Can you start playing the guitar when you don’t have the right guitar accessories?
Well, the answer to that question is simple …
You can’t.
Then the next question is …
“What are the essential electric and acoustic guitar accessories I need to start playing?”
You’ve come to the right place to get an answer to that question.
If you’re not a guitar player, but looking for guitar accessories gifts …
Well, you’ll probably get some awesome ideas.
In this post we’ll dive deep into the world of guitar accessories.
You will learn exactly what guitar accessories for beginners are out there on the market.
Giving you a very deep understanding of what you need, and what you don’t need.
Just to get straight to the point, here it is, the …
List of Essential Electric and Acoustic Guitar Accessories
- Strings
- Tuner
- Metronome
- Guitar Pick
- Strap
- Capo
- Guitar Stand/Wall Hanger
- Hard Case/Gig Bag
- Guitar Cable
- String Cutter
Breakdown Electric and Acoustic Guitar Accessories List
Let’s start out with the guitar accessories every guitar player needs …
1. Strings
This kind of comes as a no-brainer …
But it is still worth to mention.
Guitar strings are a crucial part of your electric and acoustic guitar accessories.
When playing guitar I’d advise to always at least keep two sets of guitar strings in stock.
For both acoustic and electric guitars, guitar strings make a massive impact on sound.
Besides the tone of the strings also pay attention to their lifespan and their ability to stay in tune.
Playing acoustic guitar?
Dive deeper to learn about the best acoustic guitar strings.
I love using Elixir’s for my acoustic guitars and the Nickel Wound D’Addario’s for my electrics …
Both give me a lot of satisfaction regarding tone and lifespan.
My Recommendations
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Electric – D’Addario EXL 110-3D Nickel Wound
Acoustic – Elixir 80/20 Bronze NANOWEB Coating
2. Tuner
Alright, you’ve got yourself some strings, AWESOME.
Well, how are you going to get them into tune?
That’s right, a guitar tuner.
A guitar tuner is a very crucial part in your collection of guitar accessories.
There are a lot of guitar tuners out there.
You can basically divide them into four kinds …
Those are; Guitar Pedals, Handheld Tuners, Clip-on Tuners and Tuner Apps.
Each of these types of tuners serves their specific purpose.
So what about these different purposes?
If you need to be able to tune your guitar in environments with a lot of background noise, go for a clip-on Tuner.
These tuners are clipped on the head of your guitar and respond to the vibrations of your guitar.
I personally always hated the sight of a guitar tuner clipped on the head of a beautiful guitar, but I’ve heard many people talking really positively about them.
When you want or are already playing in a band and also hate the sight of tuners on guitar heads, pick a guitar pedal tuner.
Want to dive a little deeper into the world of guitar pedal tuners?
You might think this is interesting.
If you’re only starting out playing guitar and not sure yet if you want to keep doing it …
Well, then we have the perfect solution for you.
Most tuner Apps in the Google Play Store or in the App store are completely free.
You’ll only be able to use the App when there is very little background noise.
Now, if you’re a little bit more serious, you’ll invest in a handheld tuner.
Handheld tuners will be able to tune your guitar much more accurate than an app and often come with other features than tuning.
My Recommendations
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Clip-on – Snark SN-8 Super Tight Tuner
Pedal – Korg Pitchblack Chromatic Tuner
Handheld – Korg CA40 Chromatic Tuner
3. Metronome
Whether you are a guitar hero or a guitar newb, you’re going to need a metronome.
Metronomes are one of those guitar accessories that you just can’t afford not to have.
The metronome will help you keep playing in the same rhythm.
Keeping rhythm is one of the most important things to do when making music …
So let’s get yourself going with that early on.
When looking for metronomes, pick a metronome that; can be loud, adjustable in volume, single-step tempo adjustment, time signature adjustment and durability.
So how would you compare to one of your friends, who is not using a metronome …
After a couple of months, hell even weeks, you’ll be rocking it so much harder than your friend.
So better write that one down on your list of guitar accessories to get.
My Recommendation
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Korg TM50BK Combo Tuner Metronome
4. Guitar Pick
So you’re already pretty much set up to start playing the guitar.
However, there is something you absolutely need.
A guitar pick!
Even though you can totally start playing using fingerpicking …
I would advise you to start with a pick.
You might have your reasons to avoid using a pick, and they are all very understandable.
When I started out playing guitar, I avoided using a guitar pick for nearly a year.
And you know what …
I really regretted starting with a pick that late.
For all you aspiring guitarists I would say:
“Get some picks around while playing.”
Maybe you won’t use them right away, but you will over time.
The guitar pick you choose is another massive factor in the tone you’ll get out of your guitar.
If you are a beginner, my advice is to start out with a thin pick.
I love playing with a thicker guitar pick.
For both types of picks …
My Recommendations
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Thin – Jim Dunlop 44P.60 Nylon .60mm
Thick – Dunlop 417P2.0 Gator Grip 2.0mm
5. Strap
You might be wondering …
“Do I really need a strap? I am not even playing in a band.”
Well, probably you want to start playing in a band in the future.
So you ought to prepare for that!
Playing while standing is something you’ll need to get used to.
So putting on that strap early on helps you massively in your quest to becoming a rockstar.
And you don’t even have to stand up while practicing.
Just sit down and let the guitar hang while strapped on your shoulder.
