Are You SURE You're Using the Right Pick Gauge? 

I'm thinking by the comments that his has officially become an ad for Jazz III picks. haha

Me, a fingerstyle player: *interesting*

Before I watched this I said, “he better talk about how much better acoustic guitar sounds with thin picks.” Did not disappoint.

The thing about thick vs thin picks for me is that with thicker picks, you can always just hold it more loosely if you want that flop. With thinner picks, it doesn't matter how hard you grip the pick, it will always flop around.

My first pick was an Ernie Ball glow-in-the-dark God-knows-what gauge. Then my dog chewed it up, then my oldest brother tried fixing it but he split it in half so he gave me a pick of his as ''compensation'' but now my other dog chewed up that one as well.

Jazz III’s are where it’s at, in my opinion.

Paul Gilbert uses a .60 pick (Dunlop orange). He said his shredder friends were horrified when he told them but now he can't get enough of that slappy feeling. Whatever works for you is the best pick. Don't let other people tell you what's right or wrong.

I've been playing those green guys for 20 years. I just today realized that these picks are in rainbow/ROYGBIV order.

I use a fairly thin pick , but what i find better is the fact that there is a grip texture to it and its much easier to hold on to in light or heavy picking.

Once I tried Jazz 3 and I’d never look back. Jazz 3 2.0 ❤️

Thinner picks are great for rhythm. I’d always use a thin pick if I’m playing funk, the floppiness of the pick actually makes it easier to achieve certain rhythms

3mm 'Big Stubby' is my go-to for electric leads. Amazing pick

When I first started playing at 14, I thought those Fender confetti picks were the coolest thing ever. I remember taking the bus out to some music shop that mainly sold grand pianos, just to get those stupid picks, because that was the only place I knew of that had them. Little things like that, that get you stoked on playing your guitar are important. It makes it fun and helps you reconnect with the things that inspired you to pick up the guitar in the first place. That’s why I do stuff like always play using coiled amp cords, because they remind me of Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival, and how amazing it was the first time I saw that footage.

I was just reminded that back in college I used to play with a worn down quarter.

4:26 "verses the heaviest pick I have, listen to this" Me "oh that's so much nicer" "see it gets dull sounding" Me :(

I’ve used the tortex 1.14 picks for the entire time I’ve been playing electric guitar, and a couple of days ago I tried playing with a light pick and it made me play better instantly. For a long time I thought thin picks weren’t any good, but to me they sound so much better, and feel so much better!

You covered every dunlop except the one I have used for years, the PINK pick (.46). Most people write it off because it is paper thin, but it takes very little effort to bend/fold it slightly with thumb pressure, making more stiff and solid enough for shredding. The slightly curved tip facilitates hybrid picking more easily. Experimenting with holding it on different parts of the pick (closer/further from the tip) yields more control over its flexibility. I have found it useful for classical, blues, jazz, rock, and beyond. If you don't like the pink color, they make close sizes in grey and white, but I love the pink because nobody ever steals (or borrows) my pick. I have sold a number of guitarists on it over the years who were not too closed minded to even try out the pick because it is pink and flimsy. You just need to know how to use it!

It's weird because ever since the beginning I always wanted a smaller and thicker pick. When I discovered Jazz 3 everything changed, even more when I discovered the Max Grip version.

I like to use a thick pick when I want to use it like a hammer, and a thin one when I want to use it like a brush.

After trying DOZENS of picks, I've arrived at the Dunlop Flow gloss 2.0 picks. I love them.

I went on a pick reevaluation journey about 3 years ago after 30+ years of playing. I just don’t like a “standard” pick shape. What sounds best and feels best (for me) is a Dunlop Flow Pick in either 1.14mm or 1.5mm. The shape is sort of like a bigger JazzIII. It has a nice point, and raised lettering which gives a nice grip. I have some in several thicknesses from aroun0.6mm to 3mm, and they all have a usefulness for specific things; though, I find the 1.14 to be the most versatile all-around thickness. I do also have a zippered ring display case of a number of other specialty picks ranging from acrylic for a chirpy attack to thick Gator Grip or 208 for dull traditional jazz tones to textured ones for various sound qualities.

