
The material, thickness, texture, and shape of that pick have an outsized impact not only on the sound we create, but also on our phrasing and articulation.
It's kind of ironic, but it may be that the smallest and most affordable piece of gear we guitarists ownāounce for ounce, and dollar for dollarāhas the biggest impact on both our tone and our technique. We use the pick (or āplectrum") to strike the strings, and that sets our entire audio signal in motionāwhether it's through airborne acoustic sound waves or a signal path full of stompboxes feeding blaring amps. The material, thickness, texture, and shape of that pick have an outsized impact not only on the sound we create, but also on our phrasing and articulation.
Indeed, a pick can strongly influence our musical decision-making: Do we play linear, single-note lines in a more legato fashion because we want to minimize the crisp attack our heavy pick imparts, or do we crank out melodic double-stops because that same pick attack pushes them over the top in such an addictive way? Do we add upstroke ghost notes to that rhythm part because our thin pick gives them an ethereal subtlety, or just keep a battery of eighth-notes going because the understated feel helps build tension? Regardless of the genre of music you play, and the musical applications you're attempting to serve, your choice of pick will provide a tonal foundation for your sound and your technique.
Fortunately, it's a good time to explore picks, because there's a smorgasbord of varieties available today. In addition to the big pick kahunas that've been around for decadesācompanies like Fender, Dunlop, D'Andrea, and Ernie Ballāa slew of smaller manufacturers are making top-notch picks in a variety of styles and materials. These new companies include Red Bear Trading Company, Steve Clayton, V-Picks, Wegen, JB, BlueChip, Golden Gate, PickBoy, Wedgie, and more. If, like most players, you've been using the same pick for years, perhaps now's the time to experiment with shapes and materials you'd never considered before. You may be amazed at what a sharper tip, a heavier gauge, or a more unusual material might bring out of you. And it's a helluva lot cheaper than shelling out for another guitar, amp, or even a pedal.
1. The Material World
Generalizations about the tonal characteristics of pick materials are hard to make, because everyone uses them a bit differently. But if you've ever been caught without a pick and had to resort to fishing a quarter out of your pocket, you know just how harsh and unforgiving the wrong material can be. (Although, even a quarter may be a fitting plectrum in some circumstances!)
By and large, most electric guitarists today use some form of plastic or nylon pick, but the types of plastic have changed considerably over the years. Luigi D'Andrea first began making guitar picks from cellulose acetate plastic back in 1922, and it has remained one of the standard materials for guitar picks ever since, as with Ernie Ball's standard line of Cellulose Acetate Nitrate picks (ernieball.com). Some pick purists swear by "tortoiseshell," which is actually made from the shell of the Atlantic Hawksbill Turtleāan endangered species that is, incidentally, not a tortoise at all. When real turtle shell was banned from trade back in 1973, pick makers turned to plastics to emulate its combination of flexibility and durability. In the process, they discovered DuPont Delrin, the material used in Dunlop's long-lived and very popular Tortex line (jimdunlop.com), D'Andrea's Delrex line (dandreausa.com), and Ernie Ball's new Everlast picks.
The Tortex pick's distinctive powdery textureāwhich applies friction to the strings and helps make for a surer gripā comes from a proprietary polishing process that's part of Dunlop's own version of the basic "punch-and-tumble" pick-making technique. (The other frequently used process is injection molding.) "For the longest time, our nylon picks were No. 1 for us in the US," says Jimmy Dunlop, "and they're still huge in the UK. But, starting in the early '90s with the grunge guys, Tortex really started to take over: All those guys used TortexāKurt Cobain, Jerry Cantrell, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden ⦠."
While Delrin aims to emulate the properties of turtle shell, newer plastics like Ultem (polyetherimide) are also being used, including in Dunlop's Ultex line and Steve Clayton's Ultem picks (steveclayton.com). Many tortoiseshell enthusiastsāespecially bluegrass and Gypsy-jazz playersāare also singing the praises of Red Bear Trading Company (redbeartrading.com), whose Red Bear Original and Tortis picks are made of a polymerized animal protein that Red Bear's Michael Skowron likes to call "cultured turtle shell." Companies like Wegen (wegenpicks.com), Golden Gate, and BlueChip (bluechippick.net) are also making tortoiseshell-style picks from various materials.
