Presents for Experienced Rock Guitarists - Part 2 - Accessories

Following on from Presents for Experienced Rock Guitarists - Part 1 - Guitars and Amplifiers, this is the second part focussing on accessories.

Strap Locks

Strap Locks are great. Can't go wrong with them, especially if there's a new guitar involved.

1. Schaller Guitar Strap Locks and Buttons (Pair) BlackGet Schaller's guitar strap locks for added security.

Picks

You can still buy a range of picks for the guitarist. The experienced guitarist will have figured out what they like using, but you can always buy a few esoteric picks to expand their experience. Try some with grooves in, dents for the thumb, different shapes. Again, you don't need to choose based on logo unless they're mad about some other guitarist.

1. Dunlop Tortex Jazz Guitar Pick Heavy 3 Dozen.The Tortex jazz guitar picks were carefully designed and manufactured to give the characteristic maximum memory and minimum wear that made the original tortoiseshell picks famous. The small size and sharp point make it the most precise plectrum on the planet.
2. Dunlop Tortex Pitch Black Standard Guitar Picks 1 Dozen .88Mm. Dunlop Tortex Pitch Black Standard Guitar Picks are carefully designed and manufactured to give the maximum memory and minimum wear that made the original tortoiseshell guitar picks famous. Dunlop Tortex guitar picks are available in a variety of gauges. One dozen Pitch Black Picks.
3. Planet Waves 10 Standard Celluloid Picks Medium Green PearlThese guitar picks from Planet Waves provide a natural feel and warm, fat tone due to their celluloid construction. One of the first polymers ever created, cellulose nitrate is made by reacting cotton fibers with nitric acid. Celluloid was substituted for natural tortoise shell picks in the early 1900s and is still one of the most popular guitar pick materials available today.
4. Wedgie Delrin EX Guitar Picks 1 Dozen Blue 1.00MMThe unique and innovative Wedgie guitar picks are designed to be so comfortable, you'll never hold a flat pick again without noticing how flat it is. The Wedgie's contoured shape allows it to be held more firmly without changing its playing feel. The Delrin EX picks are made of a special blend that ensures a clean sound and snappy release.

Straps

Straps are a good present. Go for something with a bit more flair or style that usual. Maybe get one that matches their guitar or the colour of their band clothing (they do have an image, don't they?).

1. Levy's Italian Glove Leather Guitar Strap Black 3 1/2 In. The Levy's Italian Glove Leather Guitar Strap is 2-1/2" wide and made of supple garment leather with foam padding and suede backing. A very comfortable strap, it feels like you've been using it for years the first time you put it on. And just in case you've forgotten - leather smells great! Adjustable from 44" to 53".
2. Gibson Saddle Leather Guitar Strap TanThis 2-1/2"-wide strap provides the utmost comfort with durable saddle leather. Classic looks with embossed design.
3. Perri's 2-1/2" Suede Leather Guitar Strap BurgundyMade from 100% durable, high-quality suede leather, this strap looks and feels great. Fully adjustable to a length of 52". 2-1/2" wide. Choose from different colors to suit your personal taste.
4. Levy's M7DG3 Distressed Leather Guitar Strap BlackThis distressed leather guitar strap bears a design that resembles marble. It's finished off with garment leather backing and tri-glide adjustments. Dimensions: 3" W x up to 69" L

Amp Stand

Most likely, the guitarist will be playing live on a regular basis by now. I'll assume they have a 1x12 or 2x12 combo. The problem with gigs is that the guitarist may be too close to the amplifier to hear it properly. The amp stands allow the amplifier to be off the ground, allowing the guitarist to hear themselves as well as allowing the amp to project to the audience. You may need a special stand for a 2x12 combo, or if you're lucky, then you may get away with 2 stands side-by-side depending on the stands.

