What to Buy a Guitar Player: Unique Gift Ideas

Guitar players can be a difficult breed to buy gifts. If you don't play guitar, then you probably don't realize how many good gifts you can buy for guitar players.

Some guitar accessories become a must for any guitarist who has been playing for a while. Some of these guitar gifts are just plain fun.

Use these guitar gift ideas from a guitar player, who can help you buy a guitar gift that he/she really wants. Your gift is sure to be unusual and unexpected.

The guitar player you give your gift will be surprised that you got such a great guitar gift. These guitar player gifts work for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's day, and any other special occaision.

Guitar Accessory Box in Disguise

These Army ammo boxes make great guitar player gifts

My Unusual Guitar Player Gift Ideas

Most of the time you think of picks, strings, strap, gig bags, and capos as great guitar player gifts. The following gifts are what a real guitar player might actually want, so beware. These unusual gifts for guitar players might surprise you.

• Ammo Box
• String Winder
• Lemon Oil
• Guitar Slide
• Allen Wrench
• Guitar Humidifier
• A New Guitar (Look below for explanation)
• Other misc. Items

Ammo Box for a Gift

Why buy an ammo box as a gift for a guitar player? Because I use one to keep all my guitar tools and extra strings, and it works great. These air/water tight ammo boxes are the perfect width to put sets of strings in. You can store your polish, cloths, sting winders, allen wrenches, jeweler screwdriver set, etc. all in the box. When string change time comes, get out the box, do the maintenance, and put it away. I got the idea from my dad using one as a toolbox.

String Winder and Cutter Tool

Most guitar players would like to spend their time playing guitar, not changing strings.  Give them the gift of playing less and spending less time on string changes using a string winder.  Make sure you get them the winder that also has a string cutter.  I have one, and use it all the time.  The winder is not a neccessity even though is speeds up string changes, but the cutter is.  You may as well get them both in one package.  I have never used the model with a tuner also built in, but I want one.

Lemon Oil

Lemon oil fretboard cleaner should be used a couple times a year at least, depending on how much you play. Think about other things that your fingers touch, such as a computer keyboard. After time, your skin oils and dirt will build up. Lemon oil will clean the fretboard and increase the life of the wood.  Believe me when I say this works.  I have seen the nasty black dirt on my rags.

Guitar Slides

Guitar Slides Make Great Gifts for Guitar Players

If your guitar player plays blues or bluegrass, then it's likely he'll want a slide. Your options range from the original bottleneck, pyrex, ceramic, brass, chrome, or the innovative JetSlide. The JetSlide is a really cool way to play slide, and still be able to use your fingers for fretting at the flick of your finger. Here's some details on the materials and how they sound.

• Glass Slides: The glass slides will give a warm smooth sounding slide tone. Great for anyone wanting to play on electric.
• Brass Slides: Brass gives you a more harsh tone and long sustain. Brass gives you more volume also, if you are playing acoustic unplugged.
• Ceramic Slides: Ceramic is much like glass tone with an even warmer sound and more sustain. 
• Chrome Slides: Gives you the sustain of a brass slide, with warm and even tone.  The best overall material in my opinion.

Make sure you keep in mind that slide come in finger sizes.  Medium is going to fit a medium adult.  Most kids have skinny fingers, so buy small if you need.  Also, if you can't decide which to buy, get the chrome.  Chrome slides are somewhere in the middle in qualities.

Allen Wrenches for Truss Rod Adjustments

Why would you buy an allen wrench set as a gift for a guitar player? There is a steel bar that runs through the neck of a guitar that adjust the curvature of the neck. Adjusting the truss rod is important in getting the guitar sounding and playing as good as it can. An allen wrench set will give your guitar player the tool to improve his or her own guitar. Tell them not to be shy either. I have had a lot of luck adjusting my truss rods.

Guitar Humidifier

This next part only applies to people who live in dry climates, like me.  If you live in a wet climate, chances are it get pretty hot, so you have to worry about the heat warping your guitar.  If you live in a climate that gets dry, like Indiana winters, then you have to worry about the top of the guitar cracking.  Most people don't know that the fret board also needs humidity.  If your fretboard shrinks due to lack of moisture, then your fret wires will begin to protrude from the sides of your guitar neck.

You can buy a guitar humidifier system, or you can make one with a tupperware.  Since you are buying a gift, it would be a little tacky to make one, but here's how you do it anyway.  Get a cheap Tupperware/Ziploc container.  Poke small holes in the top.  Seal a wet sponge inside the container and place it in your guitar case with your guitar. 