When shopping for a strap, try picking one that is wide so it doesn’t “cut” into your shoulders too much.
The worst thing that could happen is your expensive guitar sliding out of the strap and banging on the ground.
I’ve witnessed a lot of close calls and some situations where the guitar actually slammed the floor.
I’ve been using security strap locks ever since.
Better safe than sorry …
And luckily these lifesavers mostly only cost between 10 and 20 bucks.
Better add a guitar strap and guitar strap lock to your electric guitar accessories list.
My Recommendations
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Strap – Perris Leathers DL325S-201 2.5 Inch Soft Suede
Lock – Schaller Security Strap Locks
6. Capo
What is the single best thing to spice up your acoustic guitar playing?
That’s right, a capo.
For those who have no clue what a capo is …
It’s that weird looking clamp guitarists put on their guitar’s neck to raise its pitch.
You might, or might not immediately think of this item being on the acoustic guitar accessories list.
However, the capo is definitely one of those must-have acoustic guitar accessories.
If you’re planning on singing along while playing, definitely get yourself one of these.
With a capo, you’ll be easily raising the pitch of the song that you want to sing, while still playing the EASY open chords.
Also, a lot of classics were played with a capo.
When picking a capo, go for durability and clamp strength.
Also, capo’s are either curved or flat, this is for your fretboard.
Most fretboards of classical guitars are flat …
So don’t pick a curved capo if you own a classical guitar!
I have used the Dunlop 83CB Trigger Capo and it never let me down.
My Recommendations
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Curved – Dunlop 83CB Trigger Capo
Flat – Dunlop 88N Trigger Capo
7. Guitar Stand / Wall Hanger
You finished playing for the day.
Now, where do you leave your guitar?
Do you throw it on the ground?
Of course not, you put it on a guitar stand.
Guitar stands are one of those great must-have guitar accessories that serve multiple causes.
It will provide a little safe space and is an awesome way to display your beautiful guitar.
The alternative to guitar stands are guitar wall hangers.
Wall hangers will enable you to give your guitar an even more prominent place in your room.
The downside to wall hangers is, that your guitar is less “mobile” in your room.
Below are the ones I use.
My Recommendations
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Hanger – Guitar Hanger Holder Rack Wall Mount
Stand – ChromaCast CC-MINIGS Universal Folding Guitar Stand
8. Hard Case / Gig Bag
The hard guitar case definitely deserves a spot on our list of essential electric and acoustic guitar accessories.
Because it is very simple.
You can’t safely take your six string out of the house without a case or gig bag.
That’s why the guitar case is in the list of electric and acoustic guitar accessories must haves.
There is a wide variety of guitar cases on the market and not all will properly protect your guitar.
So how do you choose the right one …
Learn how to choose the best guitar case on the market.
Then there is the gig bag, the less protective version, compared to the hard guitar case.
Don’t ever think about buying a gig bag if you plan on traveling and especially flying a lot.
In that case, you are way better off getting a hard guitar case for your precious guitar.
BUT, if you’re only planning on taking out your guitar every once in a while …
PLUS you’re not doing too extreme of travels with it, a gig bag will do just fine.
Read all about hard guitar cases for different types of guitars here.
My Recommendations
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Hard Case – Gator Cases GWE-DREAD Acoustic Guitar Cases
Gig Bag – Protec Deluxe Dreadnought Bag
9. Guitar Cable
If you’re an aspiring electric guitar player, you’ll need three things.
Without an electric guitar, amplifier and guitar cable you can dream all you want, but you’re not getting anywhere.
As you probably know, the guitar cable is the thing that transports the signal to the amplifier.
You’ll understand that the quality of a cable has got an impact on the quality of your sound.
“Better cable = Better sound”
There are a couple of factors that you need to take into account when choosing a guitar cable.
Think about the materials used for the conductor and insulation and how the set-up of the jack is.
Guitar cables are very affordable in this day and age.
Of course, there is still quite a bit of a range in price and quality.
If you are starting out you definitely going to have to write this one down on your electric guitar accessories list.
My Recommendation
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
10. String Cutter
Having a string cutter at your disposal is not an absolute necessity, but it will increase your playing experience.
So why is this tool on the list of electric and acoustic guitar accessories?
You will be using the string cutter to cut off the excess guitar strings after stringing your guitar.
It always annoys me when there are excess strings dangling at the head of my guitar while I’m playing.
An alternative, that is used by some people, is to roll up the excess strings.
I’ve never been a big fan of this, although it looks fancy when done right.
There isn’t a whole lot of fancy about this tool.
Actually, you might already have it laying in your shed.
Don’t let people fool you that you need a special kind of tool to cut off the strings from your guitar.
That simply isn’t true.
However, if you don’t have a string cutter yet …
Get one now, before you find yourself in a situation where you are just as frustrated from excess strings as me.
In that regard, a string cutter really belongs on the electric and acoustic guitar accessories list.
My Recommendation
Click to see the latest price and user reviews.
Stanley 84-105 Diagonal Cutting Plier
Wrap Up
So that’s it, the full list of essential guitar accessories.
We now understand, that when you are starting out playing guitar, there are certain guitar accessories you just can’t avoid.
Adding these guitar accessories to your locker is absolutely beneficial and sometimes crucial for playing the guitar.
So you better add these accessories to your most wanted list if you don’t have them already.
If you thought this article was helpful …
Then make sure to spread the word to your friends.