43 Gifts Any Music Lover Will Dig

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Ah, yes, the music lover. A notoriously difficult genre of person to buy a present for—maybe the most difficult demographic on your list. Any old him or her can be easy enough to gift for. Tech fiends? A pleasant bunch, get them an Apple Watch band or an e-bike or any number of Esquire-awarded gadgets. Bookworms? Same deal. Lovely people. Buy them a new paperback or old first edition, and they'll love you 'til the end of time. But, that's not the case here. We're not talking about agreeable types. We're talking about music lovers—music snobs, even. You think they'll appreciate a nice bluetooth speaker, some standout headphones, or a turntable... But there's no guarantee. They'll probably have something to say.

But! That's why you came here, reader. This is a bunch that knows exactly what they want and why they want it. (And why they hate everything else.) You're working with a serious gift receiver, and you need to calculate how you're going to go about this. Lean on the Esquire team. We put in the research and did the heavy lifting. Throughout the year, I'm looking at the most sought after home and tech products, and my fellow editors are doing the same for style. Now, we're coming together with all musical additions we can think of. We're also, importantly, just music lovers ourselves. So from high-end speakers to beginner options for listening, performing, or just plain enjoying music, these are items any vinyl-hoarding fan or streaming-obsessed nerd will love.

'Art Record Covers' Coffee Table Book

Remember album covers? Your music lover does, and with this, they can look at the best whenever they want.

"Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" - A Children's Lyric Book

Got friends who are trying to instill good musical taste in their kids? Give them a children's book telling of the greatest song of all time.

Upright Piano

An upright piano will be an easier fit for their home, but the heart engravings and fact that it's a Steinway will show them how much they mean to you.

Hans Gugelot Designed Radio for Braun, 1955

If you don't buy this Gugelot for Braun radio within the next 24 hours, I'm going to do it.

'Music Is History'

There's no voice more interesting or informed in American music development—sorry, Ken Burns—than that of the Roots' iconic drummer. Get this for anyone who wants to dig into the details.

Stanmore II

It's a bluetooth speaker made to look like a Marshall stack, of course they'll love it.

Custom Molded Earplugs

If they go to enough concerts, they've probably already bought some cheap hardware store earplugs. Give them a much needed custom molded upgrade.

RT85N High Fidelity Turntable

Are they into vinyl? Probably. We featured this turntable in our Home Design Awards because it really is the best-in-class option.

ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2 Bookshelf Speakers - (Pair) Black

Most music lovers already have their preferred bookshelf speakers set up. But in the case of new to the game audiophiles, you have a great opportunity to get their setup started. This budget pair of bookshelf speakers is affordable for you, but high-quality enough to last them a long time.

AirPods Max

The AirPods Max is Apple's best product in years. Full stop. They're comfortable. Their noise-canceling is unparalleled. And their connection never falters. Need me to say more? Read the Esquire review.

Bowers & Wilkins PX8

Or for $150 more, you can get the most luxurious headphones on the market. Premium Nappa leather and memory foam pair with amazing audio for the best listening experience money can buy.

Printed Lining Zip-Through Jacket

Posthumous collaborations can be icky, but Fred Perry had a famously close connection with Amy Winehouse, and the brand churns out tasteful Amy-inspired offerings, like this Harrington. Plus, the brand has an ongoing collaboration with the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Money from sales goes back to the foundation, which educates young people on addiction and mental health.

Meher Record Player Stand and Shelves

The perfect console to house their vinyl setup.

Trace Brass Wire Mesh Credenza

But why not go big and get them a vinyl storage console they will treasure for the rest of their life?

PartyBox

We all need a karaoke-lover in the group. Someone who loves to belt out a song, and supports you even when you're out of key. Reward them with their very own karaoke machine.

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

See Macca's genius unspool across the lyric sheets for 150+ of his songs.

Custom Vinyl Lyrics Poster Personalised Typography Print

The two of you have got a song, right? Put it on their wall.

SLOW BURN

Famed singer Kacey Musgraves x famed candle maker Boy Smells, the equation for a perfect gift.

Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story

The older real Hip-Hop fans will argue between New York or LA, but for some time now Atlanta has been the genre's Mecca. Joe Coscarelli does a magnificent job of laying out the city's hip-hop history. So good in fact, we'd gift this to anyone remotely interested in music history.

Soho Notebook in Panama

For the songwriter, a beautiful personalized leather notebook will always be a hit.

Replica Jazz Club Candle

Turn their home into a dimly lit, smokey jazz club with this candle. The Eau de Toillette is beloved on the internet, and rightfully so because it smells incredible. But, the candle might be a safer gifting option.

Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture

If they're Gen X, an alt-rock devotee, or a college-radio disc jockey, they'll love this chronicling of how a small Georgia town birthed a hugely influential scene.

The Speaker

A winner from our Esquire Gadget Awards, this speaker syncs up to the music for a lovely little light display. Plus, it sounds great too.

Music Playing Cards

Perfect for using at game nights or just displaying on a bookshelf.

Jim Marshall: Show Me the Picture

The biggest name in rock n' roll photography, the man that took that picture of Johnny Cash at San Quentin, Jim Marshall's full retrospective book is a masterpiece.

G2420T Streamliner Hollowbody Electric Guitar

DO NOT buy a guitar for the guitar freak in your life. They probably want something obscure and custom. Instead, get this for the novice guitarist as a nice alternative to the budget guitar they bought themselves. A hollowbody Gretsch is, in our opinion, the coolest guitar out there.

Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang

Or if they're the misunderstood type, all songwriters are, get them a Jag-Stang. These are modeled after the mashup that Kurt Cobain made himself, and keep that 90s grunge cool about them.

Orba Synthesizer

Another great one for a kid, or any on-the-go producer, this is a handheld synth with a built in looper. Eight sensing pads can switch between percussion, bass, chords, and lead. Move it around for different effects, and you can create an entire song in the palm of your hand. Then, link it via bluetooth or USB-C to preferred music making app.

But all you need to know: Give this to a music nerd, and from the jump they'll be toying with it for weeks, nonstop.

Xtreme 3

If they're the de facto party DJ, get them a portable bluetooth speaker that will get loud enough for any party, indoors or outdoors.

Fleetwood

We're done with vinyl. It's time to bring back the Compact Disc. If your music lover is of a certain age, they probably have a box full of old CDs anyway. This Crosley CD player is the perfect reason for them to revisit their nostalgic jams. It's also got AM/FM radio and Bluetooth, so it doesn't have to a gift be for a CD evangelist.

'Tattoo You' 40th Anniversary Box Set

The legend of Tattoo You is notorious to any Rolling Stones fan. Help the one in your life mark the anniversary with a new, five-LP vinyl box set.

'Booze & Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks'

If they like to jam out with a delicious cocktail in tow, this is the book for them.

Sonos Move

The Sonos Move is heat, cold, rain, humidity, sand, and everything else resistant. Meaning it can go anywhere with them. (It also works at home, of course, and syncs up with any Sonos system already installed.)

Dragonfly Cobalt USB Digital-to-Analog Converter

Here's something for the audiophile on the go. An AudioQuest headphone amplifier will reconfigure the audio coming from any laptop or mobile device to make it cleaner, louder, and clearer. Music coming from Spotify, MP3s, YouTube, or anywhere will finally sound how it was intended.

Schott Grateful Dead Dancing Bear Sweater

It's cozy, and the dancing bear vibes are chill as hell.

Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earbuds

There are a lot of fully wireless headphones out there on the market right now, but none are better than these. (Esquire declared it as truth elsewhere.) They have little-to-no interference and great full sound, plus the wrap-around ear technology keeps them in place, whether you're walking, running, or just bouncing around town.

Concert Ukulele Mahogany Set

Whether they're an accomplished musician or a newcomer looking to learn, the Donner ukulele is fun and easy for noodling on. It's also unlikely that the music lover in your life already owns one.

MiniLab MkII 25 Slim-Key Controller

Easy to set up, easy to use, and fun as hell to tinker with, the Arturia MiniLab controller is a fantastic gift for anyone interested in music production. It's portable and surprisingly professional at a low cost, with tons of tools to keep someone fascinated by the technical side of music busy for a long time.

Framed Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac Photo

If there's anything the home of any music lover needs, it's a stunning picture of rock n' roll frontwoman Stevie Nicks.

'Let's Go (So We Can Get Back)'

The frontman of Wilco brings his sincere songwriting and often-hilarious stage presence to to his memoir about being in a popular rock band. But, like his music, Tweedy shies away from many of the failings and clichés of the typical rock story—instead crafting an honest portrait of the man and his music.

'Meet Me in the Bathroom'

A necessary addition to the library of any indie rock lover.

'Life'

The best rock memoir, ever. Full stop.

Powerstation XL External Battery

Don't let the nerdy tech appearance fool you. Being able to charge your device on the go—like, say, at a festival or concert—is absolutely necessary. Most importantly, these things are small enough to fit in your pocket and keep a phone charged for 34 hours.

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