Guitars
Best gifts for bass players
A bass is long, heavy and loud, and those three facts decide every good gift for the person who owns one. Most of the right answers cost under fifty dollars.
By Sawyer V. · Published · Last updated
Buy a set of 45-100 light bass strings for about twenty-four dollars. If they live with other people, buy the Vox amPlug 3 Bass for about forty-eight instead. Those two cover most bass players in their first couple of years, and both avoid the thing that makes gifts for musicians go wrong: guessing at taste.
Everything on this page is an accessory, a book or a consumable. That is deliberate. A bass player who wants a different bass has an opinion about which one, and the most reliable gift to a player is the thing they know they need and have not got round to. Specifications below are the makers’ published figures, cited at the bottom; we have not handled these items, and our method is published in full.
Best gift for a bass player: a set of D’Addario XL Nickel 45-100 light strings (EXL170) — about $24 as of November 7, 2026, and the one thing every four-string player needs on a schedule. If they live in a flat: the Vox amPlug 3 Bass headphone amp, about $48, with three voicings, a compressor and nine rhythm patterns. If the bass has no case: a Gator GBE-BASS padded gig bag, about $30, with backpack straps and a published 46.5 inch interior. Under $25: a clip-on chromatic tuner, about $21. If their shoulder aches: a 2.5 inch neoprene strap, about $35 — the one instrument where padding beats adjustment range. Check before buying strings: four strings or five, and long scale or short scale. Those two questions decide whether a string set fits at all.
Three facts about a bass decide every gift
It is long. A standard bass is 34 inches of scale length and about 46 inches overall, which is why a guitar gig bag does not fit one and why the bag we recommend#ad publishes an interior overall length of 46.5 inches. Check that number against the instrument before buying any case.
It is heavy. Nine to ten pounds is normal, and it hangs further from the body than a guitar does. That is why a wide padded strap is a real improvement on bass and an indulgence on a beginner acoustic.
It is loud at the bottom. Low frequencies travel through floors and walls in a way a guitar’s midrange does not, so “play quietly” is not actually available to a bass player in a flat. Headphones are, which is the whole argument for a plug-in practice amp.
The one question to ask before you buy strings
Strings are the best bass gift and the easiest to get wrong, so here is the check.
Count the strings. Four is standard; five-string basses are common in worship and metal and take a different set. Then look at the size: if the bass is a Mustang, an Ibanez miKro, a Squier short-scale or a 3/4 instrument bought for a child, it is short scale and a long-scale set will not fit it — the winding ends up in the wrong place. Everything else is long scale.
With four strings and long scale confirmed, 45-100 light#ad is the gauge most beginner basses ship with, which makes it the safe choice. If you cannot confirm both facts, buy the tuner or the bag instead; there is no shame in a gift that cannot be the wrong size.
The picks
D’Addario XL Nickel EXL170#ad is nickel-plated steel over D’Addario’s hex core, made in New York, in the 45-100 light gauge. Nickel-plated steel is the middle of the road for bass tone: brighter than flatwound, less abrasive than stainless. Buy it if the bass is a long-scale four-string. Skip it if you cannot confirm that, or if the player has told you they use flats, which is a deliberate and very different choice.
The Vox amPlug 3 Bass#ad plugs into the instrument jack and feeds headphones: three bass voicings (Classic, Smooth, Funk), a compressor, nine rhythm patterns and an aux input, running up to 17 hours on two AAA cells and weighing 40 grams without them. Buy it if there is anybody else in the building. Skip it if they already own one — it is the single most-gifted bass accessory, so it is worth a quiet check. Honest note: there is no speaker, and headphones are a separate purchase.
The Gator GBE-BASS bag#ad is nylon with 10 mm of internal padding, reinforced at the headstock and bridge, with an accessory pocket and backpack straps. Gator publishes the full interior: 20.5 inch body length, 15.5 inch lower bout, 46.5 inches overall. Buy it if the bass currently travels in a car with a blanket over it. Skip it if it needs to go on an airplane, which is a flight-case problem costing several times this.
