Being prepared isn’t just for Boy Scouts — having a carefully selected toolkit of guitar accessories can solve problems you never even thought would occur. Whether you play acoustic or electric guitar, and whether you gig out regularly or only ever play for yourself, having the right accessories on hand can make or break any playing session. Let’s take a look at eight guitar accessories that are easy to overlook, but that can make a big difference if they are available.

String tool
I’ve noticed that many guitarists seem to think string tools are just for beginners, but that perspective ignores how useful and convenient these can be (especially when you’re in a hurry). Take the D’Addario Planet Waves DP0002 Pro-Winder, for example. This — or any string winder — allows you to bring a freshly replaced guitar string to tension much faster than you could by turning the peg by hand, and that’s just one benefit. Its built-in string snips are ready to remove the excess string from the peghead, and they’re also useful for snipping zip ties and other fasteners. A bridge pin puller is also built in for acoustic guitars. String tools don’t make you less of a musician — they’re simply a helpful multi-tool.

Felt-tipped marker

If you gig out a lot, you know that the carefully set knobs on your amp and pedals seem to move themselves somewhere along the way to the show. Many guitarists like to mark their preferred settings with a marker for reference, and guitarists at Sweetwater like the StageTrix Setting Saver marker for this. This ultra-bright fluorescent green marker can be clearly seen even on dark stages — it’s also a great solution for labeling channels on a mixing board, writing your band name on stuff, writing up a quick set list for a bandmate, and so on.

Patch cables
If you use a lot of effects pedals, this one probably seems obvious — you rearrange your board and realize that one cable is just an inch or two short for your new layout. It’s always worth having a few extras on hand, especially if you gig regularly. To save the maximum amount of space on your pedalboard, check out the EBS PCF-DL10 flat patch cable — these innovative patch cables feature a flat cable and flat connectors, which can make a big difference when it comes to fitting one more pedal on your board. If you’re more of a DIY guitarist, the Emerson Custom DIY Pedalboard Cable Kit is a smart choice — and it’s solderless, which makes it easy to whip up a custom patch cable on the road or at the gig if necessary.

Compact guitar stand
Even if you prefer to keep your guitar in its case when you’re not playing it, there are times when having a compact guitar stand is a huge convenience — specifically, any time you want to put your guitar down for a few seconds. Large tripod stands and multi-stands serve their purposes, but they’re less convenient to move around than a compact stand such as the Hercules Stands GS200B EZ Pack guitar stand. Its design accommodates both electric and acoustic guitars, with impressive stability for its small size. It’ll fit in the pocket of a gig bag, perfect for heading to a friend’s place to jam. Sure, you’ll always find someplace to lean your guitar, but nothing beats the reassurance and convenience of a rugged, compact guitar stand.

Spare amplifier
This mainly applies to gigging musicians, obviously — if you’ve got a gig and your amplifier decides to start buzzing uncontrollably or refuses to power on, you’ve got a problem. Most guitarists will agree that having a backup amp is a good idea, but in reality, most guitarists don’t pack one. If it’s a size issue, consider a compact amp like the Vox MV50 series. These compact, Nutube-powered amp heads are barely larger than an effects pedal, deliver convincing real-tube tone (because it is a real tube), and are impressively loud when paired with an 8-ohm or 4-ohm speaker cab. If you use a combo amp and it dies on you, you could connect your spare amp to your combo’s built-in speaker and keep the show going. The concept of having a spare amplifier isn’t new, but the latest generation of compact amplifiers is new, and that makes it easier than ever to safeguard your performance with a spare amplifier.

Acoustic guitar humidification
Any instrument made from wood is going to be affected in some way by changes in ambient temperature and humidity. Assuming you keep your guitar in your home, temperature shouldn’t be a big issue — but humidity is. Here in the Midwest, it ranges from near-100% humidity in the summer to near-zero humidity in the winter. Truss rod adjustments are a regular occurrence around here no matter what. The least you can do is normalize the humidity in your acoustic guitar case, with a humidifier like the MusicNomad Humitar. It’s easy to fill, easy to use, and maintains the proper humidity in your guitar case. A dry guitar is likely to become damaged over a long period of time, whether from the bridge lifting, the top warping or cracking, or other undesirable (and preventable) side effects.

Good tape
There’s no point trying to make this sound complicated — sometimes you need to tape stuff down. Whether it’s taping your set list to the stage, securing a cable against a stand, labeling equipment cases (you remembered a marker, right?), or lots of other applications, it’s a huge help to have a roll of tape handy. Gaffer tape like GaffTech GT Pro is a favorite in the industry because it’s durable, and it also doesn’t leave residue when you remove it — you’ll probably find yourself using it around the house as well. As an added bonus, GaffTech tape can also be used with their innovative GaffGun tape application tool, which allows you to tape down a stage full of cables in record time.

Flashlight
It kind of goes without saying that a flashlight can help you when you’re setting up your gear on a dark stage. Flashlights are actually even more helpful in all the activities that come before and after a performance or recording session — finding your favorite pick at the bottom of a backpack, searching for that lost power supply in your trunk, navigating festival grounds at night, and so on. We like the Ansmann Inspection Lamp X7 LED flashlight because it’s bright, offers both beam and floodlight settings, and has a handy magnet for attaching to a metal surface for hands-free illumination. And it’s barely larger than a marker, which means it’s easy to pack and ignore until you need it.

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Guitar Essentials: 8 Accessories That Are Easy to Overlook

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