Musicians Holiday Gift Guide 2023
Looking for a holiday gift for the musician in your family? Look no further! The SBHGG is back to help you filter the noise and get the most band for your buck, in exchange you only have to sit through a few more terrible puns. Shopping for instruments can be daunting, not only are they expensive but finding the right fit can be quite personal. This is why it’s always best to shop local and try things out in person when you can. If you’re looking to maximize the element of surprise, there are of course some go-to items we recommend; things we use ourselves, things our students have had success with, and things we feel are the right combination of price and quality.
Outside of upgrading their main instrument, there are tons of accessories that can expand your favorite musician's palette. Sometimes, the right 'piece of kit,' as they say across the pond, can inspire new interests, spur practicing, and broaden their musical horizons. Or, in the case of a music stand, it can just keep them from playing guitar sitting on the floor. Of course, the best gift of all is sharing music with the ones we love. PS - check out these great Squirrel Hill merchants this holiday season.
OK here we go!
Instruments
While a shiny tuba always makes quite an impact, we’re going to limit this to guitars, basses, keyboards, and drum sets, because these are the only things we know here at Sunburst. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for the vocalist in your family… The shiniest gift you can get them would be 12 hours of sleep per night in 50% relative humidity. (or check out the recording stuff!)
Instruments for Child Beginners
In general with child beginners, there are two important factors: what it looks like, and is it discouragingly hard to play. A great instrument will hit on both and be enticing and forgiving at the same time. Here are our recommendations:
Electric Guitar - Squire Mini - $189 at Pianos N Stuff
This is a classic and is perfectly proportioned for a 6-8-year-old. It doesn’t tune all that well, but that’s more of a problem for the listener. Don’t forget the amp! (link to amps article)
Acoustic Guitar - Yamaha JR1 - $139 at Pianos N Stuff
A surprisingly solid and playable instrument for the price. We had some for the kids to play but the teachers kept wanting to play them so we had to get more.
Piano - Melodica - $39 at Pianos N Stuff
We recommend that even young beginners taking lessons play on a real piano or weighted key digital like the one below. But how about a tiny air powered piano for them to play non-stop all around the house and drive you crazy with?
Drums - Ludwig Pocket Kit - $349 at Pianos N Stuff
Ah to be the parent of a young drummer. We do recommend most of the time that kids go straight to a full kit instead of starting on just one drum so they can get their legs working too! Sound an issue? Try mesh drum heads and perforated cymbals. We have a sample kit set up like this, so if you’re interested, ask to see it the next time you come by!
Instruments for Teens and Adults
Electric Guitar - Used Mexican Stratocaster - ~$450 Used (see below).
The used Mexican Strat, ideally from the ’90s or early 2000s, is one of the best values in music. In many cases, there are few, if any, noticeable differences between these and the American counterparts which start in the $800 range. A big step up from a Squire in terms of tone, playability, and construction.
Here’s a recent example I found, who’ll get it first?? 👉
Piano - Yamaha P45 - $449 at Pianos N Stuff
Yamaha (as it does for so many other things) has a knack for threading the value needle between price and quality. The Yamaha P45 is a great mid-priced board that would make sense for students and professionals alike in certain contexts. We have a few of these at the school and they’ve outperformed ones by other brands in the same price range.
Another consideration for Piano is, you know, a piano! See below on buying used.
Drums - Tama Imperialstar - $899 at Pianos N Stuff
This is a great entry-level kit and includes all of the cymbals, stands, and seats that you need. With drums especially, it’s good to scope the used market, there are plenty of great kits out there currently serving as towel racks alongside the elliptical.
For advanced drummers, recording enthusiasts, vintage anything collectors, etc. There’s a sweet vintage drum shop above Hollowood Music in Mckees Rocks –
Hawthorne Drum Shop
More Gifts
1,2,3 Play Drums by Kevin Lynch - Buy it on Amazon or stop in for your copy at Sunburst!
Drummer Isolation Headphones - A combination of protective muffs and headphones lets drummers hear clearly the track or metronome while practicing.
A Synth - Inarguably the most important musical instrument of the last 40 years, and not just for keyboardists! This topic is a little beyond the scope of this guide so we’re linking to the experts at Perfect Circuit to recommend your first synth.
