THE PICK... The Least Expensive Guitar Accessory and the Most Fun to Buy - Teardrop Version

When playing the guitar, the pick is as important as a painter holding a paintbrush.

Of course, there are times when a pick is not needed, such as when playing chord strokes, fingerpicking, and tapping techniques, but most guitarists use a pick.

Picks can be roughly categorized into triangle, teardrop, jazz, and into other special shapes and materials.

As for picks, there is not much difference in price between picks used by beginners and advanced players. Most of them are about 100 yen per piece. It is a pleasant feeling to play the guitar using the same items as the top professionals you admire.

At most music stores, picks are usually priced at 110 yen or more per piece, but at Sound House, the price of a single pick starts at less than half the market price. There is such a wide variety that it is hard to choose.

Also, you can't try out picks at a music store, so the starting point is almost always the same.

This time, I would like to list 10 picks of the most versatile teardrop type that I use myself and recommend. I will list them in order of price.

By the way, I use teardrop type and jazz type.

I usually use teardrop picks and most of them are available at Sound House.

I chose mainly around 0.8mm to 2.0mm thickness.

01 Sound House Original

PLAYTECH / Soundhouse Pick Teardrop 0.5mm

These are super cheap! Teardrop type picks are great for beginners to try to see how it feels to play and they’re 1/3 the price of regular picks. Durability is average, but cheaper picks are rare. If you are not using this type of pick, you should definitely try it!

On a side note, I watched a video of Yngvay Malmsteen's May 2023 live concert in Japan.

From the opening of the show, he kept throwing picks to the audience, playing his guitar, and then throwing them again. Then in the blink of an eye, about 10 picks that were attached to the microphone stand were gone.

After that, Rowdy set a new pick on the mic stand again and again, which was an unusual sight to see for the first time.

Every few songs, Rhody would come out and Yngwie would throw and play countless picks, and he was thorough throughout. I thought the number of pieces he threw on one stage was Guinness level.

With Sound House picks, amateur guitarists can have this kind of impactful stage performance.

Guitarists who want to try it should definitely consider playing with these picks.

02 Fender 351 Type (Color is an example)

FENDER / Premium Celluloid 351 Shape Pick Medium Ocean Turquoise

The celluloid type is the most popular pick in Fender's pick lineup. The material and design make it easy to learn how to grip the pick. The way the tip wears down allows you to understand your own playing habits.
It can be found at most music stores and is easy to obtain wherever you go.
The 351 type comes in a wide variety of colors, and some are as beautiful as jewelry.

Sound House has a large selection of attractive colors at half the regular price. No need to say anything about price or availability.

03 JIM DUNLOP 2.0mm

JIM DUNLOP / DELRIN 500 Standard/2.00

As with Fender, Jim Dunlop picks are easily available at music stores nationwide. The shape and edge treatment are normal and shiny. Easy to grip, they’re ideal for getting a feel for picking strings. Although Jim Dunlop picks will wear down to a certain degree, it can be said that this brand represents supporting the player by helping them to improve their picking technique.

The slightly paler purple 1.5mm is also a standard item. I read in a magazine that a certain big-name technical guitarist uses it.

The Dunlop is easy to grip, but it also wears down quickly. The playing comfort is ideal.

04 JIM DUNLOP TORTEX STANDARD 88mm

JIM DUNLOP / TORTEX STANDARD 0.88

This is also an easy-to-obtain pick. The smooth and easy-to-grip feel is original to this type. The durability is also good, and at this price, the value is excellent until it completely wears out. The feel against the strings is also average, so it should have a wide range of fans from beginners to advanced players.

05 CLAYTON

CLAYTON / ULTEM US 0.80

A typical product with the feel of a natural material like human nails or tortoiseshell. The outer edge is not rounded. When you hold it, it feels like a board, which is different from your average pick, but when you actually play it, it really isn’t that bad to play.

It feels like it chips easily, but I have used 0.8mm picks and these have never cracked. There is a wide lineup from very thin to thick, and it is nice to be able to choose in increments of a few millimeters.