Nylon picksāincluding the legendary Herco Flex used by Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, and Gene Simmons (and which are now made and distributed by Dunlop)āhave been a mainstay for many players for decades. They have an arguably brighter sound and more flexibility than comparably thick plastic picks, and they very often have textured grips that make them less likely to slip out of your hand at that sweaty blues jam. They may appeal more to players shooting for a vintage sound, as they seem less suited to the kind of very compressed tone and tight rhythm phrasing that modern rockers gravitate towards.
Stone, wood, leather, and other more exotic materials certainly have their place, tooāboth as aesthetically beautiful items and as alternate tone generators. In general, the harder and denser the material, the more crisp and cutting the resulting sound. As with guitar bodies and necks, wood picks can impart a variety of tones ranging from brighter and more articulate (e.g., from harder woods) to earthier, warmer sounds from softer woods. The Stone Picks Co. (stonepicks.com) makes picks from gemstones and jade, while Stoneworks (stoneworkspicks.com) creates one-of-a-kind picks from materials like turquoise, variscite, and something they call "dinosaur bone." Surfpick (surfpick.com) makes plectra out of lignum vitae wood, while Pick Your Axe (pickyouraxe.com) offers a variety of woods, including zebrawood, walnut and bubinga. If you're hell-bent for leather, you'll want to check out Corter Leather (corterleather.bigcartel.com), which makes picks out of good ol' hideāyou can even have them tanned to order. If you find you still like the sound of that nickel or quarter after all, you might look into Fender's Steel pick (fender.com)ā just don't drop it in a slot machine.
2. Get with the Thickness
Whatever the material, a thinner pickā somewhere between .40 and .60 mm for more standard materials like Delrin or nylonāwill have a lighter sound that often works better for acoustic strumming and other applications where you want a more trebly tone. The classic strummed acoustic guitar zing soundāso useful on rock, pop, and country recordings for filling in the midrange and helping to define rhythmsā is almost always the result of using a thin or extra thin pick. Indeed, the noise of the thin pick flapping against the strings is often an essential part of that sound.
Conversely, thin picks make little sense for rock rhythm guitar or lead, however, as they deliver very little bass or midrange tone, and simply lack the heft necessary to bring out a well-rounded tone on singlenote leads. For that, you'll at least need to step up to a medium-gauge pickāwhich is generally in the range of .60 to .80 mm. Mediums remain the most popular pick thickness, and with good reason: While they're not ideal for zingy strumming, they're the perfect combination of stiffness and flexibility for rock rhythm work and full-bodied acoustic accompaniment (especially in solo situations), and they've got enough heft to produce powerful tones on leads and hook figures as well. Tonally, they tend to help produce a good blend of high-end bite and lower mid-range thump, without being too shrill or boomy.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with a little boom. For a heavier sound, you'll naturally want to gravitate to a heavier pickābasically anything past .80 mm. At the lower end of this range, you'll still have enough flexibility for crunchy rhythms, but you'll also have the firmness you need for full-bodied chord arpeggios and fat lead lines. In fact, it's noteworthy just how much one's tone changes in switching from a medium to a thick pick. Solos suddenly sound more dynamically evenāalmost compressedā with fewer transients and spikes. And you may even find that your leads seem to clean up a bit, as there's likely to be less pick noise and less slop in your playing.
At the thicker end of this range, over 1.5 mm, you'll find the ideal weights for bebop and other big-body jazz guitar playingā sounds that become increasingly mellow and warm, and lines that sound even cleaner and more burnished. But the biggies aren't just for jazz cats: Metal dudes who favor a bottom-heavy, scooped-mid sound will also want to experiment with picks in the 1.5 mm to 3 mm range.
