The intense shopping season is approaching, and with the holidays, this question keeps coming up in the store: “My friend (my brother / my dad / my sister / my hamster) plays guitar, what could I give them that they’d love so much they won’t resell it on a classifieds site two weeks later?” Don’t panic, we’re here to help! Our explanations are designed to be accessible to non-musicians, so you can think like a guitarist to find the best possible gift… Good luck!
A Metronome
Some guitarists with a bit of a temper might take this gift as an insult, telling you that only people who have no sense of rhythm need a metronome. But wait a few weeks, and they’ll come back sheepishly, half-admitting that this little tool has helped them improve a lot…
A Capo
The principle of the capo is very simple: it replicates a barre on the fret you choose, allowing you to have that note instead of the open strings. The benefit? You can shift a song by any interval you want without losing the familiar chord shapes that sound so good. To top it off, the capo also gives a brighter, higher-pitched sound, which can lift an instrumentalist out of a creative slump. Be careful when buying, as there are capos suited for all guitar styles (classical, steel-string acoustic, or electric).
A Good Jack Cable
Okay, a cable isn’t necessarily the sexiest gift in the world, but it’s an essential part of the sound chain, and not a minor one. Few guitarists haven’t suffered the mental torture of a jack that works only half the time and crackles at the worst moments. Not to mention that a good jack transmits more treble and thus improves sound clarity.
A Nice Strap
Even if you don’t play in a band or on stage, a strap can be useful for playing seated with better balance or simply (and that’s reason enough) to admire yourself in the mirror with your guitar in Jimmy Page pose. There are now affordable straps with really nice patterns (the new Eagletone ones), and for the more generous among you, leather straps remain the ultimate in this area.
A Bottleneck
The bottleneck is a tube, originally made from a medicine bottle glass (hence the name), that you slide over the strings to get the characteristic blues sound of greats like Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Ry Cooder, and Derek Trucks. They come in different sizes (depending on the guitarist’s finger size) and various materials, each with its own unique sonic qualities. A glass bottleneck sounds softer and is more fragile, while a steel one is sturdier and sounds sharper. Brass is as strong as steel but has a warmer tone.
A Songbook
A song-what? A songbook is a collection of sheet music, grouped by album or artist. In other words: it’s great to play guitar, but you need something to play. If the guitarist you want to gift a songbook to really liked an album in the months before Christmas, you’d be wise to look for the corresponding songbook. If you don’t know their musical life that well but know their style preferences, there are also thematic songbooks that will fit perfectly.
A Mini Amp
Your Christmas guitarist probably already has a small amp for practicing at home (or a huge amp to shake the walls of their room), but a mini amp is always handy. First, it’s the perfect travel companion to play anywhere and with anyone, since it runs on batteries: no need to stay near a power source. Also, these little boxes have a unique sound and can be used to find an original tone for recordings. Whether it’s the Buddy Eagletone, the MS-2 Marshall, or the Micro Crush Orange, each mini amp has its own personality.
An Effects Pedal
A pedal is a small box that plugs between the guitar and the amp and allows you to modify the sound in many different ways. Generally, seasoned guitarists obsessively collect pedals, and the addiction can start very early. If it’s the guitarist’s first pedal, basics like overdrive (to reproduce the sound of an amp pushed to its limits) or the wah wah (the vocal-like Hendrix sound) will definitely hit the mark. For those who already have plenty, you’ll need to be more inventive and explore loopers, flangers, and fuzz pedals… In any case, don’t forget the power supply that goes with it!
A Guitalele
The guitalele is a hybrid instrument that has been all the rage lately. It combines the small size of the ukulele with the six strings of a guitar, creating a sort of mini-guitar that’s tuned higher than standard but on which you can still use your usual chord shapes without relearning to play (unlike the ukulele, which can be confusing in terms of tuning). The guitalele is both a great tool to take everywhere and an instrument with a different voice that will inspire ideas that might not come on a traditional guitar.
A Telecaster!
Okay, you really have to love your guitarist a lot, but at the same time, this is a gift that will definitely please! The Telecaster is the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar model, and 64 years after its birth, it remains a reference that’s hard, if not impossible, to surpass. Very simple (two pieces of wood, two pickups, and that’s it) but devilishly effective, to the point that you find it in rock, country, blues, funk… Telecasters come at all price points, from Squier models at 300 euros to Custom Shop ones at 3000, but whatever the price, it will always be appreciated!
