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Shopping for a music lover can be hard, especially if their tastes range from Beyoncé to Joni Mitchell to ACDC. If you have a music lover on your gifting list this holiday season, Select is here to help streamline the process with a list of great, year-round gifts including speakers, instruments and decór that should strike a chord.
Related: Buying a turntable can be intimidating given some hefty jargon. We asked experts what actually matters and what doesn’t — and which models they recommend.
Best gifts for music lovers
To help you find the best gifts for the music lover on your list this year, we revisited our previous expert guidance on headphones, speakers and other music-related gadgets that align with Select-reader interest. Additionally, we consulted our in-house shopping experts on staff — many of whom are music lovers themselves — for their favorite speakers and more. We also included some highly rated items we think Select readers (and their gift recipients) will love.
Favorite Song Lyrics Vinyl Print
If you know the song that means the most to your music lover, you can give them a print of those beloved lyrics in the shape of a vinyl record. You can further personalize the record by adding extra text like names and the date, making it a great gift for newlyweds or new parents celebrating their first holiday season together.
Favorite Song Vinyl Lyrics Print
Favorite Song Vinyl Lyrics Print $ at Print Frame Co.
Helvetiq Music IQ Party Game
If your giftee is a music history nerd, this game might make a good gift. The card-based trivia game, meant for players ages 15 and older, requires two teams and can accommodate up to 12 players. The first round tests knowledge, while the second round tests memory from the first round and players can take risks in each round to earn more points. Helvetiq says the game has an average playtime of 45 minutes.
Helvetiq Music IQ Party Game
Pick-a-Palooza Make Your Own Guitar Pick Punch
This gadget allows the user to take any unwanted plastic — like expired credit cards or IDs — and punch it into a guitar pick, ready for plucking. A favorite from our guide to dad-approved gifts, this tool comes recommended by former Select editor Morgan Greenwald’s father, who has been using it for years.
Pick-a-Palooza Make Your Own Guitar Pick Punch
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Pick-a-Palooza Make Your Own Guitar Pick Punch $ at Uncommon Goods
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Pick-a-Palooza Make Your Own Guitar Pick Punch $ at Amazon
Victrola Suitcase Record Player
Select writer Mili Godio, who owns the Crosley Cruiser Deluxe record player, gave this affordable suitcase-style Victrola record player to her younger sister as a starter record player. It has a three-speed belt built-in and can also stream audio through the built-in Bluetooth speakers. The record player has an auto-stop switch that stops spinning records once the record is finished playing, according to the brand.
Victrola Suitcase Record Player
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Victrola Suitcase Record Player $ at Amazon
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Victrola Suitcase Record Player $ at Kohl’s
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Victrola Suitcase Record Player $ at Best Buy
GiftsCharm “You Are My Sunshine” Personalized Music Box
This hand-cranked style wooden music box plays “You Are My Sunshine” to your giftee. For no extra cost, you can include one of six engravings with sweet phrases like, “And suddenly all of the love songs are about you” or “You are always in my heart,” plus one personalized line at the bottom of it, like “Love, Gabriella.”
GiftsCharm “You Are My Sunshine” Personalized Music Box
GiftsCharm “You Are My Sunshine” Personalized Music Box $ at Etsy
Loog Ukulele
This all-wood ukulele was designed for beginner players or budding musicians, according to Loog. The instrument comes with flashcards with ukulele chord diagrams or you can play along with the Loog Guitar app, which has a “Magic Mirror feature” that shows you how to form chords through augmented reality.
Loog Ukulele
Loog Ukulele $ at Loog Guitar
JBL Flip 5 Portable Speaker
The JBL Flip 5 is one of the best Bluetooth portable speakers, according to tech expert and former Select contributor Whitson Gordon. Gordon appreciated its “decently strong bass and clear midrange,” which produces crisp sounds for vocals and guitar. The Flip 5 can pair with other JBL products to create a multi-speaker setup, and is available in several colors like pink, forest green and more.
JBL Flip 5
Rarton Custom Album Cover Light
If you know your loved one’s absolute favorite song, this LED light-up plaque, which sits in a wooden base, can remind them of their favorite tune at their desk. This album cover light displays their favorite song the way it would appear while listening to it on your phone via a streaming service, plus you can add a personal message and photo to create a sentimental and personalized gift.
Rarton Custom Album Cover Light
Rarton Custom Album Cover Light $ at Etsy
Sony WH-1000XM4
Tech expert and Select contributor Terri Williams recommended the Sony WH-1000XM4 as the best overall over-ear headphones. The headphones have active noise cancellation, but also have an ambient sound mode, so you can hear some background songs. The headphones are Bluetooth compatible but come with a cable for wired listening, and according to the brand, the music intuitively pauses when you take the headphones off. They can also be paired with the Sony Headphones Connect App to control settings from your phone, and should last up to 30 hours on one charge.
Sony WH-1000XM4
The Holiday Candle Co. “All Too Well”-inspired Candle
If you’re a Swiftie like myself, this candle may be as big of a hit as “Shake it Off.” Inspired by pop star Taylor Swift’s “RED” album, the soy-blend candle has a strong cinnamon and earthy scent, and has a label on the front with some lyrics from the album. I received this specific candle as a gift and absolutely love it, but The Holiday Candle Co. also sells other candles inspired by other songs from Swift.
The Holiday Candle Co. “All Too Well”-inspired Candle
The Holiday Candle Co. “All Too Well”-inspired Candle $ at Etsy
Crosley Record Cleaning Kit
If you’re not sure what to get the picky vinyl lover in your life, give them a record cleaning kit. This cleaning kit comes with a felt record cleaning brush and a record-cleaning solution (that is stored inside the brush’s wood handle). Crosley recommends placing the solution on the edge of the brush and applying it gently as the record spins on your turntable. The brand also recommends allowing the album to dry completely before playing the record.
Crosley Record Cleaning Kit
Music Note Measuring Spoon Set
This musical-themed measuring spoon set, which hangs from a pewter bar that you can drill into the wall, comes with a ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, teaspoon and tablespoon. They are made from lead-free pewter, according to the brand, and are designed to look like eighth notes hanging from a musical staff.
Music Note Measuring Spoon Set
Music Note Measuring Spoon Set $ at Uncommon Goods
‘1000 Record Covers’
This book presents a selection of rock album covers from the 60s to the 90s, curated by music archivist, disc jockey, journalist and former record-publicity executive Michael Ochs. The hardcover book, which comes with an introduction from Ochs, can make a neat addition to any library or coffee table.
1000 Record Covers
LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set
This LEGO Ideas set, designed for adults, gives you all the bricks you need to build a 14-inch display model of a 1970s Fender Stratocaster guitar and a Fender 65 Princeton Reverb amplifier. It comes with enough bricks to build the guitar in red or black and includes a foldable display stand for the guitar.
LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set
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LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set $ at Target
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LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set $ at Walmart
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LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set $ at Fender
Harley Benton Mini Loop Pedal
This loop pedal — designed for electric guitar and bass — has a 6.3 millimeter jack input and output and can record up to 10 minutes of audio, so that an artist of any skill level can record and loop audio as they play. It has a volume adjuster and comes with a three-year warranty.
Harley Benton Mini Loop Pedal
Harley Benton Mini Loop Pedal $ at Thomann Music
Related: These gadgets make great gifts for anyone, whether your loved ones need new headphones, a VR headset or self-heating mug.
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