{"id":955,"date":"2019-02-01T15:22:35","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T15:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ashleyjsaunders.com\/wp-blog\/?p=955"},"modified":"2022-10-28T20:17:43","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T20:17:43","slug":"essential-guitar-accessories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/essential-guitar-accessories\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Essential Guitar Accessories I Can\u2019t Live Without"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a working musician, there are many items I can\u2019t live without. Some are essential guitar accessories, and others are just nice to have. It’s taken me years to narrow down what I need to carry on gigs or studio sessions and not look like a walking, talking guitar shop!<\/p>\n

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I could write a much longer list of essential guitar accessories. However, after much consideration, I’ve picked 7 items I must have to do my job effectively. These are in no particular order.<\/p>\n

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Item #1: A Good Solid<\/i> Tuner<\/h2>\n

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If you do a lot of gigs as I do, you\u2019ll understand why I put this first. For those who don\u2019t, imagine this: Listening to an hour of voice and guitar. Not so bad? Right!<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s made worse by the guitar being slightly<\/i> out of tune. It\u2019s like nails on a chalkboard! Especially to us guitarists! So one of the top items on my essential guitar accessories list is a tuner.<\/p>\n

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My favorite is a BOSS TU-2 pedal tuner (I have 3 of them<\/a>). Sadly, it\u2019s discontinued. The Boss TU-3<\/a> replaced it and is far more accurate. I\u2019ve also used a Korg Pitchblack<\/a> and the Korg GA-40<\/a>. Both are superb.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019d go as far as saying any tuner from BOSS or Korg is worthy of the money it costs. Plus, both companies build their gear like TANKS!<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m a massive fan of tuners pedals <\/em>like the TU3<\/i> and the Pitch Black, <\/i>which have a mute function and so can be run inline. They allow you to tune silently while the singer talks to the crowd at the start of the set and then in-between each song.<\/p>\n

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Item #2: Guitar Picks<\/h2>\n

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Ok, maybe I can live without guitar plectrums<\/a> as I fingerpick most things! But I do like to carry a range.<\/p>\n

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I mainly use two types of guitar picks. I like the Dunlop 1.5mm Purple<\/a> picks for electric guitars and then Dunlop Nylon 1mm<\/a> for acoustic guitars.\u00a0 Don\u2019t ask me why but they just work!<\/p>\n

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I prefer the thinner pick for acoustics as I can get a better strum sound and the overall attract is softer. With all that said, I can, however, get away with using any 1mm pick for everything if I have to!<\/p>\n

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For sessions, I\u2019ve got a box with loads of different picks, from really thin to fat. They’re helpful if I\u2019m asked for a really small strummy part for the second verse. I\u2019ll grab the thinnest pick I have and play big open chords. The result sounds like an orchestra of guitars.<\/p>\n

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Whereas if I\u2019m trying to frame the chords (i.e. just playing on the chord changes and letting them ring), I\u2019m more likely to use a thicker pick. It will give me more control over what I\u2019m playing.<\/p>\n

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Item #3: Spare strings<\/h2>\n

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Time for an embarrassing story. I once played a swanky gig at a posh private members\u2019 club. What I should have done is changed the strings the day before. It would have given me time to break them in. Instead, I believed I could fly!<\/p>\n

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I believe I wouldn\u2019t need to take spares as the ones I had would last. Boy was I wrong! I ended up playing some of the gig with 5 strings. Luckily the artist sore the funny side (as did the manager! thank goodness!), and I kept the job!<\/p>\n

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I have more string-related stories, but they\u2019ll have to wait for another day!<\/p>\n

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Since this happened, I\u2019ve always carried spares strings. Plus, I’ve committed to restringing more often.<\/p>\n

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I use Rotosound 10s<\/a> on\u00a0electric guitars and Martin 12<\/a> on acoustic guitars. No one finds it funny if you break a string and can\u2019t replace it<\/a> instantly. It could lose you the gig. So carry spares!<\/p>\n

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Item #4: Spare Cables<\/h2>\n

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Sounds simple, but a lot of people miss this. Carrying spare instrument cables is a way to look like a hero when it goes wrong. It could be someone who has a faulty cable or forgets to bring enough.<\/p>\n

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You\u2019ll be the savior when someone wants to \u201csit in\u201d, but doesn\u2019t have any gear with them. You\u2019ll likely have a few guitars with you, but you might not have enough cables for them to join.<\/p>\n

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The other thing is that they’re actually quite cheap to buy<\/a>, or in my case – make. Plus, jack-to-jack cables don\u2019t take up much space. As far as essential guitar accessories, spare cables are a must.<\/p>\n

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A tip is to either pick a bright color cable or get some bright PVC tape to mark it. Most gear goes missing not because you lend it but because you don’t tick the gear off a mental list before leaving the venue.<\/p>\n

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Item #5: Notepad and Pen<\/h2>\n

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At the tender age of 10, my first music teacher informed me that a good musician carries a pencil (or pen). So true. I\u2019d go further and say you should also have a notepad. And, no, your phone doesn’t count.<\/p>\n

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A notepad can help you reclaim some of the time you lose during sound checks. It’s also great for collecting ideas, goals, and anything else you might need to capture.<\/p>\n

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In a gig setting, you can write out set lists, chord charts, and use the backstage area to write songs before you go on stage. You can write out charts for upcoming gigs. The list is endless!<\/p>\n

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Item #6: One pedal to rule them all!<\/h2>\n

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As this is a bit subjective, I don\u2019t mind you skipping this one. There are very few pedals I can live without, one being a tuner.<\/p>\n

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I can live without a volume pedal as there\u2019s a volume knob a few inches from where my hand is.<\/p>\n

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One pedal that I love, and can\u2019t really do without is a Route 66 by Visual Sound<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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So why do I like it? It has two channels, one side is a compressor and the other is an overdrive. Of course, you can use it as a compressor and overdrive pedal. But it’s way more versatile than that!<\/p>\n

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You can dial down the compression knob and use that side as a clean boost with added EQ. Using the compressor side as so, you can push the overdrive sides into fuller sounding distortion.<\/p>\n

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With a small amp, you can use the boost stage to get the amp sound crunchy. Next, you can use the overdrive (by itself) for some gain. For a lead tone, simply engage both sides.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve done gigs with a BOSS TU-2, Visual Sound Route 66, Volume pedal, and an AKAI Headrush<\/a>. Great guitar tones!<\/p>\n

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Item #7: Metronome<\/h2>\n

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I love my metronome; it helps me check and improve my timing, making me a better guitar player.<\/p>\n

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I like using my trusty\u00a0Korg MA-30<\/a> almost every time I come to practice. There are a lot of practical posts on this blog that helps you learn how to use a metronome better<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Essential Guitar Accessories<\/h2>\n

So there are just a few essential guitar accessories that every musician should always carry with them. If you’re missing a few, don’t worry. You know what you should have and can buy whatever is missing.<\/p>\n

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What essential guitar accessories can\u2019t you live without?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a working musician, there are many items I can\u2019t live without. But here are 7 essential guitar accessories that I always carry to all gigs and sessions.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[397],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guitar-gear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ashleyjsaunders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}