Buy a Guitar

Why would buying a guitar be a great gift? Well, maybe your guitar player person has a terrible guitar. Maybe he or she has one of those awful starter pack guitars with only midrange tone, high action, and terrible intonation. I still have my first acoustic for sentimental reasons.  I played it after playing my most recent purchase and it makes me sick to hear the difference in sound.  If you have a few hundred to spend, why not buy a new "first guitar," that your guitar player deserves.

I suggest this Takamine model, because I want it. It has great balance, even better tone, and excellent playability. Made of solid wood top, back, and sides, this guitar really resonates well. If you don't trust me, you can always go with Esteban Guitars. I haven't ever played one though, so I can't say whether they are really great or not. For as cheap as they sell, I doubt they are much fun to play, whether made in China or not.

Other Guitar Gift Ideas

Guitar Player Gifts Conclusion

Now that you have some ideas for what to buy as a gift for a guitar player, you will have to do a little research to find out what you should buy. Acoustic players will need some of the items more than electric players, while others may be important for any guitar player. I play both electric and acoustic, and I would love any of these items as gifts. Some of the things are easily lost, or will need replenished. Having two of some of these items is not necessarily a terrible thing.

If you are looking to buy a first guitar for someone and don't know where to start, you can read my hub about buying a first guitar. It will give you advice that will help you get the best quality instrument for a low price.  If you don't have time to read it, just keep in mind that you should take someone who plays guitar with you when you go to buy your first guitar.  Salespeople won't necessarily give you impartial information.

Keep this page bookmarked for the next time you need to buy a gift for a guitar player. You can get more ideas for the next special occasions.

Source: http://blakeflannery.hubpages.com

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Tips to take care of guitar strings

Is that necessary to take care of our guitar string? Over time all guitar strings will stretch out and get dirty. In addition, if your strings are made of steel, they can rust, and bronze strings will tarnish. All of these conditions cause that once great sustain and bright responsive sound to disappear. But it may happen so gradually that you don't notice... until you replace the strings, or you hear someone else play with newer one.

Some guitar strings stretch out relatively quickly. Some players strum or bend strings harder or farther. Some people have naturally oily skin. You can control these factors to some extent.

·       Put your back guitar on the stand, never but the front on the wall.

·       Buy a quality strings cause it will not stretch out as quickly.

·       You probably will not want to adjust your style to protect strings, but be aware that how you play is a factor.

·       To reduce oil and dirt buildup, clean your hands before you play, and wipe strings down afterward.

A traveling guitarist is likely to replace the strings on their primary guitar every week. A guitar instructor who also plays with others and practices frequently may replace them once each week, to as little as once per month. Many casual players replace strings every three months.

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7 Best Cheap Guitar Buying Tips

My GUITAR BUYING TIPS are here to help you to make a wise decision, save your time, and money as you search for the just the right guitar to meet your needs not your desire.

It is not always the better guitar, the higher the price, but tries the better guitar, the proper the price.  

Best Cheap Guitar Buying Tips #1:

Know what you're looking for.

There are three basic types of guitar:

• ACCOUSTIC  GUITAR
• CLASSIC GUITAR
• ELECTRIC GUITAR

Best Cheap Guitar Buying Tips #2:

Buy a guitar that is appropriate to your music style to play. Below are some suggestions. Buying a guitar is a very personal decision, so it is your own decision!

Musical Styles:

• Alternative: any of the 3 basic types are suitable
• Blues: any of the 3 basic types are suitable
• Classical: acoustic nylon string classic guitar
• Country: acoustic steel string, acoustic/electric, or electric
• Folk: acoustic, or acoustic/electric
• Folk/Rock: any of the 3 basic types are suitable
• Jazz: any of the 3 basic types are suitable
• Rock: usually played on an electric
• Metal: electric guitar

Best Cheap Guitar Buying Tips #3:

If you're a beginner guitarist, make sure and take advantages of package deals guitar. This will give an opportunity to get started without spending a lot of money.

Package deals usually offer a guitar and some extra (such as pics, a strap, case, etc.) at an achievable price. 

Best Cheap Guitar Buying Tips #4:

A 1/2 or 3/4 size guitar is considered for people with small hands and children. Also keep in mind that a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar is easiest on the fingers.

Best Cheap Guitar Buying Tips #5:

People will sometimes put their unwanted guitars for sale on consignment at local music stores, so go there to found any good second hand guitar.

Best Cheap Guitar Buying Tips #6:

Look and check college campus newspapers and bulletin boards. Sometimes you can find a great deal on a good guitar this way. Students are often in need of extra money to pay for books and tuition. Because of this they often sacrifice their good guitar they are no longer using.

BEST GUITAR BUYING TIPS #7:

Online auctions at Amazon offer another money saving solution. However, I recommend you stick with brand name guitars and be sure to purchase only from sellers who have a good reputation.

