ESSENTIAL Guitar Accessories (Buying Guide): Stands, Slide, Gig Bag, Tuners, Capo, and Maintenance Products.
Nowadays, most instrument sales are made online, and we often forget to take advantage of shipping costs to save some money when purchasing accessories that can be very useful.
Who hasn’t had the experience of buying a guitar and realising that it doesn’t have a stand on which to rest it? Or if we need to transport the guitar for any reason, including a professional inspection of the instrument (something very common when buying a new guitar), we do not have a simple gig bag.
The latter can cause two problems: the first would be walking around the street with the guitar uncovered, and then it starts to rain. And the second would be creating problems for the luthier by giving him a guitar without the slightest protection.
So I’ll start by showing some models of stands and gig bag.
Essential Guitar Accessories: STANDS
The guitar stand that I personally recommend is the typical floor stand like the one shown in the image. We should always be careful if our guitar has a nitro finish, to check that the stand is suitable for this type of material. Although it is more normal for our guitar to have other finishes other than nitro.
Something that can also cause us problems, is neglecting to check the type of guitar for which the stand is designed. Since we can find specific stands for electric guitars, stands for acoustic guitars with a wider support surface, and hybrid stands that are suitable for both electric and acoustic guitars.
The price of these units is usually quite cheap, but if we have several guitars we may be more interested in a multi guitar stand to save space. We should also always check if the stand is dedicated to several electric guitars or basses, or if it is also valid for acoustic guitars.
Essential Guitar Accessories: GIG BAGS
As for transport and storage accessories, the most economical would be gig bags. This accessory offers adequate protection at a lower price, due to its cheaper manufacture compared to hard cases.
But ironically, gig bags have some advantages over briefcases, such as the possibility of carrying the guitar as if it were a backpack, which allows us complete freedom of movement. In addition, they have different large-capacity pockets, or even the possibility of carrying two guitars at the same time, in the double gig bag models.
On the other hand, when our guitar is back on its stand, we won’t know what to do with a hard case of a certain volume. A gig bag can be stored anywhere, however the extra protection offered by a case is essential for the preservation of a guitar at a professional level.
Essential Guitar Accessories: STRAPS
One of the most important accessories that should be included when buying our first guitar is a strap, especially if it is an electric guitar or bass.
In the case of straps, we must take into account the width of the strap, if our guitar model has a considerable weight, as is generally the case for example with some Les Paul models, 7 or 8 string guitars, or electric basses.
We can choose slightly wider straps if necessary, so that the increased surface area will more evenly distribute the weight of the guitar across your shoulder. The standard width for a strap is 5 cm, so keep this in mind if you need a slightly wider strap.
Guitar Strap Locks
One thing we already know is that over time the strap hole to lose its optimal function. It is very common to catch the guitar in flight when it accidentally escapes from the strap. I guess you know what I mean. A cheap accessory, but something as simple as this, can prevent tragic accidents.
However, if we want full support, we can always use lockings that completely prevent the strap from coming loose.
Tuners
The tuner is another accessory that should be included in our first purchase. There are several types of guitar tuners, although I would personally recommend the clip-on tuner for home use, and the pedal tuner for general use, including live performances.
Essential Guitar Accessories: CAPO
Another accessory that is often very useful is the capo. There are several types of capo:
I don’t recommend the ones with straps at all, since practically the only good thing about them is that you can store them anywhere.
The clip-on ones are very comfortable and quick to put on, although they are a bit bulky.
And the screw type, which I personally like the most, is the one that allows us to enjoy the advantage of being a capo reduced to the minimum expression, very easy to use, with adjustable pressure as we tighten the screw, and with a price of around 14 Dollars.
The capo is highly recommended when playing complicated keys, such as the key of D flat with 5 flats, or when transposing a piece to a different key quickly using the same types of chords. The capo is also widely used in open tunings, as in the case of Mark Knopfler and his resophonic guitar, normally tuned in open G and with its corresponding capo.
An open tuning reproduces the notes of a chord when we play the open strings. In the case of the open G tuning mentioned above, we would tune the guitar with the notes corresponding to the G chord. In this way, we will form successive and different chords as we move the capo, or use a slide.
Slide Guitar
Another accessory is the slide or bottleneck, which is often used with open tunings. This simple item is made from different materials such as glass, metal, or ceramic. Each material provides its own characteristic sound, but something to take into account is the weight of the bottleneck, as this influences its handling. Obviously, the heaviest are usually the metal ones, and the lightest are the glass and ceramic ones.
We can also have different lengths and thicknesses of the Slide, and different diameters. The same thing happens with this accessory as with the picks, since it is best to try several until you find the most suitable one for your personal taste.
In any case, it never hurts to have a Slide to experiment with in open tunings. We are sure to find some very interesting sounds.
Pedalboard
If the number of our pedals increases, it never hurts to have a good pedal board so that all our pedals are always well organized and secured with Velcro.
This way we can transport the entire assembly, including the power supply, quickly and comfortably.
Essential Guitar Accessories: Cleaning & Care Products
Other accessories that are frequently used by guitarists are those related to hydration and cleaning of the instrument. Such as lemon oil for hydrating unvarnished fretboards, string cleaners, or a simple microfiber cloth.
As for string cleaners, I recommend Dunlop Formula 65 String Cleaner as it has a good amount of cleaning product. Although its applicator is quite small, unlike the wide applicator of D’addario XLR8 String Lubricant & Cleaner, but the latter tends to dry out quickly.
A solution may be to buy both and re-impregnate the D’Addario applicator when dry with Dunlop liquid. You will have a practical and functional string cleaner for years.
As for the microfiber cloth, you can get it at any supermarket. I recommend this, as the cloth will be the same as one from the Ernie Ball or D’addario brands, but it will probably cost you half.
As for the guitar strings, it never hurts to have several sets, since as you can understand, if a string breaks without having a replacement, the session would end until you get the replacement.
The string winder is another accessory that will make it easier for us to quickly place strings, and it is the guitarist’s Swiss Army knife. This tool it usually integrate other accessories, such as a string cutter and a pivot remover for acoustic guitar.