The bottom line is, to each their own. Just like women, we all have our preference. Thick, thin, redhead, yellow, midget, stepsister, it's all good.

Wow... this is one of the most important videos I have came across yet! Honestly. I been struggling to get my speed up while learning lead, I been using a softer pick thinking it would give me speed... because if the flexibility..I went to a harder pick, my speed increased 2x in 5 minutes... what a difference... it was then that I noticed it’s like running on a sponge with a soft pick and like running on hard ground with a hard pick.... the soft pick slowed me down because I wasn’t making contact that I could actually feel in my picking hand... absolutely astounding.. what a very overlooked piece of guitar playing information. Keep up the great work... new sub here!

Dude, I get it exactly. I'm 60 and I recently bought an acoustic guitar. I didn't know anything about which pick to choose. I knew it was going to be a big decision just like choosing the right string guage. I knew this because I played drums for 30 years or so and it took a long time to settle on the right drumsticks and drum heads. After much trial and error I finally landed on Vic Firth 5A's and Remo Pinstripe heads for my drums choice. So when I bought my acoustic guitar it had medium guage strings on it. I bought several packs of different guage strings and 1 of every type of pick they had! After much trial and changing of strings I have decided on Elixir Extra Light strings and the pick you used for your acoustic. The red Tortex Dunlop 0.5mm. I feel oddly justified. Your videos are great. Thanks.

"Are You SURE You're Using the Right Pick Gauge?" absolutely fuccking not lmao :(

Green Tortex .88’s 🥰

When I started teaching, I ended up finding a Jazz III left behind in a teaching room by another teacher. A friend of mine lives by the jazz III's so I was curious. At the time I was using the yellow tortex exclusively. Tried the Jazz III and loved it. So it was game on after that and the quest to find the perfect Jazz III as the red one was too small for when I played live. I tried the XL's, then the Max Grip, then those Dava picks, then the black Ultex. The black Ultex was the winner, until the black John Petrucci Jazz III's showed up one day. Been using those exclusively, ever since.

Those translucent brown Fender picks used to be my go-to picks when I was taking guitar lessons in the 70's and 80's, just because they were so readily available. I just used whatever my teacher provided for me. I didn't know about other brands and gauges until the about the early 90's, when I discovered the Dunlop Tortex picks, did a bit of experimentation, and realized the purple 1.14 mm picks suited me best for most styles of rhythm and lead playing.

Im more of a jazz 3 guy myself

jazz III is the master of them all and is not even close

At this point I swap between Big Stubbies, Flow 2.5’s, 3.0’s, and 4.2’s lol I have naturally sweaty hands, so the extra with provides a better grip for me. When I was younger I only got what I saw in stores. With the age of the internet, it allowed me to try many types and I found thicker picks work best for me, especially when I play bass with them. Plus the shape makes it easier to just glide across the strings on both bass and guitar. Plus, most of my instruments are extended range with thicker gauge strings, so it’s nice to have more pick to help move those strings and not have to worry about the pick bending or being too noisy with the flat edges.

When I started playing the electric guitar I only had the 1mm Dunlop Nylon, the 2mm Dunlop Gator and the absolute UNIT that was the 3mm Dunlop Big Stubby. After collecting picks from a few shows I setteled on the red and green Dunlops for most of my playing. For picking I use lighter, for strumming I use the more heavy picks. I find that with lighter picks I can "connect" better with the string in the sense that I can feel the string through the pick. With heavier picks I found that I was less consistent, picked the wrong strings more often and was slower. But I still am a beginner who doesn't play lead all that often so maybe my preferences will change when I get better.

Points to consider: *Gauge of the strings *Electric/ acoustic/ ukulele *How hard you normally strum *Pic angle when strumming *Holding pick technique * Type of music played *Different shapes can be a help. *Pick materials I like heavy for all ( excluding ukulele)

I've tried so many picks over the years of various shapes, sizes, thicknesses, and gimmicks. Landed on the godsend 1.38 mm ultex jazz 3. I'm in love! Fast, controlled, great grip for me and now the one time elusive pinch harmonics are a breeze!