A clip-on chromatic tuner#ad reads pitch from the vibration of the headstock, so it works with a television on in the same room, and it covers every stringed instrument in the house rather than just the bass. Buy it if you want a gift under twenty-five dollars that cannot be wrong. Skip it if — nothing, honestly. The plastic clip is the part that eventually breaks, which is the only reason a second one is useful.
The Ernie Ball Neoprene Comfort strap#ad is 2.5 inches of cushioned neoprene, adjustable 46 to 54 inches, aimed by Ernie Ball at redistributing instrument weight for players with aches or chronic pain. On a nine-pound bass that is a real benefit rather than a marketing line. Buy it if the player stands up to practice or complains about their shoulder. Skip it if the player is a child: eight inches of adjustment is not much range, and a growing player can fall outside it.
The Hal Leonard Electric Bass Method, complete edition#ad is the standard first method book, and the books vein is the thing this site can measure working: readers buy books and keep them. A self-taught player who has learned twenty songs from tab and cannot read a bass line benefits more from this than from any piece of hardware here. Buy it if they are teaching themselves. Skip it if a teacher has already specified a book.
The Hercules GS414B PLUS#ad holds a bass by the neck in a yoke that closes under the instrument’s own weight, with foam at the contact points. An instrument that is easy to pick up gets played, and an instrument leaning on a wall gets knocked over. Buy it if the bass lives in the room it is played in. Skip it if floor space is the constraint — a wall hanger is the other answer, and our guitar stands page covers both.
What we left off, and why
Strap locks. The obvious fix for a bass coming off a strap button, and the metal locking kind require a pilot hole drilled into the instrument. You do not drill somebody else’s bass. Rubber strap blocks solve the same problem for a few dollars and no modification, and they are covered on our straps page.
Pedals. A bass overdrive or compressor is a lovely present for a player with a signal chain and an opinion. For a first-year player it is a box they do not know where to put, and the taste component is enormous.
Headphones. Genuinely needed alongside the amPlug, and left off because headphone preference is personal and the good ones cost more than everything else on this page. Our headphones for electronic drums page covers the closed-back options that suit practice.
A second bass. Five-string, short-scale, fretless — all real wants, all decisions the player needs to make themselves. If a bass is genuinely the plan, start at best beginner bass guitars and involve them in the choice.
Quick picks
Buy this one
A set of 45-100 light long-scale bass strings. For: any four-string bass player, because strings are a consumable and nobody replaces them before they are dead. Skip if: the bass is a five-string or a short-scale, which take different sets — check before buying.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D'Addario XL Nickel Bass Strings, 45-100 Light (EXL170)The standard 45-100 light-gauge long-scale bass set, nickel-plated steel over D'Addario's hex core, made in New York. | The consumable they will not buy themselvesThe honest floor | 9.0 | $23.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
If they live in a flat, or with other people
A headphone amp that plugs straight into the bass, with three voicings, a compressor and nine rhythm patterns. For: anybody who cannot turn an amp up after 9pm. Skip if: they already own one, which is worth asking, because it is the most-given bass gift there is.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vox amPlug 3 Bass (AP3BA)A headphone amp that plugs straight into the bass: three bass voicings, a compressor, nine rhythm patterns and an aux input, running about 17 hours on two AAA batteries. | Practicing a bass in a flat at 11pmEnough | 8.9 | $47.50 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
If the bass travels without a case
