Have you ever been curious about those high-priced picks, especially those ultra-hard ones made from organic materials? I was. I once bought an $25 mammoth ivory pick and enjoyed the way it sounded — for an hour, till I lost it.
But when I saw the box of spiffy-looking John Pearse picks at a local guitar shop, I couldn’t help myself — I bought one of everything, and recorded the results, together with comparison recordings made using some humbler, more common picks. The organic picks vary in cost from a between five and ten dollars each for the Pearse models to $24.95 for the StoneWorks stone pick. I don’t know the price of the GraphTech Tusq picks, which I picked up — hehe — at the NAMM show, where GraphTech debuted them. They’re made of the same simulated ivory used in Tusq guitar parts, though I assume the cost will be closer to that of regular plastic picks than that of the expensive organic picks.
Before I get to the demo recordings, a few general comments: This isn’t snake oil. These exotic picks really do sound different, and different from each other.
Whether that difference will be meaningful to you depends on your style and needs. Some players have one pick type they love, and can’t bear to play anything else. Others always keep an assortment handy, varying the pick according to the part. And then there are some weirdos like me who usually play fingerstyle, but sometimes switch to picks to vary tone, or just save their nails.
The high-priced picks are generally dense, stiff, and inflexible. That usually means a stronger fundamental to each note, and less of the clicky, “thwaking” attack you get from plastics. On the other hand, they often introduce a skittering scrape as the ultra-smooth pick glides against the string. For some players, that high-pitched noise is an instant deal-breaker, especially on acoustic guitar, where differences in pickup composition are much more obvious than on electric. But I had an interesting experience a few hours after I bought these picks . . .
I was playing a session for Matthew Jaffe, a talented young singer/songwriter who’s all of 16. The producer was Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads fame, and the engineer was Eric “ET” Thorngren, who has recorded a stupefying number of great records. I was adding parts to a fairly thick rhythm track consisting of Matthew’s bright-toned Jazzmaster and expert performances by bassist Nathan East and drummer Steve Ferrone. You know — basically trying not to suck in the context of all that talent.
Left to right:plastic heavy, 2mm Dunlop Tortex, GraphTech Tusq .088mm, Tusq .077mm, Pearse rosewood, Pearse coconut shell, Pearse casein thick, Pearse casein thin, StoneWorks stone, Pearse camel bone, Pearse buffalo horn.
I tried using some of my new picks, and ET started screaming: “What are you doing? That’s great! I love that high end!” (To be honest, ET pretty much always screams — he’s a very passionate guy.) But to his expert ear, the super-hard picks were adding definition and punch needed to sit with a thick rhythm track. And mind you, I was playing a direct-recorded Telecaster at the time! (Actually, it was Jerry’s Tele, a guitar used on countless great Talking Heads tracks. It’s a heavily modified pre-CBS instrument whose original rhythm pickup was long ago swapped for two Seymour Duncan Strat-style single-coils, wired for both in- and out-of-phase performance. But that’s another story . . .)
Anyway, the same pick that sounded a bit nasty on an acoustic guitar in a shop sounded great in the context of a mix. I can’t post the track in question, but I whipped out several of the pics again when I recorded the music for my recent post on the Kala ukulele bass. (The bass was played fingerstyle, but the two acoustic and three electric guitar tracks were all done with the new picks.)
Sequenza
(Sorry, I didn’t make notes of which pick played which parts. But I used only the heavy/expensive picks.)
Solo recordings featuring individual picks are more revealing. (I tried my best to provide similar performances between picks.) Here’s what the 11 picks shown above sound like playing the same phrase on acoustic guitar:
generic plastic acoustic
2mm Tortex acoustic
Tusq .088 acoustic
Tusq .077 acoustic
rosewood acoustic
coconut shell acoustic
casein thick acoustic
casein thin acoustic
stone acoustic
camel bone acoustic
buffalo horn acoustic
I don’t know about you, but I hear some dramatic differences! Some observations:
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• Once I start tuning into it, the clacky sound of the regular plastic pick starts getting on my nerves.