A Music Stand - While not quite the shiny pony of their dreams, don’t underestimate the value of getting musicians to stop reading off of a piece of paper that’s next to them on the couch. Look for a sturdy bass and wide opaque top (no fold-away stands). See our “Practice Practicing” article for the low down. The Manhasset rules - $75 at Johnstonbaughs
Effects Pedals - Guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, and anyone else who plans to be coming through at line level will eventually find themselves collecting a bevy of these fun little toys. If you could only have one, I think a delay pedal like the BOSS DD8 would be a good place to start - $189 at Pianos N Stuff
Sunburst Gift Cards - Redeemable for lessons, group programs, guitar setups, t-shirts, and summer camps! A no-brainer.
A PA system - Are you the parent of a teen that plays music? Can you smell a rock band brewing? If (a big if) you want to create an ideal environment for one, the perfect storm of angst if you will, be the house with the PA system. The Yamaha StagePas sounds great and is a good deal. Don’t point the mic at the speakers.
Recording Kit - PreSonus AudioBox 96 Studio - $199 at Pianos N Stuff - For anyone looking to dip a toe into recording or songwriting, you need a way to get the sounds out of your hard and into the computer so you can put them on Spotify and become very famous. A kit like this has everything you need to record and produce tracks. For software, we do recommend that you try out something like Garageband (free on macs), Logic Pro, or Ableton Live (see below) instead of the bundled software that comes with this one (Studio One).
Ableton Live - Ableton Live 11 Intro - $79 - For creative music recording, pop, hip hop or EDM production, or just all-around audio fun we love Ableton! It’s a great combination of powerful and affordable making it a go-to tool for beginners and pros alike. It’s what many of our students use in Music Production Lessons at Sunburst (hint hint).
Buying Used Instruments
Like dogs but unlike parachutes, and groceries used musical instruments are often the sound economical and environmental choice, and in some cases, they are better than their new counterparts. Particularly wooden instruments such as guitars, basses, drums, and pianos can grow finer with age (if cared for). Another reason to buy used is to stretch your budget. By spending the same amount of money you can end up with a finer, ultimately longer-lasting instrument.
Sources
Facebook, Craigslist - Facebook has little by little taken over the local stuff marketplace game, although OG Craigslist is still pretty good for instruments. Things will show up at way below market value and people act quickly. The other advantage to these is that because they are local you can go and inspect instruments in person, just be sure to read up on how to do this safely.
Local Music Stores Used Section - Pianos N Stuff , Music Go Round , Hollowood and a few other stores have decent used sections. Although if you’re looking for anything specific the odds are pretty slim.
Reverb - Reverb is an online marketplace for musicians and is a great site with great customer service. There’s always a huge selection from dealers and owners alike, as well as some one-of-a-kind items. While it’s harder to find a total steal here, this is still a great starting point online.
Guitar Center Used - I can’t believe I’m saying this, but hear me out. No, please don’t go to Guitar Center. However, if there’s one good thing about GC it’s that across the country folks are selling their instruments at their local chain and ALL of that inventory can be searched up and purchased online. This makes it a great place to go when you’re looking for something used that is super specific, such as the same PA system from above for ½ the $ .
What to look for (or ask about if you’re online):
Guitars/Basses - Eyeball down the length of the neck from the top to make sure it doesn’t twist left or right. Examine the distance between strings and frets at the 12th fret (should be less than ¼”). Play every note and make sure that they all make sound. Check for cracks. For acoustic guitars, check that the bridge is securely glued to the top and is not beginning to crack or peel up, and also that on the back of the guitar the neck is securely glued to the body and not beginning to come away.
If you buy a used guitar, be sure to bring it to us for a setup ASAP! Our team will be happy to make sure it’s good to go so that you can get to work on your playing.
Keyboards - With the keyboards, it’s all about the keys themselves. Are they all present? Do they all have the same action? Do they all make sound? Do any of them stick or click? Also as with any piece of electronic gear, does it power on?
If you want to have some 1800’s style family fun, look on Facebook for an upright or spinet piano that looks like it has intact keys. They should be priced to move or maybe even free. Then call this dude to move it, get it tuned (ask us for a rec!) and you’ve checked off your instrument and furniture shopping in one go, all for around the price of a good digital.
Drums -
If you're buying used drum kits, make sure to ask the seller if any stands and cymbals are included (and anything else pictured for that matter: throne, sticks, pedals, mics, etc.). Also, a fresh set of drum heads can make any kit sound great.
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