There’s a range of essential guitar accessories that every guitarist needs in their guitar case or rig. Here’s a list of the best guitar accessories players of all levels will appreciate

As guitarists we need a few essential guitar accessories to not only make our lives easier but encourage a better performance, keep our gear safe and make us sound as good as possible on and off stage.

Whether it’s a back up set of strings, a tuner or a hard case, we need these things just like a car needs fuel, and amplifiers need electricity!

So today, we’ve compiled an essential guitar accessories list that shows all of the accessories for guitar that you should have in your arsenal. Whether you need electric guitar accessories or acoustic guitar accessories, you'll find them here.

Already know what you want? View all guitar accessories and guitar equipment over at PMT online or click the button below. 

1. Guitar Strings

Guitar strings are first and foremost on our essential guitar accessories list as we always need a spare set in case a string breaks. Strings are what’s known as ‘breakables’ as they don’t last forever and eventually need replacing as they can start to become dull after a few months of use, so it makes sense to have a few spare packets lying around.

If you know a guitarist, they’ll always appreciate a new set of strings as we always need a set when we least expect it. A string could break at any time, so it’s always good to have a back up set. In addition, guitarists also like to change strings regularly to keep their tone on form.

 ERNIE BALL 2221 REGULAR SLINKY ELECTRIC GUITAR STRINGS, 10-46

We recommend the Ernie Ball 2221 regular Slinky strings 10-46 for electric guitarists (pictured) as they are an industry standard and used by professionals everywhere. We also recommend the Rotosound R10 Roto Yellows Electric Guitar Strings 10-46 as this brand has supplied strings to the worlds biggest artists for decades including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Pink Floyd and new artists including You me at Six, Florence & the Machine and the Vaccines.

If you want longer lasting strings, we recommend the likes of the D'Addario NYXL1046 Electric Guitar Strings, Regular Light 10-46 as they have been designed to last longer and stay in tune for longer.

However, if you already know which strings you or the guitarist in your life wants, feel free to buy the same set as guitarists tend to stick with what works best for them.

Shop all guitar strings here at PMT Online.

2. Guitar Tuners

A guitar tuner is a no-brainer and easily one of the most essential guitar accessories we can own as it does exactly what it says; keeps us in tune! There are many different styles of guitar tuners out there, which we’ve covered in this blog, but we recommend a headstock tuner for beginners and a pedal tuner for those who use an electric guitar through an amplifier.

BOSS TU-3 Tuner

A headstock or clip-on tuner allows us to tune our guitar up at any point, and is usually relied upon by acoustic players as it sits on our guitar out of sight. However, it doesn’t mute the signal and people can hear us as we tune the guitar. If you play electric guitar and gig regularly, your best option is a tuner pedal that you can place right in front of you on your pedalboard. The LED display allows us to see what we’re doing even in low-light situations and mutes our signal whilst we’re playing so no one can hear us.

As for clip-on tuners we recommend the TOURTECH TTA-T01 Colour Screen Clip-On Tuner– and the BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner pedal or Landlord FX Lock In Tuner Pedal if you want a pedal tuner.

View all guitar tuners here.

3. Guitar Cables

 TOURTECH PRO STRAIGHT TO ANGLED BRAIDED BLACK AND GREY 20FT GUITAR CABLE

If you’re an electric guitarist, a set of guitar cables are some of the best guitar accessories we can own. Best of all, we can never have too many as we often lose them, lend them out or expand our set up one of the reasons they make great gifts.

If you're an electric guitarist playing gigs, something like a 20ft angled guitar lead will be perfect, whilst a 10ft guitar lead is perfect for recording. If you're using guitar pedals, you'll need a selection of patch leads to tie all your pedals together and transfer the sound.

 FENDER 6 15CM PERFORMANCE SERIES PATCH CABLE, IN BLACK

We recommend the likes of Tourtech guitar cables as they offer incredible sound quality for not a lot of money. Fender guitar cables are also great options for those who want a range of different styles and colours. If you have a lot of guitar pedals, you can’t go wrong with a selection patch leads as they connect all of them together and ensure your sound is carried through from the guitar to the pedals to the amplifier.

Guitar cables are some of the most essential guitar accessories we have here at PMT, and any electric guitarist will appreciate having a selection at their disposal.

Take a look at our great range of guitar cables over here.

4. Guitar Capo

guitar capo is one of the best guitar accessories we can own as guitarists. They allow us to change the pitch of a song without ever having to tune our guitars differently. A capo is a widely used guitar accessory that we should always have on hand, so it makes sense to always have one ready in your guitar case or gig bag.

