Top 10 Guitar Gift Ideas | 2009

Christmas season is right around the corner, and you're looking for great gift ideas. We're here to help!

We only recommend quality equipment. Sometimes a mass-produced piece of guitar equipment is a great value, and sometimes boutique or vintage is the route to go for that top-of-the-line tone. Either way, the result will be a quality guitar gift for your friend or family member. Without further adieu...

10. Trailer Trash Pedalboard

Trailer Trash pedalboards are some of the coolest looking, and usable guitar pedalboards around. Their lightweight aluminum frame is pitched at an angle, making it easy to access multiple rows of pedals. There is also a center compartment allowing for storage of a power unit, cables, etc. This is great guitar gift idea to help a guitarist upgrade his pedalboard.

9. Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2

The Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 is the industry standard when it comes to powering guitar pedals on a pedalboard. This high of quality results in a much lower noise floor with it's isolated power, and it is capable of powering larger Line 6, Digitech, Boss, and other power-hogging multi-effects pedals. There's also a couple power channels with sag control, allowing you to reduce the power sent to a wah or fuzz pedal...mimicking classic vintage tones. This is an under-appreciated tool that will improve a guitarists setup, and a great guitar gift idea since most guitarists don't want to spend the money on an assumed unnecessary upgrade. They'll thank you for it later.

8. Peterson Strobe Tuner

The tuner is another item often the overlooked on the guitarist's pedalboard. The Peterson Strobe Tuner is one of the most heralded tuners for tuning accuracy. It is also true bypass, and can daisy chain its AC power to power other guitar effects. Being in tune is the best effect. A fantastic guitar gift idea.

7. RMC Picture Wah

This is the staple boutique wah pedal. If your guitarist craves that cream-of-the-crop vintage quack, get him/her this pedal. The internal trimpots allow for output/resonance control, and the pedal is true bypass. One of the best guitar gift ideas for a guitarist that wants to get funky.

6. Boomerang Phrase Sampler/Looper

The boomerang phrase sampler is the easiest-to-use guitar looping pedal on the market. Several different models have been made over the years, with increased features, but any of them will bring out the full creativity of a guitarist. Simply plug an electric guitar into the looper like any other guitar effect pedal, and then connect the Boomerang to a guitar amp. Whoala! One man band. Well, minus the drums, bass, etc. Loopers are very helpful with songwriting, and can also be used live on stage.

5. Anything Mutron!

Mutron effects set the standard in the 1970s for warm, funky, and swirly guitar effects tones. The original Mutron III provides arguably the most classic auto-wah/envelope filter tone available. The various phasers offer some spacey, warm tones for most any music And the Volume/Wah is a hidden gem in the vintage market. Anything Mutron is a great guitar gift.

4. Lovepedal Eternity

The Lovepedal Eternity has become a modern classic. Famously known for it's uncompressed, strong overdrive tones, this overdrive pedal can kick major ass as either a rhythm or a lead tone pedal. The features are simple, but the unbeatable tone, classic casing and true bypass make it a real winner of a guitar gift.

3. Empress Superdelay

The Empress Superdelay has been one of the hottest delay pedals on the market for a while now. Boasting some of the most in-depth control of any delay pedal on the market, the Superdelay will keep guitarists busy for hours. Good luck bringing them back from the trance they'll be in for hours getting lost in this pedal. A fantastic guitar gift idea for U2 lovers, psychedelic musicians, and general experimentalists.

2. Effectrode Tube Vibe

The Effectrode Tube Vibe is another lesser-played guitar effect. Not found in many stores in the US, this pedal has one of the warmest vibe tones ever heard (subjective, of course). The classic vintage vibe tone is there, although a bit more subtle (to many guitarists' liking), and warms up nicely with the tube compliment. A hidden gem of a guitar gift for any uni-vibe lover.

1. Anything from Victoria Amps!

Sorry Marshall lovers, Fender amps are still the American amp of choice - and Victoria Amps produces arguably the most pleasing, and accurately vintage sounding Fender amp clones along with some more original designs. Most amps are covered in tweed tolex, and have impeccable wiring. These are amps for a life, and possibly one of the greatest guitar gifts for any serious electric guitarist.