Are there any generalizations one can make about pick thickness?

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

Years ago I played with a thinner regular sized pick. My pointer finger nail kept wearing away. Now I use a large triangle thick pick and no finger nail issues.

Thank you for that!

I thought I was the only player in the world who had this happen, so after 57 years of playing I finally know I'm not the only one!

I played all those years using a Fender medium teardrop and then went on an "ultimate pick search". I settled on 1.4mm Primetone (non-sculpted smooth) in the large triangle shape. I no longer have to concern myself with wearing away the corner portion if my index finger nail. An added plus is you get three new playing points for the price of one!

As mentioned by musicman1951 above, it takes a bit of time to find a thicker pick comfortable, but I'm so glad that I put in the effort. Many players feel that a thicker pick allows them to play "harder" to get more volume, which may certainly be true, but I didn't need more volume. I found that the thicker pick allows me to play at the same volume with less force. I find that a side benefit of that is it allows me to play in a more controlled way.

[tinnitus]

Whenever someone hands me a guitar and a pick, chances are it's a medium or pretty close to it. I don't play as well with a thin or a thick, and 45 seconds of Dust In the Wind is my total repertoire without one. After 50+ years playing "standard" medium gauge, that's my warm, fuzzy comfort zone.

No pick handy? "Wrong" gauge? No problem, I keep a couple mediums in my wallet. (That tiny right hand pocket on jeans and shorts is for foamy earplugs.)

[ascotia]

Add me to the worn index fingernail club!

I use a 1.14 teardrop Tortex and the most peculiar thing about my style is that I have spent that vast majority of my 17 year playing 'career' using 3 fingers to hold my pick. Using 3 fingers allows me to extend and retract the pick at will while being far more secure in my grip.

I've been aware for quite some time that most people hold their pick with two fingers, but it just never felt natural to me. Somewhere along the line I started to implement some hybrid picking into my playing, and without ever thinking about it I started to feel secure with a two finger grip.

Perhaps I'll try a larger pick to save my fingernail, but I fear it would make my extend/retract technique more difficult to execute, and it may affect my accuracy. Can't hurt to try it though!