I’ve been buying the same guitar picks for about 20 years. Tuwenhteeaaa years.
Now that I think about it, there aren’t many things I’ve kept buying for that long. Levi’s jeans, probably. The same dashi for broth, and shichimi togarashi, the Japanese seven-spice seasoning. That’s about all I can think of. How about you? Is there something you’ve kept coming back to for 20 years?
They’re the Pickboy Vintage Series, from the Japanese brand Pickboy. They have a teardrop shape, similar to the familiar Fender picks, but just a tiny bit smaller. For some reason, that tiny difference really works for me. My preferred thickness has changed over the years. I started with 1.20 millimeters. These days, I mostly use 0.75 millimeters.
I’ve tried all kinds of picks over the years: different brands, shapes, and materials. Whether I’m playing acoustic or electric guitar, I always end up coming back to these. What I like most is the material. It has this silky feel that just feels right in my hand. I also like the consistency. With some brands, a few picks in a bunch can feel a little off, slightly bent or with rough edges. With Pickboy, I haven’t had that issue. They all feel balanced. #madeinjapan
I was first introduced to these picks by one of my mentors at Berklee College of Music, Jim Kelly. He had his own signature model, a version with his name on it, and handed me a few at our first lesson.
Recently, I looked up Allston, my old neighborhood in Boston, on Google Maps. My first apartment in America was there, back in 2005. I shared it with one roommate, and rent was $600. I arrived knowing almost nothing about this country. I lived near Mr. Music, went to rehearsal spaces, and was figuring out life in America. My first parties, my first smoke, my first PBR. My roommate introduced me to Indian curry.
Jim was part of those early days, too. I took most of my private lessons at Berklee with him. I was a nervous international student, still getting used to everything, and he was very easygoing. I remember seeing his teaching online back in the 2010s, but what stayed with me from our lessons was the feel, the tone, and the groove. Those things are hard to capture through a computer screen. He wasn’t chasing musical trends. His playing was rooted in jazz, R&B, and soul, which, to me, are fundamental to playing the guitar. I can still hear his influence in my playing today.
Writing this reminds me: I’ve been meaning to go see Jim again for a while. It’s one of those things I keep putting off. Maybe he’d ask me to play a song or two with him. Just before we started, I’d tell him I’m still using those picks. Maybe he still uses them sometimes. Maybe he’s forgotten all about them. Either way, I can already picture his smile.