• The physically thickest picks — the Dunlop Tortex and thick Pearse Casein — have the darkest tones. (BTW, casein is a product made from milk and phosphoric acid! Pearse calls this line “Fast Turtles,” in honor of the titles who escaped the pick factory.)
• The GraphTech “Harmonically Rich” Tusq picks have the feel of a regular plastic pick, but with greater stiffness relative to density, making them feel and sound close to real tortoise shell. (I used to have a couple of old tortoise shell picks, but couldn’t find them the day I made these recordings. Did I mention that I lose a lot of picks?) The Pearse horn picks and casein picks also provided a convincing tortoise-shell sound.
• The Pearse rosewood and coconut shell picks feel sound the brightest and feel the stiffest — more so than stone or bone! I find their tone a bit harsh and thin in this naked solo context (especially with my 000-sized Lowden acoustic, which is screamingly bright), but they might be perfect for adding snap to a dark-soudning guitar.
• My personal favorites are the the Pearse thin casein and horn picks, and the StoneWorks stone pick. I like the Tusq picks too, especially if they come out at a reasonable price.
• The ones that are my favorites also tend to be the ones that sound a lot like tortoise shell. Old as I am, I’m not old enough to have played during the tortoise shell era — picks of that type were a rarity even when I was a little kid. (Which is a good thing, IMHO.) The thin Pearse casein pick in particular is a fab shell-like substitute. I would have recorded a comparison, but naturally, I lost my last tortoise pick!
Now let’s hear some electric examples. For these I used a ’63 Strat with the neck pickup through a bright amp to best reveal the high-end properties.
generic plastic electric
2mm Tortex electric
Tusq .088 electric
Tusq .077 electric
rosewood electric
coconut shell electric
casein thick electric
casein thin electric
stone electric
camel bone electric
buffalo horn electric
What I hear is . . . well, not that much of a difference, at least compared to the acoustic examples. Which makes sense when you consider that pickups, amps, and speakers all filter out highs, obscuring the treble details that most strongly differentiate the pick types. I hear differences, but to my ear, everything seems a lot closer together here. Though as previously mentioned, I certainly heard a difference when tracking in the studio with a direct recorded, clean-toned Tele.
Anyway, I now plan to keep a mixed bags of picks on hand at home, in my gig gadget box, and at sessions, and just choose whatever feels best in context. Until I lose them all, that is.
Speaking of which: I also bought a Pearse ebony pick for this post, but lost it before I got around to making the recordings. I’m going to either a) learn to be a lot more careful with my picks, or b) waste a lot more money on them.
Just remember: It’s probably not a good idea to hurl handfuls of $24.95 StoneWorks picks at your adoring fans, no matter how adoring they are!
How about you? Any experiences with unconventional picks? Anyone use coins, like Brian May and Billy Gibbons are alleged to do? You thoughts?
Great test Joe!
Thanks! It was fun! :)
Stainless steel is good on stiffness (great playability) but the pick gets way too thin (lacks bottom end). I think that the problem with hard plastics is that they are more elastic than metal and you hear the string “bouncing” on the pick, but probably I’m wrong. Since the shape of the tip of a pick affects playability I have never get used to a coin, those guys are hardcore :)
I worry that I’m shredding the strings too much when I use metal picks, though I sometimes like how they sound.
Hey — thanks for a cool Secret Room post, el bjorch! :)
I’ve used bell brass before. However, I use those glow in the dark EBE medium picks with the alien eyes on them. Everything else I ever try to play just feels funky on my fingers… not sure why tho.
Great post on picks. I am mainly a fingerstyle player, i gave up picks when I found myself playing toofast and with an excessive amount of notes. I still keep a big collection of picks I use for special sounds mostly when recording. I also use a pick occasionally with a European style free improv trio I play and record with, it shakes things up and helps create new directions. I have mostly used a massive agate pick off and on for 25 years (can’t figure out how I never lost it). Lately I’ve been using some wood picks made by a guy on Etsy especially on my new Wechter acoustic guitar.
