Whether you are a newbie or intermediate guitar player, there are a number of accessories and items you must have in your arsenal to get started or improve your playing. With them, you can also make the most of your guitars wherever you are. Let's discuss the 10 most important of these that are must-haves for every strummer.
Electric Guitar
As the name implies, electric guitars rely on electrical amplification to be used. Electric guitars are connected to external sound amplifiers that convert the vibration from their strings to electrical signals. The electrical signals are then sent to speakers that output them as sounds.
Acoustic Guitar
Unlike electric guitars, acoustic guitars do not need electrical amplification. Acoustic guitars are designed with fretted strings placed above a hollow chamber that reverberates vibrations from the strings. The sounds made by an acoustic guitar are carried through the air by the hollow chamber.
Amplifiers can be optionally used with acoustic guitars too, especially when one is playing for a large audience.
Experts unanimously recommend acoustic guitars for beginners over electric guitars.
Bass Guitar
Bass guitars are the deep-voiced members of the guitar family. They typically come with the four lowest strings – E, A, D, and G. Bass guitars are tuned like the double bass but the latter is an octave lower in pitch.
In large performances, a bass guitar needs electrical amplification to be loud enough. Bass guitars are mostly used in country, blues, rock, and pop music.
Guitar Strap
Guitar straps are important for guitar players, mostly for comfort. A guitar strap is used to fetter the guitar onto the player. Straps are worn across the body over a shoulder or around the neck. They have adjustable loops and hooks to use as fit.
All straps are designed to work with all kinds of guitars. A guitar strap will work for both electric guitar and acoustic guitar, and even bass guitar.
Guitar Compression Pedals
A compressor has a lot of usefulness for guitarists, and come in handy for all types of guitars. Compressors stabilize, regulate, and enhance guitars’ sounds and pitches by controlling the electrical signals sent by the guitar to amplifiers. This way, they're able to enhance the dynamism during sound production.
Guitar EQ Pedal
The guitar equalizer pedal is a tool players use to control the radio frequencies of their guitars, enhance volume levels, complement sound production, and monitor acoustic value.
Guitar Capo
A capo is used to clamp down on strings to increase the pitch in steps. It makes changing notes easier and the reduced space among strings makes many songs easier to play.
The position of a capo on strings can be easily changed.
Guitar Picks
A guitar pick gives you unmatched control over your guitar’s strings. A pick is a small piece of plastic, rubber, metal, or wood used to strum stringed instruments, especially guitar.
With a pick, unlike using different parts of your finger (nail and flesh), you are guaranteed uniform sound because the pick is made of a single material. As an added bonus, you'll avoid the rawness and strain on your fingers that comes from extended playing sessions.
Guitar Pedalboards
Guitars have many effect pedals. The pedalboard incorporates multiple effect pedals into a single container and patch bay. Some pedalboards are designed with integrated electrical boards and transformers. Essentially, a guitar pedalboard enables you to power multiple effect boards.
Guitar Amps
Earlier, we mentioned using amplifiers for electric, acoustic, and bass guitars. Guitar amplifiers (amps) are electronic devices used in upscaling the signals produced by guitars so they can be transmitted into signals good enough for loudspeakers to output as sounds.
Guitar amps are often encapsulated in wooden boxes. They make use of alternating current to replicate improved versions of the weak electrical signals guitars produce.
There are two types of guitar amps: combo amps and amp heads. While both improve sound signals produced by guitars, the combo amps amplify and produce sounds but amp heads only amplify sounds.
All these are important items and tools for a guitarist to own. They enable you to make the best use of your guitar. After skill and passion, these ten items are must-haves.
