You may have noticed that we’ve been reviewing guitar picks lately. And why not? A great guitar pick is arguably the most cost effective way to modify your tone. Guitarists didn’t always appreciate the difference that a pick can make, and some of you still don’t. Because of this, we thought it wise to discuss our approach to reviewing the best guitar picks. As always, our goal at Guitarkind is to turbocharge the process of zeroing in on the right gear for you, so you can get your sound.
A New Age For Plectrums
For a long time, guitar picks were an afterthought, and many guitarists were only concerned with deciding on which gauge of Fender Celluloid 351 they should use! (Fender’s classic celluloid pick is the most well known shape and material). Thankfully, today we have many more options. The guitar pick options we enjoy are a double-edged sword, however… As it so often is, more choice often results in more effort to find the right product. Regardless, we think auditioning guitar picks can be enjoyable. Let’s look at why the type of guitar pick you use is so important.
Why Are Guitar Picks So Important?
As we said earlier, guitar picks are one of the most influential and economical ways to modify your tone. But that’s not the only reason to be “picky”, if you will. We guitar players are often guilty of neglecting our right-hand technique, instead focusing on everything going on with the left hand (understandably!). Fact is though, a great plectrum can make a big difference in your right hand technique, and noticeably improve your playing.
With the left hand, we need to fret notes, grab chord shapes, perfect vibrato, and more. But right hand technique is just as important, regardless of what style of music you play. Whether you are alternate picking, hybrid picking, or just strumming open chords, a good right hand technique and feel is one of the factors that separate “OK” players from good, or great, players. In short, the right guitar pick will help you sound better.
The Challenges of Reviewing Guitar Picks
Here are some of the challenges we face when reviewing picks.
1. Picks are not Adjustable
One way to think of picks is that of a non-adjustable tone control. When we’re talking about a pick, we are talking about changing one variable in the tone equation. And, this variable is not adjustable. An amplifier, for example, has settings such as tone controls, speaker, volume, etc… that can greatly alter the sound.
2. People Seek Different Sounds
What you are seeking in your tone will determine which type of pick you like. For example, one player might be looking for more volume and projection for flatpicking Bluegrass. Another may have a hybrid picking style, and are looking for a pick with a tone that sounds similar to their fingerpicked notes. We’ll offer our observations of what a pick sounds like, but it’s up to you to decide how to value those attributes.
3. We All Hear Differently
This goes for any gear, but it’s always worth keeping in mind. The differences in tone that guitar picks make are real, but sometimes subtle. Some people are more sensitive to certain aspects of tone, such as the note attack, or perceived brightness or darkness in tone.
Other Factors
In addition, the type of tone that a pick produces is influenced by the instrument itself. You may find a pick that you think is the best guitar pick for metal, but find that it doesn’t make the best acoustic guitar pick for the sound you are looking for on a particular guitar. Therefore, when we talk about the “best guitar picks”, we need to remember that the best electric guitar picks and the best acoustic guitar picks may be different altogether.
Therefore, we reject the idea of a “best guitar pick” and prefer to see it as a quest to find the “best guitar pick for a given situation.” When you approach it this way, as opposed to asking “What are the best guitar picks?”, we believe you’ll agree that there’s ample reason to consider having a generous pick collection.
With the modest price of most picks, there’s no reason not to have a collection of what you feel are the best electric guitar picks, best jazz guitar picks, best guitar picks for metal, best bass guitar picks, etc…
Challenges aside, we want to help you find your ultimate plectrum. Now, let’s move on to how we review guitar picks.
How We Review Guitar Picks
In order to help you get a full understanding of how a pick will perform, we review picks on three primary attributes: Tone, Feel, and Appearance. Our goal is to do our best to give you an idea of how a pick performs across these three major attributes, but ultimately the choice of a guitar pick is a personal one.
A Note on the Best Guitar Pick for Beginners
We don’t necessarily think that there are best guitar picks for beginners. That said, thinner picks are often thought of as the best acoustic guitar picks for strumming, because the flexibility of a thinner pick is more forgiving. Also, a larger pick may be preferable to a small pick such as a Dunlop Jazz III, because novice players haven’t developed as much dexterity as experienced players, and the larger surface area gives beginners more to hold on to.
Tone
Tone is the most likely reason you might select one guitar pick over another. Picks can be made of many different materials, some of which sound quite different from one another. When we talk about the tone that a particular pick produces, we take the following factors into account:
1. Type of Guitar—Acoustic vs. Electric
Depending on the type of guitar, picks can sound very different from one guitar to another. What you feel may be the best picks for acoustic guitar may be different than you go-to pick for your electric playing.
2. Style of Music
Do you play high-gain metal, or pick Bluegrass on a Martin D-28? This will influence the type of sound and response you are looking for.
3. Picking Style
Are you primarily a strummer? Do you “hybrid pick” (this is when you use both the pick and fingers). Do you need to execute fast, clean passages?
4. Pick Gauge
Pick gauge (thickness) affects tone as well as feel. There is no best guitar pick thickness. Your preferences will determine the best pick thickness for acoustic and electric guitar.
5. Volume
Some picks are designed for greater volume, and are noticeably louder. Whether this is a good thing is dependent on the sound you are looking for in a particular situation.
Feel
Though tone may be the #1 reason you might select a certain style or material of pic,, the feel of a guitar pick shouldn’t be underestimated. Think of it: You are literally in physical contact with your pick 100% of the time you are using it. There’s actually no other component on the guitar that you can say this about! We evaluate the feel of guitar picks on the following attributes:
1. Size
There is substantial difference in feel between a small teardrop shape as compared to a large triangle pick, for example. Only way to know what you prefer is to try different sizes of picks.
2. Shape
The shape of a pick is related to size, but is also a consideration on its own. Many use Fender’s classic 351 shape as the benchmark, considering it the “standard” guitar pick shape.
3. Material
Material is among the most important determiners of what a pick will sound like, and there are many materials used for picks. They range from natural hardwoods like Maple and Rosewood, to advanced thermoplastics.
4. Thickness
As we mentioned above, the gauge affects both the Tone and Feel of a pick. Thinner picks offer a more forgiving flex, while thicker picks are often favored for their robust tone and precise feel.
5. Grip
A good gripping pick is a pick that is less likely to be dropped or lost. Some players prefer a smooth pick, while others prefer raised lettering, or a recessed thumb area to increase hold.
6. Bevel
The bevel angle of a pick influences how the pick engages and disengages with the guitar strings. Some picks, such as Dunlop’s Primetone, offer hand finished bevels, and some high end picks even come with custom bevel angle options.
Appearance
Although the looks of a pick aren’t important when it comes to the tone that a pick helps you produce, it’s not inconsequential. Some guitar picks are just better looking than others!
Final Thoughts
We hope this has been helpful in spurring you to think of everything involved in choosing and using the right guitar pick. In our upcoming reviews, we’ll be covering picks in multiple price ranges, materials, shapes, and sizes. This includes picks from top pick makers such as Dunlop, Fender, and D’Addario, in addition to boutique picks from Blue Chip, Gravity Picks, Clayton, and more. As always, Guitarkind reviews are the result of hands-on, honest, and thoughtful assessments of guitars and gear.
Check out our reviews on Dunlop’s Jazz III picks, Tortex picks, and D’Addario’s Casein picks.