3. Shape of Things
The shape of your pick is another place to consider experimenting. While you may be attached to a certain shape, as your playing develops, you may find that a different shape becomes more desirable. Generally, electric players who want more precision, control, and articulation of single-note lines (including shred kings like Dream Theater's John Petrucci, who uses teardrop-shaped d) will gravitate toward smaller, heavier picks with pointier tips, which is why virtually all jazz-oriented picks are shaped this way.
As Jimmy Dunlop puts it, "If you make the conversion to a Jazz III pick, you're not coming back. If you suddenly were to go back to a standard-size pick after that, it would be like putting on a pair of clown shoes and trying to run the 40-yard dash. You simply develop a more articulate style with a pick like that."
Those teardrop and small, triangular shapes, says Ernie Ball's Derek Brooks, "were really made popular by the jazz guys, and I've also noticed that a lot of the progressive, highly technical shred players also prefer those. Arguably, there's less drag on a smaller pick like that." Apart from the standard, teardrop and jazz shapes, other essential shapes include the equilateral triangle and the fin shape, which offers more than one style of contact surface, including a multi-point edge, as well as a more standard rounded point.
But it's not just the shape you should consider, eitherāit's which part of said shape you use. Some players use the rounded rear portion of the standard pick shape to get a sound that's a little more full and, well, rounded.
4. Tap into Textures
Though it's probably one of the most overlooked aspects of picks from a tonal perspective, believe it or not, the texture of your plectrum's surface can also be a big deal. Many pick designsāincluding Dunlop's traditional Nylon picks (as well as their Max-Grip cousins) and D'Andrea's Brain picksāfeature raised lettering and/ or other patterns intended to help you maintain a better hold under sweaty conditions. But a lot of players like these raised surfaces even more for the impact they have on tone. Famous players who reportedly flip these picks around so that the textured grip surface comes in contact with the strings include country star Keith Urban and U2's the Edge (who uses nylon Herdim picks with raiseddot grippage). Try it outāgrab a pick with raised dots or lettering, and dig how it imparts a more biting texture to your sound.
How to Pull off a Rockin' Pick Slide
A dramatic pick slide is either the coolest pick trick, or the dorkiest, depending on how well you pull it off. If you sound like Eddie Van Halen on the intro to 1979's "D.O.A.," you've got it mastered. If your cat shrieksākeep practicing. A Dunlop Tortex Heavy has the perfect mix of grainy, powdery texture and weight for pick slides, while most cellulose and nylon picks don't. Here's the key: The pick should be held flat against the low E string, so that the gripping surfaceānot the edgeāis what contacts the string. (That's why they don't call it a "pick scrape." No one said a glory move like this would be easy.) Start with the pick back by the bridge, and drag it rapidly along the length of the string, all the way to the nut. You'll want to have a decent amount of gain for thisāand it doesn't hurt to have a phaser and some delay to help create that jet-swoosh sound while making the whole slide that much bigger and broader. āJR
5. A Question of Style
Ultimately, the pick you choose will have everything to do with what style of music you play and the unique attributes you bring to that style. Still, it's equally fascinating that it also works the other way around: The pick you use can have a determining effect on how your style develops. "I like to play solos, so I prefer a heavy pick for digging in," says Ernie Ball's Brooks, "and that's the only pick I use. So I'm aware that that's had a big impact on my rhythm style, which might be quite different if I'd used a medium pick all these years."
Although players of all types are encouraged to be adventurous with every consideration we're discussing here, there are still some pretty reliable rules of thumb to follow if you're new to guitar and are overwhelmed by the possibilities. For acoustic players, here's what we recommend: Acoustic chord strummers will generally want to use a thin pick, probably one made of cellulose, Delrin, or faux tortoiseshell. Acoustic flatpickers engaging in more intricate playing and single-note lines will probably prefer something a bit more rigid, perhaps a medium or a heavy. And they, too, will want to seek out some of the excellent tortoiseshell replacements, such as Red Bear's Original and Tortis, Dunlop's Ultex, Clayton's Ultem, or JB's Shell Sonics (jbpicks.com). That said, a good old-fashioned Fender Medium or D'Andrea Classic Celluloid will also work. And if thumbpicks are your calling, most manufacturers have something that'll suit your needs.
