A musician is as good as his instrument. If you are working with a well-kept instrument, your music is going to be much better than if you were to play using a subpar or damaged instrument. A guitarist has to take extra care of their instrument to ensure that it lives on and continues to provide a quality performance. Your guitar is just one of the tools you need to keep your music as amazing as you want it to be. The following list includes all the basic essentials you will need to start your journey towards being a great musician.

1. Set Up Toolkit       

The first essential you need to have with you if you plan to pursue your dreams of being a guitarist is a setup toolkit. Having to take your guitar to a professional every time it needs tuning or setting up is going to get old and tiresome after a while. To save time and effort as well as cut ongoing costs, you will need a set-up tool kit. This kit has different tools that help you in tuning it to ensure it is at peak condition before you perform, preventing things from going wrong. Investing in a good quality toolkit is imperative if you want your guitar to stay in good condition for a long time.

2. Pedal Board

If you are still a beginner when it comes to guitars, then you might not know what a pedal board is. As you practice more songs and you start using different effects when playing your guitar, you will notice that slight jostling can have an adverse effect on the quality of sound your guitar is emitting. This is where a pedal board will definitely help you out.

Just like any tool out there, pedal boards range in material and quality. If you want to know what to look for in the best pedal board, you can check different online reviews and forums. This will ensure that you are investing in the best board out there. A pedal board ensures that all your pedals are in one place and that you can have different effects without having to move anything around or worrying about jostling pedals.

3. Guitar Strap

Having a guitar strap allows movement on the stage you are performing on. If you are sitting down with a guitar in your lap, you will not really need a strap; however, if you are moving across the stage, or you plan on standing while playing a song on your guitar, a strap will prevent you from tiring your shoulders and back out from carrying the guitar around while playing.

This will give you more playing time since you will not be exhausted after playing a song or two. Furthermore, investing in a strap is actually the best way to prevent damage to the guitar because you won’t drop it.

4. Extra Strings

Guitar strings are quite strong, however, sometimes they snap. This could be caused by corrosion, overuse, or simply reaching the end of their lifespan. Nevertheless, you do not want to be caught without backup strings on hand. Having extra strings will ensure that you can continue playing your guitar after only a couple of minutes. If you have the toolkit mentioned above, you will have an easier time fixing your guitar up and tuning it to get back to your jam session in no time.

5. Guitar Case

Guitars are not cheap. More often than not, your guitar also holds a sentimental value which means you want it to remain in the best condition for as long as possible. A guitar case helps protect your instrument from the elements. Most guitars are made out of wood or at least have some wooden parts. Wood is a porous material that is affected by humidity in the weather.

Having a guitar case ensures your guitar is always in a regulated environment which is going to help the wood stay in good shape for a longer time.

6. Cleaning Tools

To keep your instrument in tip-top condition you need to take care of it. Cleaning your guitar is essential not just because of how it looks but because guitars depend on vibrations to make a sound which means that the tone of your guitar may be off if it is unclean. These sounds are affected by factors such as dust and particles that could get trapped in your guitar.

Maintaining its cleanliness using a good quality polish and a microfiber cloth is important. These cleaning tools are easy to find and very inexpensive, so you do not have to worry about exceeding your budget.

7. Amps and Cables

If you want to increase the volume of your music, you will have to connect your guitar to an amp. To do so, you need to invest in good cables that can connect your instrument to the amplifier without getting in your way. The longer the cord of the cable, the more room for movement you will have. Another important factor to consider when buying a cable is whether it has an L-shaped connector or a straight one. This option will differ depending on the type of your guitar so you need to do your research before buying a cable for your amp.

Now that you have a list of essential equipment, you need to start researching the different brands and products to figure out what you want to invest in. Playing the guitar is fun and it is even more entertaining when you have the right tools at your disposal. Having these essentials will give you the space and luxury of playing your guitar and maintaining it for a considerable amount of time.