The shape is the first thing you’ll notice when you look at a guitar pick. Different guitar pick shapes sound and behave differently and will affect the tone of your guitar in different ways. Sharp tips, for example, often produce a sharp and bright attack. In comparison, rounder tips are used to mellow the attack down.
I’ve covered some basic guitar pick shapes in my article about different types of guitar picks. That being said, I think that being one of the most important aspects of a guitar pick design, it deserves an article of its own.
Table of Contents
Guitar Picks Shapes
There are literally thousands of different guitar pick shapes, and every day pick makers come up with even more. For that reason, I divided the shapes into four subcategories: Common, Uncommon, Vintage, and Unique.
You’ll notice that some shapes have a number associated with them. This is because most pick shapes we use today have been made up by a company called D’Andrea in the 1930s. They had two series of shapes: series 300 and 500. And the same shapes they came up with back then are still used today (which is pretty amazing).
Common Guitar Pick Shapes
Here’s a short description of four of the most common guitar pick shapes: Standard, Jazz III, Flow, and Triangle (which have three variations).
Standard 351
Close your eyes for a second and imagine a guitar pick. This is the Standard 351.
This is the most famous and recognized guitar pick shape and probably what most people think about when they think about a guitar pick. First designed by Luigi D’Andrea as part of D’Andrea Series 300, it quickly became a hit among guitar players. The shape was so successful that it got the name ‘Standard’.
Today, picks of this shape are produced by every single pick manufacturer in the world, including D’Andrea, Dunlop, Fender, D’Addario, Ernie Ball, and many others.
Jazz III
Jim Dunlop came up with the Jazz III shape in 1976. He was inspired by jazz players and tried to come up with a pick that would suit their style. Unfortunately, back then, and even today, not many jazz players chose to use this pick. Little did he know that the Nylon red Jazz III would later become one of the most famous guitar picks in history, appreciated by guitar players of almost all genres and styles – except jazz.
Today, there are many alternatives to the original Jazz III, made of different materials and by many pick manufacturers, including Dunlop, D’Andrea, Fender, Ernie Ball, D’Addario, and more, and by boutique high-end makers.
Flow
Unlike the first two pick shapes mentioned in this article, the Flow shape is relatively modern. Originally made of Ultex by Dunlop, and still manufactured mainly by them, but of many materials. The Flow shape resembles the Jazz XL but is more curved, resulting in a wider tip.
Flow picks are widely appreciated by guitar picks of most genres for their clarity and comfort.
Triangle
The triangle has three sub-shapes: Small Triangle, Large Triangle (346), and Straight Edge Triangle (355). I have a complicated relationship with triangle picks. I used to hate them but recently started to really like them, mainly thanks to great triangle picks I got from makers such as Bog Street, Iron Age, Howling Monkey, and Northern Ghost.
The best advantage triangle picks have over other pick shapes is their durability. They have three identical tips, making them last three times longer.
Small Triangle
Small Triangle picks are usually slightly curved, but not exclusively. Their curvature makes their tip relatively wide, making them very fast compared to picks with sharper angle tips. The fact that they are also small makes them very easy to control and maneuver.
Large Triangle 346
This classic guitar pick shape has been around for almost 100 years, originally made by D’Andrea for guitar players in the 30s. Favored especially by bass players due to their size and round tip, they are made of a wide selection of materials and gauges and by many companies, including Dunlop, D’Andrea, D’Addario, Fender, and more.
Straight Edge Triangle 355
The straight edge triangle has three 60-degree tips, traditionally with a small tip diameter to provide a sharper attack. They are among the biggest pick shapes, making them hard to shred with, but with a lot of velocity compared to other shapes in the same gauge.
Uncommon Guitar Pick Shapes
Here, I included widely available shapes that are not so widely used.
Jazz I and Jazz II
Released together with the original Jazz III, Jazz I and II have wider tips, yet, they are still small. I can understand why such round and small picks are not a huge hit, but if you gave them a try, you’d be surprised by how useful they can be.
Unlike Jazz III, Jazz I and Jazz II are produced almost exclusively by Dunlop.
Standard Sharp
This is a variation of Standard 351, just with a shaper tip. It makes it more accurate and bright. Favors lead over strumming. A really fast way you can give this shape a try is to file one on your Standard picks.
Pointy
One of the sharpest and most aggressive pick shapes. Playing with such a sharp tip requires a lot of control. Otherwise, the pick gets stuck in the strings.
Asymmetrical
The Asymmetrical shape looks like something between a Standard and Triangle pick, except that one of its shoulders is also used as a sharp playing tip.
Shield
The shield shape is pretty popular with very thick guitar picks. It resembles a larger version of Flow, but with sharper shoulders.
Shark Fin 390
Sometimes, it seems as if the Sharkfin is the pick shape every player knows, but not too many have tried. It features three playing tips: Asymmetrical sharp, Symmetrical wide, and Jagged tip.
It’s made by many companies, including Dunlop, D’Andrea,
Teardrop
There are many variations of the teardrop shape, but most of them are no longer in production today. These two, though, stood the test of time and are still in production to this day.
Thin Teardrop 354
The thin Teardrop is one of my favorite guitar pick shapes. In a way, it’s a thinner version of Jazz III.
Wide Teardrop 347 3/4
Naturally, this shape is very similar to the This Teardrop shape in appearance, but its wide tip and body makes it play softer and faster, and have a lot more body to grip to.
Vintage Guitar Pick Shapes
Homeplate / Pentagon 330
This shape has 3 90 degree playing tips and two 135 degree tips. This is a very interesting pick to play and experiment with, as 90 degree tips are quite rare these days.
Heart 323
Many consider them valentine’s day gifts, but in fact, the Heart Shape has existed as a guitar pick shape for about 100 years now.
Trapezoid 361
This vintage guitar pick shape inspired one of my favorite picks: Northern Ghost Uno. It features two identical and asymmetrical sharp playing tips.
Unique Guitar Pick Shapes
Many boutique pick makers are known to create variations of traditional guitar pick shapes or come up with completely new ones.
Northern Ghost Plectrtum’s Uno
The Uno Shape is a modernized version of the vintage 361 guitar pick by Northern Ghost Plectrums. It featured two 90 degree tips and two round tips.
Dragon’s Heart Pick Shape
The Dragon’s Heart shape is one of the most recognizable and recognized unique guitar pick shapes. It features two sharp tips at different diameters and another round tip.
Pick of Destiny
From the movie, straight to your pick box, made by makes as tributes to the film. This pick, made by Dasotomic Picks, is 4mm thick, but many makers make Pick of Destiny replicas in different gauges.
Hippie Picks’ Arrowhead Shape
Based on the standard guitar pick shape, Hippie Picks‘ Arrowhead picks also have two holes in their shoulders, providing extra grip.
GT Plectrums’ Africa
This is a very hard-to-describe shape. GT Plectrums based it on Jazz III, with offset “holes” carved on either side, helping with grip and providing more playing tips to choose from.
Rombo Picks Origami
From the top, Rombo Picks’ Origami might look like an ordinary Standard shape, but upon a closer look, you can see that this pick has many angles, resembling a folded paper. These angles allow the player to control the stiffness of the pick.
Bog Street Leap Shape
The Leap is made by a company called Bog Street. It’s essentially a Triangle shaped pick with raised grips for an ergonomic hold. Each tip is of a different gauge for an easier switch between rhythm and lead mid-song.
Six Stringers’ Pick Shape
The Wild Plectrum shape by SixStringers features four different playing tips, each optimized for a different purpose. The tips are called lead, rhythm, bass, and grit, each represents its strength.
Honey Picks Hornet
Hornet is my personal favorite shape of Honey Picks. It has two asymmetrical tips and another round part that can be used for strumming.
Arcanum Plectra Cleric
The Cleric shape by Acranum Plectra resembles something between a Standard to a Sharp Standard pick. What makes it special is the “wave” on the top that helps with the grip.
Finishing Thoughts
There are many different guitar pick shapes, and today we went over the ones you really need to know. Boutique pick makers often experiment with more pick shapes, so if you’re interested in learning about more innovative guitar pick designs, go over a few of the guitar pick reviews I wrote.
I’ll keep updating this article with more exciting guitar pick shapes. See you soon!