Back To School Must Haves for Guitarists

September is here, so we all know what that means... back to school! Make sure you're ready to go back to school with Normans, giving you all the essential accessories for guitar players. Check out our list of Guitar must haves for the new academic year - Case / Bag The first thing I would think about is making sure I have a suitable case to transport my guitar around as I wouldn't want it to be damaged taking it to and from school. We sell a variety of cases ranging from cheaper, less protective cases like the Stagg STB-1, heavily padded cases like the Rocket Padded Case or even hard cases like the Stagg ABS. I would recommend a decently padded case as this will offer more protection. The thinner cases are more of a cover than a case, and won't offer much protection if you were to bang or drop your guitar. I would think about the journeys you need to make and then judge from that what you need. I used to carry my guitar in a heavy hard case to and from University, which was around a 3-mile round trip most days. I did this for protection, but it wasn't half heavy and painful some days! Strings I would always carry a spare set of strings around with me (or 2) because you never know when you might snap a string and need to replace it and it is extremely frustrating if you don't have any. We have a variety of different strings here at Normans. I would personally recommend the Augustine strings for the Classical Guitar, Ernie Ball Regular Slinky for the electric and Martin light strings for the acoustic. However, these are my recommendations, so feel free to browse our full range. Tuner A tuner is also essential when it comes to guitar as you are always going to want to play in tune. We sell a great range of clip-on tuners, like the RT10BK, or a more traditional tuner like the Korg GA-1. I find clip-on tuners great, especially for classical and steel strung acoustic guitars. Cable If you are playing electric or electro-acoustic guitar then it is wise to have a lead and a spare lead in case, for some reason, the one you normally use doesn't work. I would recommend the Rocket jack to jack, as this a relatively cheap cable, but offers robustness and good quality. Cleaning Going back to school with a grubby looking guitar is not cool. Make sure you use lemon oil and a polishing cloth to clean you guitar so it looks beautiful; the way it should always be. Plectrums Finally, if you aren't playing finger-style guitar then you will want to have some spare plectrums, as they always seem to vanish (well they do for me!!). We sell these individually or in packs, so I would recommend having a few spare in your case and on yourself at all times! All of these things will make sure you have a hassle-free start back at school, allowing you to really knuckle down and focus on your playing. If you have any questions or would like any advice then please contact me: jack@normans.co.uk Thanks.