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Stocking stuffers every guitarist uses, small amps and pedals they'll play every day, and bigger gifts worth unwrapping, with tips for buying when you don't know their gear.
The short answer
- Under $35, safe for any guitarist: a Kyser quick-change capo $24.95, a Guitar Professor tuner and chord finder $29.95, or a colorful braided tweed cable $31.99.
- Under $150: a battery-powered Laney Mini-STB-Lion $149.99, a guitar amp and Bluetooth speaker in one, or a BLAXX looper pedal $103.99.
- Under $250: a studio-grade pedal such as the Universal Audio Orion Tape Echo $199, or a second guitar like the Stagg travel acoustic $155.99.
- Not sure what they play? Pick something every guitarist uses up or loses: strings, a capo, a tuner, a cable. All four are on this page.
Guitar players are easy to shop for once you know the secret: they go through some things constantly (strings, picks, cables) and they daydream about others (a new pedal, a small amp for the couch, a guitar to travel with). This guide is sorted by budget, and every gift on it is in stock and ready to ship.
Gifts at a glance
| Budget | Gift | Why they'll use it | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $35 | Kyser capo | Changes key in one second, one hand | $24.95 |
| Under $35 | Guitar Professor | Tuner, 250+ chord finder and pitch pipe in one | $29.95 |
| Under $35 | Stagg studio headphones | Late-night practice through an amp's headphone jack | $31.99 |
| Under $150 | Laney Mini-STB-Lion | Battery amp and Bluetooth speaker for the couch | $149.99 |
| Under $150 | BLAXX looper | Records a part, then plays along with it | $103.99 |
| Under $250 | UA Orion Tape Echo | Vintage tape-echo sound in a stompbox | $199 |
| Under $250 | Cort Earth acoustic pack | Solid-top guitar with bag, tuner, strap and picks | $249 |
Stocking stuffers under $35
These are the gifts guitarists actually ask for, because they wear out, get lost, or get borrowed and never come back.
Kyser Quick-Change capo
A capo clamps across the neck so the guitar plays in a higher key without retuning, which is how players match a singer's voice or a song's original key. The Kyser Quick-Change ($24.95) moves with one hand in seconds, and Kyser pioneered this spring design. Pick a finish: chrome, white or rosewood. For a nylon-string classical guitar, choose the Kyser classical capo ($24.95), which is shaped for the flatter, wider neck.
Qwik Tune Guitar Professor
The Guitar Professor GP-1 ($29.95) tunes acoustic, electric or bass through its microphone or a plug-in cable, shows over 250 chords on its screen, and plays each open-string note as a pitch pipe. It's a great gift for a newer player who's still learning chords. For a plain, simple tuner, the Qwik Tune QT-15 is $24.95.
Stagg vintage tweed cable, 20 feet
Every guitarist needs a cable, and most own a tangle of plain black ones. The Stagg vintage tweed cable ($31.99) is 20 feet of braided cloth-covered cable that's easy to spot on a dark stage. Choose red, surf blue, surf green, pink, yellow or black.
Stagg studio headphones
Most practice amps have a headphone jack, and the Stagg SHP-2300H ($31.99) turns that into late-night practice nobody else hears. They're closed-back, with 40 mm drivers, a volume control on the cord, and a 10-foot cord, long enough to reach the amp from a chair.
More stocking stuffers
- Strings by the box. Players change strings often, so a bulk pack is a gift that keeps giving: 10 sets of light electric strings (.010–.046, each set wrapped) for $42.95, or D'Addario EJ15 extra-light acoustic strings at $24.95 a set.
- A slide bar for blues and lap steel. The Stevens steel bar ($29.95) is the classic bar for lap steel, resonator and pedal steel players: about 5 ounces of nickel-plated brass.
Gifts under $150: amps and a looper
Laney Mini-STB-Lion: amp and Bluetooth speaker
The Laney Mini-STB-Lion ($149.99) is a small battery-powered guitar amp that doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, so a player can stream a song from their phone and play along. It has clean and drive channels, a built-in tape-style delay, and a headphone jack. It looks like a tiny version of Laney's Lionheart tube amps, which makes it a nice thing to leave out on a desk. Without Bluetooth, the Mini-Lion is $99.95.
Why players like it
- Runs on batteries: couch, porch, campsite
- Bluetooth to jam along with songs
- Headphone jack for silent practice
Good to know
- It's a practice amp, made for home, not for a gig with a drummer
BLAXX looper pedal
A looper records what you play and plays it back on repeat, so a guitarist can lay down chords and then solo over them. The BLAXX loop pedal ($103.99) records up to 10 minutes, stacks as many layers as you like, and saves loops to a computer by USB. It's a small die-cast pedal with true bypass, so it doesn't color the tone when it's off.