Electric rock players, on the other hand, can, uh, take their pick, though they will almost certainly favor medium to very heavy gauges of standard-shaped or large triangular picks, with either a rounded or a sharp tip. Classic- and indie-rock players might consider nylon or cellulose, while metal and grunge aficionados might steer toward Delrin or even acrylic models, such as V-Picks' Stiletto, Switchblade, Venom, or Snake models (v-picks.com). As we mentioned previously, regardless of genre, if accuracy and precision are your game, consider trying a smaller, harder pick with a sharp tip. Jazz players also typically favor the smaller, harder picks, such as Dunlop's Jazz III or Big Stubby, Planet Waves Black Ice Extra Heavy (planetwaves.com), PickBoy Pos-A-Grip Jazz (pickboyguitarpicks.com), and many others.
To Each Their Own
There's no accounting for taste, of course, and the only way to really find your true voice on the instrument is to keep practicing and keep experimenting. Ultimately, only your own ears can tell you when you've found the pick that best assists you in realizing the sound inside your head. And chances are, your idea of what constitutes the ideal pick will evolve over time, or at least broaden to include different considerations for different applications. So try as many as you can and keep your earsāand your mindāopen. With that approach, you're sure to always pick a winner.
Alternative Picks
Not everyone is content to use a pick made from cellulose, nylon, or even stone, and even the most diehard tortoiseshell user may want to change things up now and again. Fortunately, offbeat pick variations and other unusual string-strokers abound.
Jellifish Plectrum Effect
Looking a bit like Sigmund the Sea Monster, the Jellifish pick is not really a pick at all, but a series of 18 small pieces of guitar-string-like wire arranged on a slight grade and held together by a plastic, pick-like fob. You can produce a chorus effect by grazing it over the strings laterally, or arc it back and forth over the strings for a sound not unlike a cello or a viola. jellifish.com
āThe Wirething Guitar Pick
This little oddity comes in models that use a nylon, acrylic, or plastic injection-molded body with a small metal wire made of steel or copper alloy for striking the strings. Jerry Donahue and Gene Bertoncini sing its praises, which isn't bad company to keep. wirething.com
āFred Kelly Bumblebee Jazz
This interesting hybrid is basically a yellow thumbpick attached to a small, black flatpick, giving you the best of both worlds. fredkellypicks.com
āHeet Sound EBow
While not a pick in the usual sense, the EBow has been cool for so long and through so many phases of musical fashion, that its actual method of actuating stringsāby focusing "a sympathetic oscillating magnetic field" on themāis almost secondary. Used liberally by everyone from Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew to Radiohead, Bloc Party, and Opeth, it's almost certainly the most popular device for coaxing sounds from a guitar outside of a traditional guitar pick. With a sound somewhere between a guitar synth and an angry cello, it's simply a must-have for every recording player. ebow.com/home.php
Updated on 4/20/2021.
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See and hear Taylorās Legacy Collection guitars played by his successor, Andy Powers.
Last year, Taylor Guitars capped its 50th Anniversary by introducing a new guitar collection celebrating the contributions of co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug to the guitar world. The Legacy Collection revives five of Bob Taylorās classic acoustic models, curated by the legendary luthier and innovator himself. āTo imagine that weāre doing guitars that harken to our past, our present and our future all at the same time,ā Bob says, āI really like that.ā
In developing the collection, Bob preserved the essence of his originals while integrating performance and playability upgrades introduced during his tenure as designer-in-chief. āItās an up-to-date version of what those guitars would be,ā Bob explains, ābut with the same sound.ā
Visually, these guitars feel classicāclean, understated and unmistakably Taylor. While Bobās original aesthetic preferences are showcased in his Legacy models, the nod to the past runs deeper than trade dress.
From his earliest builds, Bob favored slim-profile necks because he found them easier to play. That preference set a design precedent that established Taylorās reputation for smooth-playing, comfortable necks. Legacy models feature slim mahogany necks built with Taylor's patented New Technology (NT) design. āMy first neck was a bolted-on neck but not an NT neck,ā Bob says. āThese are NT necks because itās a better neck.ā Introduced in 1999, the NT neck allowed for unprecedented micro-adjustability while offering a consistent, hand-friendly Taylor playing experience.