Tip: Before you buy be sure to find out what the seller's return policy is!

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Which is best, Solid-state or Tube Amplifier?

A guitar amplifier is an electronic tool designed to produce signal of an electric or acoustic guitar louder so that guitar will produce sound through a loudspeaker.

There are two configurations of guitar amplifiers:

1.        The stand alone amplifier, which does not include a speaker, but rather passes the signal to a speaker cabinet, and

2.        Combination amplifiers, which include an amplifier and anywhere from one to four speakers in a wooden cabinet.

Guitar amplifiers range in price and quality from small, low-powered practice amplifiers, designed for beginners, to expensive amplifiers which are custom-made for professional guitarists.  

 

The common thinking is that solid state circuitry can produce superior clean power at a much more reachable price, while the dearth of vacuum tube manufacturers today tends to make tube-based amps more expensive. This has led to some interesting hybrids, while the power amp is solid state. Still, the majority of guitarists will almost always lean towards a tube amp, though the attitude is changing as manufacturers turn out amazing new amps that are based on cutting-edge technology. 
Now, it's depend on you?

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Construction of Electric Guitar

Legend:
1.    Headstock:
1.1 machine heads
1.2 truss rod cover
1.3 string guide
1.4 nut

2.    Neck:
2.1 fretboard
2.2 inlay fret markers
2.3 frets
2.4 neck joint
3.    Body
3.1 "neck" pickup
3.2 "bridge" pickup
3.3 saddles
3.4 bridge
3.5 fine tuners
3.6 tremolo arm (whammy bar)
3.7 pickup selector switch
3.8 volume and tone control knobs
3.9 output connector (output jack)(TS)
3.10 strap buttons

4.    Strings:
4.1 bass strings
4.2 treble strings

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_guitar

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Guitar Pick

A guitar pick is a hand-held instruments used for guitars. A pick is generally made of one uniform material; include nylon, rubber, plastic, wood, metal, stone, and glass. Picks often shaped in a triangle shape with the two equal corners rounded.

Playing guitar using a pick can produce a bright sound compared to using the fingertip. On the other hand, an extremely a lot of variety of tones is produced from playing techniques that involve the fingers, such as those found in finger style guitar, slapping, and classical guitar. 

Picks are usually gripped with two fingers that are thumb and index. However, it's a matter of personal preference and many notable musicians use different grips. Some guitarist holds the pick between his thumb and middle finger. They leave his first finger free for his tapping technique, the others hold a pick using 3 fingers—thumb, middle and index such as James Hetfield, Jeff Hanneman and Steve Morse.

The motion of the pick against the string is also a personal choice. Some guitarists hold the pick very stiffly between the thumb and index finger such as George Benson and Dave Mustaine, other guitarists developed their own technique, where the thumb joint is bent, and straightened on the upstroke. It is known as circle picking.

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How to Buy a Guitar for a Young Beginner In 3 Simple Steps

Almost everyone has dreams, goals and objectives about things they would like to accomplish. Most of us have a checklist of things we want to accomplish or have. Plenty of people wish to know how to buy a guitar for a young beginner. Maybe you would too. Much like any other thing, that’s not very difficult when you know how to. If you’re able to break it down into basic steps, find a track to run on, it isn’t difficult to buy a guitar for a young beginner. If that is one of your goals, keep reading to learn a straightforward way you can purchase a guitar for a young beginner in three steps.

First off, you’ll need to find out what type of guitar your young would-be guitarist would like. You are going to really need to do that because what he or she wants may help in getting them and keeping them excited about playing guitar. If electric is the choice then electric it should be and if acoustic is the choice then acoustic it should be. If your young guitarist is excited by an instrument, he may be more likely to stick with it.. While you carry out this first step, you’ll want to avoid spending a lot money, affordable versions of most top brands and styles are available in less expensive versions of their top-sellers and are great to start with.

Carrying this out completely and correctly can be very important. If for any reason you mess up here then you will spend more money then you wish to help your young guitar player get started.

Your second step is to find out if your young guitarist like a guitarist in a band or what type of music he or she likes. There are two main things that you will need to avoid here. They are getting a guitar that does not inspire and motivate them to practice and play.

Lastly, your third (as well as the final) step is try not to worry about the image of the guitarist your young guitar player may like. This is really important because learning to play an instrument regardless of the style can develop physical coordination, discipline, self-confidence and creativity as well as providing an excellent conduit for social development.

