The Best Guitar Accessories: My Favorite 14

13 minutes read

So… Since people always ask me “hey Cooper, what accessories you think are the best guitar accessories around?”, I have decided to sit down and write this article for you guys…

Ok ok, no one ever asked me that. (-: But people do ask me about what’s the best capo, what are the most recommended strings, which guitar case they should get and so on… So I sat down and wrote this article as an all-rounder help with your best guitar accessories choices.

The Best Guitar Accessories: My Favorite 14

-Click the product pictures to go to the desired Amazon page-

These are my absolute favorites and I have been using all of the accessories below for years after fiddling around with others that weren’t as good. Hopefully, you will find this helpful and it will save you time from messing around with bad quality stuff. Here we go:

My Favorite Guitar Strings – Elixir Nanowebs

The single biggest improvement you can give to your guitar is a good pair of fresh, high-quality strings. Strings are almost everything when it comes to your guitar’s sound, I even saw 30$ guitars from pawn shops that ring beautifully after a new pair. So which ones to get?

Without any doubt here, go with Elixirs. It’s an immense upgrade that you can give your guitar for as little as 14$.

They survive for a ton of time, and while they do cost about 3X more than a regular set, they last for 4-5X more, they make your guitar sound much better, and they save you the hassle of changing strings often. I have tried Martin strings, D’Addario strings, Ernie Ball strings, and always kept coming back to the Elixirs which feel and sound the best.

Your guitar is worth it, try them and you won’t go back. (I like the Elixir Nanowebs better than the Polywebs since they sound brighter and more lively).

guitar maintanance (2)
Only Elixirs for my Taylor Twelver.

My Favorite Strings Oil And Softener – GHS Fast Fret

You’d be surprised, but not only that the Fast Fret oils the strings and makes them feel brand new, but it also softens them, and after a good Fast Fret application it is much easier to press down the strings. Your playing becomes noticeably smoother, especially barre chords which become easier to apply cleanly!

Your fretboard will also drink this happily and will look like new. Result? You can play better, and you can play for longer! Win-Win. I squeeze it almost weekly on all of my guitars.

A cheaper and very good alternative that I’m also very fond of is the Dunlop Ultraglide String Conditioner.

If you prefer video over text, here’s the video version of this post where I show many of the accessories I talk about:

My Favorite Acoustic Guitar Case – Road Runner Roadster

This case is an absolute monster. I got it as a gift from a friend in New Orleans and since then I lugged my guitar in it all around the world one and a half times, including a lot of hours on my back with a lot of accessories (and even clothes) inside it, yet it survived and it’s still rockin’.

It has some very big pockets to fit all of your guitar stuff inside, and it has great padding in all directions so you can trust it blindfolded. I have noticed that all of the Road Runner cases also sport very high quality and worth checking out.

The Roadster is also the most comfortable on your back from all the cases I have ever carried so it’s easy to walk around with it and feels nice and sturdy. I even customized it with a smiley patch that I got in Japan so it looks even better and smiles to everybody from my back…

best guitar accessories roadrunner1

This case has been around the world 1.5 times and it's still rockin' like it's brand new.
This case has been around the world 1.5 times and it’s still rockin’ like it’s brand new.

My favorite Micro-Amp: The Blackstar Fly 3

This one was a life-changer for me – as someone who plays mostly electric. It’s tiny, I can take it anywhere, AND believe it or not – it even sounds better than many of the bigger amps that I played. And the best thing is that now I don’t have to “settle” for playing only an acoustic guitar when I’m away from home.

You can read my full review about it and hear me play it – right here: Blackstar Fly 3 Micro-Amp Review: A Life Changer

blackstar review
My Fly 3 next to my Swedish blues queen – the Hagstrom Viking.

My DIY Chord Books!

For about 6 years now, I have been going to every jam with one of the many chord books that I created over the years. You can have hundreds of your favorite songs ready and always with you as chord sheets, so other musicians can play them with you.

People kept asking me if I created them myself and how – so I wrote this article below with detailed instructions on how to create a good and lasting book by yourself out of your favorite music:

chord books
Take hundreds of your favorite songs to everywhere you go. Here’s how:

My Favorite Picks – Twin Picks™

I have been in love with these cool double-lipped picks for a few years now. They give your guitar a much fuller sound and they come in various thickness levels for different effects. They work best with acoustic guitars. Give them a try, you might like them as well.

