There are plenty of wrong ways to choose a new guitar pick (or any product for that matter), such as buying something just because it has a cool name (are there any among us who aren’t guilty of buying a guitar product because it has a super awesome name like the Viper X5 Nuclear Chadwagon?), but what are the right ways? Is there even one, or is there just an endless game of lucky dip, buying a pick, and immediately throwing it out because it just doesn’t “feel right”?

There isn’t a perfect process, and remember, we are all different and unique. What feels perfect to your best friend might feel awful for you, and just because a famous player you idolise uses a particular pick doesn’t mean you have to in order to sound like them. I find that I sound the best and most like me when I’m as comfortable as possible so I’ve put together a pretty nifty guide to help you hone in on what picks might suit you:

Decide in this order: Model (Length & Wings) → Thickness → Curve

Length

Everything else in the geometry of a guitar pick follows from how long it is. The length of a pick is the distance between the tip and the back.

A few millimetres can make a world of difference in the length of a pick, and your “standard/beginner” guitar picks are often too long for a player. If you have a pick you like the length of, just measure that to give yourself a baseline. Don’t be afraid to try different lengths, but if you know what you like, go for it!

Tonemason picks have the following dimensions:

Heater/Kite XL - 29mm (roughly a “standard size”)

Heater/Kite - 27mm

Heater/Kite Mini - 25mm (roughly a “jazz” size)

Wings

The wings (sometimes called shoulders) of a pick are the widest point of the pick parallel to the strings when picking.

Don’t worry about the width of the wings so much, but do pay attention to how far down the pick they sit. Depending on the way you grip a pick, the placement of the wings can massively affect how comfortable it feels. Ideally you want your finger or thumb to be in contact with some or all of the wings to give you maximum control. If the wings are too low in your grip, the pick may wiggle down towards the strings as you play, causing you to have too much of the pick making contact with the strings.If the wings are too high then the opposite may happen, where the pick wiggles away from your strings until you aren’t making enough contact.

Grip your current favourite pick as you normally would, then look at where the wings are sitting in your grip. You can then choose a pick that will seat the wings optimally against your finger/thumb.

Tonemason picks have the following measurements:

Heater Series - Wings 3mm from the back of the pick.

Kite Series - Wings 7mm from the back of the pick.

Once you know the length and wing distance you like, you know which model you want!

Thickness

Once you get past the truly awful paper thin picks we all get with our starter guitar and quickly lose in the washing machine, most people tend to go thicker, anywhere between 0.5mm to 3mm (although there are notable exceptions, and no wrong answers). Generally speaking, the thickness of a pick is to do with comfort of playing rather than the effect on tone, although the thicker a pick, the more bass you get. Don’t be afraid to experiment with thickness to find something that feels good in your fingers, and never listen to people who say you have to have a certain pick thickness/hardness to play a certain genre!

Tonemason picks come in 1.5mm, 2mm, and 3mm thicknesses.

Curve

The curve is the radius between the wings and the tip, which is the technical, if unhelpful, way of describing whether the pick is rounded or pointy.

Keeping it fairly simple, the more shallow the curve (pointier), the snappier the feel, the sharper the attack, and the more treble you get when playing. The deeper the curve (rounder), the smoother the feel, the softer the attack, and the less treble you get. This is, as with everything else, a very personal decision, and it isn’t the be-all and end-all of your tone (there is nothing to stop you turning the treble up or down on your amp, or gripping the pick looser or tighter), so I prefer to focus on the attack and the feel.

Tonemason picks have universal curves for all models as follows:

Final Thoughts

If you know the thickness, length, and wing distance, you can decide which Tonemason pick model to go with.

The curve, however, can be more tricky, and might need some trial and error to find what “feels right”. Once you know the model of pick you want, you can either decide on the curve you want, or you can choose the Discovery Box, which is a collection of 6 picks, one with each of the curve profiles that I offer. Have a play with them all, and I’m sure that one or two will just “feel perfect”.

If you’re still unsure, shoot me an email or contact me on social media. I’m always happy to help!

Choosing a Pick