I also have found a cool pick design that can be 3D printed at Shapeways you should check it out (photo attached):
http://www.shapeways.com/model/118445/guitar_pick_dr_ulti.html?gid=sg20495
It is nicely ergonomic and almost drop proof. I have several that are plastic and the others are “stainless steel” (not sure how they are made but they are very sturdy). They actually have 2 different thickness available for picking at either end and the curve wraps it self around you finger & thumb. The same designer also has a new one I haven’t tried that is shaped like a regular pick but has a 45 degree turn from the top to bottom.
http://www.shapeways.com/model/170774/guitar_pick___45_degree.html?gid=sg20495
Other than that I have been occasionally using some big fat rubber picks called Wedgies that have almost no sound of their own sort of like the big felt ones used on autoharps. I also used to like those shark fin picks from the 80′s that had a serrated edge for “bowing the strings” but they are hard to find nowadays.
BTW there is a great typo above “the titles who escaped the pick factory” which would be a heck of a name for a band or even a CD. :-)
On a side note have you ever tried a quill from a turkey or goose? I had a friend that played gut stringed lute at renaissance fairs and he used them amazingly (I managed to break them mostly myself). He also used a quill of some kind on acoustic guitar with steel string and they lasted quite a while. He said it was all in having a light touch at the proper angle (I probably just created a lot of bald geese before I gave up).
I really like Red Bear picks, can’t say I’ve tried some of the exotic picks you mention above but I imagine they are similar to the graph tech as they supposed to sound and feel like tortoise shell, they are ultra smooth!
I like to try out different picks in varying shapes, thickness and size. Generally use a tortex 1mm due to ease of access..Tried the Stoneworks because a friend was enchanted by them and came to the same conclusion that there is a less noticeable difference with electrics.The Tusq picks look to be $5.95 for 6 in .72,.88 and 1mm or 72 for $56.95. Big fan of the Tusq XL nuts.Dunlop has been making the Teckpick for a long time,first metal pick I ever saw for sale in a store. I was under the impression that to make a pick with a quarter you flatten with a hammer off center depending on how much more or less you want the thick edge,and then you shape the thin part to the standard triangular pointed shape. Joe not losing picks requires a good 10 years of intense training and then you have to designate a pick area and never touch them again if you really don’t want to lose them.
Oh, I’m glad to hear the Tusq picks are relatively inexpensive! If you don’t want to blow a lot of money on the top-shelf stuff, they’re effective at getting a tortoise-shell-type sound. Even the thinnest gauge feels nicely stiff.
I’m definitely going to buy some of those buffalo horn picks…I can’t believe how nice they sounded on these clips. I’ll probably train my dog at the same time to learn their scent should I lose one and it needs to be found.
For the past few years I’ve been using Dunlop Ultex picks. They definitely have more attack and clarity than other picks I’ve played.
I’ve been trying out V picks-( v-picks.com ). Got 2 of them. They’re rather thick and you can tell a difference between those ans say, a Fender Heavy. And they’re “only” $4 or so a piece. They feel great and sound good, also.
Thanks for the tip, Sam! I wasn’t even aware of them, though I just ordered a bunch. :)
Does that ^ count as a “secret”?
I tend to use thick picks with rounded ends. They add a darker tone, to my ears. However, I’m a big fan of Ani Difranco and I purchased some picks from her website (even though she uses her fingers lol). They’re the gigantic triangular shaped ones. I love them. They have a very precise attack and are dense and inflexible. Plus, they’re so big I don’t drop them as I am prone to do lol.
Eugene Chadbourne uses sea shells for picks. He likes thin scallop and clam shells a lot. I had to go find some for him once when he was playing in town and hanging out at my house. But then Eugene is an amazing but very idiosyncratic guitarist (banjoist, and player of toaster, bird cage, plunger etc.) so YMMV.
This is a really cool set of tests.