Thank you for this video. I saw your video last week, and I changed my pick to a heavier gauge, and it help my picking and the way my songs sound. I was under the impression too, liter gauge picks were for guitars and heavier gauge picks were for bass. And just before I saw your video I saw a Netflix movie about a high school Metal music band, and they too said to use a heavier gauge pick. So I did, and I am very grateful. Blows my mind. Thank you sincerely. John.

I was waaay into the orange Dunlop pick as I was learning. I also used the green one a bit, but I always felt like I was getting a nice blend of both strumming and picking as opposed to super heavy or super light picks. I'll have to experiment around some more since I never questioned it again after that (20+ years ago). Learn something new every day!

Jazz III’s are great but I really love the John Petrucci signature picks. They’re like a Jazz III but just slightly larger so you can actually hold onto them.

Whenever someone gives me a light gauge pick a bit of me dies

I love the .88 for Electric Guitar and Bass, and the .73 for Acoustic Guitar and Mandolin.

Well that helps a lot actually. I've been playing with a .53 and I really had to fight to play anything heavy (How I learned Disposable Heroes I have no idea) but with a 1.0 everything's way better. Thanks again man!

I played with the Big Stubby 3.0mm way back when, and still remember fondly the feeling of those against the string after having spent the first 2 weeks of learning guitar trying to dig into power chrods on one of those stupid fender mediums.

Can’t beat the purple Dunlops! 🤘🏻

It’s definitely a personal feeling thing. I think you described the feelings perfectly. I used only .60 forever just because that’s what I started with. Wasn’t until I was given some custom picks that look and felt incredible. They were way thicker than I used but it was neat to try. Now I am experimenting with a bunch of different textures and thicknesses.

I love your channel because you really get into things that really matter. Pick Gauges and Material should be talked more often cause it really shapes your tone

In computer lingo, we'd call what you feel with light gauge picks "latency". Latency is the delay in something to get to where it needs to be to do its job. As with spinning hard drives: latency is the the time it takes for the spot on the turning platters to arrive under the pickup head to read the data the processor needs. The elimination of this latency is why SSDs are so much faster than mechanical hard drives. Your light picks are literally waving back and forth after each string strike and must end their oscillation to return to a position ready for the next clean strike: latency.

James Hetfield BLACK FANG, 1.14, doesn't feel thick at all because it has tapered edges. I use it for both electric and acoustic when I'm on a Gig!

DUDE… the acoustic thin pick tip changed my life, my tone just had that little bit more tone thank you so much

Great topic! Been using different picks for varied tones, technique etc.... since the late 1970's. Different materials can also change the tone drastically. I've been mostly sticking with thicker picks by V-Picks (their Diamond, Dimension, Psycho & Small Pointed -which is a great alternative to Jazz 3), as well as picks by Hufschmid (their Anvil etc). Still using a couple of picks a friend made for me from a semi-precious stone called Brazilian Agate. First tried stone picks that were called M'ind Picks back in the 70's, also made of agate. There are too many pick manufacturers to mention, but they're worth exploring. I also like the Jim Dunlop Jazztone 205 and 250 picks. It's an inexpensive way to change your tone and improve your technique at the same time. Cheers.

JimDunlop Jazz III almost 12 years and still love it.

Those tortoiseshell Fender Mediums were total ass, my dude. Thank God I caught a Dunlop Yellow from Rick at an Exodus show...but Orange 60s completed me.

Good point, Mike. Pick gauge does make a huge difference when all the picks are the same material. Adding different materials like acrylic or shapes makes a lot of difference too as far as tone and feel. Wish I could try them all.

Interesting that you never mentioned your choice of pick changing according to what string gauge you are using. And the difference in what the pick is made of makes a huge difference to me. I used these colored Dunlop picks for the first several years I played. Because they are made of Tortex instead of whatever Fender and Gibson picks were made of, they felt different to me. A Fender medium pick is roughly .72 if I'm not mistaken. The closest (yellow) Dunlop equivalent always felt stiffer to me. Also the edges aren't as beveled or as slippery. And the flex on Dunlop seams to have a longer "memory". For electric, I always played .009 gauge strings or a hybrid set with 9's on top and 10's on the bass strings. At those gauges, I have tried all kinds of picks and still end up returning to Fender mediums. Unless I'm playing a lot of shredding lead work when I prefer a pick that's a little thicker, the Fender med is just about right. With a kicker. I guess I like it a shade lighter than a Fender medium, because my favorite for electric is a well used, and broken in Fender medium. For acoustic, which I usually use 12s on, I need it a little thicker and I go for a brand new stiffer Fender medium again. Dunlop Tortex always felt less natural and a little bit "gummy". And that sweet spot I'm looking for falls in between the yellow and orange. Orange is too flexible and yellow too stiff. And I absolutely HATE the grey nylon picks. They are super gummy and seem to develop a lot of "burrs" that stick out from the edges and catch the string abruptly. But pick preferences are like opinions...everyone has them and they are all different and personal. To each his or her own!

