Next to , the type of pick you use is your most fundamental choice as a guitarist. You can mull over the materials, shapes and sizes of the myriad that are available, but in the end, it’s all about which one best matches your “feel.” Knowing this hasn’t stopped me from discovering a variety of recently developed picks that aim to improve tone, control and articulation.
Case in point: Techpicks is an Italian company made up of musicians and music fans who also happen to be material engineers with backgrounds in thermoplastics. Lately, they’ve been burning up social media with their advanced picks, which seemingly fuse materials used in the aerospace, sports and textile industries. Techpicks stand out because they have a different material makeup that’s tangibly perceived in stiffness and how each pick details nuances of attack, tonal response, low pick noise and dynamics.
The Techpicks collection is available in three geometrical shapes – the Standard (symmetrical geometry similar to the 346 pick shape, with an optimized bevel and a tapered central “flower” for grip), M (asymmetrical geometry with three different tips) and J (single sharp tip geometry with a reduced size similar to the “Jazz” pick) models. Techpicks sent me the Standard model with five different picks (TP1 black, TP2 creamy white, TP3 cool white, TP4 brown and TP5 dark gray); it’s a fine assortment for diverse playing styles with an average thickness of 1.45mm and a width of 29.
8mm. Rig.