What makes this collection unique within the Taylor line is Bobās use of his X-bracing architecture, favoring his time-tested internal voicing framework over more recent Taylor bracing innovations to evoke a distinctive tone profile. Since Andy PowersāTaylorās current Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEOādebuted his patented V-Class bracing in 2018, V-Class has become a staple in Taylorās premium-performance guitars. Still, Bobās X-bracing pattern produces a richly textured sound with pleasing volume, balance and clarity that long defined the Taylor voice. All Legacy models feature LR Baggs VTC Element electronics, which Bob says āharkens back to those days.ā
The team at Taylor thought the best way to demonstrate the sound of the Legacy guitars was to ask Andy Powers, Bobās successor, to play them. A world-class luthier and musician, Andy has spent the past 14 years leading Taylorās guitar innovation. In addition to V-Class bracing, his contributions include the Grand Pacific body style, the ultra-refined Builderās Edition Collection, and most recently, the stunning Gold Label Collection.
Below youāll find a series of videos that feature Powers playing each Legacy model along with information about the guitars.
Legacy 800 Series Models
First launched in 1975, the 800 Series was Taylorās first official guitar series. Today, it remains home to some of the brandās most acclaimed instruments, including the flagship 814ce, Builderās Edition 814ce and new Gold Label 814e.
The Legacy 800 Series features the 810e Dreadnought and two Jumbos: the 6-string 815e and 12-string 855e. Each model serves up a refined version of the Dreadnought and Jumbo body shapes Bob inherited from Sam Raddingāthe original owner of the American Dream music shop where Bob and Kurt first met. āI was making my guitars in the molds that Sam had made at American Dream,ā Bob recalls. āThere was a Jumbo and a Dreadnought. Thatās all we had.ā
All three Legacy 800 Series guitars feature one of Bobās favorite tonewood combos. Solid Indian rosewood back and sides are paired with a Sitka spruce top, yielding warm lows, clear trebles and a scooped midrange.
Aesthetic appointments include a three-ring abalone rosette, mother-of-pearl Large Diamond inlays, white binding around the body and fretboard, and Bobās āstraight-earā peghead design. Both Jumbo models also showcase a mustache-style ebony bridgeāa nod to Bobās early Jumbo builds.
Legacy 810e
The 810 Dreadnought holds a special place in Bob Taylorās heart. āMy first 810, the one I made for myself, was a thrilling guitar for me to make,ā he says. āItās the one and only guitar I played. It didnāt matter how many guitars we made at Taylor, thatās the one I took out and played.ā The Legacy 810e brings back that bold, room-filling Dreadnought voice along with the easy playability expected from a Taylor.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 810e | Playthrough DemoĀ
Legacy 855e
Taylorās first 12-strings found an audience in 1970s Los Angeles. āI was making guitars that would find their way to McCabeās in Santa Monica and Westwood Music,ā Bob says, āand these guitars were easy to play. Twelve-strings were a popular sound in that music. It was a modern country/folk/rock music genre that was accepting our guitars because they were easy to play. They also liked the sound of them because our guitars were easier to record.ā The Legacy 855e, with its resonant Jumbo body, slim neck and gorgeous octave sparkle, carries that tradition forward.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 855e | Playthrough DemoĀ
Legacy 815e
The Legacy 815e revives Taylorās original Jumbo 6-string, delivering a big, lush sound with beautifully blooming overtones.
