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Q&A: Which guitar pick I use & why

Lesson #300 • May 8, 2020

Hey friends! In this video I answer a question many of you have emailed in: which guitar pick do I use? I’ll answer the question, explaining why I use the pick I’ve favored for the past 10 years or so (Dunlop .46mm “Delrin” 41P.46, light pink) — and why I’ve settled on this pick after experimenting with a few similar ones over the years. Note, I earn a small commission if you purchase via this link.

I recommend buying the pick from a local guitar store. But if that’s not possible, here’s a link to get it from Amazon:

Why I like this pick

The two main reasons I like the Dunlop .46mm Delrin style pick:

  1. It’s flexible enough to create a softer sound on the strings, but not too flimsy as to prevent you from projecting individual strings when necessary. I’ve experimented with picks from Dunlop in both directions – the next thinner version, and the next more stiff version… in both attempts, I felt like I was moving away from the sweet spot that the .46mm provides.
  2. It’s material has a nice “grip” on my thumb and index finger, which I find much more helpful than nylon when it comes to keeping control of the pick (and not dropping it).

In the video I’ll talk through all this and more, with some visual examples and guitar playing demonstrations to accompany some of the points I make. I hope you find this helpful… thanks to all of you who asked this question!

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