The humble guitar pick (or plectrum) does not get enough attention. These little pieces of plastic are the literal connection between your hands and the strings, and as such, have a tremendous impact on the tone and feel of your instrument. Being cheap and disposable, they are by far the most economical means of altering your instrument's sound, and a fun way to add some variety to your playing. In this blog, I'll give some opinions on how different pick qualities affect tone and share some of my current and past favorite picks and what I use them for.
Pick Material
Historically, picks for musical instruments were made from natural materials - bone, ivory, quills, etc. Probably the most famous and widespread of these materials for guitar picks was tortoiseshell, which was used well into the 20th century. As plastics were developed, they began to replace these materials: the first commercially available plastic picks, made from celluloid, were introduced by Luigi D'Andrea in 1922.
Celluloid remains a popular material for picks. It has a smooth finish, is moderately flexible, and has has good mix of tonal warmth and articulation. Celluloid picks are also inexpensive and available in a variety of fun colors. Celluloid picks have their downsides however: they wear down or break fairly quickly and are also highly flammable.
Fortunately, we live in a time of plenty when it comes to pick materials, and there are too many to list here. The two most important factors to consider are the texture and the hardness of the pick material. Different materials and manufacturing processes will offer different combinations of these two qualities. Smooth-textured picks allow for a "clean" release of the string, which provides a warm sound with few harsh overtones. Smooth picks can also be a good choice for players looking to play fast, as they do not "drag" on the strings. Many picks are available with a roughened finish - Dunlop Tortex picks are the ubiquitous example of this type of pick. A rough-textured pick gives the player a better ability to grip the pick, especially with sweaty hands, and gives the sound more "bite," which can be a advantageous when trying to make a guitar part stand out in a group setting. Material harness has an effect on sound, but also on the way a pick wears with use. Softer materials tend to wear quickly, but also wear down very evenly, maintaining smooth edges over time.
Harder materials wear down more slowly, but can develop pitting and getting rough spots on the edges, especially when doing pick scrapes. Tonally, I've found that very hard picks are more prone to "chirping" if the player's pick technique is sloppy.
Pick Shape
The size and shape of a pick affect not only it's playing feel, but also it's tone. The greatest factor here should be what is comfortable for the player to hold. Small picks are great for encouraging good picking technique and are also well suited to small hands. Larger picks offer more gripping surface, but can be unwieldy if the player's hands are too small or if leaving too much of the pick exposed while playing. As for pick shape look for picks with a pointed tip for a more precise, articulate sound, and picks with a rounded tip for a warmer, more full-bodied sound. Many picks will have a more rounded side and a more pointed side, and either side can be used to strike the string depending on the player's needs. Triangular picks can also be found with three identical sides, which lets the player rotate the pick as it wears to always have a fresh playing surface. As you explore different picks you will also find that the edges can be shaped differently: some picks will have a square edge, some a rounded edge, and others a sharp beveled edge. The edge profile can have a noticeable effect on tone and feel, especially with thicker picks.
Thickness
Pick thickness has perhaps the greatest effect on feel and tone of all factors. Thin picks (under .73mm usually), will conform readily to the players hand, making them easy to hold. They will also be highly flexible, which will yield very even volume across the strings, which can be great for strumming and for playing fast. The tone of thin picks will generally be on the bright side. They tend to be forgiving of less than perfect picking technique.
Thick picks (1.0mm and greater) offer little to no flexibility. This makes them capable of producing more acoustic volume and a greater range of volumes and timbres than thin picks. They will also have a warmer, fuller one, which makes them an excellent choice for single note leads, and chord melody playing. Due to their inflexible nature, they can be a little harder to hold on to than thin picks. The greater dynamics they are capable of also makes them less forgiving of sloppy technique.
Medium picks (.73mm - 1.0mm) offer a blend of the qualities of thin and thick picks. They are flexible enough to be easy to hold and rigid enough to play a variety of sounds.
My Recommendations
For a long time, I didn't experiment much with picks. I had one type that I would use for everything and didn't vary it at all. Now I keep a variety of picks on hand in all my instrument cases. Here's a list of my past and current favorites.
Dunlop Tortex Green .88mm - These were the only picks I used for the first 5 years or so of my playing. Tortex picks are available in nearly every guitar store and this gauge and shape work well for a variety of instruments and styles. The rough surface makes them easy to hold on to and helps make the sound of the guitar pop out in a group.
Dunlop Tortex Yellow .73mm - I used these for a while for playing live because the bright yellow color made them easy to find on a dark stage and they were just thin enough to fit under the edge of my electric guitar's pickguard for convenient storage.
Dunlop Tortex Blue 1.0mm - These have been my go-to pick for the last 15 years when playing electric guitar or bass. They get a nice big sounding notes with a bright attack. I prefer the newer Flow shape to the standard shape. I also keep some large triangle picks around, especially for bass.
Dunlop Tortex Small Teardrop 1.14mm - These are what I use almost exclusively for acoustic guitar and for pit-orchestra gigs. I find the small size more conducive to playing seated and the fine-pointed tip and extra thickness give me a lot of control over tone and volume with plenty of clarity, especially on acoustic.
D'Andrea Pro Plec 346 - I have no idea what kind of material these are made from, but nothing else quite sounds or feels quite the same. These are what I use when I play classical guitar with a pick. They have a smooth, rounded edge that resembles a fingernail in size and shape. They bring extra warmth out of any instrument and are also good for getting extra-smooth tremolo picking sounds on guitar or mandolin.
Dunlop Jazztones 208 - These picks are made out of some kind of extra-hard plastic and are virtually indestructible. They are also extra-thick at around 2.0mm with a beveled edge. They are completely rigid - they will not bend no matter how hard you try. I like to practice with these picks to work out kinks in my picking technique. Everything in your right hand has to be perfect or these picks will let you know, especially since they are prone to chirping if they glance across a string. They will also get a LOT of volume out of an acoustic guitar.
I hope all this helps, and next time you are in the store or shopping on our website, feel free to rummage through the picks we have for sale. All of our picks are available as singles, so it is easy to experiment without having to commit to buying large quantities of picks. Most of our single picks are priced comparably to the bulk quantities, so there's no extra cost involved.
Matt Dunham
Central Ohio Music
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