1. On-Stage Stands RS7000 Tiltback Amp StandUsing the RS7000 Tiltback Amp Stand gets your amp of the floor, which gives you better onstage monitoring, better coverage for your audience, and keeps feet out of your speaker grille.A perfect choice for various stage and studio amplifier applications, the tilt-back feature will rest your gear on black velveteen rubber pads for the best grip and reinforcement of your sound. The A-frame construction makes this stand extremely secure and stable when holding equipment and gear. Non-slip rubber feet and a locking cross brace keep the stand, and your amp, firmly in place.
2. On-Stage Stands Pro Tiltback Amp StandIf your knees had ears, then maybe you'd be able to hear yourself play with your combo amp sitting on the floor. But that's not the only reason you need an On-Stage Pro Tiltback Amplifier Stand. With your combo amp up off the floor and angled towards your ear, not only can you hear yourself without having to constantly turn up and increase stage noise, your amp also has better projection to the audience. You also gain easy access to your controls. No more bending over and mooning the audience while you make adjustments. One more benefit; nobody accidentally kicks in your grill cloth or guitar speaker on a crowded stage. The strength and versatility of this stand comes from the double clutch disk that allows you to remove and rotate the support arm assembly. The solid steel double stamped 3" disk allows for a secure locking position every time! The A-Frame base with 1" square tubing construction will adjust its floor spread in order for you to get the most support under your amp. Ridged end caps keep all metal surfaces off of the ground and act as a shock absorber.

Pedals

The experienced rock guitarist has probably spent the last few years in search of the perfect tone. Pedals are a great way to change tone and every guitarist knows that and part of the fun is the experimentation. You've now got a much harder job on your hands than if they just starting out. We're now into the classics and boutique territory (not always the same thing).

Distortion Pedals

1. T-Rex Dr. Swamp Double Distortion PedalGain1 setting gives you that magnificent Mudhoney fuzz while the Gain2 setting is more like a classic British stack with tight low end response. Volume control is unity gain in the 12 o'clock position and provides up to 15dB of boost. Great for solos with enough gain to get that comfort zone with clarity.
2. Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor Overdrive PedalBy feeding sufficient juice (upwards of 300V) to its tube-based tone circuitry, this pedal gives you the real thing: a warm tube clean sound and a blistering, saturated-tube lead sound. Both are available at the press of a switch. The Tube Factor is the key to getting the hottest lead sounds from vintage amps and genuine tube tone from solid state combos. In effect, it expands any amp with an additional channel.
3. Blackstar HT Series HT-DUAL Tube Dual Distortion Guitar Effects PedalThe HT-DUAL pedal from Blackstar's HT Range of tube overdrive pedals features true high-voltage (300V) circuitry and are packed with innovations and tone. The revolutionary, patent-applied-for tone-shaping feature ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) will redefine the tonal expectations of guitarists.HT-DUAL pedal's Channel 1 has either Clean or Crunch modes so it can be used clean, as a boost or overdrive. Channel 2 gives distortion tones from super crunch right up to screaming lead. The unique switching operation will transform a single channel vintage amp into a three-channel tone machine. The ISF control takes you from British Valve' to Modern American' and anywhere in between and the no compromise speaker emulated output lets you get it all down to tape or disk.Add to this the no-compromise speaker emulated output and you have the most cost-effective way of getting real tube tones direct to disk or tape.PURE TUBE DISTORTION The HT-DUAL has high voltage tube design for true tube dynamics and feel. 2 cascaded ECC83 triode stages for gain from warm boost to screaming lead. Enhanced tone network for massive tonal flexibility with traditional passive network musicality. Patent-Applied-For ISF control allows access to infinite new sounds. Emulated output is a new benchmark design for pro direct recording sounds. High-integrity bypass for silent switching and driving long cables.

Wah

At this level, we should be looking at the boutique models and those offered by original manufacturers, but with improvements to the switch and rock mechanisms as well as to the tone

1. Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah Guitar Effects Pedal BlackThe Clyde Deluxe Wah Pedal is the updated version of a Fulltone standard. The Deluxe version of the Clyde wah has all the features that players have come to know and love about the original, but now it has a 10-step variable input level control, it's true-bypass with a bright side-viewable low-current pilot light status indicator, and it has 3 selectable modes: Wacked, Jimi, and Shaft.The Wah Pedal's 3-way mode switch and variable input control pot will let you dial in almost any type of wah sound you can imagine. All the way from classic Voodoo Chile to biting funk to down-and-dirty low-end grunt. The Fulltone Clyde Deluxe can do it all.
2. Budda BudWah Wah PedalThe Budda BudWah Wah Pedal uses a custom inductor that is voiced to produce the midrange honk of vintage wahs without the top-end harshness. At bass settings, the tone is thick and honky without losing note clarity. When accentuating the highs, a carefully selected roll-off frequency ensures the BudWah isn't piercing like many wahs. A tight and focused tone sweep produces an outstanding vocal-like quality. Circuitry features a hard-wire bypass; custom coil inductor inspired by the vintage Fasel inductor; full-ground plane board for noiseless operation; and a beefy, reliable switch.

More to come: Presents for Experienced Rock Guitarists - Part 3 - Other Pedals and Accessories