There's a whole host of additional accessories you can buy for your guitar - some are required whereas some are completely optional.
This page will discuss everything you need to know about them.
Guitar Pick - There's a lot of choices when it comes to guitar picks.
Not only through different brands, but also shapes and sizes.
A popular brand is Dunlop Tortex whose picks come in a variety of colours depending on the thickness of the pick.
I use the green ones which are about 0.
88mm thick.
I find them to be thick enough to enable me to pick notes cleanly but also give me a good sound when strumming.
The best way to find a pick which suits your needs is to go out and buy a few.
You can grab a pack of 10-12 picks for around $2 or if you prefer you can buy them singular and mix and match.
Tuner - Used to help when tuning your guitar.
Make and models of tuners can vary however they are generally very similar and work in the same manner.
The main differences are that some require you to plug your guitar into the tuner where as others allow you to play into a small speaker within the tuner and therefore eliminated the need for cables.
You can get a basic tuner for around $20 which will make tuning your guitar a complete ease! Guitar Strap - This is just a strip of material that goes over your should when playing guitar.
When seated it's not a complete necessity however it may come in useful if the guitar to were ever slip from your lap.
On electric guitars, the strap using fastens to either side of the body, on acoustics the strap usual fastens at one end of the body and then at the top of the neck.
When standing the strap goes over your shoulder, you can adjust the length of the strap to move the guitar higher or lower up your body.
Straps can be made from different material so it's best to shop around and see what is comfortable for you.
Basic straps are relatively cheap at about $10 - $15.
Additional Strings - While this isn't a must, it's always good to have a set of strings at the ready.
There's nothing worse than a string breaking one evening and you can't get a new set because all the shops are closed! Capo - This is basically a plastic or metal clamp which fastens round the neck of your guitar.
It fastens tight enough that it can hold down all 6 strings for you on any fret you place it.
The reason behind this is that it can make certain chords easier to play and also opens up all sorts of new sounds.
Capos vary in price depending on if they are plastic or metal and also the way in which they fasten to the neck.
Cheaper capos will usually be made from plastic and material and will probably cost less than $20.
Cables - When playing electric guitar you will need cables to link from your guitar to your amplifier.
When starting out, different makes of cables will be of little importance as they generally have no real effect on the sound produced (it's just a way of getting the signal from your guitar to you're amp) However, cables can come in all sorts of lengths so you may need to think about how far away you will be from your amplifier.
Short cables can also be bought to link together different effects pedals and effects boards.
String Winders - Helps to unwind the machine head which holds the string in place.
This can be done manually so a string winder is not really required in all cases, however it can make changing the strings a little quicker.
Wire Cutters - These are used when removing old strings from the guitar and make the job a lot easier to do.
They can be found at almost any hardware store and will cost around $10.
00 for a basic set.