Guitar Gig Bag Essentials: 5 Must-Have Items for Every Player
Did you forget something?
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Guitar Gig Bag Essentials: 5 Must-Have Items for Every Player · Source: PIOTR PIATROUSKI / Alamy Stock Photo
Gig bag essentials are the lifeline to your on-the-move setup. This guide will ensure that you are never unprepared for any guitar-based antics.
All About Gig Bag Gear
Key Information About Gig Bag Essentials:
- Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. Packing the essential items, such as spare strings and capos, will ensure that you’re ready for any situation.
- Go beyond your guitar tech. Consider extra items such as tools, strap locks and cleaning cloths. These will make a big difference to your overall instrument care.
- Stay organised. A regularly well-stocked gig bag will help to avoid any forgotten tools and accessories.
Tuners
First up in our look at gig bag essentials, we’re looking at guitar tuners. You could have the most expensive guitar in the world. But if it’s out of tune, it’ll sound trashy. This is easily avoidable.
What’s your poison? Clip on? Chromatic? Pedal? One of each could be good! If you’re on the road, chances are you’ve already got a pedal tuner on your board. But having an extra headstock tuner in your gig bag will never not be useful.
Personally, I’ve had tuners stolen at gigs. It’s rare, but it can happen. Therefore, I’d always keep a spare just in case your existing one runs out of battery, breaks or in rare instances, gets pinched.
Strings
Next up, strings. Without strings, your guitar is just a useless lump of wood, metal and plastic. Never go to a band practice or gig without at least one spare set of strings.
Who doesn’t love rocking out to the pentatonic scale? We’ve all been there; it’s okay. Or maybe you’re strumming just a little too hard? Accidents happen. Therefore, for the sake of your show not being ruined, just pack that extra set, eh?
I get it, strings are expensive these days. Have you ever heard of *Harley Benton Value Strings? These cheap strings make for great spares. Sure, they don’t last as long as the next premium brand, but they’re great to keep in your gig bag.
Pedals
Why would you need pedals in your gig bag? For the same reason that you’d want to carry extra strings. You never know what’s around the corner. Stomp too hard on that fuzz pedal and boom… No more fuzz.
Any guitarist in 2026 needs to be versatile when it comes to gear. Some gigs require your full pedal board setup, while others may operate a silent stage. Ideal for rehearsals or going straight into the PA system, I always like to carry a multi-effects pedal around with me.
This could be anything from a basic and budget-friendly unit, all the way to a *Quad Cortex. Simplicity is great, and they don’t take up much space. Oh, and don’t forget some spare drive pedals etc. Helping to combat breakages, or even if you don’t like a particular pedal in a particular venue.
Picks
Some players don’t even use guitar picks! But I do, and many others will too. So, do yourself a favour and grab another set of picks.
The bottom of my gig bag is littered with spare picks of all shapes and sizes. I don’t usually need them, but you never know when the time will come.
Back in 2019, I purchased a bag of 200 Dunlop 0.73mm guitar picks from a local music store that was having a closing-down sale. The salesman joked that I’d ‘never need to buy picks again!’. Do you know what? I’m still using those bright yellow picks to this day. Stock up, and you’ll be set for life.
Don’t be that guy who steals them! Buy your own…
Cables
Before we wrap up our look at gig bag essentials, we’re back to another staple of any guitar player’s setup.
I have a love-hate relationship with guitar cables. Sometimes they’ll be working fine one day, and won’t the next. In my experience, you’re better off buying premium cables rather than cheaper versions. Arguably, you can hear the difference in a good quality cable, but that’s for you to decide.
As far as spares are concerned, I’d get hold of a medium-quality instrument cable. Because it could live in the bottom of your gig bag for years. Likewise, for patch cables, a few spares will never go amiss.
Misc
Ding ding! Bonus round. Concluding our look at guitar gig bag essentials, here are some miscellaneous bits and bops that you’ll still find useful for your setup.
Be that a cleaning cloth for post-gig cleans, or straplocks for keeping your guitar in place. These are all worth their weight in gold!
Cleaning cloths, tools, cleaner, capos, straps, straplocks,
Videos
Further Information:
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