Cool Guitar Picks

Cool guitar picks are more popular than ever among musicians, collectors, and acoustic or electric guitar fans. From out of near obscurity this modest guitar accessory has emerged in a more artistic light to make its own indelible mark upon the world of musical pop culture.

Instrument picks have been around for thousands of years. Early use dates back to the time when great pyramids rose from the desert floor with images of stringed instruments and their accompanying picks painted upon the walls. From that time through the late 18th century, feather quills dominated as the preferred material for picks, but the dawn of the 19th century saw quills replaced overall by tortoise shells. Throughout the 1800s, musicians and craftsmen experimented with other materials due to the difficulty of obtaining and working with tortoise shell. Examples of these materials include bone, ivory, stone, wood, and metal. A breakthrough came in 1922 when Luigi D'Andrea accidentally created the perfect picks of that era: one-inch, heart-shaped celluloid pieces originally meant to decorate cosmetics containers. Thus, the modern plastic guitar pick was born.

Today, technology rules the world and affects everything, even the ever so humble guitar pick. What was once a mere accessory has become somewhat of an art form in its own right, while retaining innovative functionality and tone. In addition to plastics, materials like metal and wood dominate pick production, resulting in funky or elegant guitar picks that come in limitless shapes, styles, and designs.

Other than sound production, the first thing to consider before choosing picks is personal style, especially if the picks are a gift for someone else. Below are a few places that offer cool guitar picks to please the masses.

• Rock N' Roll Picks: Everybody loves to rock! Choices include AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses and Jimi Hendrix.
• Tenacious D Picks: Fans of the film, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, love these replicas designed by Steve Clayton.
• Printed Picks: Pickfactory offers picks printed with popular designs such as flags of the world, sexy ladies, and holiday images.
• Graphic Picks: These vivid sets by Steve Clayton include tattoo style snakes and daggers, rock chicks, American military hotties, and crazy clowns.
• Assorted Designs: These picks come with preprinted designs ranging from television shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons to skulls and clowns.
• Jimi Hendrix Collector Sets: Like Hendrix himself, Dunlop picks are world famous. Fans of rock music or electric guitar will love these sets.

Elegance and premium performance are cool, too. For the serious guitarist, here are a few examples of coolness combined with performance.

• Wooden Picks: Surfpick crafts picks from the dense lignum vitae tree, which delivers rich, mellow tones. Each pick comes with a satin pouch.
• Fingernail Picks: aLaska Pik offers these over-the-finger picks that are perfect for classical guitar, ukulele, banjo, and harp.

Taking performance yet one step further, here are a couple of guitar accessories that are pick-like and unpick-like at the same time.

• ZeroGravity Orbit Pick: This gadget does two things at once: it allows you to pick your guitar and the ring that fits over your index finger keeps it firmly in place.
• Jellifish Chorus!: Described as a mechanical tool, the Jellifish Chorus! operates like a guitar pick but delivers a distinctive sound similar to a chorus pedal.

Don't forget the bass. There are cool guitar picks designed especially for the bass guitar as well!

• Night Glow: You guessed it! This bass pick by V-Picks glows in the dark for up to six hours. To recharge, expose the pick to a strong light source.
• Psycho: The 8.85mm thickness of the Psycho makes it perfect for the bass guitar.

Whatever your needs, it's important to find the right product. For collectors, any pick that appeals to personal style or aesthetics is fine, but for musicians, it's crucial to find the best guitar picks that will deliver the perfect tones.

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