A padded gig bag with 10 mm of foam, backpack straps and a published interior that fits Jazz and Precision bodies up to 46.5 inches. For: a bass that currently rides in a car unprotected. Skip if: it already has a hard case.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gator GBE-BASS Foam Padded Bass Gig BagNylon with 10 mm of internal padding, reinforced at the headstock and bridge, with backpack straps and a published interior that fits Jazz and Precision bodies up to 46. | A bass that currently travels nakedThe honest floor | 8.7 | $29.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
Under twenty-five dollars and always welcome
A clip-on chromatic tuner that reads vibration through the headstock, so it works in a noisy room. For: anybody, including a household where somebody else has to tune the thing. Skip if: nothing — a second tuner is never wasted.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Snark clip-on chromatic tunerClips to the headstock and reads pitch from the vibration of the wood, so it works in a noisy room and an adult who plays nothing can tune the instrument in twenty seconds. | Tuning anything with stringsThe honest floor | 9.0 | $20.92 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
If their shoulder hurts after practice
A 2.5 inch cushioned neoprene strap, made for redistributing instrument weight. For: a bass, which is the one instrument where a wide padded strap is not an indulgence. Skip if: the player is a child still growing, because the padded strap adjusts across only 8 inches.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ernie Ball Neoprene Comfort Guitar Strap, Black (P04144)2. | Weight a beginner is probably not carryingWhere overspending starts | 5.6 | $34.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
If they are teaching themselves
The complete edition of the Hal Leonard Electric Bass Method, which is the book most teachers start from. For: a self-taught player plateauing on tabs from the internet. Skip if: they already have a teacher using something else.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hal Leonard Electric Bass Method, Complete EditionBooks 1, 2 and 3 of Ed Friedland's bass method, spiral-bound into 144 pages. | The one method book to ownThe honest floor | 8.0 | $19.52 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
If the bass lives leaning against a wall
A stand whose yoke closes on the neck under the instrument's own weight, with foam at every contact point. For: a bass that gets knocked over. Skip if: they want it on the wall instead, which is a different product.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hercules GS414B PLUSThe yoke closes on the neck by itself, so the guitar is locked in rather than leaning. | The stand to buy onceEnough | 8.2 | $47.89 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
The picks in full
D'Addario XL Nickel Bass Strings, 45-100 Light (EXL170)
D'AddarioBest for: The consumable they will not buy themselves
The standard 45-100 light-gauge long-scale bass set, nickel-plated steel over D'Addario's hex core, made in New York. A bass player always needs strings and almost never buys them before they are dead.
Published specifications
- Model:
- EXL170 — XL Nickel, 4-string set
- Gauges:
- .045 to .100, light
- Scale:
- Long scale (the listing's own variant label: Light — Long Scale, EXL170)
- Wrap:
- Nickel-plated steel over a hex core
- Made in:
- USA — D'Addario's New York facility, per the maker's listing
What it gets right
- 45-100 light is the default gauge almost every beginner bass ships with, so it is the safe guess
- Nickel-plated steel is the middle-of-the-road bass string tone: brighter than flats, softer than stainless
- Under twenty-five dollars, and the only gift on this page that is certain to be used up
Where it gives ground
- Long scale only — a short-scale bass (Mustang, Ibanez miKro, many 3/4 basses) needs a different set
- Bright when new and a beginner may find the first week zingy
What it is not good at
A five-string bass or a short-scale bass. Both exist in beginner ranges and neither takes this set — check the bass before buying strings for it.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Vox amPlug 3 Bass (AP3BA)
VOXBest for: Practicing a bass in a flat at 11pm
A headphone amp that plugs straight into the bass: three bass voicings, a compressor, nine rhythm patterns and an aux input, running about 17 hours on two AAA batteries. It makes a bass playable in a shared house.
