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What’s new at Zystrix? Read on… October 28, 2024 Happy Halloween. I don’t mean to scare you, but today we’re studying Essential Guitar Accessories. It’s what I’d call an easy day for most of us, and thank goodness there’s no homework. So sit back and relax. Welcome to Zystrix, the heartbeat of the universe. Where creativity and free- thinking have more value than conformity. Background Artwork The colorful artwork that surrounds the edges of this website is invisible to many cell phone users. It’s included here for your enjoyment. Multiple copies are tiled together for a cohesive and seamless background seen all around this page. Enjoy. Introduction to Guitar Accessories So you bought an electric guitar. Excellent. And you practice on a regular basis. Rock on, that makes you a guitarist. Welcome to the club. Now it’s time to cover the extras you’ll likely need for practice, jamming, and gigging. But what to get, and in what order? Fear not, we’re friendly here, and you came to the right place. We’ll assume you own an amplifier (you do own one, right?) Most of this stuff is probably review for many old-timer guitarists, so be patient for those of us here who need a few fresh ideas. So without further ado, this is the official list of... Essential Guitar Accessories Guitar Case Aside from a guitar being the main mandatory piece of gear for the guitarist (no borrowing of guitars, please) a guitar case has to be the number one item to have. And I feel a good case could be made to own a good case. And a case can hold a lot of the smaller items listed below (like strings, picks, head-stock tuner, wrist saver, wipe cloth, string muter, etc). Cases come in all shapes and sizes and materials. Hard cases are the best, but even if you can only spring for a cloth or leather guitar gig bag, get one. Extra Guitar Strings Always, always, always have a spare set of stings. Just when the jam session is getting hot and, SPOINK, a string breaks. “Oh damn, I don’t have any extra strings. I guess the gig’s over, fellas.” If you gig regularly then change your strings regularly. If it’s just a rehearsal I don’t mind using older strings, but at a gig it’s crucial to have strings stretched, worn in, and ready to go. There are many different types and thickness of strings, so experiment to find what you like, and have your guitar setup to use them. The good folks at Dean Markley used to give me their Cryogenic 9 through 42 gauge and they worked out perfectly. And new strings feel so good to play. Ahhh. Extra Guitar Picks (pick holder optional) Depending on what style of guitar player you are, spare flat-picks (or others like a thumb pick or fingerpicks, etc) is another nice thing to have. So get extras in case you lose yours, because picks are so-o-o-o-o easy to lose. And I suggest getting picks in lighter colors because when the stage is dark and so is your pick, well, good luck finding it. And try them all to find that perfect shape and thickness for you. I usually get a pack of Fender white extra heavy, but that’s just me. Discover your favorite pick and get a bunch. And some people recommend a pick holder. I don’t because instead of losing only one pick at a time, now I’ve lost a whole stack of them. I usually keep picks in a few different pockets (and a few in my guitar case and the back of my amp) so one is always available. I also wear one of my favorite picks on a necklace under my shirt just to be secretly stylish. Guitar Strap (preferably with locks) A guitar strap is essential, especially if you play rock or metal. Oh sure, a person could play while seated, but the audience may think you’re a slacker. Save that part of your show for the old folks home circuit tour. A good strap is comfortable, maybe even a fashion statement, and helps evenly distribute the weight of the guitar. And when you’re practicing while seated it helps keep the guitar in a consistent position. And don’t forget to purchase strap locks to keep the guitar on the strap. If you have several guitars then buy all the same strap locks so the straps can be interchangeable. I’ve dropped and broken guitars because of no strap locks (and getting shocked from ground problems), so keep your guitar(s) safe and use strap locks. It’s a pay- once insurance policy to protect your guitar. They’re easy to install, convenient, and your strap comes off when needed and not by accident. Cables The long and short of it If you bought a guitar and amplifier together chances are good you also got a cable thrown in on the deal. That’s how you plugged your guitar into the amp. But an extra cable (or more) of the best quality you can afford is a must-have. I look for heavy cables with re-usable ends that can eventually be repaired or cut off and re-soldered onto a different cable. Save the ends and salvageable parts for building future cables. I also look for a cable that can take being stepped on repeatedly or jerked hard when you’ve reached the distance limit. And I always save any old guitar cable that doesn’t work because I cut it up to make shorter jumper cables for guitar pedals and so on. A 20 foot (about 6 meters) cable length is usually good enough. With a high impedance guitar output your cable length is somewhat limited because you’ll lose high frequencies. Buy the best quality you can, however price is not always an indicator of quality. There are some great cables out there for a good price. Also, if you run into a situation that calls for extra cable length simply hook a coupling onto two cables. A coupling connector is another nice thing to have in your guitar gig-bag of tricks. Swithcraft makes a good and solidly built coupling. Don’t buy a cable that’s any longer than you need, always buy the best-quality cable you can, and never use them for simply hanging around like these people. String Winder (wrist saver) and side cutters I usually keep one in my guitar tool kit and one in my guitar case. I call them wrist-savers but they are usually called a string winder. And they really do save your wrist from wearing out while winding on a string. This device is a thing that goes onto the tuner peg (key or knob) so it’s easy to turn it quickly and wind a string onto the tuner post in no time. Voila, instant success! Then it’s just a simple matter of