How to Make Guitar Picks

Guitar picks aren't expensive. It's just that as digital culture takes over consumer interest and big box retail takes over Main Street, the little things can be hard to find in stores, depending on where you're located. And making your own guitar picks is not hard at all.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Find any kind of thin sheet of plastic. It has to be only minimally flexible, stiff plastic. Favorite resources are plastic cards of any kind such as old hotel keycards, credit or debit cards.

2. Get a pair of scissors or an exacto-knife.

3. Draw the shape of the pick on the plastic sheet. The standard pick shape is an oval, with a sharp tip at one end. However, some guitar picks are sold as inch-long equilateral triangles, and some have fancier shell-edge designs. As long as there is a decent tip for plucking the strings, nearly any shape will do.

4. Cut neatly around the perimeter until the piece snaps off. Using the card area efficiently, you should be able to make several picks.

5. File down the edges. You can play with any ragged piece of plastic, but a smooth-edged pick will be more attractive.

Tips & Warnings

• Hold your knife well and cut carefully. It might seem silly to mention, but it's amazing how a routine act like cutting into a plastic sheet can end badly with one small slip of the blade. Razor-blades like those on small knives are made to tear into things, and they'll slice up your hand just as well. Cut away from your hands and don't get sloppy.

Resources

• A guitar pick merchant
• Includes professional pick styles