Legacy Grand Auditoriums
In the early 1990s, Bob Taylor heard a consistent refrain from dealers: āNot everybody wants a dreadnought guitar anymore.ā Players were asking for something with comparable volume but different proportionsāsomething more comfortable, yet still powerful. This feedback inspired Bob to design a new body style with more elegant curves, more accommodating proportions and a balanced tonal response. The result was the Grand Auditorium, which Taylor introduced in 1994 to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Thanks to its musical versatility and easy playability, Bobās Grand Auditorium attracted a wide variety of players. āWe came into our own with our Grand Auditorium,ā he says. āPeople were describing it as āall around.ā Itās a good strummer and good for fingerstyle, but itās not totally geared toward strumming or totally geared toward fingerstyle.ā Also referred to as the āSwiss-Army Knifeā of guitars or the āGoldilocksā guitar, the GA quickly became a favorite among guitarists across playing styles, musical genres and different playing applications including recording and live performance. āThat guitar made studio work successful,ā Bob says. It gained a wider fanbase with the debut of the āceā version, which introduced a Venetian cutaway and onboard electronics. āThat became one of our hallmarks,ā says Bob. āIf you want to plug in your guitar, buy a Taylor.ā
Today, the Grand Auditorium is Taylorās best-selling body shape.
The Legacy Collection features two cedar-top Grand Auditoriums inspired by past favorites: the mahogany/cedar 514ce and rosewood/cedar 714ce. Both models incorporate Bobās original X-bracing pattern for a tonal character reminiscent of their 1990s and 2000s counterparts. Shared aesthetic details include a green abalone three-ring rosette, ebony bridge pins with green abalone dots, a faux-tortoiseshell pickguard and Taylor gold tuning machines.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 815e | Playthrough DemoĀ
Legacy 514ce
The Legacy 514ce features solid mahogany back and sides paired with a Western Red cedar top, yielding a punchy midrange and dry, woody sonic personality that pairs beautifully with cedarās soft-touch sensitivity and warmth. Itās a standout choice for fingerstyle players and light strummers who crave nuance and depth. Distinct visual details include faux-tortoise body and fretboard binding, black-and-white top trim, and mother-of-pearl small diamond fretboard inlays.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 514ce | Playthrough DemoĀ
Legacy 714ce
The Legacy 714ce also features a cedar top, this time matched with solid Indian rosewood back and sides. The result is a richly textured sound with deep lows, clear trebles and a warm, mellow response. Inspiring as it is, this specific wood pairing isnāt currently offered in any other standard Taylor model. Additional aesthetic details include green abalone dot fretboard inlays, black body and fretboard binding, and black-and-white āpinstripeā body purfling.
While the Legacy Collection spotlights Taylorās past, newer models from the Gold Label, Builderās Edition and Somos Collections show the companyās legacy is always evolving. Explore the Legacy Collection at taylorguitars.com or visit your local authorized Taylor dealer.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 714ce | Playthrough DemoĀ
Taylor Guitars, one of the worldās leading acoustic guitar brands, has teamed up with Sony Pictures Consumer Products and HBOĀ®to unveil a replica of the acoustic guitar featured in the award-winning HBO Original series The Last of Us, which is now streaming its second season on Max. This collaboration brings fans and musicians alike an exact replica of the guitar Joel gives Ellie in the critically acclaimed show.
Taylorās The Last of Us Replica 314c guitar is based on its best-selling 300 Series and features Taylorās most popular body style, the Grand Auditorium. Crafted with Taylorās hallmark playability, pro-level sound and refined workmanship, the guitar showcases a visual aesthetic that matches the guitar featured in the series.
For fans of the show, the guitarās most recognizable design element is a custom moth inlay at the third fret. The guitar also features a Tobacco Sunburst top finish and grained ivoroid accents, along with a satin-finish body and neck, creating a vintage, well-worn aesthetic that fits seamlessly into the gritty post-pandemic world Joel and Ellie inhabit.
This acoustic-only model features a solid Sitka spruce top and solid sapele back and sides, delivering a clear, warm, balanced voice with appealing midrange presence ā an ideal sonic tool for storytelling through song. Additional appointments include grained ivoroid body binding, grained ivoroid fretboard inlays that include the moth and large dot position markers, and a custom double-ring rosette also in grained ivoroid. The Grand Auditorium body features a Venetian cutaway for easy access to upper-register notes. Each guitar comes with a Taylor-built deluxe hardshell case to ensure safe transport, whether across the country or across the quarantine zone.
