Hi to you fellow musicians and pick lovers! This Welcome Page is just a way to saying hello and introducing you to what we are about on our site. This site is about instrument picks and related items. we will delve into all manner of things “picks” as we proceed though the weeks and months…

Before I get to yammering on this welcome page, a note to you more experienced and in the know: I sometimes, because of my tech training, speak in very explicit and simplistic terms. Please forgive me for that when perusing the site. I was trained to write lab reports in my other profession for an audience of beginners. I just don’t like to talk over people’s heads. Many of you are professionals or better guitarists than me, and I want to acknowledge that while asking you to look forward to great pick reviews and technical discussions. You might be a star, and you might not know some of what we cover here.

Now that that is out of the way:

You are probably wondering such things as “Does the pick I use even matter” or “can I get a ‘better’ sound with a different pick?” You might even ask “why do people spend good money on an expensive or exotic pick when a celluloid Fender pick will do just fine?”

Well, you’re in luck!

I’ve also asked those questions and on this site I continually look from that perspective. I’ve found out some things, so let’s explore this “picky-une” pursuit. (OK, OK, my pick fetish, I’ll admit it!) Let’s discover new sounds, better feels, and lots of fun on our favorite topic, the instrument pick starting here on our welcome page!

Why don’t I just say ‘Guitar Pick’ here, instead of using the terms plectrum/plectra, for heaven’s sake? Because there are Mandolin, Auto-Harp, Bass, Banjo, Koto, Oude, Balalaika, Bouzouki, and over a hundred other instruments that can be plucked or strummed and they all can use plectra, the more traditional term.

We will see some of those picks here also, but for all intents and purposes, I will reference guitar use mostly here. I play guitar, so I’ll stick to guitar picking in most of the submissions here, but I will discuss Mandolins and even early instruments such as the Oud, which I have a special love for. Some of my favorite instruments are the Oud, the Bouzouki, the violin, and the banjo. I also adore North African Stringed instruments, over which there are several, they are brilliant.

On this welcome page and this site, I will reference other sites. A Site about Stringed Instruments, many of which normally or possibly use picks is here: All stringed instruments. You will find me referencing many other sites and books on https://pickfetish.com. you will also find my ever-growing reference section here.

Plectrums are used in a number of ways, and furthermore: “Plucking” versus “Strumming” is one of several important considerations that we will learn about together. There are a few other ways of using picks, also. How do YOU play your instrument? Are you a dreadnought folk song strummer like Bob?

Or are you a Jr. Al DiMeola ripper?

Maybe you are an arpeggio demon on banjo like Bela,

-Or maybe, just maybe, you are even a hybrid picker like one of my heroes, Chris Buck. I will admit right here on the welcome page that I’m just starting to learn hybrid picking. I do a lot of alternate picking at least.

For me, it is about technique, but much more, the pick itself is an extension of both your hand, and the guitar, and those extensions play and sound differently.

Technique and methodology are only limited by how much practice you do, and practice is only limited by time. If you don’t have a lot of time to practice, maybe you don’t even have a lot of time for hunting down the right picks…

So I’m here to help you and perhaps even save you time and money. More importantly, I will share what I’ve found (in the other sections rather than on this welcome page) and you can share what you have too, message us if you like.

I’m really really into picks. I’m an intermediate player –I’m a lifelong learner– just like I hope YOU are. We can share our experiences and help each other here, feel welcome to post comments. As this topic necessitates, I will seek ideas and answers from some pros and the makers who supply us with their art. And I seek your ideas and opinions, more importantly!

As a College trained technologist, I’ve learned how to ask the right questions and hunt for answers and solutions. I am forever curious, just like you. That is why you are here, I’m sure!

If you were to ask most pros if all this topic even matters they’d reply “are you kidding?! Of COURSE, it matters, have you ever seen Eddie play?” (BTW, he used some thin nylon picks for a part of his career!) He used Hercos, which I review in this section of the site. Check out our Pick Reviews Section and our other technical sections, such as the Materials section.

If you want the best sound and feel –If you want better dexterity and definition– if you want to up your game or find a signature sound: Spend a few minutes here and start your hunt; remember, part of being a good player is WHAT you play and HOW you play it. It even matters Why you play it! So When you play, use the right tools! So sorry, getting corny again. You will have to forgive me, I get really really corny on this site at times.

I will make it easier for you and put some picks on the platter for you to taste:

First things first, that elephant in the room, yeah, that one. It is your friend…

…You might be an established artist, or you might be a learner (we’re all both, to varying extents). You might have your mind set on a type of pick that is best for you. Or you might be thoroughly confused. But here is where I ask you to both have an open mind and to be curious.

