Pick choice changes the sound

[Chas007]

I have a Guild D20, with I think Martin Retro 12's on it. It's tuned down half a step. It has a pretty dark sound anyway, but even more so now. Been practicing some Skynyrd.

Checking out three different picks.
Dunlop Toltex .88
Dunlop Ultex .73
Clayton USA .33

For right now I'm preferring the the Clayton. It's making the guitar sound more alive.

Well, it was at least. It went missing while I was writing this and before I could post, I found where our Shih-Poo puppy had chewed it up. 😳

[Silly Moustache]

As I have said before pick choices are VERY personal - as personal as choice of underpants.
I could not happily use picks as thin as your choices but, we all need to experiment and adjust as we develop our skills.

Play happy!

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Picks & strings are the cheapest, easiest way to alter your guitar's sound.

[Railroad Bum]

It's always interesting to find out what picks and strings people use. I know the legendary flat picker Dan Crary uses a .5 Fender pick, and Steve Kaufman uses a .73 Dunlop pick, and those guys sound just incredible. So as long as it works for you, that is all that matters.

[Robin, Wales]

Different picks certainly change the timbre and feel of a guitar. This change can be anything from subtle to radical, depending on the level of difference in shape, thickness and material between picks.

I have 6 or so different picks in front of me when I practice, and will try out a variety when playing. However, I come back to Blue Chip or Wegen for gigs and other public sessions. Because playability and solid volume trump tonal subtlety for me when standing in front of an audience. For solo gigs, where I'm likely to be the most nervous, it will most often be a Blue Chip because of the material's superior playability. Although I prefer the timbre of Wegen picks when playing in a more relaxed public environment.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Chas007

I have a Guild D20, with I think Martin Retro 12's on it. It's tuned down half a step. It has a pretty dark sound anyway, but even more so now. Been practicing some Skynyrd.

Checking out three different picks.
Dunlop Toltex .88
Dunlop Ultex .73
Clayton USA .33

For right now I'm preferring the the Clayton. It's making the guitar sound more alive.

No wonder! A pick that thin will produce lots of high frequency sound on the attack. I.e., it's not the sound of the guitar itself, it's the guitar plus the attack sound of the pick. (The tone of the guitar is much more affected by where you strum: how close to or far from the bridge.)

Personally I wouldn't use anything thinner than .60 (dunlop tortex), which is bright enough for me - and bendy enough for any amount of strumming.
I also use 73 and 88 (dunlop nylon), but I find 88 a little crude for strumming - good and strong for flatpicking, mind.
Bendy picks (60 or less) are no good for flatpicking or lead playing - unless you grip them in a way that means they can't bend.

My strings are 11s, btw, but tuned to standard, so not too different from 12s tuned down.

On electric (with 10s), I tend to use 73 for mixed lead and rhythm, but for jazz (mellower tone) or very fast rock lead, I'll use a very rigid pick, at least 1mm.

But of course, it's not just the pick - it's how you hold it! Not just how you grip it, but the angle against the strings (and there are angles in three dimensions involved...).

[Silly Moustache]

I don't believe that it is practical to try to bevel a pick which is thinner that 1 m/m.
Therefore a thin pick (less than 1 m/m) cannot be properly fashioned for best results.

Like everyone else I have a vast collection of picks, and during my recovery from cancer treatment in 2018, I bought a load of cheap picks and tried to improve them by bevelling and polishing them, see :

Yes, they were improved, and many have liked what I produced, but I could not produce a pick that played as well as the Blue Chip TAD 40/50/60 (1, 1.25, and 1.5 m/m) and Wegen TF120/140 (1.2 and 14 m/m) 346 large triangles.

If you compare the subtle thickness differences on the same guitar the same strings, you will observe a slight but tangible move from treble to bass with each move.

See :

Actually after listening to it after some time, I think the TAD 60 works best on both. I may need to go shopping again!

I believe that the thicker the pick, the more control one has .... BUT . the more technique you need.

[Bob Womack]

Whenever I am playing a session I have a selection of picks available to shape the sound. Believe it or not, needs change with the desired sound and technique. There are cases in combo recording, such as continuous strumming, where nothing will do like an extra light pick with all that pick slap. Also, nothing will do like keep an open mind.

Bob