That's because they all want to give me something to help support my passion for music but none of them are musicians themselves.
I once received a book from my Grandma called Classic Rock: Note-for-Note. Only problem was, it was a book for piano, and I don't play piano. But G'ma (as I call her) thinks I can play every instrument!
I'm sure you wouldn't make a mistake like that, but maybe you just need some suggestions for gifts.
This is my "Wish List" of products. Hopefully it'll help you find the best gift for your musician.
1. Guitar Strings. I always needs strings. Strings break or wear out and fall out of tune and need to be replaced. But you need to be sure you get the right ones. The strings are different for the acoustic guitar than they are the electric guitar. And they're also different, depending on the genre of music your musician plays. For example, on my Blues guitar I use D'Addario EXL-115 3Ds. Before buying strings you might want to sneak into your musician's guitar case and see if there's a set of strings in there. That way you'll know which strings he or she prefers.
2. Clip on guitar tuner. I currently use a pedal tuner, which I love. But it picks up the ambient noise when I'm playing. So I also want a clip on tuner because the clip on tuner relies on string vibration to tune, which isn't affected by other sounds. What I don't want, though, is the cheap clip on tuner. The clip breaks too easily and once the clip breaks off, the tuner doesn't work.
 |
Click for the lowest price on the SpeedPro Tuner on Amazon. |
3. Drum sticks. Like guitar strings, drums sticks are something that constantly need replacing. And like the clip on guitar tuner, cheap is not good. You can't go wrong with Vic Firth and the 5A is a pretty commonly used stick. If you want a joke gift, consider light-up drum sticks. I want a pair, but I don't know why. I play drums, but not professionally so I'm not even sure where I'd use 'em....
4. Guitar Cables. The cable is used with an electric guitar and it connects a guitar to the amp. Each end has a metal part that's called a connector. One end plugs into the guitar's cable jack and the other into the amp's input jack. When a cable goes bad, you hear a crackling and/or buzzing sound. I'm always appreciative of a quality guitar cable as a gift. But don't buy the 6 ft. cable if you're buying for a gigging musician. It isn't long enough to move around the stage. But it's plenty long enough for studio work.
5. Guitar Cable Tester. That buzzing and crackling sound that comes out of a bad cable isn't necessarily the cable. It may be a bad jack. So I've added a cable tester to my wish list. It's only about $30 and it'll save me those unnecessary trips to the guitar shop!
6. Pedal Board. This is the ultimate for organizing and protecting pedals. It makes transporting and setting up/tearing down a breeze too. If I had this pedal board, I'd put each of my pedals on it, connect them together and put them in the case. Now what I do is throw the pedals and cables in a plastic container with a lid and then I have to untangle the cables and set up the pedals at each gig.
7. Cajon drum. If you have more money to spend ($100+) consider this for any musician. The cajon drum is one of three instruments that are hot right now among musicians who already have the basic guitar, bass and drum set. Santana, Fleetwood Mac and Bon Jovi have all used the cajon drum in one performance/album or another. Since I live in 800 square feet the cajon drum would also become another place to sit in my condo!
8. Banjo. The banjo is making a comeback, thanks to Mumford and Sons and Taylor Swift. They've put this Americana instrument back in the spotlight. There's a great website, BanjoReviews.net, that reviews many different banjos. The one I have my eye on is the Banjitar, figuring it'll be easier to play the combo banjo/guitar since I already play guitar.
9. 1957 Les Paul Gold Top. Not that anyone's going to buy this for me. And it's unlikely you're going to buy it either. But any wish list I share wouldn't be real if I didn't have the '57 Les Paul Gold Top on it! So if you really want the best gift for a musician, it would be an original '57 Les Paul.
For more ideas on what to get a musician for Christmas, click here.
