5 Best Acoustic Guitar Picks

  • Post published:August 28, 2022

A guitar pick is a simple implementation that is used to strum a guitar instead of nails. There are so many different types, sizes, thickness, and materials in today’s market.

The choice of guitar picks determines your style of playing. Most guitarists prefer medium picks because they offer a natural, warm, fat tone.

Regardless of the fact that there are so many pick models in the market, not all of them will be ideal for your specific playing style.

To help you narrow down the search of quality acoustic guitar picks, we have selected five top products for your selection.

Top 5 Acoustic Guitar Picks

#1 Dunlop Tortex Standard .50mm Red Guitar Picks

Our first choice of picks for your acoustic guitar is the Dunlop Tortex Standard .50mm red Guitar Picks.

These Tortex picks are very durable with minimum wear and maximum memory. They have the ideal level of flexibility for crisp and bright playing.

The appeal of these guitar picks is exceptional, making them ideal for strumming acoustic passages and playing searing leads.

These unique picks have a timeless design with a matte surface that offers a strong grip for improved hold. You can play your acoustic guitar for a longer session.

Apart from the .50mm gauge, the picks are also available in the following gauges: 1.14mm purple, 1.0mm blue, .88mm green, .73mm yellow, and .60mm orange.

They are sold in three different packs, including 12 pack, 36 pack, and 72 pack. The .50mm gauge is sold in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple colors.

Things We Like:

  • Made of Tortex, which is a highly durable material
  • They have minimum wear and maximum memory
  • Highly flexible picks for easy strumming of acoustic passages
  • Matte surface offers a strong grip for enhanced holding
  • Vibrant Tortex palette is ideal for gauging shorthand

Things We Didn’t Like:

  • The coating will wear out with time

#2 Vincent Van Gogh Guitar Picks

Looking for cool acoustic guitar picks? Want to strum your guitar in style? Look no further than the Vincent Van Gogh Guitar Picks.

These masterpieces are packaged in a round small pack. Each and every pick is held safely in place for safe shipping. You receive them undamaged.

The twelve picks come in six impressive art painting designs, which include: bedroom, café terrace, irises, sunflowers, starry night over the rhones, and starry night.

They are available in celluloid medium gauge of 0.71mm, which is perfect for strumming an acoustic guitar. This gauge offers a natural, fat, warm tone.

Celluloid is a fairly vintage material for acoustic guitar picks. This material has an oily texture for slick and fast playing.

The medium pick design is the most popular. Medium picks are usually flexible for playing leads and comfortable rhythm.

Things We Like:

  • Available in different impressive painting designs for preference
  • Medium pick design is suitable for strumming acoustic guitars and playing leads
  • Celluloid surface has an oily texture for slick and fast playing
  • Offer a natural, fat, warm tone when you start picking
  • Provide wonderful gift ideas for acoustic guitar players

Things We Didn’t Like:

  • Only available in 0.71mm gauge

#3 Fender 351 Shape Classic Picks

You can take your acoustic guitar playing to a whole new level with the Fender 351 Shape Classic Picks. They are designed to transform novice players to experts.

These amazing picks are made of celluloid material, which gives a balanced tone with a bright, crisp attack. They generate superior upper range harmonics with a remarkable gliding feel.

The medium picks are the best for beginners. We say so because they’re remarkably flexible for strumming acoustic guitars as well as playing leads.

The picks have a rounded tip and a wider body. This unique design is suitable for all acoustic playing styles you might think of.

The picks are available in thin, medium, and large thickness. They are also available in numerous colors, including white, red, green, blue, purple, turquoise, yellow, and multicolor.

Things We Like:

  • Celluloid offers a balanced tone with a bright, crisp attack
  • Medium picks are flexible and perfect for strumming acoustic guitars
  • Rounded tip and wider body are suitable for all playing styles
  • They are available in numerous color options for preference
  • Celluloid material offers an excellent grip surface

Things We Didn’t Like:

  • The gauge rating of the picks is not provided

#4 ChromaCast CC-Sample Sampler Guitar Picks

Are you learning the basics of playing an acoustic guitar? You can achieve the best results with the ChromaCast CC-Sample Sampler Guitar Picks.

They are made of celluloid, which is the ideal alternative for tortoiseshell. Celluloid is flexible enough and it is ideal for strumming chords and plucking individual bass lines and notes.

You will come across all kinds of pick shapes, but you will be impressed by the shape of these picks. The shape provides a traditional, warm tone.

These Dura picks are available in different colors and gauges, including purple (1.14mm), blue (1mm), green (.88mm), yellow (.73mm), orange (.60mm), and red (.50mm).

We recommend the medium gauge (.88mm) and thin/medium gauge (.73mm) for new acoustic guitar players. The thin (.60mm) and extra thin (.50mm) are ideal for professionals.