I have written a detailed review of the Twin Picks, click on the picture below to read it.

twin picks 1

My Favorite Capo – Shubb Capo

Unlike regular 5 bucks capos, I discovered this great capo while looking for an adjustable one that can be strong enough to capo my 12 string guitar. I found out that this is also an excellent capo to use with any 6 string, and what’s special about it is that it keeps its promise to maintain the tuning of the guitar, even when you take it on and off and put it on different frets.

How come? I don’t know, but it probably relates to the more complex mechanism, and it works. It is also very tiny. I know Jeff Buckley used to love ’em as well from the live shows I have seen online…

The major disadvantage is that you cannot clamp it on the headstock when it is not in use.

Extra: My Favorite Premium Capo – Thalia Capos 200 Series

A capo at 70$ is not for everyone, but if you are a professional, or just someone who plays his guitars a lot – check out the Thalia capos. Besides being the most beautiful capos I have seen, they are also quick & easy to use and always keep your guitar in tune.

Check out my review about them: Thalia Capos – The Guitar Songs Masters Review

Click the picture to watch the different available colors.
Click the picture to watch the different available colors.

My Favorite Guitar Customization/Bling – Jockomo Inlay Stickers

In the picture below you can see how much more beautiful my Hagstrom electric, Washburn acoustic, and Taylor 12 string had become with those little 8$ stickers. You can easily do it on your guitar as well! I have these stickers on all of my guitars – and unless you look from inches away – it looks 100% legit – like the real inlays that usually come only on very expensive models.

Read more right here in one of the most popular articles that you guys like to read in Guitar Songs Masters: 9 Ways To Customize Your Own Guitar.

customize your guitar custom sm
Click to read more about customizing your guitar.

My Favorite Guitar Pedal – Boss RC-1 LOOP Pedal

I just love this red boy – loop pedals make you a better guitar player and they are massive fun as well! How? I wrote all about it right here.

Read inside about some of the very neat things you can do with a loop pedal.

My Favorite Metronome: Seiko SQ50-V

Are you also feeling that your sense of rhythm is a bit “off” and your playing isn’t really “stable” – like how pros sound? This feeling usually becomes much worse when you jam with others.

The turning point for me with saying goodbye to those feelings was when I started practicing with a metronome often. And the only way to really do it in my opinion is to have a physical metronome that’s just waiting for you at an arm’s reach right there – where you practice your guitar. I found out that I use it a lot more than the metronome phone app simply because it’s much more intuitive to use.

By the way – a super important fact about the metronome and about music in general – if you wanna play anything well – start SLOW! (around 40-50bpm) Really get to taste every note – and only then slowly pick up the tempo.

My Favorite Guitar Strap – Levy’s Straps

This Canadian manufacturer has been my favorite now for a long time. While straps are less of a big deal, I just try to avoid the super cheap straps because it’s rare that they feel good, and it’s important for me to have a comfortable and solid physical connection to the guitar when I am standing. So I invested 20 bucks in this beautiful strap at Guitar Center and since then I have been enjoying the high quality and cool looks.

They have a great selection of straps in sweet designs and from various materials including some fine leathers if that’s your thing. I also had good experience with Planet Waves straps.

My Levy's serves me very well and feels as good as a strap can feel.
The Levy’s have a soft, high quality feeling on the body.

My Favorite Electric Guitar Cables – Planet Waves

Tired of messing around with hissing, misconnections, and other annoying guitar cable trouble that we see too often? I already forgot about all of those 4 years ago, when I decided once and for all to spend a bit more money and got some good quality cables from Planet Waves for a little over 20$.

No problems whatsoever since then and I’ve never looked back on cheap cables again. Our music time is too precious to spend on getting pissed off with terrible cables.

When I googled the Planet Waves cables now I just saw and remembered that they are even guaranteed for life which is a pretty uncommon thing for companies to offer today. Nice.

My Favorite Tuner – So-There Clip on Tuner

Sometimes the beloved tuner on your smartphone is struggling to get the job done – for example when you are in a jam and there are other musicians around you, or in any other noisy environment.

That’s when the physical tuners kick in – because they attach to your headstock and work on sound vibrations, so noise does not bother them.

I have two faves here. My affordable choice is the So-There tuner, which sells for around 20$. But – If you’re ready to spend a bit more for extra comfort and speed, the Polytune tuner (~50$) is famous for letting you strum all 6 strings at once and telling you simultaneously which ones aren’t in tune – which makes it very easy to tune “on the fly” without having to play the strings one by one.