Either way, if you think it’s just like what instrument you choose to play, it will all make a difference. It makes a difference mainly to you yourself. Yes, your sound will change, but part of that is how it feels to play. Different strings (gauge/material/scale length/winding/non-wound) will have some bearing on what picks you use. What instrument you play, the size of your fingers. Your strength and health, so many factors matter…

Some of the elements of picks that vary are (in the reviews we include a chart):

1. The materials as discussed here.

Plastics, Metals, Natural Materials etcetera.

2. Attack Tone.

Attack Tones of bright, thick, Chime-y, articulate, and others.

3. Decay or Finishing, Tone

The tone of the release of the pick tip, can be resonant, or chirpy, or…

4. Durability/Wear

How long will the pick last?

5. General Comments:

Things such as angles and measurements, such as hardnesses.

6. Shape

Is the pick thick or thin, rounded or sharp tipped, classic 351 or Realeaux?

7. Grip/stickiness/Feel

Does the pick stay in your hand, and how does it do so?

8. Flexibility/Hardness

Is the pick bendy and good for rhythm or is it stiff for leads, and so on….

9. Likely Use/User

Flat top, blues, or shredding?

10. Thickness

Dimensions of all manner matter a lot.

11. Bevel type or none?

There ARE speed Bevels, gently rounded, or V-Shaped edges…

12. Approximate Cost/Price

I’ll help you choose by warning you on prices!

Here is the chart format I use:

Material	Attack Tone	Decay/Finishing Tone
Wood	Soft	Warm, muted
Durability/Wear	Comments	Shape
wear with use	xx angle	351 type
Grip and Feel	Flexibility	Likely Use
better if moist	quite stiff	resonator, jazz, mellow
Thickness	Width and Height	Resonance
2.1mm	.85″x 1.25″	Deep
Tip Style	Bevel?	Approx. Cost
Softly rounded	none, hand rounded	$2.50-50.00

…And there are other variables, for instance, some people care about how they look, and there are practical reasons for this.

A Glow in the dark Pick. Such a pick, or a fluorescent pick, might be more easily seen and recovered. Check out what Billy Gibbons plays (Gels that glow) Or maybe it’s something that is a keepsake, a collectible.

Do you have trouble keeping a grip on your picks? -That very thing is what led me down a path to searching for dozens and dozens of picks. and what did I find out? you might wonder…

Well…

Yes, I found that my technique and my strength were factors in my grip, but that, even more, some picks grip differently for different players. And here’s the thing, that elephant I mentioned? Well, it morphs. Yeah, it’s a psychedelic Day Glo Elephant…

…Right now you might have a favorite pick, but guess what? It could, it might change. The more you practice/play, the more you change your needs.

Currently, I find that a more blunt, rounded tip is easier for me for hard strumming, but I think that the more I practice, the more adept with a fine tip I will become. You see, a rounded tip is often easier for strumming when using a harder or thicker pick and to keep your grip, but you might not get the fine control over fast strokes as you want. And the tone will be muted somewhat.

You may find that for one song or instrument, a certain pick is just right, like an equilateral triangle pick for your lap Resonator, but on your shredder Super Strat, a small teardrop works for you during your fast break solos.

The thing is, not only is there no shame in needing special picks for your playing, most great artists gravitate towards various picks themselves, for the same reasons.

But talking is cheap, where is the action? Answer: I’m going to present useful information in a good, digestible manner. It will be useful information meant to help you be a better artist.

<I’ve contemplated how to do this because there are so many ways to classify picks, the material, the use, and the shape. And we could get totally lost and lose our focus.>

That is why I’m going to use a sort of “fuzzy logic” to classify and group various picks. To make it easier, I’ll include a table of features for each product or group of products when I spotlight or review them.

You can follow along in order or you may “dig” for your desired information as you wish. The shape is not a “fuzzy thing”, but we want to clear up the haze and make it visible just what shape fits you. There may be a few that do. Personally, I love a variety of pick types as they inspire my playing as well as inform it.

That fuzzy logic will include starting with strumming picks and plucking picks through shapes. Now, to be sure, any pick will work in either situation, so I’m meaning it in a very general sense. That will be my FORM FACTOR section.

The Second Fuzzy Logic feature is “MATERIAL SCIENCE” because the materials used will lend to one of the biggest variations in picks. I will include man-made and natural materials in their own sections.

I will also subgroup picks –as needs be– based on other features and I will do the best I can at organizing this site for ease of use.

Now let’s get right to it!

A short discussion on shapes next: