Picks, plecktra(?) rounded triangles of plastic cost 50p each. Half a Pound. Nearly a Dollar.
How come?
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[li]Floppy discs cost less and they have precision moving parts[/li][li]A standard McBurger is 49p[/li][li]Hiya wossname.[/li][/ul]
What on earth justifies the price? Anyone got a theory?
Maybe I should forget plastic and switch to whale ivory or real turtleshell?
Because people will pay $0.50 for them? Besides, I bet it costs a lot of money to engrave the company name (which wears off in less than a week) on them.
This must be a UK thing – picks don’t cost anywhere near that here in the US. One can buy backs of 100 picks for something like $5.00. At least ordinary picks – there are picks made from exotic materials that can cost a whole lot more.
Check out theseimitation toroise shell picks. Price list is about halfway down.
Why do they charge so much? Because they can, and people (especially artists) will pay a nominal amount to believe that they’ve got a high quality tool that will enhance their playing. For a buck it’s a low risk investment.
Many Texas players use a peso coin for its hard tone of attack. If you’re a chord-banger who breaks a lot of picks, prowl the toy section for something you can carve into a mega-pick that’s too thick to break. Polypropylene, the bendy stuff, gives a softer tone. Experiment. Wes Montgomery picked with his thumb, for a supremely mellow sound. I knew a cat who played power chords with a whisk broom. He sounded like multiple guitarists.