As a bass player, I believe in 1.5mm Dunlop Sharp supremacy. The attack feels like punching my strings.

It's not about just the gauge, it's about the material, density, the bevel of the edge, shape, size etc. Don't just stick to one company and don't be afraid of experimenting. The tortex dunplops used to be my go to but now I swear by the 2-3 mm Gravity sunrise shape.

I’m always happy when this channel does a topic I’m interested in… so thoughtful.

Dude this video is the best explanation I've seen on pick thickness... I always noticed right away that my acoustic sounded like crap with the thicker pick. Will definately stock up on different gauges for different styles now!!

One of the best things you can do to find your favorite pick is to get the Dunlop assortment packs. I ordered 3 different Dunlop assortment packs from Amazon for like $5 a piece and ended up with about 30 different picks to try out. You will pretty much have every shape, size, thickness, material, and texture that Dunlop has to offer. I found out that I like the thickest Flow and Jazz III Max Grip picks most of the time, but there are a few others I like to use also depending on what I'm playing. The Ultex, Gator Grip, and Prime Grip Delrin 500 are also really nice. If you put a 2mm Ultex into a Fender Mojo Grip that makes for an awesome all around pick. Aww hell I obviously like playing around with pretty much all of them, lol!! They all have their uses, I guess that's part of the fun!

Green Tortex Sharp picks changed my playing

I agree completely. I've used purple Dunlop Tortex for ever. Another thing, I've found it really tough to accomplish "pinch harmonics" with a light pick.Good stuff here. Rock on brother.

I play in an Americana band as a singer and lead guitar player where I’m switching between acoustic and electric depending if songs are more bluegrass or rockish. I like the green tortex because it gives me the ability to swap over guitars quickly without worrying about changing my right hand too much. Recently though I bought some .88mm primetones from Dunlop and I think those might be my new acoustic pick, but that’s more of a tone thing than a feel thing. .88 mm has just felt right for the past few years for me. Great video explaining how to use them and where to go with the pick gauges, really wish I had tried that earlier on with learning

not sure why i watched a 13m video on picks... "its midnight" I guess is the only reason

Back in the 80s they used to have a steel pick called "Hot licks" that I used to like. It used to give some real good squeals when playing any kind of leads. Gave my guitar that ZZ Top sound. Haven't been able to find them in quite a while.

I personally use .73mm yellow Dunlop Tortex for higher tunings: Drop C#, Drop D, and Standard E. While I use thicker 1.0mm Blue Dunlop Tortex for lower tunings: Drop C, Drop B, and 7 string Drop A#. But that’s just me.

I am probably alone in this, but I geniuenly love the sound of real heavy acoustic

John Petrucci's Jazz III's, beautiful. Was decent for bass too. For bass players though, I can't recommend Dunlop's Big Stubby picks, 2mm for me. 2mm is thicker and heavier than any regular guitar pick, and it sounds nice too. Great video once again!

Many many rock and metal players use yellow .73 or similar... so take his words with a grain of salt. Use what feels best for you.

Started guitar at 7 years old, in '88. I've used do many pics over the years, but always end up back with the Dunlop nylon. I'll use a .77, but .88 is my choice. I like that they're stiff, yet flexible just enough to shape itself to your finger hold - and they wear at the angle I hold them too; which means I actually prefer a slightly rounded, worn in pic, to a fresh one(I actually hate a new pic). So I try to keep a couple broken in ones around, but they are perfect for me. I also like the texture from the printing, as it works like a grip - smooth pics are too slippery feeling for my preference. Most of my friends live the Jazz III, but they just feel far too thick for me.

