The Best Gifts for Musicians (When Money Is No Object)

If the musicians in your life are anything like me, they’ve plunged headfirst into significant debt in their relentless pursuit of the gear to fuel their artistic aspirations.

That can make holiday shopping difficult, but fortunately for those on the hunt, there’s always more: that holy grail guitar pedal, the eye-wateringly expensive tube amp, or just one more synthesizer. Whether it’s that elusive holy grail guitar pedal, the one-of-a-kind synthesizer that completes their collection, or the mind-bogglingly expensive treasure that’s tough to rationalize, this selection is designed to bring joy to even the most seasoned musicians on your gift list.

Here I’ve put together gifts that will light up even the most jaded musicians on your list. These are the instruments, effects, amps, and more that I wake up thinking about in cold sweat at all hours of the night. For the player who has everything, these are the best gifts for musicians when money is no object.

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Gizmodo’s 2023 gift guides.

Mellotron M4000D

Why we like it: The Mellotron is one of the most influential instruments of all time, appearing on iconic songs from acts including the Beatles, David Bowie, Oasis, and Radiohead. (The opening notes of “Strawberry Fields Forever” feature the Mellotron in action.) These bizarre keyboards pioneered sampling with an outlandish design that used reels of magnetic tape with separate recordings for every note on the keyboard. When you pressed down a key, it would physically press a tape head down onto the tape to play the note. A few years ago, Mellotrons went back into production with new keyboards that faithfully reproduce the instrument’s ethereal sounds with digital recordings taken from the original tapes. There are a few different models, but the full-size M4000D is the most delightful. Price: $2,800 Where to buy:  Mellotron, Reverb, Amazon

Joué J-Play Full Pack

Why we like it: The Joué J-Play is a modular midi controller that is accessible for beginners while still offering seriously expressive tools for professional musicians. The full pack comes with a series of rubber pads that you can change out on the fly to switch instruments and styles of controllers. There’s a controller shaped like a guitar fretboard, a white-key-only keyboard that only plays notes in the right scale, a regular piano keyboard, a drum pad, and the “audio” pad that lets you shape sounds and effects. It’s the most intuitive and fun-looking midi controller I’ve ever seen. Price: $325 Where to buy: Joué Music

Woojer Vest 3

Why we like it: The Woojer is for listening to music rather than making it, but hear me out. It’s a vest that sends powerful vibrations through your body in tune with music, movies, video games, or any other audio source. I rolled my eyes when I first heard about it, but I got to try a Woojer at a party and I was blown away by how immersive the experience was. I wouldn’t wear it every time I put on a pair of headphones, but I’d love to have the option. Price: $499 Where to buy: Best Buy

Chase Bliss Preamp MKII

Why we like it: Chase Bliss is probably the most lionized pedal company in the effects nerd community of the past few years. It’s most famous for the Mood, an unusual multi-effect “micro-looper,” but the Preamp MKII and the CXM 1978 (Listed below) are what keep me up at night. They are built around motorized faders. In practice, that means you can save up to 30 presets, and then hit a button and the pedal moves the faders on its own. You have to see it to believe it, check out the video below. The Preamp MKII is a distortion pedal that will take you anywhere from a warm touch of overdrive to blistering fuzz, with intuitive options for minute fine-tuning that will make for a lifetime of different sounds. I’ve played a Preamp MKII and I hate to say it, but the astronomical price tag is justified. Price: $749 Where to buy: Chase Bliss 

Chase Bliss CXM 1978

Why we like it: Like Chase Bliss’s Preamp MKII, the CXM 178 houses motorized faders that move on their own as you cycle through your presets, a feature that will be just as magical the 10,000th time you see it. The CXM 1978 is modeled after the reverbs of the 1970s, the first time the world was blessed with the technology for the infinite decay of modern reverbs. It’s instantly usable, but has such an expanse of available options that you’ll spend hours crafting and discovering new sounds. It’s a perfect little device. Price: $899 Where to buy: Chase Bliss 

Astell & Kern SP3000

Why we like it: It’s 2023, are you still listening to music on Spotify like some kind of amateur? What you need is an unbelievably expensive iPod. Digital audio players (DAPs) are enjoying a renaissance thanks to the audiophile community. You can stream lossless files from services including Apple Music and Tidal, but if you’re sending it through your phone or your Bluetooth headphones, you’re not getting the full experience. The best DAPs have superb amplifiers, high storage capacity, and a lot of them will even connect to Wifi if you don’t want to let go of your favorite streamers. There are a lot of great DAP options at every price, but the Astell & Kern SP3000 is one of the best. Price: $3,699 Where to buy: Amazon, Headphones.com

