtful bigger gift, and a personalized leather keychain with their name and ON GUITAR is something they will carry every day.
What should I buy a beginner guitarist?
A clip-on tuner and a capo are two of the most useful early tools. A few lessons with a good teacher will help even more, because early habits are much easier to shape than to undo later.
Can I get a guitar gift with a name on it?
Yes. Our ON GUITAR keychain presses the guitarist's name in brush script under an acoustic guitar, with ON GUITAR in capitals below. You type the name at checkout, and the keychain is made by hand to order.