Published specifications
- Model:
- amPlug 3 Bass (AP3BA)
- Modes:
- Three — Classic, Smooth and Funk
- Built in:
- Compressor plus nine rhythm patterns (rock, funk, blues and others)
- Power:
- 2 x AAA, up to 17 hours per the maker
- Weight:
- 40 g excluding batteries; plug folds and rotates 180 degrees
- Inputs:
- Aux in for playing along with tracks
What it gets right
- The quiet-practice problem for bass solved for under fifty dollars and no amp in the room
- Nine rhythm patterns means a beginner practices in time without owning a metronome
- Aux input turns any phone into a backing track
Where it gives ground
- Headphones only — there is no speaker, and good headphones are a separate purchase
- Analog voicings are a taste; a player who wants pedals and presets will outgrow it
What it is not good at
Playing with other people. It is a practice device for one set of ears; a band rehearsal still needs a real amp.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Specifications from VOX amPlug 3 Bass (AP3BA) — maker's published listing: three modes (Classic, Smooth, Funk), integrated compressor, nine built-in rhythm tracks, 40 g excluding batteries, 2 x AAA for up to 17 hours, aux input, 180-degree foldable plug, Musician's Friend — VOX amPlug 3 Bass product page: two bass channels, analog circuitry tuned to emulate tube-amp compression and speaker interaction.
Gator GBE-BASS Foam Padded Bass Gig Bag
Gator CasesBest for: A bass that currently travels naked
Nylon with 10 mm of internal padding, reinforced at the headstock and bridge, with backpack straps and a published interior that fits Jazz and Precision bodies up to 46.5 inches overall. Thirty dollars against a dropped bass.
Published specifications
- Model:
- GBE-BASS
- Padding:
- 10 mm internal padding, nylon exterior
- Reinforced:
- Interior reinforcement at the headstock and bridge
- Interior:
- Body length 20.5", body height 3.5", lower bout 15.5", overall length 46.5"
- Carry:
- Adjustable backpack straps plus an exterior accessory pocket
What it gets right
- Published interior dimensions, so you can check it against the actual bass before buying
- Backpack straps: a bass is heavy and long, and one shoulder strap is the reason people leave it at home
- Cheap enough to be an add-on gift rather than the main one
Where it gives ground
- 10 mm of foam is protection from knocks and weather, not from a fall down stairs
- Fits Jazz and Precision shapes — an unusual body (Thunderbird, headless, extra-long scale) may not go in
What it is not good at
Air travel or a bass that lives in a van. That is a flight-case job, and a flight case costs several times this.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Snark clip-on chromatic tuner
SnarkBest for: Tuning anything with strings
$21.995% off · Price as of November 12, 2026
Amazon stocks this as the Snark ST-2, the multi-instrument model in the range.
#ad How we’re funded
Clips to the headstock and reads pitch from the vibration of the wood, so it works in a noisy room and an adult who plays nothing can tune the instrument in twenty seconds.
Published specifications
- Type:
- Clip-on chromatic
- Sensing:
- Switchable — vibration through the headstock, or the built-in mic
- Fits:
- Guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, mandolin
- Display:
- Full-color rotating screen
What it gets right
- Vibration sensing means it works in a room with a television on, which a microphone tuner does not
- Chromatic, so one tuner covers every instrument in the house
- The rotating display means it reads correctly whichever way the instrument is held
Where it gives ground
- The clip is plastic and it is the part that eventually breaks
- Rechargeable rather than battery-swappable, so a flat tuner means finding a cable rather than a coin cell
What it is not good at
Wind and brass instruments. It reads vibration through a solid body, so there is nothing for it to clip to on a flute or a trumpet.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Specifications from Snark ST-2 chromatic tuner (retail listing with published feature set).
Ernie Ball Neoprene Comfort Guitar Strap, Black (P04144)
Ernie BallBest for: Weight a beginner is probably not carrying
2.5 inches of cushioned neoprene, adjustable from 46 to 54 inches. The comfort is real and the maker is explicit that it is aimed at redistributing weight for players with aches or chronic pain — but it costs four times the Polypro and gives you 8 inches of adjustment instead of 31.
