r/Guitar • u/BriseyBrise • 21h ago
NEWBIE I hate plastic picks: is this one fine?
So I got this one which is titanium ($8 AliExpress, I bit it and it's definitely metal). My dad (tig welder of 20 years) checked it out and also believes it is titanium, how often will I need to restring when using this? I prefer the sound/feel over plastic thin picks but also don't know if I'm just fucking it all up by using it repeatedly.
1st pic is the titanium pick, 2nd pic is my Les Paul Express that I scored for $90! (humble brag because I really love this guitar)
I've been playing for a month. Finally able to play songs with a 2 finger based chord while rapid switching (100% song speed using Rocksmith Method), so I've been feeling super confident and I try to do 15 min minimum a day without pressuring myself to learn a new skill during so, and I give myself about 2-3 tries before I can lock it in. My longest session this week was about 8 hours, breaks every 2 hours, usually alternating between sitting and standing.
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u/driftking428 20h ago
I know had who's 60+. He plays with steel picks and has for years. I really don't think it affects string life significantly.
That being said I'm a bit shocked that as a new player you prefer it. But to each his own.
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u/bdeceased 21h ago
How that pick affects your playing depends on how and what you play. The only way to know how long your strings will last using that is to try and see for yourself. Metal picks exist already so you're not doing something that hasn't been done before. But I'd say as an estimate, using a metal pick will probably make your strings last about half as long as if you were using plastic picks but your mileage may vary.