We recommend the Tourtech capo (above) and the Kyser capos (pictured below) both are extremely reliable capos that provide you with an instant pitch change that doesn't press too hard on the frets and destroy your intonation.

 TOURTECH TT-TXCAPO ECONOMY GUITAR CAPO
 KYSER PRO/AM 6 STRING CAPO

5. Guitar Straps

Chances are we’re not always going to be sat down whilst playing the guitar. This is where a trusty guitar strap comes in! A good comfortable guitar strap is one of the most essential guitar accessories we can own.

You can choose between leather/suede guitar straps, vegan leather straps or fabric straps. There are many different styles to suit your personality including plain black guitar straps (the most popular) to really out-there designs! Just get whichever you think fits best with your style and personality - and guitar, too!

TOURTECH TT- SPF30BRW Faux Leather Brown Guitar Strap
TOURTECH TT- SPF30BRW Faux Leather Brown Guitar Strap

6. Guitar Hard Case

Why is the guitar hard case an essential? If you need to take your guitar out of your house, then you are advised to have a hard-case or, at the very least, a guitar gig bag, to always keep your instrument protected from accidental bashing and weather conditions.

Serious gigging musicians are best advised opting for a guitar hard-case, as they are better suited for the life on the road, can be locked and offer better protection overall. The range of Tourtech guitar cases offer incredible protection with some of the higher-end models even coming with TSA approved locks like the Pro Series ABS case below, so no one has to break open your case just to look at the guitar when it’s coming through customs.

Shop all guitar hardcases here.

THE TOURTECH PRO SERIES ABS ELECTRIC GUITAR CASE IS A PERFECT WAY TO PROTECT YOUR GUITAR

7. Guitar Gig Bags

The advantage of gig bags is that they are cheaper, and easier to carry, as you can wear it like a rucksack or carry it like a bag. These are perfect for those who are always going to be with their guitar whilst in transit, and travelling from home to practice sessions or just want something to cover their guitar from dust.

We recommend this Tourtech Nylon Padded Gig Bag, but there are many more options available.

Shop all guitar gig bags here.

Tourtech Nylon Padded Gig Bag

8. Guitar Slide

D'Addario Chrome-plated Brass Guitar Slide Medium

A guitar slide is an invaluable tool and one of the best guitar accessories we can own as it allows us to get a variety of really cool sounds out of our instrument that we wouldn’t normally be able to achieve. They are widely used by musicians everywhere and are an essential piece of kit that guitarists should always have to hand. You might only use it once, but you or the guitarist in your life will be glad you’ve got it when you need it!

Check out a full range of guitar slides here.

9. Guitar Picks/Plectrums

We can never have too many plectrums or picks as they’re often known as. These essential guitar accessories come in many forms, shapes, sizes and colours. But overall you can’t go wrong with the standard range of Tortex plectrums and Ernie Ball plectrums just to name a few options.

Shop a full range of guitar plectrums here.

DUNLOP TORTEX STANDARD .73MM

10. Guitar Stands

It’s a well-known fact that if you have a guitar out and about on display, you’re more likely to pick it up and start playing, which will help you achieve your guitar goals a lot quicker. Plus, having a guitar out on display looks really cool too.

A guitar stand is an essential guitar accessory for those who want to be able to just grab their guitar and start playing anytime, whilst displaying it safely, free from the worry that it’ll fall over. There are many different options out there, and we recommend the likes of the Hercules guitar stands as well as the super budget-friendly Tourtech guitars stands.

You can get wall-mounted stands such as the one pictured below, as well as traditional A-Frame stands and stands for multiple guitars.

Take a look at a full range of guitar stands here.

TourTech Guitar Wall Hanger

11. Music Stands

Finally, we have music stands which are essential guitar accessories whilst you’re learning to play. Having your music on a table or on the floor can be a little awkward, so a music stand is perfect for looking at your sheet music whilst you play. However, if you’re a guitarist or frontman in a band that sings too, you can even get music stands that clip on to your microphone for ease of viewing – a perfect idea for learning your parts.

View all music stands here.

TOURTECH SMALL SHEET MUSIC STAND

That’s just a selection of different essential guitar accessories that we recommend, which all make great musical gifts for guitarists too. In fact, if you want more musical gifts for musicians, we have a full blog on it which you can read here.

Shop all guitar accessories over at PMT online or call in to your local PMT store today to pick up a selection for yourself!