Accessories
My loyalty to Martin Guitars runs to accessories as well. I only play Martin guitar strings on my acoustic guitars. When I want to play a high quality string, I use the SP+ (Light Gauge). The SP+ has a brightness and resonance that compliments my smaller bodied guitars. The SP+ is also coated so that the strings last longer than your typical Phosphor Bronze strings. At over $10 a pack, these strings more than justify their cost especially if you are one of those that doesn't change their strings for months at a time.
I have played several brands of Electric guitar strings over the years including Ernie Ball and GHS. Within the last couple of years I have settled on playing the D'Addario XL's (10's).The XL's are Nickel roundwound and have a bright long lasting tone. The nickel plated steel of the strings wears on the frets less than other comparable strings and give the XL's longer lasting tone with less wear. I had a D'Addario T-Shirt many years ago that stated "XL's Rock 'Till the Cows Come Home". I'll agree with that statement even if the T-Shirt with cows jamming out to headphones in a field was a little bit cheesy.
I started playing the guitar during 8th grade. In my stocking that Christmas I received a large assortment of picks. Different brands, different sizes, and different thicknesses. Since that time I have played the Fender Medium picks in the Turtle Shell color. I have played other Fender Medium picks and they just aren’t the same as the Turtle Shell picks that I have grown to love. Am I the only person out there that keeps picks in their wallet just in case?
Comfortable and stylish, Levy guitar straps come in a multitude of styles and colors. The important thing to remember about guitar straps is that whatever part of the strap comes in contact with your guitar finish must be made of leather. Other materials will destroy your finish.
For those of us that like to play in Bb, the Capo is an invaluable tool. Kyser makes several different Capo products (including "cut" Capo's) that you will be satisfied with. This is one accessory that I would call a must have, I keep one in each of my guitar cases and another one in my living room. Quality product!!!
You could spend $50 - $60 on a high performance 1/4 inch instrument cable, but I would rather spend my cash on toys that I can play with. These rubberized cables are shielded and can put up with a significant amount of abuse. Sure they don't have gold plated connectors or come in pretty colors but they are good enough for live sound and they are easy to tear fix if there is ever a problem with the connectors. Buy a couple of these for the price of the name brad version.
Sure those tall guitar stands that stand your guitar straigh up are pretty, but will they keep your baby upright if somone bumps into it? These low to the floor, foldable guitar stands are the best for keeping your guitars safe while on stage. There is enough room for the guitar to be plugges in, and the bomb proof construction will ensure that is someone leaves the door open and the wind blows that your guitar will be upright when you come back to it.