fine tuning the string(s). And a wrist-saver makes changing all the strings a much faster and easier task. After you change strings a time or two without one you’ll be glad you bought one. Then you take your side cutters (save money and get them from Harbor Freight) from your tool kit and cut off all the loose string ends at the tuning peg. I usually leave the thinnest string long so I can quickly use it to test for ground problems before the gig. I really hate discovering stray electricity via my mouth on the microphone. ZAP! YE-OUCH! Guitar Tuner “I don’t understand why it sounds so horrible, my guitar was in tune when I bought it.” Yes, guitars go out of tune, and if your ear isn’t good enough yet to remember what an A natural sounds like, then a tuner will make that job much easier. There are floor pedal models, headstock models, and desk models, and even a tuning fork. Playing in tune is a great way to perform. Guitar Stand You don’t have to love your guitar, but show it a little respect when you get home – use a guitar stand. Your guitar will take up less floor space, it looks better and more professional, and it will be less prone to nicks, scratches and breaking if gravity takes over from improper leaning of the guitar. And there’s always some drunken dope who thinks guitars are indestructible if they step on them. Don’t let that happen to you. The days of leaning your guitar up against your cabinet, standing it in a corner, or laying it on the floor (in a closed case standing on the edge, please) are over. Get a guitar stand. Fingerease Guitar String Lubricant Back in the days before I discovered Fingerease I’d have to play my guitar for a while until my hand got sweaty enough to give a little bit of smoothness and lubrication on the neck. And the cold months were even worse. Then years later I found Fingerease in a mom-and-pop music store and the wait for smoothness was over. I laughed, I cried, I lost 10 lbs. Fingerease is like a beloved always-on guitar pedal; it’s something you didn’t know you needed until you tried it. Now my fretboard hand doesn’t have to work so hard, and we don’t have so many arguments. Try some Figerease and see for yourself. String Muter I never use a string muter. I hate them. I like a raw guitar with old fashion attitude. Give me a squeaky bass drum pedal, a rattling bass cabinet, and a noisy crackling high-gain guitar that occasionally gets the local radio station. I use a noise gate pedal and let it handle most of those duties anyway. Besides, sometimes I scratch or strum the strings above the nut ala Blind Willie McTell just to demonstrate I know there’s guitar sound found there too. However, many guitarists don’t appreciate my rough-and- tumble approach, and they mute their stings above the nut so the music breaks are pristine quiet. And this guitar trick doesn’t have to cost much, if at all. A piece of foam, a hair tie, a workout wristband, or an old (or fancy new) sock will all easily accomplish this task. And don’t forget some foam to damp the springs in the back off your guitar, that is, if you have a whang or vibrato bar installed. There are commercially available fret wraps or string muters available, but homemade works just as good at a fraction of the cost. And it doesn’t have to to be elegant or regal, it just has to work. And your homemade version can also become your personal fashion statement. Guitar Accessories Honorable Mention These guitar things are not mandatory, but they are nice to have. Guitar Pedals Guitar pedals are made for distortion, amp overdrive, compression, time base effects including flanger, chorus, delay, reverb, and other effects. Pedals give more options in your sound assortment besides the usual from the amplifier like clean and dirty. Headphone Amp and/or Micro Guitar Amp If your setup or rig does not have headphone capability then it’s nice to have a small practice amp with a headphone output. And if your practice headphone amp also works as a micro guitar amplifier then you just killed two birds with one stone. Yay! Practice in private with confidence. Guitar Wall Mount Hanger They help de-clutter the floor if you own more than one guitar, and they also make the area look more like a musical playground. Tool Kit Although there are pricey commercial ones available, this is something that can be inexpensively pieced together from Harbor Freight. You’ll need all the tools to adjust your guitar: small adjustable wrench (for tuning pegs), allen wrench(s) (saddle adjustment at the bridge), side cutters (string trimming), and a small philips screwdriver (plate removal). Slide This tool is generally inexpensive and easy to experiment with, a slide can be quite expressive. They are usually made of glass or metal. I prefer the metal (like a deep chrome ratchet socket that your finger will fit inside) because of the solid smooth singing quality. Get one at Harbor Freight and save money. Capo If you are not good at changing keys (or maybe you enjoy folk or country music) then a capo makes the job very quick and easy. The ones that have a handle that is squeezed to quickly clamp down for a fast fret change are the ones I prefer. Adjustable Guitar Foot Rest Sometimes getting the guitar up a little bit on your leg is helpful, especially an acoustic guitar or one with a waist. Although if you play a V type guitar then having this accessory has negligible helpfulness. Guitar Essentials Conclusion I hope all these guitar essentials and non- essentials have given you some ideas for your future guitar playing adventures. Experiment around, try something new. Find the ones that fit your style and your guitar playing the best. For great ideas on which ones may be the most helpful simply check out what gear your favorite guitarists are using. Then filter that through your own musical values, and the must-have guitar tools are easier to choose. Don’t touch that dial… Stay tuned next time… Don’t forget to set your clocks behind one hour on November 3rd. And don’t forget to vote (USA) for the next president on November 5th. And please don’t forget to thank a veteran for their service on November 11th for Veteran’s Day (USA). Maybe I’ll see you next time. Vampires are not real, unless you Count Dracula. Knowledge, art, and music for all.

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