06 JIM DUNLOP

JIM DUNLOP / MAX GRIP STANDARD 1.50

The design is ordinary, but the non-slip finish is strong and sticks to the hand. It has a firm, rough touch on the fingers, and the hold is excellent. The pointed tip is suitable for fine picking. It can also be used for fast playing and is suitable for technical techniques. I recommend this one for its low price.

07 JIM DUNLOP HERCO

JIM DUNLOP / HERCO FLEX50

Made from nylon and isn’t it the most flexible among the many teardrop picks? Is it hard to pick up and play? It’s a good pick for emotional playing and cutting. The feel of this pick is like no other. Try it at least once.

It may not be suitable for the most skillful playing, but when you play with emotion, it is surprisingly good for it. The nylon material is long-lasting, so if you get five or so of these, they will last you a long time.

A long-selling product that many guitarists are surprisingly addicted to.

08 V-PICKS [ID14561]

V-PICKS / V-TR Tradition Guitar Pick by V

V-PICKS is a long-established acrylic pick from Nashville, USA. The V-PICKS are made of acrylic and they’re easy on the wrist, and they hit the strings comfortably. The tone is loud.

When this pick was first released, it came in a clear color, so if you dropped it during a live performance, it was considered to be lost forever. Now, as a rule, they are colored in green, so such a problem is now unlikely to occur.

The thickness of the tone may cause some resistance, but if you actually hold it and play it, you will notice that it holds firmly to your fingertips and you will feel almost no discomfort.

It is easy to get power when hitting the strings and keeping the rhythm. The ease of sliding across the strings is also unique to this pick. This pick is more suited for powerful playing than for fine nuance.

The price tends to go up a little because the edges are hand made during the manufacturing process.

The durability of this pick is not so much that it wears away, but rather the edges become less rounded.

The advertisement in the photo above accurately describes the advantages of V-PICKET.

Here’s a V-PICKS ad printed in an American music magazine. The features are clearly described.

09 Meijoshokai Tortoiseshell

Meijoshokai / Tortoiseshell pick, teardrop 0.8mm

This brand is well-known for using natural materials for their picks. It is difficult to obtain because trade is restricted by the Washington Convention. Even in music stores, tortoiseshell picks are often packaged in bags or displayed in glass cases, and few players purchase multiple picks at once, as was the case in the past.

The advantage of tortoiseshell is that it glides smoothly over the strings. The advantage of tortoiseshell is that it glides smoothly over the strings, providing quick playability and a feel like no other.
(No wonder fast guitarists love to use it.)
The arpeggio playing comfort is unmatched by any other pick. Also, if it wears out, you can use it for quite a long time by sanding it down a little with a file.

It is also good for sharp picking such as staccato picking harmonics.

10 Chicken Pick [ID306735]

Chicken Picks / [1 pcs] Light 2.2mm [1-Li-22]

At first glance, why does this pick cost more than 1000 yen? Many players may be puzzled when they search for it. There are two advantages that this pick has that others do not.

First, the grip is stable for its thickness, which is similar to that of V-PICKS.

Second, this pick is durable against wear and tear. It doesn’t wear out at all, even after regular playing. Even after playing with 10 standard 100 yen picks, there are only black marks from the strings on the chicken picks. Since it is only slightly shaved down rather than completely worn away, the angle of the pick against the strings hardly changes at all.

This pick is a bit pricey, but maybe give this one a try! In terms of durability, this pick is the most durable among the picks I introduced here.

It has never been chipped. Therefore, the strings are not damaged, and there is less trouble with dropping the pick or having to re-grip it, and it supports a higher level of comfort.

By the way, it feels slightly cool to the touch when you hold it.

After a month of playing chicken picks for two hours every day, the amount of decrease is about the same.

These are just a few of my favorite teardrop type picks, but they are only a handful among many Sound House products.

Each guitarist uses a different pick depending on his or her playing style, so you should try out the picks you are interested in as you go. This is because you may improve dramatically for a small expense.

I think it’s a good idea to be thorough enough to buy the picks you are interested in every time you order something from Sound House. It may be more nerve-wracking for the seller, but…

Picks are inexpensive, but I think they are an item that beginners and advanced players alike become obsessed with and purchase a lot over the years. It’s always fun to find a new one.

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