.jpeg)
Renowned music educator Marty Schwartz—who has nearly 5 million subscribers on his Marty Music lesson channel on YouTube—shares his essential recommendations with a personal touch.
“Every piece of gear I’m showing is stuff I personally use myself,” says Schwartz.
He also doesn’t leave any players behind, breaking down the crucial music tools into three options each for beginner, intermediate and advanced guitarists.
“No matter what phase of the adventure you're on, I think the most important thing is to stay inspired,” he says. “Keep learning and keep playing.”
Much like the approach that made him such a popular and trusted guitar teacher, Schwartz doesn’t just pick products in this video. He also plays some illustrative riffs, gives a quick lesson or two, and offers a few tips and techniques.
“Having the right gear is really important,” stresses Schwartz. “If you have a guitar where the action is too high or the intonation is bad, no matter how much you play it, it's not going to sound good. But if you have gear that really sounds good, you’re more motivated to keep playing.”
After watching the video, you can do a deeper dive on the gear Schwartz demonstrates. His beginner picks feature the Epiphone SG Standard guitar, BOSS Katana-Mini amp and D’Addario Equinox headstock tuner.
For intermediate players, he recommends the Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS, MXR Fat Sugar Drive and BOSS RC-1 Loop Station.
Advanced guitarists should consider Schwartz’s choices of a Gibson ES-335 ’60s Block, Dunlop EC95G Eric Clapton Cry Baby and Strymon El Capistan V2.
However, as spot-on as Schwartz’s essential gear picks might be, he also spends time in the video discussing the all-important aspects of building fundamentals and progressing.
“My goal when I started teaching was to teach the way I wish someone would have taught me—getting to know what a guitarist wants to play and inspiring them,” he says. “Because if you're having fun, it doesn't feel like work. It doesn't feel like practice. You tend to play and actually learn the instrument. It's all about being inspired.”