Published specifications
- Width:
- 2.5"
- Adjustment range:
- 46" to 54" — 8 inches of range
- Material:
- Neoprene, which the maker describes as ultra-durable, flexible and cushiony
- Maker's stated purpose:
- Redistributing instrument weight; aimed at players with existing aches or chronic pain
- Publisher inventory:
- Ernie Ball SKU P04144, Comfort Collection
What it gets right
- Genuinely more comfortable under a heavy instrument, and the maker is specific about who it is for rather than vague
- 2.5 inches spreads the load over more of the shoulder, which is the whole mechanism
- A real answer for a player with shoulder or neck pain, where a cheap strap makes practice shorter
- Same Ernie Ball construction and the same published figures, so the comparison with the Polypro is exact
Where it gives ground
- 8 inches of adjustment range against the Polypro's 31. A short adult or a child can fall outside it entirely, and no amount of comfort fixes a strap that will not shorten
- Four times the price of the Polypro for a benefit most beginners will not feel on a 7 pound guitar
- Neoprene is warm against the shoulder in a way webbing is not
- Nothing about it addresses the strap coming off the button, which is the failure that actually costs money
What it is not good at
A first strap, and any player who is still growing. It is in the overspend band for the adjustment range as much as the price: the cheapest strap on this page fits more bodies than this one does.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Hal Leonard Electric Bass Method, Complete Edition
Hal LeonardBest for: The one method book to own
Books 1, 2 and 3 of Ed Friedland's bass method, spiral-bound into 144 pages. It is the book most bass teachers in the United States will put in front of a new student, and buying the complete edition once costs less than the three books separately.
Published specifications
- Author:
- Ed Friedland
- Pages:
- 144 (Books 1, 2 and 3)
- Binding:
- Spiral bound
- Notation:
- Standard notation with tablature
- Publisher inventory:
- HL 00695073
- ISBN:
- 978-0-7935-6382-1
What it gets right
- Spiral binding, which means it stays open on a music stand instead of snapping shut mid-exercise
- One purchase covers the full three-book method, so there is no second and third order to remember six months later
- Standard notation alongside tablature, so a self-taught start carries into lessons with a teacher who reads
- Hal Leonard publishes the full contents, so you can see before buying exactly where the method ends
Where it gives ground
- No audio is bundled with this printing; Hal Leonard sells the online-audio editions of the individual books separately
- A learner who stops after six weeks has paid for two books they never opened
- Dry by design: this is a method, not a songbook, and the material is exercises before it is music
- No instruction on buying or setting up the instrument
What it is not good at
Entertaining anyone. It is an ordered course that assumes you will work through it in sequence, and nothing in it is designed to make the first week fun.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Specifications from Hal Leonard — Electric Bass Method, Complete Edition (HL 00695073): 144 pages, spiral bound, Books 1-3, ISBN 9780793563821.
Hercules GS414B PLUS
HerculesBest for: The stand to buy once
The yoke closes on the neck by itself, so the guitar is locked in rather than leaning. Add a published height range, a 33 lb load rating and a foam the maker has actually tested against nitrocellulose, and it is the stand we would buy.
Published specifications
- Type:
- Floor stand, folding tripod base with foot pads
- Holds the guitar:
- Auto Grip System (AGS) yoke that locks the instrument in place
- Height range:
- 950-1150 mm (37.4"-45.2"), clutch with locking pin
- Neck width:
- 40-52 mm (1.57"-2.05"); down to 28 mm with the included N.I.N.A. adapters
- Load capacity:
- 15 kg (33 lb)
- Folded / weight:
- 710 x 155 x 110 mm (27.9" x 6.1" x 4.3"); 1.8 kg (4 lb)
- Contact surface:
- Specially Formulated Foam (SFF) on all contact points
What it gets right
- The auto-grip yoke closes around the neck on its own, so a knock does not tip the guitar out of an open cradle
- Published neck-width window of 40-52 mm plus the included narrow-neck adapters covers electric, acoustic, classical, bass and mandolin necks
- Height adjusts across nearly eight inches with a locking pin, so the stand fits the instrument rather than the reverse
- Folds to 27.9 inches at 4 lb, with the folded size actually published
Where it gives ground
- One instrument only, rated to 33 lb
- Necks narrower than 40 mm need the supplied adapters fitted before the yoke grips properly
- Still 27.9 inches folded, so it travels in a car rather than in a gig bag pocket
- Hercules qualifies its own nitrocellulose testing: formulations vary between makers, and it points owners back to the instrument's manual
What it is not good at
Holding anything outside its published neck-width range, or more than one instrument at a time.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Specifications from Hercules Stands USA — GS414B PLUS, Hercules Stands — FAQ on SFF foam and nitrocellulose.
