Staying Sharp

I sharpen all my guitar picks.

Sharpening my picks gives me a certain edge (pun intended) when I practice. The way a sharp pick, as opposed to a dull or outright rounded pick, skips between and otherwise attacks each string is truly indispensable for me.

Guitarists have a lot to consider when choosing their picks. Almost everyone starts with a teardrop-shaped Dunlop Tortex, but even the most common picks come with different traits. Thickness, overall shape (teardrop/jazz/dagger/shield), taper, beveled edge, point, texture, material – these are some common characteristics of a pick. Here’s the problem: the major pick manufacturers don’t let you customize your picks. So, if I envision a pick with certain traits, I’d better hope there’s one on the market.

I like a pick that has a thickness of 1.5mm, a beveled edge, a sharp point, and a material that won’t wear, all packed into a shield shape. There’s only one pick on the market that comes close (that I’m aware of) and that’s the Ernie Ball Prodigy. Except it isn’t particularly sharp. The simplest and cheapest workaround to this is to break out the file. I think it’s important to make the best out of your tools, even if it means altering them to better fit you and your goals.

Guest Blogger: Sam Mooradian Creative and Tool Sharpener

An architect's most useful tools are an eraser at the drafting board, and a wrecking bar at the site.

— Frank Lloyd Wright