The Solo Singer-Songwriter's Must-Have Gear for Playing Live

If you're looking for a new acoustic-electric guitar for solo singer-songwriter gigs, you can't go wrong with these picks from Epiphone, Taylor, Martin, and Gibson. These classic instruments span a wide range of prices, but they're all zZounds customer favorites.

If you're a guitarist, you'll want to bring a capo -- we suggest the SpiderCapo -- and a guitar stand that's easy to transport, like the On-Stage Mighty guitar stand -- it fits in your guitar case! If you're not using a tuner pedal, a compact tuner is a must-have too. It's also a good idea to bring an extension power cable for your PA gear, pedalboard, or vocal effects processor -- so you don't have to rely on the venue to have power where you need it.

Be prepared to play any venue by bringing your own microphone, mic cable and boom stand. Every singer-songwriter can use a Shure SM58, boom stand and XLR microphone cable. And if you need to use a music stand, we recommend the On-Stage SM7211B -- it's made of durable metal and completely collapsible.

Not every singer-songwriter is a guitar-slinger. As a solo singer/keyboardist, you're likely looking for a keyboard that delivers decent weighted piano action, while remaining lightweight enough to carry.

You can never go wrong with a Nord Electro. The Nord Electro 6HP offers 73 hammer-action keys and it's loaded with Nord's killer piano, organ, and synth sounds.

If you absolutely need to bring 88 keys to the gig, check out the highly affordable Casio PX-160 and PX-350. If 73 keys is plenty, try out the Korg SV-2 Stage Vintage Piano -- it's loaded with vintage electric piano sounds, and even a real vacuum tube circuit to dirty up your sound.

Portable amps are perfect for playing small gigs in intimate venues that don't require a full PA system. Look for an amp with a tilt-back stand, so you can point it up at your ears and be able to hear yourself well on stage. For "busking" outdoors, choose an amp that's capable of running on batteries as well as AC power.

If you're an acoustic guitarist/singer, you'll want a combo amp that has an 1/4" guitar input, plus an XLR microphone input for your dynamic vocal mic. Look for on-board reverb and chorus effects for sweetening your vocal and guitar sound. We recommend the Fishman Loudbox Performer Bluetooth.

If keyboard is your instrument, or if you play through stereo effects pedals, it's nice to have an amp with stereo L and R inputs, like the Roland AC-60 or BA-330 battery-powered amp. Remember, if the amp doesn't have at least two speaker cones, it's not capable of outputting in stereo.

When the gig requires you to bring your own PA, one option is an all-in-one system that can break down easily for transport, like the Bose L1 Pro8 or Mackie SRM-Flex. Either system will let you plug in a guitar and an XLR microphone.

For a more powerful system, invest in a single powered PA speaker, like the QSC K12.2 or Electro-Voice ZLX-15P-G2. One of these PA speakers is capable of filling a small room on its own -- just plug your microphone and instrument directly into the XLR mic and line inputs on the back. Get two speakers and add a mixer, and you'll have a PA system you can use for bigger gigs.