Can You Use A Wooden Guitar Pick?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Can you use a wooden guitar pick? If you’re used to plastic picks, you might be surprised to find that many guitarists use different types of picks as well. Picks come in tons of different materials, and

although the most popular type is plastic, metal, wood, and glass are also commonly used

.

What type of wood is best for guitar picks?

#1:

TerraTone Wooden Guitar Picks

He makes his picks out of wenge, hard maple, purpleheart, olive wood, padauk, zebrawood, and mahogany. They come in most common shapes (Regular, Teardrop, and Jazz III) and in various gauges between 1.5mm to 3mm, while the olive wood can go up to 15.5mm.

Can you use anything as a guitar pick?


A coin is a great alternative to a guitar pick when we don’t have one on us

. Coins like quarters and nickels fit well between our fingers and have a good amount of attack to them when they strike the strings. This makes them an ideal choice for a DIY guitar pick. Try and use a mid-sized coin wherever possible.

Does guitar pick material matter?

Is it okay to use a coin as a guitar pick?


Coins don’t wear off like guitar picks

.

You should try using a coin as a guitar pick, then! It may not have a massive effect on your tone, but you’ll likely notice that it gets harder to hit the right strings when your pick is excessively worn off. However, a coin doesn’t wear off if you use it as a guitar pick!

Should I use a metal pick?

Metal Picks have a much harsher attack as opposed to plastic,

yes it’s bad for the strings

and you can also scratch the guitar body, you’re going to have to be very careful with a metal pick, but the overall tone you get from them is much more aggressive, but not worth the strings you go through unless you’re being …

How thick are wooden guitar picks?

The thickness of my blank was 3mm. However, you can slice yours as thin as you would like. I do recommend going above

1.5mm

though, as going below that can increase the risk of breaking your pick while playing.

Can I strum with a coin?


Yes, a coin can be used as a guitar pick, long or short term

. The sound will be different from any plastic or molded pick, but it may be a tone that you like. Coins are the perfect thickness and have a somewhat smooth surface that makes them ideal for strumming chords and picking notes.

How can I get free guitar picks?

What material are guitar picks made of?

These days, picks are largely made from celluloid, but there are several other materials that that are utilized.

Nylon, polyethylene, bone, glass, metal, wood, horn, stone

… you can find them all in your local music retailer (Queen’s Brian May preferred a coin to a traditional plectrum).

What is the best material for a guitar pick?

What is the best pick material? Two popular materials used in making guitar picks are

nylon and tortex (or Delrin)

. Nylon thin to medium thickness picks provide a nice crisp sound as well as some smooth release from the strings.

Is a metal or plastic guitar pick better?

Typically, the sound you’ll get using this pick is much more aggressive. However, you should consider the fact that

metal is quite sturdier than plastic

, and as a result, might damage your guitar. Since you will use metal to pick strings, the strings will wear out faster as well.

Are all guitar picks the same?


Guitar picks also come in different shapes and sizes

. A good go-to choice is a standard or classic guitar pick that has one sharp point with a pointed top. There are also guitar picks where all three sides are similarly shaped (also known as ‘tri-tip’ picks), so you can hold it any way you want.

How do you make homemade picks?

Why does Brian May play with a coin?

“But I gradually discovered that

I wanted more and more hardness in the pick

, and the more rigid it is, the more you feel what’s happening at the string in your fingers. So in the end, I picked up a coin, and it was just perfect. That’s all I needed.

How do you make your own guitar picks?

Do metal picks break strings?

String Damage

To answer the originally-posed question –

yes, metal picks damage strings

. Because it’s less flexible and less malleable, a metal pick will pull strings farther before they’re released and creates tiny imperfections on the surface of your strings until they break.

What pick does Brian may use?

Known for his iconic guitar sound, Queen’s Brian May prefers using a coin – specifically

Britain’s sixpence

, which he says offers more control – over a conventional guitar pick.

Can you play metal songs without a pick?


