5 Essential Guitar Accessories Every Beginner Guitarist Needs | Guitars Limited

So you've got your new six-string pride and joy all shiny out of the box, and you know you've got the bug. Congratulations on starting your guitar journey!

But here's the thing – getting your guitar is just the beginning. To truly bring out the guitarist that is within you, there are a few essential accessories that will make your playing experience easier, and more enjoyable from day one.

Let's discuss the 5 must-have accessories every beginner guitarist should own, and why they're worth investing in right now.

1. Guitar Plectrums (Guitar Picks) and Guitar Thumbpicks

You should always have guitar picks and a guitar thumbpick or two lying around. I didn't when I started out - in those days you would have to make a trip to the guitar shop to buy guitar picks.

So whilst this meant I developed a good fingerpicking / fingerstyle technique, I realised that my playing was limited, as this was the only way I could play. Now of course, the internet enables delivery to your door, even for a few guitar picks.

What you need: Different guitar pick thicknesses and different materials will give you different overall sounds – thin picks for easier strumming and shimmery sounding chords, medium thickness for versatility, and thick for lead playing and precision. A Thumb pick will enable you to explore 'Travis Picking' with clear strong bass notes with an alternative thumb technique.

Different materials will help you give you a different 'attack' (the start of the note) from a 'fast/sharp' attack to 'slower/soft' attack and will give you more options on general volume and tone.

Browse our guitar picks and plectrums collection.

2. A Guitar Strap

In your early guitar playing days, you'll probably sit with your guitar whilst you are looking at books or a tablet/phone screen - say to learn chord shapes (download our Free Guitar Chord Chart) and strumming. Of course you have to go through that phase and that was very much me, sitting studiously with my new guitar on my lap - I didn't own a guitar strap.

But, one day I passed a Busker in Liverpool and realised I'd never played standing up.

So, I got myself a guitar strap. Fortunately, by then I was confident enough with open chords to feel ok. But it was quite different to playing sitting down.

I realised that when playing sat down, I had been angling my guitar towards my face - so that I could see where my left hand fingers were on the fretboard. But when you are standing, this is pretty hard to do (without making it look obvious) as the guitar hangs off a strap so that it is facing more towards your audience than your face!

So, the sooner you get a guitar strap and practice a few minutes a day standing up, the sooner you will become comfortable with it. Your strap will also ensure that when you are sitting with your guitar - that your hands are 100% free, so they can help make music - rather than them being partly occupied holding your guitar in place.

What to look for in a guitar strap: Adjustable length (so you can sling it low and grungy, or higher up, like John Lennon), it should be at least 2 inches in width (more for heavier guitars), and have an underside that doesn't slip around on your shoulder (especially important with guitars that are a little neck-heavy and attempt to 'neck-dive' it your fretting hand isn't taking some of their weight (which isn't helpful for playing).

Some strap locks (which cost from a few quid up to around £30) should save your strap from slipping of your guitar's strap buttons. A small investment to protect your expensive guitar!

Check out our range of guitar straps in various styles and colours.

3. A Tuner

It won't matter how well you follow chord diagrams and fret those chords – if your guitar's out of tune, you just won't sound good. Staying in tune is absolutely critical, especially when you're training your ear as a beginner. Being constantly out of tune and sounding bad will definitely shorten your guitar playing career!

What should you get: Clip-on tuners are the modern, cheap, accurate, and convenient choice for home (and many gigging) guitarists these days. They clip right onto your headstock and detect vibrations, so they work perfectly even in noisy environments. Much better than the old pitch pipes we used before these handy little gadgets came along!

See our collection of clip-on guitar tuners.

4. A Capo

A capo is a device that fits across the front of your fretboard, allowing you to change the key of your guitar without learning new chord shapes (It means you can play the first open chords you learn higher up the neck in a different keys).

Why you need one: Many popular songs use a capo, and it allows you to play along with those recordings in the same key. It also makes certain chord progressions much easier to play, especially if you're still building finger strength.

A capo is also great for beginners as you can do some of your early learning further up the neck where the frets are closer together and so the stretches are not so far apart.

What to look for: Capos come in different styles and mechanisms. A Trigger capo is easiest and most affordable for beginners as there are many good inexpensive types available and they are quick and easy to use and pretty reliable.

Explore our guitar capos collection.

5. Guitar Maintenance Tools

Having a great guitar tech at your local guitar shop is important, but every guitarist needs to develop some basic guitar maintenance skills.

Changing guitar strings, cleaning your guitar and making occasional small adjustments are low-level maintenance activities that you should be handling yourself. So there are a few key tools and accessories that you will need to help you do this.

What you need:

• A String Changing Tool - Which has a string cutter, a string winder and a bridge pin puller (for acoustic guitars) all in one versatile tool
• A String Stretcher - for stretching out new strings so they stabilise quicker
• 0000 Wire Wool - to polish your frets when needed at string change
• Fretboard Protectors - for protecting your fretboard whilst cleaning frets with 0000 Wire Wool (see above)
• Fretboard Conditioner - to help clean and keep your fretboard moist so it doesn't crack/shrink and so its mildly lubricated
• Guitar Polish - to keep the other parts of your guitar looking good.

Find all you need in our guitar care and maintenance section.

Ready to Get Started?

These five types of accessory will set you up for success as a beginner guitarist. They're all affordable, practical, and will make your playing experience so much better from day one.

At Guitars Limited, we stock all of these essentials and more, with fast, free UK delivery and expert advice. If you don't see exactly what you need, just ask – we're always happy to help or order it in for you.

Any questions? Please ask.