In our article “How to choose the right guitar pick,” we did a deep analysis on the qualities you should consider when deciding which plectrum to use.

In this article, we will discuss the most important characteristics needed in a guitar pick in order to make the playing experience as comfortable as possible and obtain the best results. These characteristics are not as obvious as others but are essential to getting the most out of this accessory.

1- What is a premium guitar pick?

The Cambridge Dictionary says premium is “used to refer to something that is of higher than usual quality."

Therefore, a premium guitar pick will exceed in qualities like material, shape or texture and will provide a playing experience that’s above average in terms of precision, durability, comfort, tone, or other areas.

Put simply, a premium guitar pick will perform better than regular picks.

1.1 How to achieve premium quality:

Reducing the definition of a guitar pick to its basic intrinsic features, it is easy to understand how to improve certain areas.

For example, it is logical to conclude that better materials will have an impact on the guitar pick’s tone and durability.

Also, with the help of basic ergonomic and design laws, you can create a shape that enhances grip or slides better. The key is to know what you are looking for.

Back in 2018, with the help of a number of professional guitar players, we defined the requirements the Rombo picks had to achieve:

• Excellent tone with minimal pick noise
• Durability
• Comfort and grip
• Great look
• Versatility

With these premises, we started a journey to identify the qualities that would provide an above-average experience in every area.

2- Qualities of a premium guitar pick:

2.1 Micronodules grip texture:

Grippy, non-sticky surfaces are perfect for the guitar pick’s hold area. The best way to achieve this is to create a texture that fits between the grooves of your skin and prevents the guitar pick from slipping or creating an aggressive grip geometry that is uncomfortable for long practice sessions.

When developing the grip texture, our focus was to create a type of grip that allows the player to maintain flexibility and freedom along with a feeling of security and control.

More information on guitar pick grip can be found here.

2.2 High-mirror polished tip:

A guitar pick with a polished tip allows the player to experience more control and less friction. Reduced friction between the plectrum and the strings of the guitar will increase the durability of the pick because it will wear less and reduce its noise.

Noise reduction is a feature especially useful for recording studio tracks.

Furthermore, a polished tip produces more clear individual tones, a requirement for some guitar techniques such as sweep picking.

2.3 Variable thickness:

One of the less common characteristics in guitar picks is variable thickness. It is ideal for the pick to be thick for better control; however, this could significantly reduce its flexibility.

For that reason, plectrums of variable thickness have been created, giving us the best of both worlds.

That is to say, we could have a guitar pick with a solid, thick body that gives us better grip and control. Additionally, it features a thinner tip that provides enough flexibility to achieve greater versatility when developing various guitar techniques.

Remember that an increase in the thickness of only two sheets of paper will substantially reduce the pick’s flexibility!

Read more about the advantages of using a guitar pick with variable thickness here.

2.4 Ergonomic design surfaces:

By following ergonomic models, the surface of the pick can be adapted to feel more comfortable and also look great.

Similarly, we can take advantage of concave or convex surfaces, as they help keep the plectrum’s position oriented and avoid losing control in turning movements.

The shape is also closely connected to the tone of the guitar pick. Just like with the design of a surfboard, you need a specific shape to optimize your energy when catching a wave. The same effect is caused when the guitar pick plucks the strings; different shapes will produce different results.

2.5 High-quality materials:

If your hands are doing an arduous job, then they deserve the best tools, right? Many people spend a lot of money on guitars, amplifiers, strings, and other accessories, but they overlook the guitar pick. This is a big mistake.

The material with which the pick is made can influence the tone, attack, flexibility, durability, and many other aspects. Therefore, without paying attention to it, you can hardly find your personal sound.

Are you curious about the materials used for the Rombo guitar picks? Read a full article on the topic here.

2.6 Unique designs:

The design of everything you own is a way of expressing yourself and defining your personal style.

When it comes to guitar picks, functionality is everything. This is the reason we have spent so much time integrating beautiful geometric patterns that also fulfill the functional requirements for every technique.

3- Conclusion:

In short, guitar picks are personal items that are bound to subjective perceptions. However, some aspects are measurable and can be improved to fulfill requirements that every guitarist needs.

Don’t overestimate this small piece of gear.

Not sure what is the right guitar pick for you? Let us help you here.

Thin guitar picks vs. thick guitar picks. This eternal battle has been a part of every guitarist's conversation for decades. It is time to finally evaluate both alternatives in depth.

