My Favorite Guitar Picks

· 3min · guitar

Resources

  • How To Choose A Guitar Pick - Plectrums Explained!
  • Are You SURE You're Using the Right Pick Gauge?

    • As a guitarist, I’ve tried a wide variety of picks, and I thought I’d make a post detailing my favorites. This way, I can have it documented which ones I prefer and why. Here’s my go-to list and why each pick stands out for me.

    Electric Guitar Picks

    Keep in mind, sometimes I don’t even play with a pick. But when I do here are my ones in order:

    1. My top choice is the Jim Dunlop Jazz III series, with the “Jazz III Ultex” (1.38mm, yellow) as my favorite, followed by the “Jazz III Nylon” (1.38mm, red) and “Jazz III Tortex” (1.14mm, black).

    2. Next up, I really like the 2.0mm gator grip pick from Jim Dunlop. To quote their website, this pick offers “superior playing control and a dark, beefy sound. A matte surface allows for a tight, nonslip grip, and a molded, beveled edge provides for a smooth attack and a soft release so you can play with unimpeded intensity and dexterity.”

    3. Next, you can’t go wrong choosing from Jim Dunlop’s classic Tortex line. As of this post, they offer 0.5, 0.6, 0.73, 0.88, 1.0, and 1.14mm gauges. I personally prefer the 0.6mm (orange) and 0.73mm (yellow) picks—they’re nostalgic for me as my first guitar teacher, Lee Durant, used the 0.6mm picks all the time.

    4. Fender Medium picks (0.71mm) are also pretty sweet if you want just a change from the Jim Dunlop Tortex picks with similar thickness but different material. These ones are made of a celluloid material with a debossed wavelength grip pattern.

    Acoustic guitar picks

    Note, I usually don’t use a pick when playing acoustic guitar, but here are my go-to picks when I do:

    I’m not a huge fan of thin picks for the electric guitar. I’m not keen on the lack of tone/attack when you hit chords/notes. The pick is more flexible so it could bounce to other strings and there’s not that security you get with a thicker/sturdier pick.

    However, when strumming on an acoustic guitar thinner picks sound pretty sweet as the flexibility of a thinner pick swipes through the strings. For acoustic guitars, I feel like heavier picks dull the natural tone of the guitar when strumming. If I’m going with a thin pick, I’ll go with a Guild triangular thin pick or the Jim Dunlop 0.5mm classic Tortex pick. Or, I’ll also go up to a more medium gauge pick that I already listed above.

    So, if I’m just strumming, I’ll pick a thinner pick; for a mix of strumming and picking notes, I prefer a medium gauge. And if it’s mostly picking single notes, I go for the thicker guitar picks I listed earlier in the electric guitar section.

    Conclusion

    There are so many guitar picks available in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Honestly the sky is the limit. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. I’ll probably update this list if I do find more I like in the future!