Roli Seaboard Rise 2

Why we like it: Seaboards have been around for a long time, but they’re just as enticing as they were when they first debuted. These midi keyboards add a range of new possibilities for live performance with intuitive controls built into the keys. You can adjust the sound in five different dimensions: strike, press, glide, slide, and lift. That lets you bend and manipulate the notes in the same way you’d attack the strings on a guitar or other acoustic instruments. They’re also weird-looking in just the right way. Roli makes a variety of Seaboards, and the Rise 2 is the top of the line. Price: $1,399 Where to buy: Roli

Buchla Music Easel

Why we like it: Buchla pioneered electronic music with some of the first commercially available synthesizers. While Moog always got more attention, Buchla’s enjoyed a cult following over the last half a century thanks to innovative designs. The 1973 Music Easel was one of the first truly portable synthesizer systems, and it’s as delightful to play as it is artistically inspiring. The Music Easel is back in production, with a few modern updates and conveniences but the same circuits, mechanical design, and aesthetic that made the original so beloved. I got a chance to play one at a recent trade show and I hogged it for so long that they had to ask me to give someone else a turn. Price: $4,999 Where to buy: Sweetwater

Stonewhistle Innato

Why we like it: I never used to be the kind of person who stayed up late at night fantasizing about expensive flutes, but that changed when I stumbled onto an Instagram video from Stonewhistle. Dutch ceramicist Hans Houkes hand-makes a variety of flutes, but his standout is the Innato, a series of three-chambered wind instruments that play multiple notes at the same time. The result is a haunting, ethereal sound that has yours truly thinking about expanding into entirely new genres of music. They’re also so beautiful to look at you could just keep them around as art objects. Some of the flutes are on backorder, but the musicians on your holiday shopping list will probably be happy to wait for something this great. Price: $600 – $900 Where to buy: Stonewhistle

Fender Tone Master Pro

Why we like it: I’ve never heard a model system that sounds as good as the Tone Master Pro. With a nice pair of headphones, it actually sounds like you’re in a room playing through an amp. The Tone Master Pro features over 100 models of popular amps and guitar pedals and some of the most intuitive and easy-to-use controls I’ve seen on a device like this. On top of a series of foot switches, you can control and adjust everything via a 7-inch touchscreen, including changing the order of the pedals and amps in your digital signal chain. Fender also has a series of Tone Master amps tuned for a flat response to highlight the Pro’s built-in models, but send your signal out to any other amps and pedals as well. As a lifelong analog evangelist, I hated how much I loved this thing. Price: $1,699 Where to buy: Sweetwater, Fender, Amazon

Fender Vintera II ‘60s Bass VI

Why we like it: The Fender Bass IV enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to the 2021 Beatles documentary “Get Back,” which features John Lennon and George Harrison plucking away at this bizarre instrument on a number of the band’s biggest songs. It isn’t a barritone guitar, but it’s not a six-string bass either: it’s a totally unique and little-known hybrid that sits somewhere in between. Fender just reissued the Bass VI as part of its Vintera II series. With the aesthetics and electronics of Fender’s more famous cutaway guitars (complete with a tremolo bar), the new Bass VI makes for a drool-worthy addition to any collection. Price: $1,399 Where to buy: Sweetwater, Fender, Amazon,

Peterson StroboStomp HD

Why we like it: You probably have a guitar tuner, and if you bought it in the past 20 years, it probably works great. But ask yourself: could it be even better? With the Peterson StroboStomp HD, the answer is yes. It has a giant color-changing display, the perfect level of sensitivity as you wind your tuning machines, and a color-changing read-out to let you know when you’re in the sweet spot. It also boasts unique features for a tuner, including presets for different turnings and instruments, and a buffer you can switch on or off to prevent signal loss on big pedal boards. The StroboStromp is the primo tuner to have in 2024 and beyond. Price: $149 Where to buy: Sweetwater, Amazon

Milkman 20W Creamer

Why we like it: There’s an endless list of tube amplifiers from stalwart name-brand offerings to an ever-growing ocean of boutique options. There’s always the temptation to go vintage, but if you want to bring home a stunner made in 2023, few amps will turn as many heads as a Milkman. The 20W Creamer is meant to bring you all of the best that the world of small combo amps has to offer: portability, endless headroom, plenty of power for a gig, and buttery tone that falls apart into blistering overdrive when you push it. Pair that with lush reverb and an endlessly useful tremolo circuit, and you’ve got an amp you’ll never want to turn off. Price: $3,499 Where to buy: Milkman

Hologram Microcosm

Why we like it: If you’ve fallen into the trap of YouTube gear demos, you’ve seen a Microcosm before. It’s a looper pedal, but that’s a major oversimplification. Where the pedal shines is its ability to transform any sample into a limitless variety of musical phrases from ambient soundscapes to percussive, rhythmic beats. It has 11 different effects with 44 presents that you can shape and tune to perfection including reverb, pitch modulation, filters, multiple difference sampling options, and more. The Microcosm also comes with all the modern convinces, including mappable expression inputs, tap tempo, stereo output, and the option for both true or buffered bypass. It’s the kind of device that will transform your entire workflow. Price: $459 Where to buy: Hologram Electronics

Gibson 1964 ES-335 Reissue

Why we like it: Gibson’s reputation has soured over the past few years, but the flagship 335 reissue is a vision of perfection. It’s a faithful reproduction of the 1964 model that spares no expense or consideration, a C-shaped neck that’s so comfortable it feels like an extension of your body, and Gibson’s searing Custombucker Alnico III pickups that will remind you why the 335 is so iconic. Price: $5,999 Where to buy: Sweetwater, Gibson

Fender Vintera II Telecaster Bass

Why we like it: The 70s Telecaster Bass is one of the standout low-end models in Fender’s new Vintera II series. The Vintera II instruments are meant to replicate a certain era of guitars. That means you get all of the best features from a ten-ish year span of a model’s production, rather than a faithful reproduction of an individual model from a particular (and often arbitrary) year. Bass players never get the respect they deserve. But with the unusual stylings of a Telecaster, this bass will at least get you some well-earned attention. Price: $1,179 Where to buy: Sweetwater, Fender, Amazon

Nord Stage 4 88 Stage Keyboard

Why we like it: If you had to buy a single keyboard to last the rest of your life, the Nord Stage 4 might be the one to take home. The Stage 4 has a totally revamped panel of controls with countless, intuitive options to shape your sound. It has an expansive library of Nord’s award-winning piano, synth, and organ patches, a generous bank of effects, and an articulate, fully-weighted keybed that makes playing a dream. Price: $5,699 Where to buy: Sweetwater, B&H Photo, Amazon

Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field

Why we like it: After more than a decade, Teenage Engineering finally released a successor to its iconic OP-1 synthesizer. Building on everything that made the Op-1 so beloved, the Field adds a drawn-out list of updates, tweaks, and features from sought-after tools like Bluetooth to velocity-sensitive keys. It packs better speakers, an updated user interface, totally reworked graphics, a variety of new synth patches, and a thinner aluminum body that feels like heaven in your hands. Of course, there are also the perks you only get from the twisted halls of Teenage Engineering like the ability to broadcast an FM radio signal. No matter what kind of musician you’re shopping for, the OP-1 Field is a guaranteed delight. Price: $1,999 Where to buy: B&H Photo, Teenage Engineering, Amazon

Strymon Big Sky

Why we like it: Yes, I’m throwing in yet another reverb on the list, but the Big Sky isn’t just an effect, it’s an instrument in its own right. It has 12 built-in kinds of reverbs, including perfect representations of all the classics (plate, hall, spring, etc.), but where the Big Sky really sings are the shimmering otherworldly sounds on the further reaches of the dial. The Cloud effect is so inspiring that Strymon recently spun off a cheaper version of the pedal based around it alone. If you’ve never played through a Big Sky, you haven’t lived. Price: $479 Where to buy: Sweetwater, Amazon

Ludwig Vistalite Zep 5-piece Shell Pack with Snare Drum

Why we like it: The Vistalite Zep is a faithful recreation of John Bonham’s iconic acrylic drum kit from The Song Remains the Same. This kid has a booming, present tone that will stand out even beneath a wall of metal guitar playing, but it’s an adaptable set that will fit with just about any playing style. It comes with a Ludwig Supraphonic snare, but you’ll need to throw in your own stands and cymbals. Price: $4,099 Where to buy: Sweetwater, Guitar Center