Why players like it
- A backing band that's always ready
- Small enough for any pedalboard
Good to know
- Runs on a 9V pedal power supply, sold separately
Laney LX15
For a player who needs a proper amp at home, the Laney LX15 ($189.99) has 15 watts, two 5-inch speakers, a three-band tone control, a drive switch for rock tones, an input for playing along with a phone, and a headphone jack. It also comes in red. Our guide to Laney amps compares the whole range.
Gifts under $250: pedals and a second guitar
Pedals are the gift most guitarists dream about. If you know the person's taste, here are three that suit almost any setup. Reverb and delay add space and echo, and they're the safest pedal gifts because nearly every player uses them.
Universal Audio UAFX pedals
Universal Audio makes studio gear used on countless records, and its UAFX pedals put those sounds in a stompbox:
- Orion Tape Echo ($199): the warm, slightly wobbly echo of a 1970s Maestro Echoplex EP-III tape delay, including its preamp, which many players leave on all the time.
- Heavenly Plate Reverb ($219): the smooth reverb of the 1950s studio plates heard on countless hit records, with three plate sounds.
- Evermore Studio Reverb ($219): lush late-1970s digital room and hall reverbs for big, ambient sounds.
Laney Black Country Customs pedals
- Secret Path reverb ($229.99): spring, plate and a third, dreamier "Secret Path" mode, with stereo output. It runs on a 9V pedal power supply, sold separately.
- TI-BOOST ($199.99): Tony Iommi's signature gain pedal, built for Black Sabbath's final tour. A battery is included, so it plays right out of the box.
- Monolith distortion ($165.99): from fat rock tones to jangly indie lines, and it reacts to how hard you pick. Battery included.
Stagg SA25 travel acoustic
Many players want a second guitar they don't worry about. The Stagg SA25 travel guitar ($155.99) is a smaller dreadnought with a spruce top and sapele back and sides, and a compensated bridge so it plays in tune up the neck. It's easy to take on vacation or keep by the couch. A sapele-top version is $155.99.
Cort Earth acoustic guitar pack
For someone starting out, or a player who wants a better acoustic, the Cort Earth Pack ($249) is a dreadnought with a solid spruce top (a solid top sounds richer as it ages), mahogany back and sides, D'Addario strings, and a gig bag, clip-on tuner, strap and picks in a gift box.
For bass players
- A bass: the Cort Action PJ ($279.99) combines a P-style pickup for rock with a J-style pickup for jazz and pop, plus active tone controls. Also in walnut.
- A practice amp: the Laney LX10B ($139.95), with a headphone jack, or the battery-powered Laney Mini-Bass ($140.99).
- Strings: 5 sets of light bass strings for $52.95.
- The tuner on this page tunes bass too: the Guitar Professor.
For the guitarist who has everything
- A seat and stand in one: the Stagg foldable stool with built-in guitar stand ($99.95) keeps the guitar right next to where they play, and folds flat.
- A new electric: the Stagg SET-PLUS ($182.99) is a vintage "T" style with alnico pickups and a push-pull control for more sounds; the three-pickup Stagg SES-30 is $156.99.
- An amp in a pedal: the Laney Ironheart Loudpedal ($286.99) is a 60-watt, two-channel amp the size of a pedal. Plug it into a speaker cabinet and it's a gig rig that fits in a backpack.
Buying for a guitarist when you don't know their gear
- Check the guitar first. Six steel strings means acoustic or electric; soft nylon strings means classical. That decides the capo and the strings.
- Strings: if you can, peek at the empty string pack in their case for the brand and gauge (".010", "extra light"). When in doubt, light electric and extra-light acoustic are the most common.
- Pedals: reverb and delay are the safest picks; most players use both and many don't own a great one yet.
- Power: some pedals run on batteries and some need a 9V pedal power supply. We note which is which above.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good gift for a guitar player under $25?
- A Kyser Quick-Change capo, a Qwik Tune QT-15 tuner, or a set of D'Addario acoustic strings. Every guitarist uses all three, and capos and tuners are easy to lose.
- What do you buy a guitarist who has everything?
- Something they use up or something they dream about: a bulk box of strings, a colorful 20-foot braided cable, a studio-quality reverb or delay pedal, or a travel guitar they can take anywhere.
- Is a guitar pedal a good gift?
- Yes, if you choose a type most players use. Reverb and delay pedals, such as the Universal Audio Orion Tape Echo or the Laney Secret Path reverb, suit almost any guitar and amp.
- What is a good gift for a beginner guitarist?
- A tuner that also teaches chords, like the Qwik Tune Guitar Professor, and a small practice amp with a headphone jack, such as the Laney Mini-Lion or LX15, so they can practice any time.
- What should I get a bass player for Christmas?
- A bulk pack of bass strings, a practice amp with a headphone jack such as the Laney LX10B, or a new bass like the Cort Action PJ with active tone controls.
- Do guitar pedals come with a power supply?
- Not always. The Laney TI-BOOST and Monolith include a 9V battery; the BLAXX looper and Laney Secret Path need a 9V pedal power supply, sold separately.