Secret Santa budgets are tight, but $25 still buys real music gear, not just a mug with a treble clef. These are working tools a musician will actually plug in, plus one guaranteed laugh for a white elephant swap. Every pick comes from our rankings, with tonight's Thomann price. For a bit more, see stocking stuffers for musicians.
For a guitarist
Harley Benton MA-5 Miniamp, $20
A tiny 5-watt guitar amp with a 3-inch speaker, clean and distortion modes and a belt clip. #28 of 69 solid-state guitar combos.
Behringer CS400, $21
A compressor and sustainer pedal with level, tone, attack and sustain controls; runs on a 9 V battery. #27 of 66 compressor pedals.
Behringer UT300, $21
A tremolo pedal with rate, wave and depth controls, for that pulsing surf and vintage sound. #165 of 388 miscellaneous guitar effects.
For a singer or a band
Superlux TM58, $21
A cardioid dynamic vocal microphone with an XLR connector, for karaoke, rehearsals and first gigs. #14 of 32 dynamic allround microphones.
Behringer HA400, $18
A four-way headphone amp with a volume knob for each output, so four people can listen to one source. #16 of 79 headphone amps.
For a vinyl lover
Behringer PP400, $16
A phono preamp that connects a turntable to any amp, speaker or interface without a phono input. #11 of 11 phono preamps.
For the white elephant swap
LP 311B 5" Triangle, $16
A real orchestral-style triangle in polished chrome steel, with two beaters. #49 of 84 triangles.
Otamatone Melody, $21
The singing eighth-note toy synth, here in a mini version with 11 built-in tunes to play along with. Nobody leaves the party without trying it. #30 of 81 synthesizer peripherals.
Questions
What is a good Secret Santa gift for a musician under $25?
For a guitarist, a mini amp like the Harley Benton MA-5 ($20) or a pedal; for a singer, a dynamic vocal mic.
What is a funny music gift for white elephant?
The Otamatone: everyone wants to play it.
How we picked. Every product comes from an AudioFu ranking, scored on demand, price, specs and brand; specs from Thomann's product data. Prices are converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate and updated every night, as are the ranks. Prices move, so a pick near $25 can cross the limit.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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