Whether you're looking for a killer birthday gift, something musical to put under the Christmas tree, or a treat to show someone you care, we've selected a number of the best gifts for music fans they they will love (and that we'd be more than happy to receive).
Our list includes a brilliant Fender Play offer which will inspire those looking to learn how to play guitar, bass or ukulele, an amazing rock'n'roll themed jigsaw, Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book Of Bass, Slipknot American whiskey, the versatile Positive Grid Spark amp, a pair of Marshall Major IV Wireless Bluetooth headphones and loads more.
Whether you're looking for last minute musical treat to fit your budget, or you're still hunting down a showstopper gift for the head banger in your life, this round-up could be your saviour.
Best Christmas gifts for music fans: Product guide
Rush legend Geddy Lee released his Big Beautiful Book of Bass in in 2018 and backed it with a series of in-store book signings across North America and Europe. However, if your music-loving friend missed out on meeting Geddy on the road, then the next best thing is to pick up this lavish coffee table publication for them to pore over.
Spread across 400 pages, Geddy highlights a selection of the basses he owns, which have all been meticulously captured by photographer Richard Sibbald. It's not even essential to be a Rush fan to appreciate what's in Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book Of Bass, with the book also featuring interviews with artists including Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Metallica's Robert Trujillo, Primus' Les Claypool, and former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman.
If there's a budding musician in your family or one of your friends has been mulling over the idea of picking up an instrument, then a subscription to Fender Play would make a brilliant gift.
Fender Play has been made specifically for those looking to learn guitar, bass or ukulele and is the perfect way to get started, as the musical maestros at Fender have created bite-sized video lessons so you can play and learn at your own pace. And rather than being a chore, the lessons concentrate on popular songs to make learning engaging and, most of all, fun.
A Fender Play subscription costs $9.99/£9.99 per month or $89.99/£89.99 a year direct from the official website, with the first seven days free to new subscribers – and no credit card is required during the week trial period. Once registered, you can then download the Fender Play app on either Apple Music or Google Play.
If you’ve got a guitar-playing family member of a good friend who loves to shred from the comfort of their living room, then it's time to dive into the natty Positive Grid Spark amp.
This bit of kit has taken the world by storm since it launched in 2020 and racked up an impressive 25,000 pre-orders before it was unleashed on to the general public, who have continued to snap them up since then.
This neat desktop amp is ideal for those who like to noodle at home and for those who like to play along to their favourite sounds, then this will fit the bill perfectly. It can import tracks from YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music with the Spark’s app instantly displaying the chords in real time so you can play along. The app is also used to control pedal effects and has access to 10,000 tones, making it an extremely versatile amp.
As if that wasn’t cool enough, the Positive Grid Spark generates drum and bass to accompany you while you fret away if you so choose. And it also looks pretty stylish thanks to its neat finish. We’re pretty confident that any budding guitarist or bassist would be delighted to receive this.
We already have Motorhead and Scorpions single malt whisky and Metallica’s Blackened American whiskey – but there's always room for more and Slipknot are now keeping their spirits up with their No.9 Iowa whiskey. It’s a collaboration with the Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery and, like the bottles mentioned above, it’s thoroughly enjoyable stuff.
The mash bill is made from 56% corn, 36% rye and 9% malted barley and special credit goes to Cedar Ridge for bottling it at 90 Proof (45% ABV) rather than watering it down to the bog standard 40% ABV (take note some Scotch whisky producers). Why is that important? Basically, more alcohol means more flavour and the No.9 Iowa whiskey has a lot of flavour.
Expect to encounter notes of honey, orchard fruits, lemon and chocolate while you sip – and then there’s a lovely spicy kick from the rye to round everything off. Brilliant stuff from the Iowa favourites.
Do you have friends or family members who love collecting vinyl but have that really annoying habit of leaving their vinyl collection spread all over the floor? Perhaps they don't even have the common decency to organise their vinyl in alphabetical order which is, frankly, unforgivable. If these issues ring a bell, then perhaps a vinyl storage solution would help mend their messy ways – or at least encourage them to take more care of their records.
Thankfully, Gorilla are on hand to offer some solid vinyl storage, with this robust box able to safely store 100 12-inch records. And, despite its chunky appearance, the record storage box is surprisingly lightweight and can be easy moved around.
BrewDog have been quenching our thirst since 2007 and have poured out a fine reputation since then thanks to their wide range of beers, limited edition concoctions, collaborative projects and cool bars all over the world. But with so many brews to choose, where do you start if you're looking for a gift?
Over on BrewDog’s official website you’ll find a range of their best-sellers such as Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club, Elvis Juice, Hazy Jane and more. If that’s still too many to choose between, BrewDog have created bundle packs of 24 or 48 cans which will go down a treat over the festive period, or any time of year to be honest!
- The best books about music ever written
- The best karaoke machines: Get the party started
Marshall have been at the centre of the rock universe for decades, with their cabs adorning stages of some of the world's biggest acts. And when it comes to their home audio equipment, Marshall also delivers – and as a result, it's no surprise that they feature in our loudest Bluetooth speakers guide and our list of the best over-ear headphones on the market right now.
If you're looking for a great pair of Bluetooth headphones for a cracking gift for music fans, then we recommend the Marshall Major IV, which not only look the part, but also sound fantastic thanks to their aggressive take on rock and metal and beautiful balance.
Battery life is also awesome, with a fully charged up pair giving you 80 hours of riffs, solos and drum beats – and let's not forget that a quick 15-minute charge will reward you with 15-hours of music.
OK, we’ll admit that settling down to vanquish a jigsaw puzzle isn’t the most rock’n’roll way to spend a Wednesday night, but the Zee Productions RockSaws range are too good not to dive head first into.
Their officially licensed jigsaw puzzles come in 500 or 1000 piece variations, with each one depicting a classic album cover from some of the biggest names in rock and metal, including Metallica, Slayer, Kiss, Rush, Def Leppard, Alice Cooper, Queen, Guns N’ Roses, Status Quo, Motorhead and Judas Priest.
One of our favourites is this 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle featuring the cover of Iron Maiden's The Trooper, with Eddie sweeping through a battlefield.
The whole range are also great to frame once complete and are pretty much guaranteed to be a hit.
When it comes to choosing something from the best turntables online, it can be a bit of a minefield. Prices vary dramatically and you'll have to weight up whether you'll need a phono pre-amp, a USB connection and figure out if the record player has digital capabilities.
Thankfully, Lenco have come up with a cracker in the shape of the Lenco L-85 which has just about everything you need under the shiny red hood thanks to being a semi-automatic, belt-driven turntable with a built-in phono stage and the ability to record via USB.
OK, it can look a little plasticky, but with a choice of colours and its ease of use, this would make a great present for someone just getting into collecting vinyl. You really can't go wrong with this option.
And if you're on the hunt for vinyl to gift someone, here are the 20 best classic rock albums and we've also got loads of new vinyl releases and cheap vinyl records deals.
If you're looking for a gift for under the $50/£50 mark, then take a look at the 3rd generation Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker. It packs quite a sonic punch for something in this price bracket, but its greatest strength is the Echo Dot's versatility.
It's an ideal device to have in the living room to play your favourite music, podcasts and audiobooks – and it's all controlled with just the power of your voice thanks to the invisible, but all powerful Alexa. Get up to the minute news headlines, weather reports, sports scores, convert weight measurements just by asking it. It's so good in fact, that after you've been using it for a week, you'll forget what you ever did without it.
It also hooks up with other Alexa-enabled devices and can even control your smart home. For the price, the Amazon Echo Dot is brilliant value and would make a great wee present.