Gift guides and buying guides, picked from our rankings with real prices.
Guides · Oct 22, 2026
A quarter of all synthesizers cost under $425 and half under about $840. Real analog polysynths start around $500, flagship polysynths pass $6,000. What each step buys.
Guides · Oct 22, 2026
A good plastic student clarinet costs about $800, the first wooden clarinets about $1,100, and the median Bb clarinet about $2,900. Plus the octocontrabass that costs as much as a car.
Guides · Oct 22, 2026
Small enough for a stocking, useful enough to stay out of the drawer: an overdrive pedal, a power cable that runs pedals from a power bank, an expression pedal, and two things for kids.
Guides · Oct 22, 2026
Under $50 you can still buy real gear a musician will use: a reverb pedal, a splash cymbal, a better piano pedal, studio headphones. 11 picks, sorted by instrument.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
Acoustic drums are the real feel and cost less at the start; electric drums are quiet, compact and full of sounds. Which one fits depends on where you'll play more than on how.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
Closed headphones keep sound in and noise out, so they're for recording and noisy places. Open headphones sound wider and more natural, so they're for mixing and quiet listening. What each costs.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
A bigger woofer reaches deeper bass, but in a small room that extra bass turns into boom. Match the monitor to the room: 4 to 5 inches for a desk, 6.5 to 7 for a small studio, 8 for a large room.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
A solo podcast needs one USB mic. Two hosts need two dynamic mics and a two-input podcast interface, about $250 in total. The setups, and when an all-in-one studio is worth it.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
Half of all ukuleles cost less than $140, a decent beginner uke costs $50 to $100, and solid koa ukuleles from Hawaii run into the thousands. Prices by size, and what the extra money buys.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
A good student flute costs about $650 to $700, the median flute about $2,250, and handmade solid-silver flutes pass $12,000. Each step, from nickel silver to solid silver.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
A beginner bass costs $200 to $350, half of all basses cost less than about $1,120, and Fender's new Standard P Bass starts near $600. What each step buys, from sets to boutique.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
A blues player needs a harmonica in every key, and few own them all. That's the easiest gift. Then a chromatic, a tremolo or an octave harp to open a new style.