Built for the Journey Ahead
āThe Last of Us is a story of resilience, connection and finding beauty amid harsh realities ā themes that resonate with the emotional expression a Taylor guitar offers players,ā says Tim OāBrien, Vice President of Marketing at Taylor Guitars. āWeāre honored to collaborate with HBO and Sony Pictures Consumer Products to bring this iconic instrument to fans and players alike.ā
Availability and Ordering
The Taylor x The Last of Us Replica guitar is available for purchase now via TaylorGuitars.comand select authorized Taylor dealers. Orders are built on demand in Taylorās Southern California factory, with an expected delivery time of 6ā10 weeks. Due to the nature of this release, quantities are limited.
Whether youāre a musician, collector or a devoted fan of the series, this guitar offers a one-of-a kind connection to the legacy of Joel, Ellie and the enduring spirit of survival.
Guest picker Ally Venable
Blues rocker Ally Venable joins PGās editors to imagine what their dream late-night band would sound like.
Question: Whatās your dream late-night show band?
Ally Venable - Guest Picker
By FifthLegend from Eagan, Minnesota, United States of America - Thundercat, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70617212
A: For my late-night show's house band, Iāve assembled a dream team. This ensemble inspires me with their unparalleled musical talents and diverse backgrounds. Chris Laytonās drumming is unmatched and he will provide a solid foundation. Iāll have Jon Batiste on keys. His creativity and energy is boundless. Eric Gales would be on guitar. I love how emotive his music is, and I strive for that type of connection within my playing as well. Finally, Iād have Thundercat on bass. His playing is infused with jazz and funk sensibilities that would tie the whole sound together in an interesting way.
Obsession: My current obsession is shifting my approach to playingāfocusing on connection over applause. Instead of chasing technical perfection or crowd reactions, Iām leaning into the emotional and spiritual side of music. Itās about creating moments that resonate deeply, whether itās with myself, my bandmates, or the audience.
David Saenger - Reader of the Month
A: I love the idea of supergroups and how each of the players would interact. On guitars I would have Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) and Isaiah Sharkey. My drum and bass combo would be Stewart Copeland (The Police) and Mohini Dey. On keys and sax, I would have Herbie Hancock and Joshua Redman. My male and female vocalists would be Corey Glover (Living Colour) and Liv Warfield (Prince). All of these players are fantastic improvisers and really know how to put on an entertaining show in any genre.
Bassist Victor Wooten
Obsession: My current obsession has been bass. My 12-year-old daughter started playing electric and upright bass about two years ago, and itās been a blast working with her. Iāve been really focusing on having a solid pocket, and itās forced me to get better at reading bass clef. Iām taking her to see Victor Wooten next week. Canāt wait!
Jason Shadrick - Managing Editor
Jason Shadrick on the SNL stage.
A: The natural move would be to go for a high-energy party band decked out with multiple keyboards, horns, and vocalists. Iād go a different route. Iād go for a more rootsy vibe with Blake Mills leading a band consisting of Jay Bellerose on drums, esperanza spalding on bass, Bob Reynolds on saxophones, and a rotating guest each week. They could cover lo-fi Americana, funky open-tuned blues, and so much more.
Obsession: This month is slightly less obsession and more reflection as this will be my last issue as Managing Editor for PG. Over the last 15 years Iāve worked on 182 issues, which is kinda mind-boggling. Iāve been lucky enough to do some incredible things during my time at PG, including walking through the host door at SNL and spending a few minutes with Brian May. Never could have imagined it. I am very grateful.
Nick Millevoi - Senior Editor
A: Iāve long said that joining one of the late night bands would probably be my absolute top dream gig. So, if I were choosing my own late-night band, from any era, I would go no further than getting a chance to sit with Paul Schaffer and the Worldās Most Dangerous Band or G.E. Smith-era Saturday Night Live Band.
Obsession: The late guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, who spent time in Schafferās band, had a heavy resume that included stars of all genres from Billy Joel to the Roots to McCoy Tyner. I got to see him play some low-key gigs around Philly, and each rearranged my molecules. Itās only now, years after his 2013 death, that Iāve become obsessed with his discography. Though much of his work was as a high-level sideman, his albums show the broad range of this masterful guitarist, whose tone, feel, and phrasing conveyed the instrumentās deepest emotional capabilities.
