Everything You Should Know Before Buying More Guitar Picks
Alright alright let's talk about PLECS baby.
So why would someone choose one pick over another? What are the pros and cons? Do they really make a difference in your playing? In the sound? Is there a difference in quality and stability?
By the end of this article I bet we’ll find out! At least the answer to the last one.
When I was a kid I chose my picks based on the coolest design, and you can certainly still do that. My dad has a friend named Steven Key who had a company called Hot Picks that made lenticular picks with bikini babes on them. They were pretty dumb but I saw one years later at a studio I was recording at and it was pretty nuts to see one out in the wild.
The difference in picks would have to do with their shape, size, thickness, and material. Those are the biggest most obvious categories, and then beyond that some picks may have extras like a special type of grip, a modified point, or custom graphics that you find exciting. Here are popular options and why people choose them:
HERE WE GO -
1 —
Celluloid
Probably the most common picks you’ll see out in the world are made from celluloid. These are typically made in the standard Fender pick size and shape (known as the “351”) and they come in all kinds of colors. Celluloid is flexible, durable, and inexpensive which makes it a great candidate for making guitar picks. Tone is bright and snappy. I don’t personally love the feel of a celluloid pick.
2 —
Delrin
Delrin is another incredibly popular material for making picks that is best known for its use in the Dunlop Tortex line. You’ve seen these before they have the git dang turtle on em. The different colors are the different thicknesses (I would get the purple ones back in the day) and they have that thin powder on em? They feel really like dry I guess you could say. They’re not shiny and not slick. Delrin is typically thicker and is usually more durable than celluloid. Tonally, could be warmer but since the pick is probably going to be thicker it may come out in the wash based on how you’re digging in.
3 —
Nylon
Nylon picks are flexible but known for their low durability because nylon is a material that can be reshaped by heating it. That being said, nylon is an incredibly popular choice for guitar picks and probably the #1 choice among shredders because it is the material that the Dunlop Jazz III is made from, although there are very very thin nylon picks that feel super floppy and completely opposite from a Jazz III. Nylon in general has a really different feel and sound from the others so it would be worth trying to see if you like it. It feels more plastic-y to me, especially the thin ones, but I love a Jazz III.
4 —
Acrylic
Acrylic picks are the cool looking see through ones, usually a little thicker with rounded edges but sometimes a sharp point. Sometimes marketed as having a thicker, fuller tone. I don’t know. I’ve bought these really expensive V-Picks before and I think my guitar did sound a little different. Maybe less harsh? They look cool. I got some rad see through red ones from D’Addario that were Jazz III shapes.
What about size, shape and thickness?
Typically smaller sizes and heavier thicknesses are better for shredding, fast or precise guitar playing.
Less surface area means there is less space of the actual pick to accidentally hit extra strings or cause unwanted noise. Also the thick pick allows you to push through the string without the string manhandling your pick.
Thin picks are better for strumming because they won’t cause such a harsh sound and have a lot more flex to them while you’re strumming.
This will sound great recording an acoustic with a nice condenser microphone ya know? Also a standard 351 size or larger may be preferred for strumming since you’ll be using more elbow/arm and not just your wrist for a full strum and you may not want your wrist planted on the bridge.
The TL;DR of all this shit is
Small/pointy/thick = Shred
Full size/rounded/thin = Strum
That being said - my absolute FAVORITE picks are the Dan’s Guitar Store Precision Picks which come in two different sizes. You can buy them on Amazon and they immediately make you play cleaner.
What I would suggest to someone is to grab a variety pack and see what suits your playing best OR keep a few different picks on hand. Real session guys bring different things to recording sessions because a pick actually makes a difference!
