Choosing the right guitar pick is often a very difficult decision for guitar players to make. As a beginner you don't know exactly what it is that you're looking for, and as an experienced musician you're always looking for that special bit of kit that will boost your playing, improve your tone and make life easier. The pick is probably the smallest and easiest part of your rig that you can change, but is also one of the most vital to get right. The pick can and will have so much influence on your playing, as if your not so keen on the tone of your pick, or aren't as comfortable with the feel of your pick as you would like, you might shy away from using it.
You might also find that if you have the wrong thickness, the wrong shape or wrong material in your pick choice, you may miss out on different genres or different techniques because you just don't feel comfortable using it. On the other hand, get your decision about your pick right, and you may find that a whole new world of playing possibilities have been opened up to you. Finding the right pick for you, might be one of the most crucial gear choices you can make as a player. Before you can decide on which pick to go for, there are some considerations you need to make before trying a few out.
What styles do you play?
Different plectrums are good for different things. Thin picks are great for acoustic strumming, but aren't really all that good for technical lead guitar. Thick picks are great for single note playing, but don't lend themselves all that well to strummed rhythm guitar parts, often sounding too abrasive. As a general rule, if you're playing lots of chordal acoustic parts, you want to be looking on the thinner end of the scale. For playing lots of technical lead and riffing, you want to be looking for stiff, heavier picks.
Beginner guitarists would do well to start with medium gauge picks and move to heavier or lighter gauge depending on what they feel suits their playing best. Generally rockers will like something with a little less give, probably in the medium gauge and above category. Jazz and shred players will certainly be looking for stiff picks that also have a pointed tip for extreme accuracy. Indie, punk and grunge style rockers will usually go for something quite different to the shredders, and again players who tend to lean to a funky rhythm style want to hear a nice bright attack from their pick, as apposed to jazzers who look for a fatter warmer tone. Before trying picks out, you need to have a clear idea about the tone you are trying to achieve in order to find the right ones.
Materials
The type of material a pick is made from will alter the way it sounds. Guitar picks are made from all sorts of different materials ranging from plastics (mainly Delrin, Celluloid and Nylon) to tortoiseshell, wood, metal, stone, leather, bone, and many more. The most common types of pick you will find in any good music store are normally of the plastic variety. Nylon and Delrin picks are super common, and Delrin is the material that is used in Jim Dunlop's super successful Tortex line. These types of picks are the most readily available, and for beginners are a great place to start out. For more advanced players looking for more luxury plectrums, companies like Red Bear, Hawk, Wegen and Blue Chip make picks from materials which aim to emulate the original tortoiseshell plectrums. Picks made from real tortoiseshell were banned back in the 1970's as the Hawksbill Turtle these picks came from (which actually makes it turtle shell, even though its always referred to as tortoiseshell) is an endangered species.
Other companies like Timber-tones make picks from all sorts of natural products like buffalo bone, horn, leather, metal and more. Companies such as V-Picks, and Gravity picks make acrylic picks, which in theory have a brighter attack and tone than standard plastic.When looking in to which type of material you would like to go for, the tone you wish to achieve is perhaps the most important element. If you're looking for a standard electric guitar tone for rock, funk, jazz or blues any of the Nylon, Delrin or Celluloid picks will sound fine. If you're looking for acoustic strumming, again a softer plastic pick will serve you well. Players looking for a vintage tone would be advised to check out any tortoiseshell emulation style picks.
Thickness, Size and Shape
The biggest contributing factor to this will be the style of music you want to play. Guitar picks come in lots of different thicknesses, sizes and shape, and some are specially designed for certain styles. For example if you play shred, metal, fusion and jazz, you will most likely want to go for a smaller pick with a pointed tip. Players who prefer these styles also lean towards thicker picks that have relatively little flex. This type of pick will improve your accuracy and speed when playing lots of notes, which is why it is favored by players of these genres. A general purpose guitar pick has a less sharpened tip than a jazz pick, so if you want to play a less technical style, then maybe this is the shape for you. Again if your strumming lots of chords, stiff thick picks with sharp tips provide too much attack, so thinner picks with a more rounded tip are the ones you want to go for.
You may also like to try a pick that has several different tips like the Awe-in-one pick. This has three different tips so in one easy turn of your pick, you can swap between sharper and more rounded tips. Some picks can be rounded like a coin, and will give a very warm fat tone. Other picks like the Dava picks have a revolutionary rubber over-mold grip, which depending on where you hold it, allows you to change pick gauge (thickness) on the fly. This means you can go from something relatively flexible, to stiffer just by changing your grip, rather than needing to pick up a new pick. If you like to include a bit of fingers in your playing style, you may even want to look in to a thumb pick, which will sit on your actual thumb so you do not need to sacrifice one of your other fingers in holding the pick.
Manufacturers
As with all areas of guitar gear, there are so many manufacturers that its hard to know who to choose. So below is a list of manufacturers for each type of pick material. Check out their site by clicking on the name and make a decision on their picks based on the thickness, size and shape you will need for your preferred style. Check out lots of different picks until you settle on one you feel really comfortable with.
Plastic Picks
Tortoiseshell Emulation
Metal, Stone, Bone and Leather Picks
Acrylic Picks
What works for you
With all this said, the only way to really find which plectrum you want to use, is to get hold of as many as you can, and try them out. Although its the general rule that technical players like small, sharp picks, you may want to play fast linear lines and prefer something a little flexible. On the other hand if you play lots of strummed rhythm guitar parts and find that thin picks just don't give you the tone you're after, you may feel that something heavier allows you to dig in more. As with any piece of gear, a technique or anything you're learning about the guitar, use your ears. If it sounds good, its good. As long as you are comfortable playing with the pick you choose and you are happy with your tone, you've picked a good pick!