Questions people actually ask
What is a good gift for a bass player under $50?
A set of 45-100 light bass strings#ad (about $24) or a headphone practice amp#ad (about $48). Strings are the thing a bass player always needs and never buys in time; the headphone amp is the thing that makes a bass playable in a flat at eleven at night. A padded gig bag#ad at about $30 is the third answer if the bass currently travels unprotected.
How do I know which bass strings to buy?
Three things, and you can check all of them in a minute. Count the strings: four is the default, and a five-string needs a five-string set. Look at the scale: a standard bass is long scale (34 inches), but a Mustang, an Ibanez miKro and most 3/4-size beginner basses are short scale and will not take a long-scale set. And look at the gauge printed on the old packet if it is still around; 45-100 light is the commonest and the safest guess. If you cannot check, buy something else on this page.
Is a wide padded strap really better for bass?
For bass, yes, and this is the one place we reverse the advice on our guitar straps page. A beginner acoustic guitar weighs about seven pounds and a wide padded strap mostly costs you adjustment range. A Precision-style bass is nine to ten pounds with the weight further out from the body, and an hour of standing with it is a genuinely different experience on 2 inches of webbing versus 2.5 inches of cushioned neoprene. The trade-off is still real: the padded strap#ad adjusts across 8 inches against the cheap strap’s 31, so it is the wrong gift for a child who is still growing.
They already have an amp. Is a headphone amp still worth it?
Usually yes, and for a reason that is not about sound quality. A bass amp in a shared house has a volume below which it is inaudible and above which somebody complains, and the useful range between those two is narrow. The amPlug 3 Bass#ad removes the negotiation entirely and adds nine rhythm patterns, which does more for a beginner than another twenty watts. Our bass amps page covers the other direction, when a real amp is the right purchase.
What should I not buy a bass player?
Three things, in order of how often they go wrong. A strap lock kit — it needs a pilot hole drilled into an instrument you do not own. A pedal — taste-specific, and a beginner has no signal chain for it yet. And a second instrument-shaped object of any kind: a bass player who wants a five-string or a short-scale has strong opinions about which one, and a surprise bass is a return rather than a gift.
Does a bass need its own tuner?
It needs a chromatic one. A clip-on tuner sold as a “guitar tuner” may have a published frequency range tailored to guitar, and a four-string bass’s low E is an octave below a guitar’s. The Snark#ad we recommend reads vibration through the headstock and covers guitar, bass, ukulele, violin and mandolin, which is why one tuner can live in a house with several instruments.
Sources
- D'Addario XL Nickel Bass Guitar Strings 45-100, 4-string set (EXL170) — published listing: nickel-plated steel wrap, hex core, made in the USA
- VOX amPlug 3 Bass (AP3BA) — published listing: three modes, integrated compressor, nine rhythm tracks, 40 g excluding batteries, 2 x AAA for up to 17 hours, aux input
- Musician's Friend — VOX amPlug 3 Bass: two bass channels, analog circuitry tuned to emulate tube-amp compression
- Gator Cases GBE-BASS gig bag — published listing: 10 mm internal padding, reinforced at headstock and bridge, interior overall length 46.5", backpack straps
- Ernie Ball — Neoprene Comfort Collection strap (P04144): 2.5" width, adjustable 46" to 54", stated purpose redistributing instrument weight
Still deciding?
Every recommendation on this site is built the same way, and the method is published in full — including what we do not do and what would get a pick dropped.
Read next
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- Best bass amps for beginners
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- Best bass guitar books for beginners
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- Best guitar straps for beginners
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- Guitar or bass for a first instrument?
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