whats the difference in guitar pick gauge?

The thinner the pick, the more noise (slap) you get from the pick and the less sound you get from the string. Thicker picks also give faster response time since they don't have to bend back to catch the string. I generally play with a thick to extra thick pick, and use a rock pick when one is available to me. If I want a percussive rhythm sound however, I use a thin pick, to get that sweeping sound, very much like a "scratch" sound. Normally however, the goal is to get the sound from the string, not the pick.

Guitar Pick Gauges

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RE:

whats the difference in guitar pick gauge?

not the physical difference (ie heavy = thicker, light = thinner ect) but the difference in playing, do different gauges produce different sounds or are some better for certain types of music or guitars? Or is it all just about personal preference?

A lot of it is personal preference, but I can tell you from experience that different gauges work better for different instruments and different styles. For example, I always use thicker picks when playing an acoustic guitar than I do when playing any of my electrics because the strings on an acoustic are "bigger" (larger diameter) than electric strings, so a thicker pick makes it easier to play and gives a more full sound. Here's another example: When I play the blues I use thicker picks because it really helps to give a "heavy" pluck, and when I play heavy metal or speed metal I use thinner picks because you can play faster with thinner picks.

Absolutely, different gauges produce different sounds. A lighter, thinner pick would give a quieter,softer sound while strumming. A heavier pick will give you more "chunk". But a heavier pick will also accent an arpeggio pick (the technique)

better or for a nice latin 6/8 strum. Much depends on what environment or style your playing in.

I played with all types of picks: plastic, shell, and stone; thick, medium-thick, slim and super-slim; triangular and not so triangular; long, and short.

I found that slim and super-slim were fine to play light funk rythmic chord lines, but not very good for chicken-picking on these chords (a medium-thick was much better). Slim and super-slim were never good for rock and metal because their strength of attack is insufficient for these types of music. They are also completely ineffective at jazz due to the typical thickness of jazz strings.

I used Jim Dunlop 1.0 mm black picks for a long time for rock music. I found them convenient for soloing and shuffling, both in blues and rock. I found out later on, however, that I was not very comfortable with them for fast soloing due to their rather large size.

After many years of trying various picks, I wound up favoring Jim Dunlop Jazz III picks. These are thick picks, very small. I love them and would not return to the regular 1.0 mm picks. The Jazz III are thicker, harder, and they allow a very good attack of the string both up and down, which is especailly important in speed picking techniques.

This said, I believe that each hand and each wrist have their own characteristics, and that no pick is universally good for every type of music and every guitar player. The Jazz III for instance might be way too small for a number of players who do not like to have their hand close to the strings with they solo (I like it, so this characteristic does not bother me).

There exists a direct relationship however between the thickness of the pick, the gauge of the string, the force of the attack, and the speed of your playing.

As your playing style evolves, you will find more comfortable with this or that type of pick and pick brand. I would recommend you to try many picks, and use the one you think most suited to the circumstances, and which feels most comfortable to your own hand.

Keep on rockin'!

Personal preference....

They don't produce diffrent sounds. It mostly about "feel" in gauges. I can't use thins because they snap too easy....so I use Mediums. Heavys are too much thick when doing fast solo work. I think with Heavys...you can tend to snap more strings faster.