Things We Like:

  • Premium celluloid picks provide a balanced tone
  • Wide pick body with rounded, smooth edges is suitable for all playing styles
  • Classic pick shape allows for comfortable acoustic playing
  • Offers a fat, warm tone and a natural feel
  • Available in heavy, medium, and thin gauges for preference
  • They have a slip-proof grip that allows for continuous playing

Things We Didn’t Like:

  • They tend to wear faster than usual

#5 PPpanda Guitar Picks

Our last pick of quality acoustic guitar picks is the PPpanda. They are accurately tuned, uniquely articulated, and durable to give your acoustic guitar the desired tonal edge.

These unique picks are made of premium celluloid, which offers a slicker and smoother texture when compared to picks made out of nylon.

They come in six different gauges, including 1.2mm, 0.96mm, 0.84mm, 0.71mm, 0.58mm, and 0.46mm. We recommend the medium gauge (0.71) for beginner acoustic guitar players.

They come in a standard shape. The widebody has a rounded tip that not only gives a fat, warm musical tone but also prevents chipping.

Things We Like:

  • Made from durable celluloid that gives a balanced tone
  • Standard pick shape that allows for comfortable acoustic playing
  • Rounded, smooth edge prevents chipping
  • Provide fat, warm tones with clear articulation
  • Slip-proof surface allows for easy holding
  • Available in six different gauges and colors for preference

Things We Didn’t Like:

  • May have a disturbing smell out of the package

Things to Consider

There are four things that we took into consideration during our search for top quality guitar picks., including shape and size, thickness, material, and texture.

Shape and Sizes

There are at least six pick shapes you will come across in the market, including teardrop, standard, jazz, triangle, equilateral triangle, and shark fin.

Some of the pick shapes have small protrusions to make them easier to hold when your fingers begin to sweat, which is a common occurrence on a live stage.

While other picks have a high-friction surface to help you hold on to them for extended durations.

You can use the sharp edge pick to create an effortless motion of picking across the strings. There are some pick shapes that are patented.

The sizes of the picks vary from one manufacturer to another. You can find small or large picks of any shape, but the equilateral triangle seems to be the largest.

Most jazz guitar players would prefer tiny teardrop picks, claiming that they give a more direct connection to the guitar strings.

However, ordinary players, especially beginners would be better off with bigger picks, such as the Fender triangle. Bigger picks aren’t fiddly to hold and they will not pop out of your hand.

Thickness

The thickness of a pick is normally referred to as the gauge, which is an element of a pick shape. The gauge is normally imprinted on most picks, such as 0.71mm (which is fairly medium plectrum).

The most popular pick gauges in the market are:

  • Extra thin – the approximate thickness is less or equal to 0.44mm
  • Thin – the approximate thickness ranges from 0.45mm to 0.69mm
  • Medium – the approximate thickness ranges from 0.70mm to 0.84mm
  • Heavy – the approximate thickness ranges from 0.85mm to 1.20mm
  • Extra Heavy – the approximate thickness is greater than 1.20mm

In general, a pick with a heavy gauge tends to give a darker sound compared to a pick with a thin gauge.

However, the produced sound is most influenced by the shape of the tip. A rounded tip gives a less defined, rounder sound, while a pointed tip gives a more focused, brighter sound.

We recommend the medium thickness for beginners because it is suitable for strumming an acoustic guitar, and it gives a natural, fat, warm tone.

Material & Texture

Even though most beginners may overlook this factor, the material of the picks you choose play a vital role in the production of the tone.

The main types of materials used are plastic, metal, leather, wood, and glass. The most popular plastic picks are celluloid, nylon, and Delrin.

For practical purposes as a beginner, we would recommend the three popular plastic materials (celluloid, nylon, and Delrin).

The original guitar picks were made of celluloid and the material’s popularity has grown over time. Unlike other materials, celluloid has a snappy bounce back feel.

The nylon picks are a little softer and give you a softer sound when strumming an acoustic instrument. They don’t break as easily as celluloid.

The Delrin picks are kind of a faux tortoiseshell. They tend to be in between the snappiness of celluloid picks and the softness of the nylon picks.

As far as the texture is concerned, celluloid has the smoothest texture, while nylon and Delrin have a softer feel with engraved ridges for ease of holding.

Color and Pattern

To some guitarists, color and pattern may not seem important, but the two factors may be appealing for others.

You will hardly run short of colors and patterns. In fact, there are some specific colors are used to distinguish the thickness/gauge of picks.

For example, some medium picks are yellow in color, while heavy ones are purple in color.

Final Words

When choosing quality acoustic guitar picks, make sure they have a solid feel, but retain some flexibility. Large thin picks will probably not work well, and neither will a very thick pick.

You need picks that are heavy enough to move your strings with sufficient force to set the body of your acoustic guitar in motion.

Picks that are too stiff will hit the strings too hard, and will not give you the blend you need for acoustic playing styles. So, we recommend a medium thickness.

However, we can’t entirely insist on a specific pick shape, since this is a matter of preference. But if we were you, we would probably go with the standard, teardrop, or the triangle shapes.