Getting the right tone out of your guitar can be a long and complicated journey that many musicians spend years trying to perfect. Maybe you’re looking for a warmer tone that’ll compliment you and your playstyle perfectly, or you’re just after something a little less harsh…
Well, you know what they say, tone starts in the fingers. Or in this case the pick. Understanding how the pick impacts tone can help you to achieve that warmer darker tone you want.
Our Top Picks
- Dunlop Nylon – Considered by many as the classic nylon plectrum, Dunlop’s line of Nylon picks are a durable, well-built option.
- Fender Picks – Made out of celluloid, these guitar picks come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and thicknesses.
- Dava Grip Tips Delrin – Made from a Delrin body with a rubber grip for extra control, these plectrums are unique in the sense that the way you hold it impacts the tonal response.
- Dunlop Jazz III Nylon – The smaller size and sharper tip gave players better accuracy and control while still giving them that warm tone they were after.
- Snarling Dogs Nylon “Brain” Picks – Specially molded with an integrated grip to help you with your accuracy and playability.
If you’ve never given your plectrum any thoughts past, “this looks cool”, don’t worry, we’ll guide you through what to look for in a pick, some great pick options, and a few extra tips on getting a warm tone.
Contents
What to Look for in a Guitar Pick for a Warm Tone
Guitar picks come in loads of different shapes, sizes, and materials so choosing which one is right for you depends on things like your personal preference, playstyle, and desired tone.
Materials
The three most common types of pick material you’re gonna see used are:
- Celluloid picks; are a popular choice especially for rhythm guitarists who do a lot of strumming. It gives the most balanced and flexible sound of the three and depending on how you strike your strings, they can help you achieve that warm tone.
- Nylon picks; are a softer material, considered easier to grip, and produce the warmest tone of the three. Nylon picks are also bendier than the other two materials which can make them less likely to break, so that’s something worth keeping in mind.
- Delrin may be a material you’ve never heard of but definitely used. It’s the hardest of the three and is meant to imitate tortoise shell, a material used for guitar picks a long time ago. Because of its hardness, it gives a sharp and bright tone.
Thickness
As well as coming in a bunch of different materials, picks come in different thicknesses too. Your choice of thickness can have a huge impact on things like tone and playability.
Thin picks are great if you’re after a bright tone. Because the pick has less weight to it, it has an easier time moving off the string and highlights the higher frequencies instead of the bass tones.
Thick picks are great if you’re looking for a warmer, dark tone from your guitar. The weight and pressure behind the pick emphasize the bass tones giving you a mellower sound throughout.
Shape
Just like the thickness and material, the shape can also impact your tone. A sharper-ended plectrum is going to produce a brighter, harsher sound. A rounded, almost blunt-tipped pick on the other hand, will produce a warmer tone. There are three main types of guitar pick shape to choose from.
Standard shape, A.K.A the basic teardrop-shaped design that’s been the standard since the inception of the plectrum. You have triangle-shaped picks which are a popular choice for bassists and are the easiest of the three to grip. And finally, you have “teardrop” shaped picks which are smaller than your standard shape and popular for shred-style guitarists.
The Best Guitar Picks for a Warm Tone
1. Dunlop Nylon
Considered by many as the classic nylon plectrum, Dunlop’s line of Nylon picks are a durable, well-built option that offer unrivaled dynamic response for chord strummers and string shredders.
They range in size from the thinnest 0.38mm to the thickest 1.25mm and are finished in a subtle gray/black that won’t draw too much attention when you’re on stage. The nylon material gives you a perfectly warm tone, full of bass and midrange.
2. Fender Picks
Without a doubt, even if you’ve never touched a guitar before, you’ve probably seen the famous Fender plectrum. These guitar accessories are as iconic as the guitars themselves are. Whether it’s the eye-catching Fender logo or the unique “gel” pattern, fender picks are some of the most popular and recognizable pick designs in the world.
Made out of celluloid, these guitar picks come in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and thicknesses. From the Fender 351 to the triangular 355 and even the Fender thumb pick, these plectrums all have one thing in common: Excellent craftsmanship.
While a celluloid pick might not give you as warm a tone as a nylon pick naturally does, these plectrums are more than capable of giving you warm tones when used right.
3. Dava Grip Tips Delrin
If you want to avoid getting all technical and are looking for a pick that will do it all then you need to get the Dava Grip Tips in between your fingers.
Made from a Delrin body with a rubber grip for extra control, these plectrums are unique in the sense that the way you hold them impacts the tonal response. Hold it near the tip and you’ll get a warm, bass-y sound. Hold it near the top and all the brightness comes right back. It really is the Swiss army knife of guitar picks.
They have a thin profile and, if you’re not the most confident picker yet you’ll want to watch out for the small picking surface that can make accuracy a little tricky. While they may take a little time to get used to, they’re definitely something worth checking out and can help you elevate your playing to new levels.
4. Dunlop Jazz III Nylon
There’s a reason Dunlop’s picks are on this list twice… they’re just that good.
As the name might suggest, the Dunlop Jazz III nylon picks were originally designed with jazz players in mind. The smaller size and sharper tip gave players better accuracy and control while still giving them that warm tone they were after.
Many famous guitarists have used Dunlop Jazz III such as Metallica’s Kirk Hammet, Dream Theatres’ John Petrucci, and blues ace Joe Bonamassa to name a few. These picks also come in a variety of colors and options, such as the Grip Max variant that gives you just a little more grip when playing.
5. Snarling Dogs Nylon “Brain” Picks
A sub-brand of D’andrea, their Snarling Dogs line of picks are a fantastic option if you want a warm-sounding tone.
D’andrea are no strangers to the pick market, having been the first company to sell guitar picks back in 1922. Since then they’ve updated and refined their product to give guitarists the perfect nylon pick.
The “Brain” picks come in your standard shape and are specially molded with an integrated grip to help you with your accuracy and playability. You can get them in any size from thin to extra thick and, like most picks today, you have about a million colors to choose from.
The Snarling Dogs line of picks are for the no-nonsense guitarist looking for something that’s well-made, warm-toned, and reliable. They won’t wow your bandmates but they’ll almost certainly wow you.
Tips for Getting a Warm Tone from Your Guitar
A warm tone doesn’t just come from the type of pick you choose. There are loads of ways to get a warm tone from your six string and we’ll show you how:
Neck Pickup
In most electric guitars, the neck pickup is the designated “warm” tone. This is because the strings are closer to the center of vibration emphasizing more of the lower-end and mid-frequency range.
Tone Knob
Turning your tone knob down will also get you that warmness you’re looking for. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the bridge or neck pickup, rolling back your dial will cut out the high-end frequencies smoothing your sound. You can do the same thing with your amp and turn the tone knob right down.
Pickups
Maybe not the easiest of changes to make but the type of pickup your guitar uses has a huge impact on the overall tone. Single coil pickups, like those found on many Fender and Danelectro guitars, have a naturally bright and springy sound.
P90 or Humbucker pickups, like those you’d get on a Les Paul or an SG, have a naturally warmer tone. It’s worth remembering that no amount of tone knob changes or nylon picks is going to undo the fact that your guitar pickups are like 70% responsible for the sound coming out of your amp.
Conclusion
Getting a warm tone from your guitar shouldn’t be difficult. It all comes down to using the right gear, understanding how you affect tone, and the ways to change it.
Never stop playing around with the settings and configurations of your six-string, you never know, you might stumble upon something the world has never heard before.