8,720
edits
Changes
m
→Brands
{{Top-Level Crumbs|4}}
{{Gear Crumbs|2}}
{{Buyer's Guide Crumbs|1}}
There are numerous considerations for choosing a pick: shape, size, thickness, tip, material/durability, and grip. There are also special picks, such as thumb and finger picks. My advice is to buy one each of a wide variety of picks. It might cost you $20-30 for this initial order, from which you may only find 2-3 that you like. But that's better than using a suboptimal pick. The ideal pick for you is based on your personal traits like how you grip the pick, how large your hand is, how hard you grip the pick, etc., as well as related to your gear, such as string gauge and tuning, or your playing style (mostly strumming vs. lead or riff playing). Picks will also impact tone, so that has a bearing on the one(s) you settle on.
== Brands ==
[http://www.jimdunlop.com/ Jim Dunlop] is the biggest name I know of in for picks. [http://www.fender.com/accessories/picks/ Fender] and other guitar manufacturers make picks, as well as no-name companies whose picks are simply rebranded. Fender picks aren't bad (they are certainly pretty!), but I'd stay away from anything else. Picks are relatively inexpensive and are used as a promotional tool rather than a serious product. This is why I like Dunlop and other brands below dedicated to selling picks - they survive by making quality picks, not trying to rope you into buying something else. That said, new companies can always appear; and there are several boutique vendors that use stones and gems for ultra-durable, high-price picks. Companies like Winspear have recently emerged selling extra-thick (and expensive) picks, boasting better tone and ease of picking through each string.
* [http://www.jimdunlop.com/products/guitar-picks Dunlop]
* [http://www.v-picks.com/ V-Picks]
* [http://www.redbeartrading.com/ Red Bear Trading]
* [http://www.winspearpicks.com/ Winspear]
== Aesthetics ==
My advice is to try to ignore pick aesthetics entirely. You want the sound of yourself playing guitar to be beautiful, which means using a pick with excellent comfort and control. The look of a small piece of plastic that spends 99% of its time covered by your thumb/fingers is relatively insignificant.
== Shape ==
== Thickness ==
I like thick picks, and I cannot lie. Most of the picks you'll randomly encounter are pretty thin (.5 7 mm or smaller). In contrast, the JP Jazz III I like is 1.5 mm - over 3x 2x as thick.
Thickness affects how much you can dig into the string during your picking stroke. Remember from [[Basic Technique]] that from a technique-perspective, you can use pick angle, the location on the pick you hit the string with, and grip strength to vary this. Well, pick thickness will override all these aspects to some degree. As mentioned above, the more pressure you apply to the string through the pick, the more pressure the string applies back to your pick and to your hand. With a thick pick, you can tighten up your grip and push really hard against that string without it sliding off the pick. When it eventually does, you'll get a big "Biiinnnngg!". With a thin pick, it doesn't matter how tight your grip is - the pick itself will bend and the string will slide off of it before you can put too much pressure on it.
=== Tortoise Shell ===
Tortoise Shell was a popular material for picks several decades ago, but harvesting and trading tortoise shell is now illegal due to wildlife preservation concners (similar to ivory in elephants and rhinos). [http://www.redbeartrading.com/ Red Bear] actually produces picks that they claim is the same material as tortoise shell, but without harming any animals in the process (actual tortoise shell harvesting is illegal). I haven't tried one of these - they are a bit price prohibitive, being around $30 per pick. Many players swear by them. I can only assume they are similar to the gemstone option below - fairly indestructable and very smooth. The big risk here is that you're spending so much money on something so small and easily lost. You can always keep some cheap picks on hand as a backup, but because they're going to feel different, it might not be a truly comparable backup (although this is usually the case for backups).
=== Gemstone ===
I have an original Star Pick, which is made of some rare-Earth gemstone. It is ultra smooth and durable. The problem is that I only have one and am not sure if it could ever be replaced. If you are able to find one of these, I definitely recommend them. Just be sure to check reviews and make sure you are getting something actually made of real gemstone and that the durability and smoothness is up to snuff. They will not be cheap.
Again, like above, the main fear is keeping track of something small and expensive, as well as finding suitable backups.
== Grip ==
When it comes to pick and grip, there is the right hand grip of the pick and the surface of the pick itself. This section discusses the latter.
Both material and design go into the grip of a pick. Some materials are simply slicker or less absorbant than others. This can make the pick more slick and difficult to grip, especially in humid climates or when sweating such as during a gig or intense practice session. I found nylon to be the worst material here. Tortex is likely a bit more absorbant but I still found them a bit awkward to grip.
Picks are often designed to improve grip. Methods include molding them with contours for your thumb, creating a rough or similar surface, drilling holes through them, and coating the non-tip parts in rubber. I find a subtle rough surfacing does wonders. Thumb/finger contours I never liked - they force you to grip the pick a specific way and make the picks too bulky. I've never tried holes, but I imagine they are better than nothing, although they may aggravate your skin after a while. Rubber seems like a good solution, but will also affect your right hand grip...and can add more expense per pick.
Again, buy many different options and experiment to figure out what's best for you.
== Special Picks ==
In addition to "normal" flat picks with a single tip, there are special picks that are held or played differently than a standard picking technique.
=== Thumb ===
Some picks feature a loop of plastic you slide your thumb inside, so that you don't need to grip the pick with the index or other right hand finger. This leaves the player with the pick tone, but frees up the other fingers to finger pick strings or tap. Some players prefer it for simple comfort reasons.
I'm not a huge fan of thumb picks for a few reasons. First, you have less variety than you do with standard flat picks. Second, I don't find it comfortable to "wear" the pick. And third, I find I have a bit less control. If I grip the thumb pick like a normal pick, the last two concerns are mostly alleviated; but then the thumb pick offers no real benefit over a flat pick.
=== Finger ===
Finger picks are worn over the tip of each finger. They are used in a [[Finger Picking|finger-picking technique]], but give the player a picked tone rather than the duller sound of a finger.
=== Multi-Tip ===
Some picks feature multiple tips, so that each stroke actually picks the string multiple times.
{{top}}
{{Gear Crumbs|2}}
{{Buyer's Guide Crumbs|1}}
[[Category:Guitar]]
[[Category:Gear]]
[[Category:Picks]]