Guitar Picks: The Key to Your Emotional and Spiritual Well-Being

Dear Dr. Mel Odius,

Why are some musicians so picky about picks? I mean, what's the big deal? I cut my own guitar pick out of my HMO membership card and it works fine. I think some people waste their money on picks just for the cool factor.

Signed, Accidentally Uninsured

Dear Accidentally,

Picks are an intensely personal matter. A person's choice of pick reveals deep-seated insecurities and unrealistic self-images rooted in childhood traumas. Or it could be they just think a particular pick is cool (which also reveals deep-seated insecurities and unrealistic self-images). Either way, this sort of personal dirty laundry is a perfect topic for airing in a public blog.

Piccolo's Music is owned and operated by musicians, so of course we carry an insane variety of totally cool, confidence-boosting picks. Incidentally, the pick you use makes a huge difference in your tone and smoothness (or lack thereof). By "huge," I mean an astonishing, earth-shaking, galaxy-warping difference.

For such a small item, picks have a surprising number of characteristics that affect how they sound. Thickness (gauge), size, shape, material, edge beveling, and grip features all influence a pick's feel and performance.

Gauge

Picks come in a wide range of gauges, from thin to medium to heavy, or in more quantifiable terms, from a see-through 0.38 millimeters (mm) to a log-splitting 3.5 mm. "Thin" generally means 0.6 mm or less, "medium" ranges up to 0.9 mm, and "heavy" to "extra heavy" is 1.0 mm up to 1.5 mm. Specialty picks thicker than 1.5 mm are available--popular among some jazz and heavy metal guitarists.

Although the material of a pick also affects tone, its gauge is fundamental to tone. The basic rule of thumb is that thin picks typically produce a thinner tone, and thick picks produce a bigger--some say fatter--tone. But it's important to match the pick to the instrument, the type of music you play, whether you play loud and hard or soft and easy, and to what sort of tone you want. Most folks who try a thicker pick don't like it at first, but if they stick with it for a week or two, they never go back to a thinner pick.

Contrary to what many people think, thin, floppy picks don't help you play faster. In fact, because a thin pick bends (a lot) when it hits a string, your picking motion will be larger and less efficient than with a stiffer pick that instantly pushes through the string. Some people who prefer thin picks hold them so only a tiny bit of the point hits the string, creating a stiffer feel and quicker response.

Material

No other object on the planet is made from so many different materials. In the quest for the tri-part holy grail of tone and feel and durability, pick manufacturers continue to test every possible natural and synthetic chemical compound known. Some pickers swear by nylon or gel picks, while others use picks made from Lexan, stone, metal, ivory, and tortoise shell. Tortoise shell is illegal in most forms, to protect tortoises from crazed flat pickers. And tortoise picks require regular maintenance to keep the edges smooth.

The most common pick material is celluloid, a plastic mix of nitrocellulose and camphor. It was invented in 1854 and soon became the material of choice for billiard balls. The standard reddish-amber mottled picks stamped with "Fender" or "Martin" are celluloid. They're a workhorse pick for many players, mostly because you can find them in every music store. Celluloid is also easily molded, so most "novelty" picks are made from this plastic. But other materials are more durable and produce better tone and feel. Chief among these are Ultex and Tortex, developed by Dunlop picks. These plastics are harder and have more of a matte finish, helping them stick to your fingers. Plastic picks range in price from 25 cents up to a dollar a piece. Not bad for an essential tool that can dramatically improve your playing and tone.

In general, the denser the material, the fuller the tone. Also, dense, stiff picks are more easily manipulated to change and tweak your tone--from whispering to a roar—as you play.

The latest fad in picks includes Wegen picks made of Kevlar and BlueChip picks made from a polymide composite called Meldin. More about Bluechip picks in a future blog.

Size and Shape

These two characteristics tend to go hand in hand. There are itty bitty teardrop picks, big triangular picks, and everything in between. Choices here really are a matter of personal preference. Pros and cons? Smaller picks can be harder to hold on to, but bigger picks sometimes inhibit flexibility in your fingers and wrist. Pick manufacturers are coming out with new sizes and shapes all the time, allowing players to find a pick with an almost custom fit. Once you've found a gauge and material you like, try out all the sizes and shapes you can find. Some players reshape their picks with sandpaper.

Perhaps the most important aspect of pick shape is the profile of the point that actually hits the string. Sharper points tend to produce brighter, clearer tones, while rounded points are warmer or darker sounding.

Edge Beveling

On thicker picks, the edges may be sloped or beveled to reduce "pick click" and to help them slide over the strings more easily. Some manufacturers call this "speed beveling." You can easily sand a bevel onto your own picks, but this option is increasingly "built in" on many better picks.

Grip Features

For generations, pickers have complained about slippery picks and picks that fly off at the most inopportune times. Celluloid picks do get slippery when your hands are dewy from playing. Some players prefer nylon for this reason. But you can get the aforementioned "cat tongue" texture and also a rubbery grip on Cool Picks. Other picks come with ridges or holes drilled into them for added grip. And a few picks are made of materials that actually become tackier as your fingers warm up.

My personal pick choices vary from one instrument to the next. On acoustic guitar, my favorite picks are Dunlop Tortex in either 0.73 mm (yellow) or 0.88mm (green). On electric guitar, I use either a Dunlop Ultex 0.60 mm or a Cool Pick 0.73 mm with the "cat tongue" grip (red). On tenor banjo, I use the Cool Pick cat tongue in 0.53 mm. And on mandolin, I use a 1.5 mm BlueChip Pick (coming soon to Piccolo's, so watch this blog for more details).

Notice that I haven't said anything about skull-shaped picks or picks with imprints of Elvis or "your name here." Most novelty picks are for looks only. They make funny gag gifts or conversation starters. Let's leave it at that.

Your best bet is to try out one each of all the 25 and 35 cent picks you can buy. Piccolo's has a great assortment in stock (in the grey case on the counter to the left as you come in the store). And ask John or Will about the more expensive high end picks.

So if you thought other people were picky about picks, now you know how bad the obsession can truly get. Good luck with your HMO special, and be careful crossing the street....

Signed, Mel