At its core is GTRSā upgraded G151 intelligent system, offering 128 onboard effects, MNRS amp and cab sims, and even 17 guitar emulationsāexclusive to this model. Everything is controlled via the eye-catching Super Knob, which changes color to match your preset, as well as through the Bluetooth-connectible GTRS app.
GTRSā W902 features select tonewoods and construction: an alder body, poplar burl top, and a sleek bolt-on 5-piece neck made from roasted flame maple and rosewood, with satin natural finish and a rosewood fingerboard. The fanned fret design features 24 white copper frets and a stainless zero fret. A pair of GTRS Alnico V pickups and an HL-II bridge deliver a resonant tone, made particularly versatile thanks to the 5-way tone switch and tone knob.
The W902 offers a truly innovative choice for tech-savvy guitarists. Its features include a wireless transmitter, OTG recording, an 80-second looper, metronomes, and a drum machine, the app-supported guitar boasts up to 12 hours of playtime on a single charge (9 hours with the wireless transmitter in use).
The W902 is an upgraded version of the original W900 Intelligent Guitar, and the W902 most notably features an upgraded GTRS Intelligent Processor System, the G151, which even offers upgrades over the GTRS SL810's recently announced G150 system. The G151 system comes with a staggering 128 effects pre-installed, along with 10 of both MOOER's in-house MNRS amp and cabinet simulation profiles. Exclusive to the W902, the G151 system even includes 17 guitar simulation effects, allowing guitarists to emulate the tonal resonance of some of their favorite guitars.
To activate and browse through presets within the G151 system, which can be connected via Bluetooth 5.0, guitarists can use the guitar's Super Knob, which lights up in different LED colors depending on which preset is activated. Of course, users are able to get stuck into and edit the effects chains of presets through the GTRS app, enabling them to craft their own favorites through their mobile device. The guitar still functions without the G151 system; the Super Knob just needs to be turned off, and the W902 is usable as a regular electric guitar.
Within the GTRS app, there is even an 80-second looper, 10 metronomes, and 40 drum machine grooves built in, providing users with an all-in-one suite for guitar practice and composition. This is especially the case when combined with the W902's OTG-recording support, enabling on-the-go recording without the need for a hardware recording setup.
The W902 comes bundled with a GTRS Deluxe gig bag, three guitar wrenches, a USB 3.0 cable for charging, and a user manual. The guitar even contains a wireless transmitter and an integrated 4000mAh Li-ion battery, providing up to 12 hours of continuous use (9 hours with the transmitter in use), allowing users to enjoy the G151 system through headphones or an amplifier.
Guitarists who want to experiment further with the W902ās technology can connect the intelligent system to the GTRS GWF4 wireless footswitch, which is ideal for switching between presets in live scenarios when control through a mobile device isn't practical.
GTRS W902 Guitar construction features:
- Alder Body, 5-Piece Selected Roasted Flame Maple and Rosewood Neck with Satin Natural Finish (C-Shape)
- Bolt-on neck, 25-1/2" scale length, with dual action steel truss rod
- Rosewood fingerboard, 12ā radius, 24 white copper (0 fret stainless) fanned frets
- Built-in wireless transmitter
- Super Knob, Volume Control Knob, and Tone Knob, 3-way tone-selection switch
- GLB-P1 Li-ion Battery (4000mAh, up to 12 hours of continuous use, 9 hours with the wireless transmitter in use)
- USB port for charging and OTG recording
- GTRS Deluxe gig bag, 3 guitar wrenches
GTRS G151 Intelligent Guitar System features:
- GTRS G151 Intelligent Processing System (and GTRS App)
- 128 effects, 10 MNRS amp (GNR) and cabinet (GIR) simulation models
- 17 guitar simulations
- 80-second looper, 40 drum machine grooves, 10 metronomes
- Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity
- GTRS GWF4 wireless footswitch support (sold separately)
The GTRS W902 is now available worldwide. For more information visit www.gtrs.tech.