Just abide by these steps closely, like they are specified above. By doing so, you will likely get to you will then be able to make a decision easily and quickly. This exact same plan has worked for countless others before you; it will in all probability work well and give excellent results for you too! Simply do those things recommended that you do, while avoiding the potential challenges outlined. Then all that’ll be left to do would be to experience the positive aspects of watching your youngster grow as a musician and develop into a great guitarist.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Heeley

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The Ultimate Acoustic Guitar Buying Guide

Not all acoustic guitars are the same. There are a lot of differences and characteristics that set each and every guitar apart from the other. Some of these characteristics are really obvious, but some are more nuanced and require a bit more attention.

When you make a serious financial investment, such as buying a guitar, it’s important to make an educated buying decision.

The purpose of this guide is to give you a comprehensive overview of the things you should consider when buying an acoustic guitar or determining the quality of one. Here’s what we’ll be looking at.

Identifying Your Budget & Goals

When you’re looking to buy an acoustic guitar, it’s really easy to get lost in all the options. As we move forward, you want to consider these few questions:

• How much do I have available to spend?
• How much would I be willing to save?
• What will I be using my acoustic guitar for? (e.g. just for fun, live performances, recording, etc.)
• What’s my style of playing? (e.g. heavy strummer, light strummer, fingerpicker, bluesy, folksy, etc.)

Start running these questions through your head. As you begin to answer these questions, you’ll be able to narrow down your options. We’ll look more in depth into these things as we move along.

The Main Things You Want to Look for

Before we jump into the nitty-gritty details of acoustic guitars, when looking at buying a guitar, there are a few general considerations you must make.

1.) Cracks, Dents, & Bridge Separation. This might seem fairly obvious, but you want to make sure there aren’t any parts of the guitar that are cracking or have serious wear on the finish. Usually, this is uncommon for new guitars, but since most guitars in stores are available to be played by any customer, sometimes these guitars can fall off their stands and get bumped and scratched up. However, if you find a guitar that you like with a few scratches on it, you can also use this to your advantage. If you don’t mind having a guitar with a little “character” to it, stores and sellers will often knock down the price if you bring these scratches to their attention.

While scratches or scuff marks won’t affect the overall sound of the guitar, cracks are no good. Sometimes cracks aren’t very noticeable, so be sure you look over the entire instrument. You also want to make sure that the bridge is sitting fully flush with the top of the guitar and is not lifting up or cracking.

2.) Straight neck. With one eye open, give a good look down the neck from the bottom of the guitar to make sure that the neck isn’t bent, crooked, or warped in any way.

3.) Fretboard. As you move your hand up and down the guitar neck, do any of the frets stick out and rub your hand in an uncomfortable way? Sometimes the frets will hang over the edge of the fretboard and poke your hand. If you end up getting a guitar where this is a major problem, a luthier (someone who works on or builds guitars) should be able to sand these down for a fair price.

4.) Action. “Action” most simply refers to the space between the strings and the fretboard. If the action is too high, sometimes it is hard to press the strings down to the fretboard. If the action is too low, sometimes the strings will “catch” on other frets and create a buzzing sound when you are playing.

The action can be changed by either shaving down the nut, if the action is too high, or by filling in the nut with an epoxy if the strings are too low. Any guitar repair person can do this for you at a minimal cost, so don’t let this deter you from buying a guitar you really like. 

5.) Neck size. The width of the neck is measured at the nut of the guitar. The width of necks will vary between manufacturers. For acoustic guitars, a standard neck width is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1-11/16 inch, 1-3/4 inch, and 1-7/8 inch. Typically, fingerstyle and classical guitar players will want a wider guitar neck from 1-3/4 inch to 2 inches. If you have really stubby fingers, you might want to consider a wider neck.

6.) Does the guitar stay in tune? There is nothing more frustrating than a guitar that doesn’t stay in tune. When you are looking at a guitar, play it for awhile and take notice to how well it does or doesn’t stay in tune. If you buy a guitar with cheap tuners, you might choose to replace these at a later time.

Another thing to keep in mind is that guitars in stores will often have really old, and played out, strings on them, which will never stay in tune and usually move flat. If you are serious about buying a particular guitar, spend a few bucks and ask to have the strings changed so you can hear the tuning, and intonation, with fresh strings. This is the only real way to gauge both of these issues properly with a new guitar.

7.) Intonation. Intonation also refers to how well the guitar is in tune but in a different way. Sometimes a guitar will sound in tune when you play the notes between the 1st – 5th frets, but as you go up an octave and play around the 12th fret, the pitch for the same note is a little bit sharp or flat. You can test for the intonation by playing the harmonic on the sixth string, twelfth fret, then play the fretted note on the sixth string, twelfth fret. If these two notes are not the same, one is sharper or flatter than the other, then the intonation is out. Repeat this process on all six strings to determine if any of the strings are properly intonated or not. 

By Brett McQueen

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