Guitar Accessories Every Beginner Needs

V-ACCESSORIES

We're
frequently asked what are our favorite guitar accessories to keep


guitars looking and playing their best. This is our Top 10 essential


guitar accessories every guitar lover will probably want to have.

Video Transcription

Aaron Smiley:
A frequent question we get here at StewMac, especially by newer


players, is, "What accessories do I need for my guitar?" We've come up


with a list of 10 essential guitar accessories every beginner needs, not
only for playing, but also for maintaining your guitar. Let's start


with playing first.

1. Tuners

The most important thing you need is a tuner. You got to be in tune when you're playing. I personally like headstock tuners
because they just fit right on the head of the instrument. They're


really fast and pretty accurate. And since they're so small, you can


just throw them right in your case whenever you're done. Headstock


tuners usually go for about $20 or $30. There are also a lot of tuner


apps for smartphones and some of them are actually even free. If you use
pedals, you might also use a pedal tuner,
which can go usually about $100 for some of the fancier ones, but you


can find some used ones or lower end ones for as little as 30 or 40


bucks.

2. Picks

A lot of players will use picks
or plectrums when they play, whether you're strumming cords or sounding
individual notes. There are tons of different types of picks out there


that can vary in shape or thickness or material and can be better suited
or worse suited for different styles of music. For example, if you are


playing a lot of strumming chords, you might want a thinner pick so you


have less resistance, while a thicker pick would be better for a


staccato picking or individual notes. But at the end of the day, it's


all about personal preference. The best part, picks are pretty cheap.


You can get a pack of 10 or 11 for 5 bucks. There's even variety packs


that have all different shapes and sizes, so you can test out a couple


of them and find out which one works best for you.

3. Capos

Capos
will change the key that you're playing in, which can be especially


helpful if your vocal range isn't quite fitting in that particular key.


You can use the same chords as you would without a capo. You just attach
the capo to a specific fret and slide it up and down the neck until you
find the right key. Capos also come in all different shapes and sizes,


but the most common ones are called trigger style capos.
They're really easy to put on and take off, and they can sit on the


headstock whenever you're done using them. This one usually goes for


about 15 bucks. There are also adjustable tension capos, which can


reduce the strain on your neck and strings and help you dial in just the
right pressure that you need. This Shubb Deluxe goes for about 30 bucks.

4. Strap

Unless
you're exclusively playing sitting down, a strap will definitely come


in hand. Most guitars have strap buttons, which you can just slide your


strap on or off. You might have to install a strap button,
but that's a pretty easy mod to do if you have a hand drill and a


little bit of time. Straps come in pretty much every color under the sun
and can be made of a variety of different materials. You can get them


as cheap as $5 and as expensive as a couple hundred. You may pay a


little extra for cool features. For example, this strap that I have has a
pad where the strap sits on my shoulder. It makes it nice and


comfortable. Another upgrade you might consider is strap locks,
which added a little bit of extra security for keeping your strap


attached to your guitar. It's the first mod that I do anytime that I get
a new guitar and it's worth it for the extra piece of mind.

5. Metronome

Staying
on tempo when you play, not speeding up or slowing down, is very


important, especially when you're playing with other people. You'd be


surprised how much your tempo can change when you're playing by


yourself, that is what a metronome is for. It makes a click on time that
you can play along with, like a little electronic drummer. You can get


metronomes that go around $20 or so, but much like tuners, there's a lot
of apps for a smartphone. A lot of them are free and awesome. I know I


wish that I had used one a little bit more when I was starting out.

Now, let's take a look at five accessories that are important for keeping your guitar well-maintained.

6. Case

Aside
from the important task of keeping your guitar safe, a case is also a


convenient place to keep all of these accessories that I'm mentioning.


Strings, picks, tuner, capo, they all can fit right in the case. It's


also a good idea to keep your guitar in the case whenever you're not


playing it, rather than leaning it up against the wall somewhere.


Gravity and guitars don't get along very well, trust me on that. Hard


shell cases provide the most security for your guitar, but there's also


soft cases or gig bags that do a pretty good job as well. I like the


ones with the backpack straps so I can carry other things, like my


amplifier or a pizza.

7. Adjustment tools

Much
like a car, guitars require routine maintenance as well. You're going


to have to make a few small adjustments every once in a while if you


want your guitar to keep playing the way that you like it to. You may


already have a few tools that came with your guitar, but it's always a


good idea to keep a little tool bag or a collection of tools in your


case. We sell a lot of the tools that you will need for adjustments, but
I'd say that the three most common things you'll need are an Allen wrench
or a socket wrench to adjust your truss rod, smaller Allen wrenches or


screwdrivers to adjust your action and intonation, and a string winder and string cutter to change your strings on the fly.

8. Strings

Just
as a heads-up, strings don't last forever. They're going to break at


some point. Whether you're tuning it too tight by accident, or they've


just been played for a long time, they're going to snap on you and you


need to replace them. I recommend players of every skill level to keep


an extra set of strings or two in their case for when that eventually


happens. Strings are customized based on what type of instrument you're


playing. For example, acoustic strings are different than electric strings,
and they'll come in lots of different sizes and materials that change


not only the way that they play, but the sound that you get out of them


as well. Strings can go usually about 5 bucks or so, get a little bit


more expensive as you start moving into different upgrades. If you


haven't yet, experiment with different types of strings. You never know


what you might like.

9. Cleaning supplies

Whenever
you're done playing and you put the guitar down, there's probably going
to be a lot of fingerprints all over the finish and your strings are


going to be coated in sweat and oils from your hands. I usually keep a


flannel rag in my case so I can wipe down my strings, get any oils or


dirt off and keep my strings playing better longer, and I keep a bottle


of guitar cleaner and polish
so I can spruce the body up every once in a while. You want to avoid


using household cleaners, like Windex or Pine-Sol. Guitars can be pretty
finicky when it comes to cleaning, so we always recommend products that
are dedicated specifically to guitar cleaning. For example, our ColorTone Clean + Shine or our Preservation Polish are great options, and they don't run more than $5 to $10.

10. Humidifier

A
humidifier keeps a guitar's environment consistent, which can prevent


damages if the air is too dry. This is especially important for acoustic
guitars since the wood on the inside isn't usually finished. So, if


there's too much moisture in the air, it can take that moisture on and


swell up. And on the opposite side, if it's too dry, the guitar can


shrink back, which can damage the finish. In most cases, if you're


comfortable in a room, the guitar is going to be comfortable, too. That


being said, it's always a good idea to play it safe and keep a humidifier in your case. Most of them keep the humidity at just the right level so that your guitar is always happy.