The thickness of a guitar pick is generally measured in millimeters, and it is an attribute that influences many physical aspects like tone and flexibility. For most players, this is considered the most important attribute when choosing the right guitar pick. 

However, after doing some online research, nobody seemed to really know how thick a guitar pick needs to be to be considered as a thick or heavy guitar pick. Where is the line?

Therefore, the first thing we did was to create a big online survey on our Instagram guitar community.

1- What are considered Thick Guitar Picks? Thoughts from the Guitar Community

The survey we created was online for 24 hours on an Instagram story and the participants were asked to answer two simple questions.

Personal preferences - thick picks or thin picks?

This question was the first one, and its aim was to see if guitar players prefer thick or thin guitar picks. Here are the results:

It seems that over two thirds of the guitar players prefer guitar picks considered as thick. Honestly, I thought there would be a 50-50 relation and this surprised me a lot.

What do you consider as a thick guitar pick?

This was the second question, and the guitar players could select different thicknesses they considered to be the “least thickness needed for a guitar pick to be considered as thick or heavy”.

The results showed that on average, a pick must be at least about 1.0 mm to be considered as a thick guitar pick.

These results are very interesting, since the information we found during the research claimed that a pick is considered as “thick” or “heavy” if it surpasses 0.8 mm thickness. We did not find any study or survey with more participants than ours.

Of course, we have to consider that we do not have any way to track more specific characteristics of the participants like skill level, music preferences, guitar type, age, and so on.

Average thickness of guitar picks over time

Additional research on this topic showed that during the past decades, the average thickness of the guitar picks has increased substantially. Thin guitar picks are even considered as vintage by many players due to the tone they produce.

This is no surprise, given that most modern guitar techniques and effects that require thick picks (like shredding) were non-existent during the 1950s and 1960s.

2- Why does guitar pick thickness matter?

The thickness of a guitar pick is one of the most influential attributes.

The guitar pick thickness influences:

• The flexibility of the pick
• The tone produced by the pick
• Volume and body of single notes
• The pick noise created by the pick
• The durability of the pick
• The control over the pick
• The feedback you will receive from the pick

A minimal change in the thickness of a guitar pick of only 0.2 millimeters (equal to two common paper sheets) is enough to change the properties of a guitar pick drastically.

3- Thick guitar picks vs. thin guitar picks:

Let's pretend there are no medium guitar picks and create a clear line that divides both thickness ranges, to make the differences between thick picks and thin picks more appreciable.

Thick picks: Summary

Thick guitar picks will provide mellower/darker tones. The common rounded edges that can be manufactured with thicknesses over 1 mm – combined with their rigidity –  increase the bass tones and the volume these guitar picks can provide, while reducing the pick noise the pick produces.

These picks provide more control over single notes and are usually the best option for lead guitarists.

Most advanced guitarists prefer thick picks, because in their guitar journey they develop new guitar techniques that can be performed better using this kind of picks. Thick plectrums provide more control when it comes to single notes and complex guitar pick techniques like pinch harmonics.

One of the biggest advantages of using heavy picks is the durability they provide. Nevertheless, the lifetime of a guitar pick is influenced by many other aspects, as we learnt in the article “Durability of a guitar pick”.

Thin picks: Summary

Thin picks are the best option for guitarists looking for brighter tones, especially using acoustic guitars and some strumming techniques on electric guitar.

The flexibility of these picks limits the maximum volume that can be achieved. This can be  an advantage because it works like an analog limiter. This is especially helpful in a studio session, where the maximum volume achieved must be controlled.

Most beginner guitar players start using thin picks because their guitar skill set at the beginning includes guitar techniques like strumming.

Note control can be difficult with thin guitar picks. However, some players use this attribute for specific guitar techniques, like in surf music, where a super fast tremolo picking is required.

4- Example of a thick guitar pick: Rombo Jade

Rombo Jade is the perfect example of a thick guitar pick. Thanks to its thickness, a very large bevel edge could be implemented to be as sharp as possible, providing the precision needed when using these kinds of picks.

The size is small, a typical attribute of thick guitar picks, and its shape ends with a very pointy guitar pick tip for maximum attack.

5- Example of a thin guitar pick: Rombo Classic

Rombo Classic is the thinnest Rombo guitar pick. In the middle, it is only 0.38 mm.

This guitar pick is extremely flexible and has a medium/large size with a standard 5 mm diameter guitar pick tip.

In spite of its thickness, the dynamic range of the pick is great. This is caused by the material used in our picks.

6- The right guitar pick thickness for you

I am sure you already have an idea of your favorite guitar pick thickness. In case you don’t, it is probably because you are at the beginning of your guitar journey.

Is there a wrong guitar pick thickness to play guitar? Any pick you use to get sound out of your guitar can work, if the sound produced is the sound you are looking for. It is entirely a matter of personal preference.
If you are a beginner guitar player, I recommend you start with something like 0.75 mm, as I described here: "Guitar Picks for Beginners"

However, if you are an intermediate player trying to find a way to discover new guitar tones, I do not have better advice than to tell you to try many different thicknesses and start integrating other important aspects of the guitar pick in your decision, like materials, size, shape, etc...

The good news is, you will probably end up having 3 to 5 favorite guitar picks which you can use for different techniques. So, enjoy the journey and be open to experimenting with different tones and textures with your guitar!

7- Current guitar pick thicknesses at Rombo:

For this chapter I included the new guitar picks, which will be officially released during 2021.

As you can see on the thickness scale, there are still some slots missing (for example something like 0.6 mm), we will be filling them in the future, as we design new guitar picks.

However, we might repeat thicknesses if other aspects change a lot, for example the shape, the sharpness of the tip, the size of the pick, or other grip textures.

8- Variable guitar pick thickness

Another important factor to consider is that some picks do not have constant thickness along its design. But why?

As we did our research back in 2018, we found out that designing guitar picks with variable thickness comes with many advantages.

Let's take Rombo Origami as an example: The guitar pick tip is 0.75, but its hold area is thicker. This simple change makes the pick produce darker and mellower tones without losing much of its flexibility.

In the case of Rombo Diamond, the middle area (where all vertices collide) the thickness goes up to 2.65 mm. We increased this area after experiencing that the relation between the thicknesses along the guitar pick also increases the control over the pick for single notes.

In addition, with more thickness on a given material, you have more possibilities to introduce design elements, like the 3D geometries we use in our picks. These geometries have two positive effects: on one side, they enhance the grip of the pick because of the tilted surfaces, and on the other side, the guitar picks look very cool!

In short, variable thickness will make your picks more versatile and give you extra control.

9- Conclusion

Thick picks vs. thin picks will remain a hot, trendy topic in the guitar community.

However, if you are already an intermediate player with some knowledge about equally important aspects of a guitar pick like shape or material, spread the word to avoid confusion among the newcomers.

We have already discussed the huge variety of different guitar picks you can find online in our article “Guitar picks online” since this can be overwhelming for some beginners.

The best advice I can give you: love both thin and thick picks and try to understand why they are different. Both need to exist in a world where creativity and different tones and styles are needed!

Now it’s your turn, what is your favorite guitar pick thickness?

This article was created because you asked for it. It is meant to be as transparent as possible, so that you can see who the faces behind Rombo are and how we organize this project internally.

We hope you enjoy it!

Rombo Guitar Picks: Short Introduction

Since 2019, Rombo has been researching surface finish and design in order to find the perfect balance between grip, ergonomics, and function in guitar picks and other guitar accessories. Rombo was born thanks to an amazing guitar player community whose aim is to continue this adventure and quest for the perfect guitar accessories.

Who are the faces behind Rombo Guitar Picks?

We are Judith and Carlos, a happily married couple trying to innovate in the world of guitar picks. We live near Stuttgart, Germany.

We both love music, guitars, product development, challenges, and attention to detail, so Rombo was the perfect excuse to mix all these things together and have some amazing adventures.

Our location in Remseck a.N., Germany

Packing and shipping of our guitar picks

From Remseck, near Stuttgart in Germany, we do almost everything.

Here, we receive the packaging and the dots we use to fix the guitar picks to the packaging. We try to be very organized and keep the place very tidy. Tidy places also look better for photographs!

In the shipping station, there is one tray for every guitar pick model. We also include a flyer and a “thank you”-card with every delivery. This way we make the experience more personal, while sharing our journey of packing your guitar picks directly with you!

We have a label printer, which is super useful, and thankfully our web system allows us to automate the printing for every customer and create a label with just one click.

Our post carrier receives the boxes from us with all the information they need to bring our products to you, including weight, countries, and import information for the customs.

We ship every order directly from our location.

The envelopes we use are not very cheap, but they protect the product well, they are made of 100% recycled paper and they are plastic free.

Always learning something new

We have to be very multifaceted to cover all the tasks we do, from idea generation, product development, graphic design, photography, web maintenance, logistics, social media, packaging development, and accounting, to all the stuff a start-up involves.

We believe that doing everything by ourselves gives us a very close perspective from the customer side.

This means, when you ask something on Instagram or Facebook, you receive an e-mail from us, or we answer your comment. It is us behind the screen typing every word and every smiley!

We love walking a lot. We go for a walk for 5 kilometres almost everyday. Almost every idea we applied to Rombo was created while having a walk. We called it our daily inspiration walk.

Rombo is a long journey

Two years ago, at the very beginning of this journey, we could not have imagined how many things we needed to learn!

We have encountered many challenges on the way; for example, I remember it was very difficult to find out how to sell internationally and establish a system that is fast enough for us.

I cannot tell how many books on startups, online marketing, Kickstarter or time management we have read! One of the most useful ones was A Crowdfunder's Strategy Guide: Build a Better Business by Building Community, by Jamey Stegmeier.

A funny anecdote is that Judith and I don’t have our own Instagram profiles. For the first post from Rombo, we had to check out a tutorial on Youtube to try to understand the process. I am glad to say that two years later, we have reached almost 20K followers!

PS: We still don’t have our own accounts, the one for Rombo is enough work! :)

Guitar picks: All about the design process

The most complex part is the design process of a guitar pick.

I like to sketch a lot, so I have lots of old ideas and sketches which I use as an inspiration source. Sometimes, we use questions to challenge the design process, like “Is it possible to create a guitar pick that is flexible and rigid at the same time?” While trying to answer this question, we came up with the idea of “variable thickness”, which has proven to substantially increase ergonomics.

Since we have an engineering & design background, we also do the modeling in 3D and product engineering. Every detail is important here to create high-quality products.

When we think the design is ready, we create some prototypes and send them to the testers. If you follow us on social media you will know some of the testers from our stories.

In total, we have about 30 guitar players that help us during this phase of the project and communicate with us which points they liked or didn’t like. Thanks to their feedback, we are able to improve areas of the guitar picks which we would otherwise not have thought of.

Manufacturing technologies

For the manufacturing of our guitar picks on a large scale, we use a technology called injection molding.

In this process, the melted raw material is injected into a mold with the negative shape of the guitar picks.

It is a very complex process with lots of engineering in it, the material has to be treated in a special way to keep the proper humidity, temperature and pressure, and to avoid external contaminations.

On the left, the injection mould from Rombo Diamond: Our polimer flows through the mould runner (yellow arrows) after it reaches over 270°C degrees and it is pushed forward. 

The red area is the area we use for the grip texture. The blue area is high mirror polished.

On the right: The first ever produced Rombo Origami from 30.11.2018. The first 50 guitar picks we produced were sent to guitar pick testers who gave us feedback about the material, the grip, the tone and the shape.

The raw material we use is produced in Italy. We have worked very closely with our material partner to accomplish every requirement we had, including the 100% recycled material of the EcoBlack sets. If you want to know more about the materials we are using, you can find more information HERE.

Packaging for guitar picks

We believe packaging is a very important aspect of a product. We not only use it to create an atmosphere and emphasize the quality of the product, but also to inform you about the attributes of our guitar picks.

This is the reason we created packaging with lots of printable areas to describe the guitar picks. We include our parameter bars, a short description of the guitar pick, the 6 special attributes of a Rombo guitar pick, and a QR-code with extra information.

We had a total of about 6 different concepts before we decided which one was the most suitable.

Right now, we are creating the packaging layouts for the new models that will launch in 2021. We have received some samples and they look great!

If you want to see the new models, you can click HERE.

Guitar picks and social media:

Rombo product photography:

Carlos takes the pictures for social media. We are not very skilled with the camera, but we have learned a couple of tricks and after thousands of trials, we are able to take decent pictures in our living room.

In our Instagram you can find the best pictures.

Educating the customer

You have probably noticed that our posts on Instagram are mainly informative. Guitar picks are often underrated and most guitar players don’t think much about it.

However, guitar picks are the loudest amplifier you can have in your hands and are the bridge between you and your guitar.

We try to pass the know-how we have obtained directly to you, so you can make conscious decisions about the products you purchase. Aspects like the variations on the tone depending on guitar pick thickness, or why are there so many guitar pick shapes and materials… And this is the reason we created our blog articles.

Our aim is to create a communication process that goes back and forth between us. Some of you have become friends of ours and have won a new perspective of thinking about guitar picks. 

Engagement of the community

“To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of conversation.” – François de La Rochefoucauld, essayist.

We believe we have one of the most engaged communities ever! We try to answer every comment and every private message, and we are sure we have an answer rate very close to 100%.

You all have participated in surveys, and you have left amazing comments and reviews. You post stories regularly and we have had very deep conversations with some of you! Thank you!

We also received great support from many amazing blogs like Heavy Repping, Gigs and Guitars, The Gadget Flow, Ultimate-Guitar, Guitar World, and others.

Rombo around the world

Rombo is expanding. We are working with dealers around the world and currently we have sellers in the following countries:

This means, with the help of our dealers we are able to sell in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, almost every country of South America, and South Africa.

Transparent communication with our dealers is a priority with us, and so far 100% of the new sellers stay with us! Together we are developing the brand and taking it to the next step.

The future of rombo:

During our inspiration walks, we talk about Rombo in the next few years. It is very difficult to imagine what the future will bring.

We would like to bring new designs (lots of them!), to increase the amount of recycled material for the manufacturing of the picks, or even be able to create colored recycled guitar picks. We want to talk more to our customers and share our experiences, and from time to time, share some great music and playlists.

We are only two people and every step takes its time. Some of you have written beautiful thank you letters to us or left very good reviews and we want to let you know that we are working hard everyday not to disappoint you :)

You are the best and you have a vote on the future of Rombo!

In May 2020, Judith and I had finished the first 3D sketches of our four new guitar pick models. However, the picks weren’t 100% ready.

The thickness, the size, and even the names of the picks were still undefined.

We decided to take a new approach and involve as many guitarists as possible to help us co-create our new guitar picks. 

What is a signature guitar pick:

Signature guitar picks are common in the guitar pick world.

These picks were developed with the help of some expert and famous guitarists from a specific music field.

From our point of view, this is a very narrow design path that only considers the opinion and guitar playing style of one person.

Our approach: The opposite of a signature pick:

The guitar community has strongly supported Rombopicks since its beginning in 2019.

We did not want to create new guitar picks without asking the people who have been with us since the beginning. You guys and girls are the core of Rombo, and you should decide which products we develop.

The most logical step was to create a big survey to allow users to tell us how they prefer their guitar picks.

We think this is the only way to develop our guitar picks, based on the wants of our users, allowing us to make essential decisions about our company's direction. 

This is only possible by listening to the thoughts of every guitar player. 

In addition, by asking precise questions about guitar picks, we are able to create more awareness of complex issues, like:  Why are guitar picks thick or thin? How they behave when the size changes? Does the flexibility of a guitar pick affect the tone? What about the material?

When the user is aware of the product features, he/she can deliver a useful vote.

Since the beginning, we have been researching all these areas and are sharing them with you. With every article about plectrums we have written, we have contributed to the knowledge you have about your gear so you will be able to decide which gear is the best for you and understand why.

The results of the survey: 

Participants:

1.552 guitar players (including us) have participated in the survey and therefore have took part in the design process of these new guitar picks for 2021.

336 of them left a private message with detailed information.

What is your favorite guitar pick design?

Pick number1: 18,8%
Pick number 2: 14,8%
Pick number 3: 27,8%
Pick number 4: 38,7%

Guitar Pick Number 1:



Name:
Rombo Horizon: 34,5%
Rombo Sense. 33,9%
Rombo Summit: 14,1%
Rombo Mood: 7%
Other names: 10,5%

Average Thickness: 1,378 mm
Average Size: Medium Size with 71% of the votes

Guitar Pick Number 2:

Name:
Rombo Prisma: 76%
Rombo Spin: 7,7%
Rombo Treble: 8,4%
Other names: 7,9%

Average Thickness: 0,831 mm
Average Size: Large Size with 73,5% of the votes

Guitar Pick Number 3:

Name:
Rombo Crisp: 47%
Rombo Split: 22,1%
Rombo Prisma: 16,4%
Other names: 14,5%

Average Thickness: 1,028 mm
Average Size: Medium Size with 59,7% of the votes

Guitar Pick Number 4:

Name:
Rombo Jade: 33%
Rombo Shift: 17,6%
Rombo Slope: 12%
Rombo Summit: 10%
Rombo Dune: 7%
Rombo Cascade: 7%
Rombo Wizzard: 4,9%
Other names: 8,5%

Average Thickness: 2,37 mm
Average Size: Small Size with 56,6% of the votes

Guitar picks: Personal thoughts of 336 guitar players

A total of 336 people left us a private message regarding guitar picks.

We have read all of them carefully and we will use all this information during the development.

Here are the important questions we have received and our comments to them: 

• Will the guitar picks be available in new colors?
  Not at the moment. However, we are thinking about creating some additional colors for special editions in the future.
  
  
• Will they have the same grip structure?
  Yes!  Definitely. Lots of people have sent us e-mails and letters regarding the grip structure. With the micro-nodules, we have the advantage of medium-grip surfaces which add lots of control.
  
  However, a very small number of people want the picks to have more grip. We had to make a decision here, and it was hard.
  
  We won’t forget this topic: In the future, we want to develop a texture with more grip for these players.
  
  
• Why don’t you create different guitar pick thicknesses for each one of the models?
  We want every guitar pick to be unique. As every person has unique preferences, we believe every guitar pick should have its own design.
  
  In the future, we hope to be able to create a bigger quantity of different plectrum designs to cover each possible necessity.
  
  
• What about picks for bass players?
  Most our picks are compatible with bass, as we have confirmed this with some bassists that are using them regularly, especially Rombo Diamond ad Rombo Origami. We explained this HERE.
  
  
• You should create some merch, T-Shirts and other stuff:
  Maybe in the future. Now, we want to focus 100% on the development of the guitar picks. Every minute we spend on the design of a T-Shirt will be taken away from the quality of the picks! ;)
  
  
• Will you offer the EcoBlack range in other colors?
  The EcoBlack material can only be produced in one color at the moment. The recycling process creates a very dark pigmentation. The industry is working hard to find a way to create new recycling processes. We hope we will manufacture all of our picks out of recycled material in the future.

When will be the new picks available?

The new guitar picks will be available in early 2021.
If you want to receive an E-Mail as soon as the picks are availabe, join our mailing list below on the footer.

This is the timeline we created for this project:

The pre-order product launch will be on the platform Kickstarter (like the first generation of Rombo guitar picks we launched in January 2019).

However, the current development of the Covid-19 could postpone the project a couple of months. We want to launch the product when we are able to deliver worldwide.

Why Kickstarter?

Kickstarter campaigns turn dreams and ideas into reality. Rombo is still a small start-up run by two people, and with limited access to resources. Through Kickstarter, we involve the community of guitar players, showing our guitar picks before launching.

This process brings us in contact with the real guitar players and their necessities. It forces us to remain flexible, accept changes, and challenges us to create new designs to fulfill the expectations of our audience.

We love open and critical criticism, and this is the best place to get it, where all comments and thoughts are visible. By sharing your experiences, we can listen to your needs and wishes, and create guitar picks that make a difference.

The guitar pick has been in constant evolution since the 1920s.

Today, 100 years later, we have achieved great accomplishments in the area of durability of this very important piece of guitar gear.

In this article, we will review all the important points that can cause picks to wear out, and summarize all you need to know about guitar pick durability.

We will make some comments on the tone, to help control the changes, which happen after a guitar pick has worn down.

In addition, we will give some advice to keep your picks “healthier“, longer than expected.

New vs. Old (worn down) Guitar Picks: Tone Changes

We all know that using different guitar picks, will also make a difference in your tone, and your playing. Material, shape, thickness and shape of the pick, directly affect the tone and playability.

Most standard plectrums can resist heavy strumming for a long time, without much wear and tear.

The first thing you may notice after using a guitar pick for some weeks, is that the tip is not as pointy as the new guitar pick. You will see it, and you will hear it, because the tone of the pick will change over time, with wear.

The rounded shape of the worn down plectrum, will create warmer tones, and feel darker.  This is totally fine, if this is the tone you are looking for.

It will also affect the way your plectrum plucks the strings:

Just like the guitar strings, the frets, & other components, the guitar picks will wear out over time.

Some players feel a lack of control after the guitar pick has worn down, while others use the rounder picks because of the tone they produce. This especially happens to jazz guitarists, who tend to choose picks that are almost circular, for example: Rombo Waves.

Gaining control when using rounder guitar picks, is an ability you can train yourself to do, and improve.

Why Can’t Picks Last Forever?

Guitar strings are usually made from a mix of steel, nickel, bronze, or brass. In other words: Metals.

Since most players use some kind of plastic material for their guitar picks, (nylon, delrin, …), it’s not surprising that friction between strings and picks will cause the guitar picks to wear down.

