I asked myself that question yesterday after I set up my rig at church. I thought about it and to be honest I have all the gear I actually need. So now, I’m at the point where most gear I buy is a want as opposed to a need; though I can technically justify my new Gibson J-45 as a business need.
I never intended my treasured Simon & Patrick PRO to be gigged with this much after I received it as a gift from my dear friend Libby. And though its monetary value isn’t as much as the J-45 and it certainly doesn’t have the projection of the J-45, it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. Plus, I have to admit that it sounds damn good on a recording, so I’ll continue to use it in the studio.
But other than that, the only things I technically need are consumables like strings and picks. But those are very periodic. And with strings, I normally only replace one string at a time, so I don’t go through sets very often. Given that, it’s really hard for me to justify getting any gear that’s not a consumable.
That doesn’t mean I don’t eschew new gear altogether. It’s just that I’m not nearly as susceptible to GAS attacks like I used to be. Add to the fact that I found my own sound, and the motivation to try and buy new gear just isn’t as strong as it used to be. Don’t get me wrong. That urge is there still but it is overpowered by my general feeling of completeness with my rig.
But here’s the cool thing about asking myself that question: I’m now at the point where I can answer, “I really don’t know what I need. I’ve got the sounds that I like that satisfy the music I play. Anything new will simply be icing on the cake.”
Guitar Gear 
What would you recommend for a new guitarist as far as gear they need beyond the guitar, strings, and picks?
Please don’t take this as a flip answer, but to be completely honest, practice. Develop and get to know your sound first before getting other gear. But it also depends on the type of guitar you’re playing. If you’re playing an acoustic guitar, there’s not much in the way of gear you can get, though I’d recommend buying a good strap – I’d recommend that for ANY guitar.
If you’re playing electric or acoustic-electric, and you already have an amp, then your gear options really open up. But what gear you should get is also heavily dependent on the style of music you play. But if I were to speak in generalities and genre-crossing gear, I’d say to get a decent reverb pedal to start. Nothing like reverb to add a little grease to the wheels of your sound.