There was a time I was experimenting with every kind of pick I could get my hands on. I went pack to the Fender X-heavy Confettis (i.e. what Henry Kaiser refers to as the “clown vomit” color) out of comfont and then just tailored my tone around that as a given.
For those of you into ULTRA rare picks – here’s a brief story about the Pickboy Speed King
http://guitarchitecture.org/2010/09/09/the-bizarre-tale-of-my-ultra-rare-guitar-pick/
Despite the name, this is hands down, the best sounding pick I’ve ever used. Ultra smooth pick attack. The post explains why you can’t get them any more – but I keep hoping someone will re-release them.
Also, I play a bit of oud. The picks get lost easily and are a pain to replace, When all else fails I either use the plastic insert of a dress shirt collar or I get a x-acto knife and cut a similar shape out of a 2 liter soda bottle. In terms of timbre, they’re interesting and very different from “traditional” pick materials. Part of it is the difference in the picking stroke as well, but may be worth exploring….
Billy Gibbons no longer uses coin per his guitar tech. Easier on the tech as well. Eats guitars.
Yeah, the reason I said “allegedly” is because I’ve always heard mixed things about it. Back in the ’80s, my former Guitar Player magazine colleague Jas Obrecht solicited picks from many great players, all of which were depicted on a poster in the mag. Billy sent a Mexican coin (I forget which peso value). He’s always had a flair for the dramatic. ;)
coconut one, is great for acustic
Great post and thread! When it comes to tone, everything maters.
I lose a lot of picks, too. I mostly use Fender heavy because long ago a friend of mine who worked for Fender gave me a big box full (I mean BIG) and I haven’t run out in 20 years! I do have one real tortoise shell pick I keep safe (given to me by a friend long ago), so maybe I’ll be able to AB with the Tusq when i get some.
What a cool site!
I use Jazz III 1mm red, sometimes black. I just love the shape and stiffness. I’ve tried others, but that shape just works for me.
I was able to get someone to make me a steel Jazz III. They took a Jazz III and made a mold from it.
I’ve since lost it. I don’t normally lose picks at all. It’s just that I stopped using the metal one. It was way too harsh. I only play electrics, so I can’t imagine something like that on acoustic. Yikes.
I’d be VERY interested in trying the GraphTech picks. I have their nuts on 3 of my guitars, the other 2 have Floyds, or they’d get the treatment. I recently did the switch on my Epiphone LP and discovered something interesting. I accidentally dropped the GraphTech nut on the cement floor and it sounded like I dropped a piece of glass – more like a mix of glass and another material. That immediately caught my attention. I dropped the plastic nut that came on the Epi, and it sounded like a piece of plastic – no surprise. I dropped a graphite nut (from WD Music) and it sounded like a piece of plastic – about the same as the other nut. But the GraphTech nut was distinctly different.
I didn’t notice a real difference when playing the guitar, although I don’t play open strings a lot, and I typically play with overdrive and distortion (Digitech 1101 set to AC30, JCM900, and Twin Deluxe patches).
Using that material as a pick sounds very interesting…
I made a pick from an aussie 10 cent coin once.
It sounds a bit harsh but I like the feel of it, it’s great for fast picking.
Like some of the other posters, I went through the pick experiment phase years ago and settled on Dunlop 500′s 1.14, which I thought had pretty good rigidity and relatively little string noise. A friend of mine hipped me to sharpening them up on nylon carpet; a couple of swipes along the playing edge smooths off any burring and can reshape the playing end. As a result, I’ve purchased picks a mere handful of times in ten years, constantly recycling all the picks I’d retired due to wear.
Careful with those casein picks. I had a red bear that sounded amazingly like tortoise shell.
It got damp and warped, so don’t use it anymore.
Keep ‘em dry!
Thanks for the tip Dave — though I’ll probably lose them all before I have a chance to destroy them. ;)
I got some mahogany picks the other day and I love them. If you like darker, softer, jazzier tones they sound amazing. The only problem is that they wear out very quickly! Still, I’m definitely going to keep a load around even if they are just for ‘Sunday best.’