The most comfortable option, of course, is to just get a guitar that has a built-in tuner like the Washburn acoustic that I play, but unfortunately, these aren’t too common, so So-There’s are a good way to go.

My Favorite Floor Guitar Stands – Quik Lok

You need to find a trustable stand, since I have seen many that barely hold a guitar and can easily crush your baby if someone passes by and gives them a small push, so be careful here. I have had very good experience with the Quik Lok brand, both for acoustic and for electric (the stand is a bit different between acoustics and electrics so pay attention what with your order).

They are sturdy, feel good, and fold into a flat shape when you don’t need them. Trustworthy and highly recommended. If you can drill holes in your apartment / house walls though, so you might want to consider the next option below.

best guitar accessories standing hangers
Quik Lok stands have been doing a good job here since 2011 and will give your room a nice touch of music.

My Favorite Guitar Wall Hangers – 4 Bolt Adjustable Hangers

Be careful with the ones that only have one or two bolts. I have had these exact four bolt ones for a couple of years and I am delighted every morning when I wake up and see my guitars shining on the wall. They feel solid and they hold the guitar steadily without doing it any harm.

It’s by far my favorite way to display my guitars and it makes for a wonderful music room look.

If you can drill some holes, hangers are a very cool option to display your guitars!
If you can drill some holes, hangers are a very cool option to display your guitars!

My Favorite Music Stand – Gearlux MS100

If you are using printed songbooks (or even if you are usually reading your chord sheets from an tablet) – a music stand will be a welcomed addition to your life – since it will enable you to stop playing with your head tilted down to a table below you. It’s one of those small things that simply make your life better.

If you already tried a couple of music stands, you know that often they feel like they are about to break, and anything more than a couple of A4 pages might make them lose balance. Not with this one, which is a heavy duty stand that won’t let you down. Its downside is that it’s heavier, so if you carry it outside often (and not using heavy songbooks) – you might want to get a lighter one.

My Favorite Camera – Nikon D5300

When it comes down to taking memories from cool jams I am going to and filming short movies or YouTube covers in really high quality, I just know that whenever I bring my Nikon around to a music get-together – some really cool music pictures are going to come out of it. This principle obviously works with any other DSLR or good camera, I just happen to be a Nikon fan. I throw it in the bag with the 18-140mm lens and I am good to go.

Most of the pictures you’ll see on Guitar Songs Masters were taken with my Nikon.

A high quality camera lets you take some spectacular photos that turn into beautiful memories from your musical journeys
The Nikon and my Hagstrom guitar. A high-quality  camera lets you take some spectacular photos and keep the memories from your musical journeys in a beautiful form
Taken with my Nikon
Taken with my Nikon
thalia-capo-review-4
Same…

Hope you found those things helpful. What are YOUR favorite accessories? Please tell us in the comments below, we might all find some more good stuff and help even more people out there have a good time.

Peace! Cooper.


The Ultimate Guitar Songbook (110+ of the Most Fun to Play Songs)

I hope this list has given you some ideas, and if you want to have another bunch of awesome songs in a fancy PDF form (many of them also appear on the list above), feel free to download the songbook in this link.

You” find more details about the songbook underneath the two pictures (and don’t worry, there’s a lot more to it than Wonderwall and Hallelujah, you’d be delighted)

Songs by a Huge Variety of Artists: Including classics by The Beatles, Bob Marley, Oasis, Ed Sheeran, Rolling Stones, Outkast, Eagles, Pink Floyd, Jason Mraz, Eric Clapton and countless others.

  • PRINTABLE: (see the example picture below) For a few bucks you can get the book printed and bound at your local office equipment store. This way – you can always easily come up with a fun song to play in any situation. 
  • The Relevant Chords Diagrams are Attached to Each One of the Songs: This makes the book very easy to learn with – especially in challenging songs.

The Ultimate Guitar Songbook (110+ of the Most Fun to Play Songs) – LINK

Alon Cooper

Alon Cooper

Hey! I'm Cooper, and I hope I can be a helpful friend on your musical journeys. I'm a music artist based in Austin & Amsterdam, playing venues with a band / solo, and trying to learn with the most inspiring musicians wherever I go. In the last 8 years I've lived in Australia, northern Europe, the US and more.

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The Guitar Campfire Songbook

I hope this list has given you some great ideas, and if you want to have another bunch of song ideas in a fancy PDF songbook form, then feel free to download the songbook in this link.

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