It doesn’t matter whether you’re tantamount to Bowie, Iggy, Freddie or Elton; when it comes to music and what to do with it, it’s fair to say that most people nowadays are lost without the right setup and equipment.

Where does it go from here? With instruments, especially electronics, the costs can be enormous – there will always be something that you need to make it sound harder, better, faster, stronger, Daft Punk-ier. It’s up to you to decide what you really need to invest in and what can wait … either until next payday, or forever.

Electric Guitar

Straight away, if you play then you will know that you need an amp. For the beginners out there, they’re not like normal guitars – they make a sound when you play them, sure, but it’s not anything like an acoustic or what you’d heard when it’s plugged in. Putting your money into a good amp is vital to produce something amazing. You don’t even need to go big nowadays – the Marshall DSL15C is the perfect example of great sound on a budget. It is always a good rule of thumb to stick with well-known brands when it comes to amps. Although they may seem more expensive, there is a reason that they are so popular amongst professionals and amateurs alike; the expense spent now may well turn out to be a profit when you take into consideration how many times you may need to replace an amp to reach the quality of sound that you desire.

Electric Piano

You don’t particularly need to buy much more to go with an electric piano than what you’ve already got; the majority of them have different styles of piano and keyboard already rigged into them, and you will not find much to add on in terms of volume as they’re loud enough (unless you’re performing on stage). However, if you are a night-owl or an early riser and your playing is starting to irritate rather than be enjoyed, it may be time to invest in some good-quality headphones. Ensure that you go for ones that will emphasise both treble and bass lines (headphones which aren’t of good quality tend to focus on one or the other for emphasis during pop songs), that have excellent sound quality and most importantly fit comfortably on your head or in your ears – you don’t want to have to be replacing them when your ears start to hurt.

With electrical musical instruments, the most important issue that anybody will bring up is the sound. Whether entering your ears through headphones, amp or just the speakers that it is presented with, there will always be an element of trying to achieve more than you have been given, but that can wait until your budget suits. That’s the trouble with instruments which require a plug – you always know that there will be bigger and better out there in terms of improving the sound. However, the investments now will be worth it in the end.