Guitar Finger Picks Alaska Style Set of 4 Medium Plastic plectrums by Clearwater

I play steel stringed and nylon stringed guitars. I also do a lot of diy and gardening. I often break a nail and then have to put up with poor sound until it regrows. I bought Alaska style picks as a potential alternative to nails. I bought medium and large after measuring the width of my picking fingers and studying the size guide on the manufacturer’s web site. The large fitted my index and middle and the medium my little finger without any discomfort but the tip of the pick on my middle finger habitually worked loose from its position under the nail after some time because I shortened my nail after breaking it (it’s an important feature of the Alaska pick that it sits under your nail; they won’t be stable if your nails are cut very short). The ideal nail length for holding the picks in place seems to be only a couple of millimetres shorter than my preferred nail length for picking. Some players use surgical tape around the picks to make sure they don’t work loose. I tried this but didn’t like the feel. I cut and filed the tips of the picks to the same lengths and shapes as my nails. It took me a few hours to adjust to playing with the picks so that I was picking cleanly. Even after shaping and filing the sound of the steel string picked with the Alaska was duller than a steel string picked with my nail. Maybe if I reduced the thickness of the Alaska by filing the tip at a fine angle lengthwise I could get a sharper sound. The difference in sound is not as acute with a nylon string. Overall I’m happy with my purchase because I now have an adequate fallback for when I break a nail. I would recommend Alaska picks to anyone considering buying picks for guitar, they are not expensive and with some experimentation with shaping you could get a perfectly adequate and long-lasting alternative to finger nails.

I use these to play classical guitar when I've broken one of my finger nails.They do need some attention before I consider them usable but they are better than trying to play with finger tip rather than nail.I tried a large one on my thumb nail but didn't like them so now I use medium. But medium need stretching as it's too small for my thumb. After several failures at stretching I now use a small hose / jubilee clip that looks a like this one amazon.co.uk/Jubilee-Wingspade-Hose-Clip-25mm/dp/B004KXHX9E/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=hose+clip+finger&qid=1573642802&sr=8-2 but is smaller.The picks do need to be filed to get the correct shape (as they come they are too long and a bit to pointy for me). I keep my nails fairly short for a guitarist but if you prefer very long nails these maybe short for you.In order to ensure a snug fit that isn't in danger of coming off I keep them tight enough to be a little bit uncomfortable not really painful but we have to suffer for our music I guess:)My only criticism is that they are sufficiently bulky to make them very awkward to use on two adjacent fingers.As far as longevity goes I'm very happy. One of these lasted long enough for my nail to grow back on two occasions and there's still some life left in it.

The end curve of the pick is supposed to sit under your fingernail, to hold it in position. That means that (a) you need to have at least some length of nail protruding (no good if your nails are completely cut back), and (b) the curvature of your nails needs to match the curvature of the pick. My problem was the latter. I could fit the pick beneath my nail, but it forced the sides of the nail (tightly curved in my case) outward, making it extremely uncomfortable. (I have average fingers otherwise, by the way, and was using the medium set.)I could have cut my nails in such a way that they would have been more comfortable - but then I already have other kinds of pick where this is not necessary, so I doubt I'll be using them at all.I'm sure the picks work fine if your nails are suitable, but just bear their fitting in mind.

I wasn’t sure these would work for me but they do. However, they do require at leqast some nail to hold each one in place and my nails repeatedly break (hence the purchase) so there are still times I cannot play although, that timeframe is less extensive with these picks as they work with a shorter nail.

For these to stay on, your nails need to be fairly long, since you need to insert the nail in the last slot. If not, they don't stay on securely and are useless. The sound these make is quite metallic and twangy, so combined with Elixirs, this really gets over the top.Also take some getting used to, since they tend to get in the way of each other a bit.

These picks are great for guitarists of any level of ability, enhancing the sound and making finger picking much easier!In the past I have tried multiple finger picks however they seemed to either fall off or the sound quality was poor. However with these picks I have neither of them issues.The picks fit extremely well and if they loosen up over time you can simply roll them up tightly and they will fit perfectly again! You need to grow a little bit of nail to hold the picks in place as the pick sits under your nail however this dose not have to be excessive and you soon get used to!The sound quality from the picks is great! They feel like a typical nail themselves and when finger picking give you a clear tone that sounds great!When purchasing I did fear that I would struggle to adapt to using the picks however after about 5 minutes of using them they seemed to become natural!The picks arrived in a small bag together and were packed well, they have small markings on them so you know you have the right size!Overall I would recommend these picks to guitarists of all levels whom are beginning or advanced at finger picking, or play songs that require a mix of finger picking and strumming, They don't cost much and are a great bit of kit to carry around with you!