UPDATED NOVEMBER 2024

Give the gift of creativity!

We've noticed that the holiday season is awash with gift guides, but there's not a lot out there for the hands-on, pedal-building, DIY musician. (Let's be real, we love a good wool sock, but how many socks can a person be gifted for the holiday???) 

This year we've updated our Gift Guide for Guitar Pedal Builders with tools to unleash creativity, from our Breadboarding Gift Set to Component Substitution Boxes to our soft and cozy Zip Logo Hoodie. These items won't just make a builder's life easier, they also will make it more fun.

If you're a long-time Love My Switches customer, never fear! We've still got some of the same, awesome products in the line-up of guitar gifts, alongside some products that might be new to you.

Our gift guide is chock full of tools, merch, and cool stuff musicians, circuit-benders, and tinkerers want but won't always buy for themselves. We're highlighting some DIY electronic gift ideas that (in our humble opinion) are guaranteed to bring a little bit of happiness.

Breadboarding Gift Set

Upgrade your circuit builder's workbench with this Breadboarding Gift Set. It's got all the goods a person needs to build and modify guitar pedal circuits with ease. They can make changes and swap out components without soldering—and it's all ready to go, right out of the box. Unlike other breadboards, ours come pre-built with integrated components, a huge timesaver and circuit building must-have. So when inspiration or ideas strike, you can just sit down and get started.

The gift set is available in Standard and Deluxe versions (a 20% savings) and includes a 140-piece Jumper Wire Kit and Breadboarding Is Not A Crime Sticker, but you also can snag a Solderless Breadboard solo. They come in five different sizes, from Mini to Deluxe.

And, while you're checking out the breadboard, bundle it with some Breadboarding Toggle Adapter Sets, which drop directly into the breadboards and allow builders to quickly swap out toggle switches in seconds.

The Love My Switches E-Gift Certificate

Pick up a Love My Switches Gift Certificate as an add-on to your Breadboarding Gift Set or as a stand-alone gift for the pedal builder or DIY hobbyist in your life. Maybe your loved one is a consummate tinkerer or has a project they've been wanting to work on for awhile. A gift certificate lets them pick out just exactly what they need. 

You can choose whatever dollar value you like, and it's valid immediately upon purchase. Input the recipient's email address for instant gifting, or use your email address and then print out the certificate at home, wrap it up, and make that magic moment of awesome gift-giving happen in real life.

Enclosure Drill Jigs 

Forget paper templates and wonky drilling alignment. These Enclosure Drill Jigs make it easy to get the perfect placement for drilling 125B, 1590BB, and 1590B enclosures. All you've got to do is slide a jig onto your stompbox, mark your hole placement using a center punch, remove the jig, and then drill! (For more info, check out this video we made showing how to use a drill jig.)

Buy all three jigs and get $5 off, and add a Center Punch Drill Tool and Step Bit to complete the perfect giftable package.

Pedal Port

If you want to seriously upgrade a DIY builder's workbench, opt for the Pedal Port Pedal Building Third Hand. This is a unique block of flexible silicone with 25 slots sized for potentiometers, foot switches, PCBs, LEDs, power jacks, and pretty much any other part, connector, or weirdly shaped component you can shove in there. Components stay scratch-free, and it naturally "suctions" to most work surfaces to stay in place.

This is a huge improvement over the other "third hand" tools on the market and is specifically designed by a pedal builder for pedal building.

Component Substitution Box

If you want to amp up the fun factor, pick up a Component Substitution Box, which allows you to compare how a circuit changes in seconds with just the turn of a dial. In the BCSB (Before Component Substitution Box) time, you'd have to manually swap out teeny-tiny components in a circuit, which might mean searching your workspace for the right component value, struggling to fit that part into a breadboard, dropping it, searching the fibers of your carpet and discovering just much you need to vacuum your DIY studio space, finally finding what you dropped, successfully getting it in the breadboard . . . wait, what were you doing again?

FORGET ALL THE HASSLE and pick up a sub box (or three) and never vacuum your carpet again.

Rocket Sockets - Pedal Building Socket Set

The Rocket Sockets Pedal Building Socket Set is one of the most popular products we sell and is an absolute game changer for any person who builds pedals, repairs guitars, or works on projects where a metal socket may scratch the finish. It is used by some of the top boutique guitar pedal companies in the United States, as well as hobby builders. At just $15.99 it makes a great stocking stuffer—and is especially giftable when paired with a Better Setter Knob Alignment Tool, which takes away the drudgery of setting knobs precisely in the same position.

USB to 9VDC Power Cable

This is such a cool little stocker stuffer for any musician who uses effect pedals and makes the perfect gift for guitar players. This USB TO 9VDC Power Cable has a USB port on one end and an industry standard input plug on the other, so your musician can use any battery USB battery pack (e.g. laptop, portable charger) to power their pedals. The cable is small enough to carry in a pocket or backpack and great for guitar players who are always playing at friends' houses or rented practice spaces.

You can also snap up traditional power supplies in 9V, 12V, and 18V. (Pro tip: These make great customer gifts to package with pedals!)

Guitar Pedal Patch Cable Set

A great choice for any player. A Guitar Pedal Patch Cable Set is a practical gift that beginners and experienced players alike will appreciate, since patch cables tend to wear out naturally with use. It's kind of like how drummers always need new sticks. Or, how everyone always needs new underwear, but . . . you don't necessarily want to open up a pack of Hanes on Christmas Day. So, get 'em this 6-pack of cables to connect their pedals on their pedalboard. They'll be thanking you all year long.

The Love My Switches Zip Logo Hoodie

Keep your pedal builder warm and cozy with The Love My Switches Zip Logo Hoodie. The back features the classic Love My Switches logo and the front allows our heart icon to take its blood-pumping place. It's a team favorite here at the shop and helps to make the chilly Portland winters a little more bearable. Combine this hoodie with a gift certificate for the one-two punch of pedal building gift-giving greatness. (And, if cold climes aren't a thing for you, check out our classic T-shirt.)

Foot Switch Cap from Barefoot Buttons

This is another great stocking stuffer gift for guitarists. If you've got a barefoot player in your life, you need to get them a Barefoot Button! (We like 'em because the sole on our Converse are thin, and we feel every stomp!) These foot switch caps fit onto most foot switch actuators, providing a sturdy cushion to protect the sole of the foot, as well as a bigger target for increased accuracy and fewer missed hits. Available in standard size and mini size and in black, blue, red, silver, and clear.

Stickers!

We think stickers make everything better. Pick the motto you think defines your loved one the most: Are they always playing music? Or, always building in their workshop? Or, both?! Our Make Things Make Noise and I'd Rather Be Soldering stickers are under a buck each, so you can stick them anywhere—and everywhere—you like. The perfect addition to a workbench, garage, gear case, and more! Your DIY audio buff will love them.

Do we have even more gift ideas? Heck, yeah! We always suggest gifting something a person might hesitate to buy for themselves—but are secretly salivating over. Here at HQ, we think the Super Premium 3PDT foot switch and Gorva enclosures make nice upgrades. (Those gift certificates can be a great way to let your recipient pick out the exact part they need.)

Contact us with questions, and happy holidays.