Great Video. Crucial addition; I find that string gauge affects pick gauge, as a rule of thumb (haha) but seriously *the thicker the strings, the thinner the pick, and visa versa. And different songs can change that too. More importantly as always go on what you personally prefer, by trying all things in different situations. I have an arsenal at my finger tips (ha / literally tho) and change accordingly

It seems I'm a bit early for once. But I've always been a thin pick kinda guy myself, about .6 or so usually suits me

I use multiple pick gauges depending on what style I’m playing. It makes a huge difference 🙂

This was enlightenment, thank you,,I been playing just for pleasure ,for about 30yars and had problems with picks quite a few times, I play acoustic and hard body electric, hollow body, so now I know right pick right guitar,,I have learnt most music styles ,my fav music (it's all styles)was really 80s classic and soft rock,, popular music 😊

I have been playing acoustic for 10 years now but I just recently took it seriously by learning how fretboard works and switched to electric guitar. For the most part of my journey, I always used my fingers to play but when I tried to use picks, I fell inlove with the purple right away.

35 years and I still only use the confetti fender picks when practicing. Heavies.

Love me some white Dunlop’s .38 when I play electric. Before that I was really digging the green mad dog .53mm picks. Not a fan of picks much thicker than that, it starts to feel weird to play for me.

I play really fast punk rock on my bass so I use .60 Dunlop max grip.

I've been using Dunlop purple on my electric since I picked it up and started playing again several years ago. I'm glad you reached the same conclusion so I know I haven't been "doing it wrong" all this time.

I ended up on the blue Dunlops. I'm a lead guitarist in a band that plays classic rock and country. I find they work well for those genres.

This was a great breakdown for something that a lot of people do subconsciously I bet. Watching this was great, thanks!

I’ve been using the yellow Dunlop Tortex picks since the mid 80s. Back in the day I was a rock/metal rhythm guitar playing lead vocalist, leaving solo duties mostly to my lead players. My old band recently reformed, and I took on most of the solo duties, and for the first time in my life, really began to work hard on becoming a better soloist. We all know there are roadblocks and plateaus along the way... A few days ago I decided to order a multiple-gauge multi-pack of Tortex picks, as well as a few Jazz 3 picks, just to see if I settle in on a different gauge than the one I’ve been using for 35 years. Now this video pops up - probably because the algorithm knows I ordered guitar picks. Looking forward to experimenting.

This is super helpful. I'm self-taught in learning guitar just today via online course, and there was a part where the teacher suggested to use a pick. Oh boi! I was confused because I don't know anything about a guitar's pick. Thank you for saving a total newbie's day by making this video. P.S. I ended up bought all the colours. I'm planning to do acoustic, but somehow I love the sound when the purple-coloured pick attacked the acoustic guitar.

Bought a Dunlop variety pack, and that really helped figure out what worked in certain situations. But yes I'm Jazz III Max Grip fan for most stuff. I like lighter picks for cleaner stuff and surf

Yes. My playing improved overnight when I discovered the Jazz III pick.

I've just started learning to play guitar and this video was super usefull for me, cuz it literally describes the issues I've been feeling I have with the pick I use! Thx a lot! Respect from Moscow,Яussia!

Hey Mike thanks for the info on the color picks. That will definitely make a difference in me choosing the right pick.

This is going way, way back, but Fender made not only picks with that first pick's red, white, and blue pattern, but some Strat pickguards, too. The color scheme and pattern was lovingly referred to by many as "clown vomit." Nowadays I call it "clown camo," sometimes.

Used to play the orange tortex pick too, liked it enough, but I love the gator grip 0.58 ones, especially when they're brand new and have that graininess, always play better when they still have the grip, like a baseball player pitching with pine tar.

