MusicRadar
The No.1 website for musicians
10 essential stocking fillers for guitarists
Gift ideas for the six-string obsessive
Chris Vinnicombe, Sun 14 Dec 2008, 11:48 am UTC
Dunlop Medicine Bottle slide £19.99
Dunlop says that these take you back to pre-depression Mississippi where blues masters used medicine bottles to form the roots of modern blues. No doubt doubling as a handy container for their stash. As far as we're concerned though, in terms of balance, tone and feel, these seamless Pyrex bottles are the nicest slides we've encountered in a long while. Useful for storing tablets to stave off those seasonal hangovers, too…
Guitar Facelift £19.99
Most guitarists have a drab electric somewhere in desperate need of a visual overhaul. Rather than paying for an expensive, irreversible refinish, thanks to Status Quo's Rick Parfitt, there's a new way to give a guitar a makeover. Whether it's flames, leopard skin or something even more out there, there's a Facelift vinyl guitar overlay to fit the bill. Low tack adhesive means it can be re-used repeatedly and there are designs to fit Yamaha Pacificas along with Strats and Teles.
Line 6 Pocket POD Express £57.58
Another great silent practice solution is the newest, and smallest member of the POD family from Line 6. Following on from the popular Pocket POD, the Express version combines five great guitar sounds from clean to full-on metal with six effects and is a doddle to use. Again, there's an auxiliary input so your nearest and dearest can jam along with their heroes, and with four AAA batteries, they can take it anywhere and rock.
Guitar Rock Star £14.99
You don't have to be a virtuoso to be a Guitar Rock Star. Mildly ridiculous, watching others gurning and throwing shapes with this air guitar toy is just as much, if not more fun than actually playing with it. Pre-loaded with eight rock classics, the infrared control system is quite challenging to master. That said, in freestyle mode, someone in the office can play Pyramid Song by Radiohead. Too much time on their hands?
Planet Waves Pro-Winder Tuner £35
The Planet Waves Pro-Winder tool has been a fixture in our guitar case for a while now. Invaluable for string changes, it winds, cuts, stretches and has a built-in bridge pin puller. Imagine if it was a guitar tuner too? Well now there's one onboard. Probably the second best thing to having a roadie, and this tool is far less likely to stink of sweat and be appallingly sexist.
Hottie Custom Amp $249
Barking mad, and brilliant, who wouldn't want a guitar amplifier fitted inside a vintage American toaster? Throw in the excellent custom finish and we're sold. Whoever you buy this for can be assured that their tone will be smokin' hot and evenly frazzled on both sides in a matter of minutes. We're not even sure what that means. Click here to see and hear it in action.
