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8/2/22 update: I have concluded my study of wood picks. I tried many and only three passed muster. All of them were pretty much useless as they come from the Woodworker. Out of the box it is like coloring with those fat crayons after the tops have been rounded by overuse. I had to modify all of them with speed bevels and once done, I found them to be heavenly pickers aiding my precision and accuracy. They elevate the volume of the sound coming out of the guitar so that I can attack lightly and have adequate volume. Firm up ever so slightly and volume goes to 11. There is no flex whatsoever so having your strumming down where there is Zero Tension is a must. Tension translates into string noise. I went with the hardest woods I could find looking at the Janka Scale. I found hardness is not the only thing that makes a pick sound good. There were many that looked cool and were just dead. I did drop testing and confirmed my favorites also plinked/resonated similarly to my Ultex, Primetone and Blue Chips. My Three favorites……#3. African Blackwood, 2.5mm. #2 Pink Ivory Wood, 2.0mm. #1 Snakewood Burl, 3.0mm. I know 3.0 seems thick but there is a depression on both sides to accommodate thumb and Forefinger. This totally helps orientation. One of the cool things about these is as you sweat they get easier to hold grippier, if you will. When I start I will moisten my finger slightly to improve the grip. I am hooked. Shout out to the maker of the picks Spencer Pickslay, Pickslays Woodworking for taking the time to have the conversations regarding what I was looking for. And now, back to picking on my guitar.
