Complete Guide to Guitar Picks
Updated November 15, 2025.
When Should You Use a Pick?
Some players attempt to learn the guitar while skipping the guitar pick. This is usually not a good idea. A pick is essentially required to learn any type of lead or melodic playing; it's also helpful for certain types of chord strumming.
Does It Really Matter What Pick You Choose?
To many, it does matter! It might seem like a trivial piece of plastic, but it is the surface area that articulates every single note you play! Out of curiosity, we are going to explore some insanely expensive guitar picks (one is over $100!) but doing so will also help you find the pick that's best for you.
Pick Qualities
STIFFNESS
Stiffness increases control & accuracy, to a point; too stiff and the tone thumps. (Some players want that!)
QUIETNESS
Most players prefer a pick that doesn't add extra noises from surface contact with the strings. If there is noise, most prefer it to be subtle and warm (caseine) not harsh or tinny as with many metal picks.
SMOOTHNESS
The smoother the pick, the easier it is for it to release the string. Although some players prefer a little grab, overall a smooth release is very important. This is affected by material but also polish and bevel.
WARMTH
Produces a darker or brighter tone; this is a subjective preference. Picks are more often described as "too bright" than as "too dark".
DENSITY
Affects wear resistance among other things.
Premium Pick Material Comparison
How do the best pick materials compare? Here's a detailed look at the performance characteristics of premium pick materials. We use Ultem as a reference point—a widely-available material that many players are familiar with.
| Material | Density | Stiffness | Quiet | Smooth | Warmth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultem | |||||
| Vespel | |||||
| Torlon | |||||
| Caseine | |||||
| Tagua |
Ultem
Vespel
Torlon
Caseine
Tagua
Pick Materials
Picks can be made from both man-made and naturally-occuring materials, but the feel and tone relies on physics, not magic.
Pick Shape
The thickness of the pick and the bevel of its edge also can impact the tone and feel significantly.
351
The classic heart-shaped pick. Good balance between control and comfort. Great for beginners.
Sharp
Standard size with a pointed tip. Combines the grip of a 351 with greater control for lead lines.
Jazz III
Smaller, pointed pick favored by advanced players. Excellent for speed and precision picking.
Pointy
Very sharp point for extremely precise picking. Popular for metal and technical playing styles.
Shark
Novelty shape with wavy edge. Can create interesting textural effects when strumming.
Teardrop
Rounded variation of the standard pick. Smooth edges for comfortable strumming.
Triangle
Triangular shape with three identical edges. Popular with bluegrass players. Rotate as edges wear.
Pick Thickness
Picks come in a variety of thicknesses. To generalize, thin are best for strumming and thick are better for plucking. Medium picks are versatile.
Which material makes a better pick? You can't really make a good comparison unless both are the same thickness or gauge. And that's hard to do because there's alot of variation—and some materials can't be made in certain gauges. For example, buffalo horn is an interesting material, but brittle, especially if worked too thin.
What Pick is Best For Beginners?
Best Pick for Beginners
For your first pick, get a 1mm ultex pick, 351 shape. Done. If you want, you can try using a thin nylon pick as well, but it's only good for strumming. The #1 mistake beginners make (other than avoiding the use of a pick entirely) is using a pick that is too thin. Bog Street picks have three different picking edges, allowing you to use one pick for all purposes.
Compared to some cheaper plastics, ultem is a slightly higher-performance material. It may be more resistant to wear and have lower surface friction, ...
Ultra-thin pick, excellent for learning strumming. Not good for much else.
Great grip, three picking edges, and upgraded quality nylon material. Some picks have different edges, making them multi-purpose.
Suggestions for advancing players
Advancing guitar players should experiment a little.
Players interested in increasing their speed often gravitate towards smaller, pointier, thicker picks such as the Ultex Jazz III[?]. The stiff material and sharp edge helps increase speed and precision, and smaller picks ensure you use less material to contact strings.
The bevel (contour of the edge) is also important. In the past, most picks lacked a good bevel. Players would wear it in over time, or even polish it by hand. In the last few years, many boutique picks have started polishing a speed bevel onto their finish product.
You should also pay attention to what picks your favorite players use. Each style of guitar tends to have some "preferred" pick types that are favored within the community, and that's a great place to start if you're trying to learn a particular style. Keep in mind that it's part practicality, part imitation, and part pure aesthetics.
All-Time Greatest Picks
If you're chasing the world's greatest guitar pick, try these three. At least one of them is bound to impress you.
Vespel
Pioneered by Blue Chip and now offered by other makers such as Charmed Life. Vespel is stupidly overqualified to be a pick. It really does give your playing just a little bit of a boost.
PEEK or TORLON
Both are advanced polymers that have many of the advantages of Vespel with less price. Honey Picks, Martin Luxe, and other picks are using these materials.
Caseine
One of the earliest bioplastics, Caseine is actually at least somewhat similar to tortoiseshell because it's also made of protein molecules. However, it can be crafted into any shape and size, making it a better material overall.
Best Man-Made Pick Materials
Most picks are made out of synthetics like Acetal/Delrin, Nylon and Ultem, and these all work very well. Advanced synthetic materials like Vespel, PEEK, and Torlon offer improved wear resistance, stiffness and smoothness for a perfect plucking experience.
Blue Chip picks are durable and quiet. They have unmatched smoothness of picking action.
Sleek picks made out of PEEK, an advanced thermoplastic. Good grip holes and smooth picking action.
Made out of Torlon, which rivals Vespel. Wear-resistant, great tone, and smooth playing action.
Slightly upgraded version of the Dunlop ultem, with a hand-polished speed bevel. A very good "go-to" pick.
Excellent quality picks made of a high-grade nylon formula; good "every day" pick.
Best Natural Pick Materials
What could be more hand-crafted than a naturally-sourced guitar pick? Unfortunately nature is relatively short on excellent materials for making picks. Caseine is essentially made of protein, and thus considered to be similar to tortoiseshell, but may not meet the definition of fully natural. Tagua, Lignum Vitae and Buffalo Horn are all 100% natural.
Handmade from casein. Top quality, warm and satisfying tone, and a "slippy-not-grippy" playing action.
The OG casein pick, legendary for its tone and texture.
Attractive casein picks; many sizes and options available.
Contender for top "natural" pick; smooth picking action and soothing tone.
A must-have pick made of all natural nut ivory. Buffed to a smooth finish and with many interesting styles and shapes.
World's hardest and most durable wood! Shockingly smooth. Literally only made by one person in the world.
Best Picks for Shredders
There's a whole genre of guitar picks loved by shredders: high mass and thick but with a speed bevel. Many players swear by them!
Lightning-fast picking action and a smooth release.
Indestructible and super-stiff picks made of PAI (similar to Torlon). Loved by shredders.
Stiff, but smooth like glass. Comes in many shapes and sizes, including some record-setters.
Best Collector Picks
Each of these picks is unique and tells a story. These are a perfect addition to any guitar player's collection, and a great gift as well.
Iron Age guitar picks are almost in the category of, "if you only needed one pick", they're all overbuilt and quite sturdy. They tend to sit inside o...
Unique design with three tips allow you to use one pick for just about every job, from strumming to lead.
A pick designed with gypsy jazz in mind. A must-try for any interested in the style.
This carbon fiber pick from Pick Heaven is quite likely the thinnest guitar pick in the world, at only .2mm thick. Useful mostly for strumming chords,...
