I know wooden picks tend to get a bad rep around here, but I said I'd reserve judgement until I got to play one. A friend of mine had some lumber to spare and made plectrums out of ringed gidgee (acacia cambagei). He asked me if I wanted one and I said hell yeah. It was a very nice gesture.
This lends itself so well to the percussive Cretan tone I was going for. From what I had read, I was expecting a brittle or a tinny sound. Or excessive pick noises. Cannot complain about any of that. I do like thicker plectrums, as I like to really dig into the strings. My favorites are Dunlop Tortex and Gator Grip, anything around and way north of 1.0mm. This one's over 1.5mm, don't have the calipers near right now. I understand that wooden picks are not for everyone, but this is the loudest plectrum I have ever played, for lack of better wording. And a very responsive one, too. I don't know whether the species of wood used would make a dramatic difference, as I never got to try one until recently. Will it replace my beloved Dunlops for good? No. But I am very pleasantly surprised. I did not yet try it much for guitar or bouzouki, but on mandolin, I am now a fan.
If it's okay to share social media handles, the plectrum came from here.
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