More Pick Thoughts

The V-Picks Spirit - my choice for acoustic guitars

I suppose that you could say I spend too much time on this subject, and you may be right, but it keeps sticking its head up out of a hole and sticking its tongue out at me.

I’ve written of my enjoyment of V-Picks and the discovery of the Jim Dunlop Flow series already. I’m only ranting about thickness of the pick today.

I have read in credible places that a thicker pick is warmer and less bright than a thin pick. I have read that a thick pick that does not flex is more precise than a pick that is bendy. I have read that if you use a thick pick, you may be less likely to hit the guitar as hard because the volume and dynamics are more in your control.

I have found all these things to be true in my own use.

But…

I have been spending more time playing acoustics than electrics in the last month, and have been on a bit of an open minded tone quest. As part of my vaguely procedural evaluation, I have limited myself to three guitars, all from Boucher Guitars of Quebec Canada. The instruments are a JP Cormier Signature, a Bluegrass Goose Dreadnought and an OM body Studio Goose 12 string.

I followed some thoughts that a flexible pick is more satisfying and more sonorous than a heavy pick on acoustics. While the guitars are different, they all come from the factory with Elixir strings and while they are not my favourite strings, they do a fine job.

What I Found

First off, what I found is true for me, and your mileage may vary. The light picks, starting at about 0.43 and working up to 1.13 all sounded bright and without to my ear sufficient bass. In the case of the 12 string, the brights were TOO bright and the harmonic overtones began to grate on my ears in short order. The two six strings which have very different body sizes were not as bad but did not sound right.

Hitting the strings in different positions produced the brighter or warmer tones expected but without as wide a tonal range as I had expected.

I found that to get what I considered an acceptable level of volume with the lighter picks, I was hitting the guitar harder than I would normally do, and it was both fatiguing and limited in fine muscular control. The thinner picks worked but had a more limited voice and my own picking precision suffered likely because I am more accustomed to a thick non flexing pick.

I then jumped to a 2.0 and things improved, but not as much as I thought they would. Definitely better precision and a wider tonal palette, but still a bit brittle on the 12 string behind the sound hole.

I also discovered that the bevel or break angle on the pick edge made a huge difference in personal comfort. I like a pick that doesn’t drag on the string, but at the same time don’t want it sliding off like it’s coated in teflon.

Plainly I am much more a flat picker than a finger picker and when I do the latter, it is without picks of any kind, which is a whole different game. End of wandering.

I went up to a Dunlop Flow 4.0 and while the precision was there, there was something in the feel that was not working for me, and despite a very nice construction, I always felt that I was likely to drop the pick. I had tried cat tongue picks and they are not slippery, but do not come anywhere thick enough for my preferences.

So I went back to my box of picks and tried a number of the V-Pick that I owned. I like the Dimension and Dimension Jr in general for electrics, but they were not working for me on the acoustics. The V-Picks warm between your thumb and finger and while not sticky in the least are not slippery either. I ended up with the 2.75mm thick Spirit pictured above that has small holes drilled in it to improve grip without requiring additional strength. It’s a loosely tight kind of thing that works for me.

V-Picks Spirit

The Spirit as for me, the right angles in the bevels, the right size, not pointy but not round and a thickness that is both precise and easy on my fingers. No fatigue develops in a playing period as happens to me with thinner picks and even thicker picks. It’s the Goldilocks pick for acoustic guitars. It is 1 3/16 long and 1 ⅛ wide and 2.75mm thick. At $7 USD per, they are certainly not inexpensive,. but for the simple fit, finish and tone, I am happy to pay the price. In fact, as I write this, there is an online sale and I bought picks from V-Picks again today, this time a number of Spirits, a couple of hole in ones that I like for Mandolin and some Diamonds for my eight string and when I use a pick on bass.

I get that for lots of folks a pick is a pick is a pick, but that does not work for me, and perhaps you too could benefit from going thicker rather than thinner. If you have any questions on this or other guitar topics, fill out the form here and send in your query. Thanks for reading and until next time, peace.