Picks come in different shapes, sizes, thicknesses, colors and materials. The choice of a pick is a personal one. Preferences will most likely change over time. A good strategy for a beginner is to by an assortment of picks and let them experiment. A few general guidelines are probably in order. Thin picks are better for strumming chords. Medium to heavy picks are better for picking single note melodies. A medium pick is a good starting point. Students with small hands may do better with the small "jazz" picks. I don't recommend the big triangle picks.

• Strings break or get old and grungy. They should last 3-6 months but might wear out sooner if your hands sweat.
• Changing strings is a "do-it-yourself" job. Get a string winder while you're at it.
• Strings for Electric

  Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky (.009-.046)

  D'Addario XL-140 Light Top, Heavy Bottom (.010-.052)

• For Acoustic

  Martins are expensive.

  D'Addario should be good. Get the lightest available set.

• Those coated strings are really expensive.

• Tuners come in two basic types; They are either chromatic or they're not. A tuner that is NOT chromatic will only pick up the standard guitar tuning notes. This is GOOD. A chromatic tuner will pick up all notes and this can lead to confusion.
• A tuner has to hear the sound of the guitar and count the cycles to determine the frequency. Some tuners are sluggish, some are too "jumpy".
• Tuners I like:

  KORG GA-30.

  Probably the best compromise.

  Fender AG-6.

  Students seem to like this one too.

• Tuners I don't like:

  Metronome/Tuner combinations.

  I have tried a bunch of them and you really don't get the best of either.

  QWIK-Tune.

  You can do better.

• The main thing a metronome needs to be is LOUD. Other features might be useful but if you can't hear it over the guitar, it's useless.
• I prefer ones with a physical, usually a dial on the front, tempo control. I don't want to push buttons to change tempo.
• I prefer metronomes that click or "tock" rather than beep.
• As far as I know no one uses the earphone.
• Metronomes I like:
  Sabine "Zip-Beat"
  Good and loud. I like these.
  Wittner.
  Also loud but more expensive.

  Seiko "SQ-44".

  A good basic metronome.

• Folding - cheap, folds up for carrying. Very basic but not good for writing on. Good for a first stand.
• Concert - Costs more. Comes in a collapsible version. Holds more music. Better for writing. An upgrade stand.

• Fender California Cables are relatively inexpensive but good enough for me to use in performance. Colorful too!

• I prefer the "A Frame" style. The guitar is actually less likely to fall over.

• Shubb. There is really no other capo worth getting.
• Get the Steel String or 12-string version unless you have a classical (flat fingerboard) guitar. In that case get the Classical type.

• The slide should fit your ring finger comfortably. Some people use their little finger. That's OK too but the ring finger works better for me. It's more controllable and easier to use the other fingers to mute the strings.
• Slides come in several different materials.

  Ceramic

  My favorite. They have mass and are not as heavy as glass.

  Glass

  Comes in either a tube or a "Coricidin" bottle style. Duane Allman liked the Coricidin bottle.

  Brass

  Some are good. I don't like the curved ones.

  Steel

  My least favorite. They are the lightest.

• Don't leave home without them!