Thank you for this. I started playing over 20 years ago and was told to use a heavy pick and have been using a 1.0 mm ever since. Didn't even think that a lighter pick may sound better on acoustic. I'll try it out.

for electric playing, i used grey, textured Jim Dunlop nylons very early on, in the early 80's (after discovering there was an alternative to celluloid picks, which i tended to break quite a bit)... can't remember the gauge, but they were very light... in my mid-teens i got into the orange (.60) Jim Dunlop Tortex picks and stuck with them for quite some time, up until the early 90's when i began using the green (.88) Tortexes, and have stuck with those ever since... this also correlated with my moving to heavier gauge strings as well (also bought a bunch of the same gauge black JD nylons, once i discovered that they existed :D )... for acoustic, for the longest time i generally used whatever picks i used for my electric playing, or simply whatever was laying around... i focused a lot more on my electric playing for a very long time... it wasn't until about 15 years ago that i finally relented, after purchasing a little metal, pick-shaped container of "Diamond Anniversary" Fender medium gauge cellulose picks on a whim... it was immediately apparent to me how much more detailed, and brighter my playing sounded... i have yet to find any others that actually feel the same (standard Fender medium cellulose picks just don't feel the same, somehow... is that even possible?)... the only downside is that due to my late-life diagnosed diabetes, my fingertips are so dry i can't seem to hold on to them very well... the closest i've come to finding a decent replacement that feel similar to me, and i can actually hold on to for a reasonable amount of time while playing, are the Jim Dunlop "Gel" picks, of the purple medium gauge variety...

Dunlop greens and yellows probably my favorite. Also the Gator ones are probably just as good.

Where my other 2mm players at?

Awesome info! I also noticed that for me, the material the picks are made out of make a difference also, not just the thickness.

Appreciate the run-through and demo.

100% crutch for me is floppy picks when I use my acoustic, almost as a natural compressor! I find a medium heavy offers a good natural gallop in alternate picking as I play WITH the flex and kinda piggy back off that give of lighter picks..73 max grip is my general all around pick I feel a good happy medium. I tend to struggle heavy picks with triplets as I think I'm used to working with the give of light picks and feels "stuck" for me.

Ngl, I liked the sound of the 1.14 mm pick on the acoustic.

So, I'd like to give my input on this. I've played for over 15 years, and have used many pick materials, metal, wood, plastic, nylon, and synthetic tortoise shell (tortex, or just a different plastic) I have used all the thicknesses from 0.53mm to 1.3mm, and different shapes and grip textures. The main pick I keep buying is the orange tortex .60mm. Why? As you demonstrated in this video, on acoustic guitar, the click of the pick on the strings and the brighter sound it produces helps you stand out in a mix, and if you need more body, a dark reverb will fill out the rest. I use it on my electric guitars though, though, my second favorite is a .73 nylon which is about the same amount of flex. How you hold the pick, what angle you pick at, and the tightness of your grip can all have an effect on your tone. But in the end, it all comes down to 2 main things for me. Does the pick I'm using make me feel confident? And am I going to drop it because of having to hold it too loosely to get the sound I want? Side question, how often do you replace your picks or have to reshape them because the tip wears off?

THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH. This video made a huge difference on my beginner practice.

For years I had been playing with the green Dunlop .88s, until recently I randomly stumbled across a handful of the red Dunlop .50s in a shoebox in my room, and decided to give them a quick try. I play almost exclusively rhythm, like a lot of thrash metal, heavy downpicked stuff. Idk what it is, but I feel like my sound has gotten both cleaner, and believe it or not, heavier since I’ve started using the .50s. I feel like my downpicking sounds heavier, fast alternate picking sounds so much more articulate and pronounced. I naturally downpick really hard, so with the heavier picks, my downpicked notes sounded almost...flubby, for lack of a better word, same with alternate picking. Considering everything said in this video, my experience seems kinda backwards lol but it is what it is.

When I first started playing many years ago I copied everything Metallica did. That means I was using the green .88 Dunlop picks. I actually find the yellow .73s triangle picks to be my absolute favorite and easiest to play with.

Well that makes me feel better as a beginner -- I got a 12-pack of these Dunlop picks when I decided to start learning how to play guitar. It came with two of each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. I chose the yellow one not knowing what I was doing, just figuring a middle-stiffness pick would be the best to learn with. Really had no clue about picks and why there were different gauges. Thanks for answering that.

I’ve tried a variety of jazz III picks and I finally settled on the small white tortex picks (.73 mm). I mainly play rhythm and the size and thickness of the pick is PERFECT for my style of playing, since I incorporate a lot of speed picking, gallops, and down picking. Just my preference though.