I can play metal with my fingers if I need to

(dropping a pick or something similar). Every guitarist that plans on playing live should learn to do so. It’ll at least get you buy for a few seconds until you can grab another pick. I play pretty much everything except metal fingerstyle.

What pick did Kurt Cobain use?

The guitar picks he used the most frequently were

Dunlop Tortex Standard . 60mm picks, in orange

.

When should you throw away guitar picks?

A guitar pick should be changed

as soon as it shows signs of damage or significant wear

. Thinner picks 0.7mm or less, are more suseptible to chip, bend or crack and so will probably need replacing more often. What is this? Every so often check your pick for damage, particuarly before starting a new recording or song.

What guitar picks for beginners?


Light guitar picks with less than 0,6 mm

are considered beginners’ guitar picks. The reason for this, is that most beginner guitar players first learn strumming techniques, which can usually be played better with thinner plectrums. However, medium guitar picks with 0,75 mm thickness are the best place to start.

What guitar does Queen use?


Red Special
Bridge Custom made aluminum with roller saddles.

How much is Brian May’s original guitar worth?

In her 2007 biography “Queen and I: The Brian May Story”, Laura Jackson reveals that the guitar cost Brian £17.45. If this value is adjusted for inflation to 2020, the answer is

£373.69

which amounts to approximately half the recommended retail price of a BMG Special.

How do you hold a guitar pick?

Gently put your index finger and thumb together then close your other three fingers toward your palm. Simply slide the pick in between the thumb and the outer edge of the index finger, so that the index finger is pointing down toward the tip of the pick without poking out beyond it.

Can you use a seashell as a guitar pick?


A hand crafted guitar pick carefully shaped from seashell

. Compared to plastic picks sea shell is firm and silky and glides over the strings creating less friction, allowing you to play faster, and produce a brighter more focused sound. Sea shell picks accurately respond to the touch allowing the…

Are guitar picks necessary?

Players Who Use Steel Strings Need a Pick


If you or your child wants to play a guitar that uses steel strings, whether it’s acoustic or electric, a pick is a necessity

. These strings are harsh on the fingers, and players who play without a pick will find that their fingers are sore after a session.

What are guitar licks?

Unlike a guitar riff that remains the same every time and serves an important role in establishing the main musical idea of the song, a guitar lick is

an improvisation on the way the notes are played to make them sound a little different

.

How thick should my guitar pick be?

Are thicker picks better?

Thick picks: Summary


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.

Can you use a copper guitar pick?

While metal picks have their own benefits and limitations, there is no reason not to experiment with your picks.

Many players prefer using copper guitar picks as an alternative to plastic plectrums

.

Can you play guitar with stainless steel pick?

Are nylon picks good?

Materials. The most common materials that you’ll see guitar picks made from today are celluloid, nylon, and Delrin. Celluloid is the most flexible and yields a bright sound.

Nylon has a bit of a softer feel and darker tone, but it doesn’t break quite as easily as celluloid, and tends to be a bit easier to grip

.

Which pick is best for strumming?


A thin, or extra light guitar pick

. As a general guideline these are between 0.46mm and 0.70mm thick but can vary. These thinner guitar picks are usually best for strumming with a good acoustic guitar.

What guitar pick is best for acoustic?

  • Fender Premium Picks Sampler For Acoustic Guitars (My Top Pick)
  • Chicken Picks Badazz III 2.0 mm Guitar Picks (Best High-End)
  • Dunlop Delrin 500 Prime Grip .46mm Guitar Picks (Best Budget)
  • Pick Geek TRIO Premium Guitar Picks For Acoustic Guitars.

What picks do famous guitarists use?

Eric Clapton Ernie Ball 0.94 mm David Gilmour D’Andrea 351 0.96 mm Mark Tremonti Dunlop Jazz III Nylon 1.0 mm The Edge D’Andrea Medium Nylon Dave Grohl Dunlop 0.73 mm Gator Grip
Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.