You will notice, the thickest guitar strings have a spiral wire wrapped-around, acting like a sanding file on the plectrum.

Guitar Pick Durability: How Long Should a Guitar Pick Last?

The short answer: If you are an average user, your picks should last a few weeks to a month. If you are a professional player, using specific techniques, like heavy picking and strumming, it will probably last just one day, especially if you are a studio musician recording new tracks every day.

The long answer: This answer includes many factors including guitar pick attributes, and external factors, regardless of the guitar pick you are using. We discuss all of them below.

Guitar Pick Attributes That Directly Affect the Durability

The attributes that define the durability of a guitar pick are as follows:

• Guitar Pick Material
• Guitar Pick Thickness
• Guitar Pick Tip Shape
• Guitar Pick Tip Texture

Harder materials will wear down slower. This is one of the reasons there has been a lot of research in the area of suitable materials for guitar picks.

The goal is to find a wear-resistant material, that keeps the tone characteristics that guitar players want, while still giving a good grip.

However, material is not all. The thickness of a guitar pick will enormously affect the wear and tear. Thinner picks will wear down almost immediately when using heavy pick techniques.

Other attributes of the pick that affect the durability, are the Tip Shape, and the Tip Texture. Very pointed guitar tips tend to wear down faster, because there is less material on the tip.

However, this problem can be partially solved with the right guitar pick tip texture. A polished tip on the guitar pick will cause less friction between strings and plectrum. This is one of the most underrated attributes of a guitar pick, and you can find more information HERE.

What Damages the Pick the Most?

Results show, that the best way of altering and degrading the shape of your plectrums is to perform “pick slides”.

This guitar technique will wear away the edges of your plectrum and will make it useless very quickly.

This won’t directly affect the tone or control of the plectrum, but the damaged sides will contain some dents. The plectrum will get stuck either on the up stroke or the down stroke.

External Factors Which Indirectly Affect the Durability

It’s not only the guitar pick quality that is responsible for its‘ damage.  There are three more factors that can play a role on the durability:

• Hours of guitar training
• Guitar strings gauge
• Guitar playing style and used techniques

It is a very simple equation: The more hours you practice, the more your picks will get damaged.

Thicker guitar strings will increase the area of contact with your plectrum, and therefore, wear it down much faster.

Aggressive guitar playing techniques, like fast palm mute, or pick slides, will damage your guitar pick very easily.

How to know if a Pick is Durable?

The best way to find out, is to test it, and make your own judgment.

You can take advice of expert players, who have tested lots of guitar picks. However, if their playing styles differ from yours, this information won’t help much.

Besides, many expert players have not changed their picks for decades, and they might be missing the material improvements of the last decade.

As mentioned, not only is durability a factor to take into account when choosing a guitar pick, but also the tone and the ergonomics (grip, size,...).

How to Know When to Replace Your Pick?

If the edges of your pick are becoming more rounded, you might start to consider purchasing a new one.

However, never throw away your worn-down guitar picks! The rounded edges can be used to create more mellow tones, and you might want these for some of your songs.

One of the most important things about playing the guitar, is to keep your mind open to new tones and styles. This is the reason some guitar picks have rounded tips even when they are new.

In addition, you can store your old guitar picks in a box. I wish I still had my first guitar pick, that I used, when I was learned to play guitar as a child. A guitar pick can be a beautiful piece of your past.

Check Your Pick Condition Regularly

A tip from my side, is to double check every guitar pick before going out on stage, or studio. A visual inspection is fine.

Always keep some unused plectrums aside. Considering plectrums are probably the least expensive gear of your complete guitar rig, constant wear and tear issues is not a thing you should worry about.

Choose your ideal Plectrum

Are you using the right pick? This is a question you should ask yourself every time you play a song.

Some players have their 5-favourites, depending on the style and type of guitar they want to play.

The most important factors when choosing the right plectrum for you hinges on….

• Material
• Shape
• Thickness
• Size
• Playing style
• Your personal preference

We created a guide that will help you find the right plectrum for you.
You can find it HERE.

Thank you!

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We, (Carlos and Judith), are really doing our best to create the best guitar picks for you.

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The guitar pick tip is the pointy bit on the end of your plectrum. The tip and its shape is probably the most important area of a guitar pick.

The pick tip can be rounded or pointy, and if the plectrum is thick enough, a beveled edge can be included to increase the speed and control.

