What Guitar Pick Thickness Should I Use?

Which Guitar Pick Should I Choose?

You may find yourself asking which guitar pick you should be using. There are many different brands, styles, materials, and thicknesses of guitar picks, each producing a different sound or tonality from the strings and guitar. The 5 main features of a pick are:

1. Thickness
2. Shape
3. Material
4. Firmness
5. Texture

The most basic area you should start with when choosing a new pick, is pick thickness. Thickness ranges from as thin as 0.4mm and to as thick as 1.2mm. 

Thin Picks generally range from 0.4mm-0.6mm

Medium Picks generally range from  0.6mm-0.8mm

Thick Picks  generally range from 0.8mm-1.2mm

Now let’s compare them! 

THIN PICK

Thin picks glide across the strings easily, they can even out the inconsistent strumming patters, especially if you’re a beginner. They are great for heavy handed players, as they can reduce sound output. Thin picks can create very clear, high-end shimmery tones. This is especially great for acoustic guitars. 

The con of a thin pick is that it may produce a plasticky sound due to its flexibility, which can be annoying to some acoustic strummers. 

MEDIUM PICK

Medium picks are still great for strumming, but even better for articulation and single note picking. They are not as forgiving as a thin pick because the thicker the pick, the more hand control you need. Medium picks push more volume and more excitement from the guitar. It also creates a solid mid-range, but still holds on to the brighter tones you’d hear from a thinner pick. It’s a suitable choice for beginners and all player skill levels. 

THICK PICK

Thick picks are wonderful choices for single note passages, or playing that requires more control. More hand control is necessary to achieve a smoother strum, so thick picks are generally used by more experienced guitar players, finger pickers, bass players, or electric guitar players. Thick picks produce full- bodied tones that emphasize mid-range and bass, and typically lack the high-end sparkle you’d hear with a thin pick. If your playing style is more aggressive and uses a heavy attack, you should be using a thick pick. 

Be sure to take a moment to watch the linked Youtube video in this blog post and Subscribe to our Youtube Channel. Phil, one of our Luthiers compares thick, medium, and thick pick sounds. Its good to hear the differences for yourself!

Please send us an email or give us a call if you have more questions about what kind of pick you should choose. We are happy to answer your questions!!

Acoustic Vibes Music

Jeff@acousticvibesmusic.com

602-830-6894