Depending on the shape of the tip, the guitar pick will be suitable for specific techniques.

• Sharper tips are very good for speed and tremolo playing.
  They are better for fast lead lines.
• Rounder tips are usually more adequate for strumming chords. They will produce mellower sounds.

Why a beveled edge matters:

The bevel of the pick impacts the attack. 

The bevel creates a surface for the strings to glide off on, and with the design of the bevel, you can adjust the degree to which the pick grips the strings.

A well-designed bevel is usually preferred by most players due to the following benefits it provides:

• Increased speed
• Improved control
• Better tone

Put simply, it makes playing easier. Additionally, it will impact the attack your plectrum provides.

Tip: Other attributes such as polished guitar tips can also help you improve your guitar playing. Learn more here.

Attack of a guitar pick - Pros and Cons:

The guitar pick tone is strictly related to its attack. Being able to hear the different nuances of a heavy and light attack plectrum is essential for becoming a great guitarist.

Heavy pick attack - Benefits:

Using a heavier pick attack will allow you to change your tone without losing tone clarity and brightness. 

If you dig in with your pick, your tone will distort. You will create a crunchier sound without the need for guitar pedals. This happens because the guitar strings vibrate in a different way when using a heavier pick attack. Nevertheless, the notes will remain well defined.

This is especially important for jazz and blues players, where the clarity of individual notes plays an important role. 

Heavy pick attack - Drawbacks:

Guitar picks with a very heavy attack can reduce the sustain of your guitar tone. Applying too much pressure to the strings can choke your guitar.

Furthermore, the strings will suffer much more because of each impact. This will subsequently reduce the lifetime of your strings.

Finding the balance:

Using heavier gauges of guitar strings (0.12 or more) can be a solution to the aforementioned problem. This allows you to use very heavy pick attacks without compromising sustain and tone. 

Therefore, my personal recommendation is to increase the gauge of the guitar strings for sharp guitar pick usage.

Note: There are many annoying things in life, but there’s nothing more annoying than losing a guitar pick you just had in your hand, and then realize that it has disappeared forever! - 4 Tips To Not Lose Your Guitar Picks

Managing the guitar pick attack: Practical exercise

In order to see the difference in action follow these steps:

1. Crank the amp to the edge of distortion.
2. Exaggerate “gentle” playing (as lightly as possible).
3. Pay attention to the sound and tone.
4. Exaggerate “hard” playing (as heavily as possible).
5. Pay attention to the sound differences.
6. Repeat the exercise for different volume settings.

Finally, reflect on which settings are most appropriate for you. Decide on a point between “very gentle playing” and “very hard playing” that you feel comfortable with.

Knowing this difference will help you define your own tone. Understanding the basics of the attack of a guitar pick can be very useful when creating a versatile guitar playing style.

Mixing both techniques during lead parts is very effective when creating dynamic tones, sequences and highlighting specific parts of your playing. You can change the subjective feel of your playing and develop a sense of tension and emotion.

Tip: You can control the volume amp settings and also the guitar volume/tone settings. It might take longer to finish the exercise, but you will be surprised at how all these parameters work together!

Attack, tone, technique, and flexibility:

We started from the very beginning and went back to the roots, back to the meaning and the definition of a guitar pick. As a result of the study of the physical properties, we defined four parameters to precisely describe a plectrum: attack, flexibility, tone and technique. 

Changing the form, dimensions and material, we can directly influence such parameters. These attributes are strictly interconnected.

Example of a guitar pick with a very high attack:

Rombo Diamond:

Exceptional picking control and accuracy. Favorite amongst advanced guitarists. The hole in the middle provides an extra control and grip rate. Sharp tip for high attack, and a clean bright tone.

As you can see, a very small diameter of only 3mm, combined with low flexibility make the attack of this pick very heavy.

Learn more here.

Example of a guitar pick with soft release (less attack):

Rombo Waves:

Strong dynamic range. Great picking accuracy and rigid body. The round tip allows for a smooth and warm attack and soft release. Its curious shape makes this pick perfect for strumming.

A very rounded tip and less thickness to increase flexibility make this pick perfect for mellow tones and soft release

Learn more here.

Conclusion:

Depending on your needs, you might prefer using sharper or rounder guitar picks.

The best players are able to use the best of both areas and create their own style.

Understanding the relation between guitar pick shape and attack is essential when mastering guitar techniques.

What about the material? 

How can the guitar pick material influence your sound?
Learn more here.