Ernie Ball Guitar Picks

Last Updated on July 22, 2023 by Justin

Ernie Ball guitar picks are up there with some of the best. We know this because guitar legends such as Eric Clapton and such use these Ernie Ball picks.

Ernie Ball is most well known for their guitar strings however their picks for guitar are of the same high standard. Furthermore, over time Ernie Ball’s thumb picks have gained a large following amongst fingerpicking guitar players.

They also offer regular guitar picks in soft, medium, and heavy gauges as well as in different pick materials such as Delrin, Pearloid, celluloid, and nylon. Ernie Ball also has the option of custom guitar picks which you can order from their website.

Ernie Ball Celluloid

Ernie Ball produces most of its guitar picks in this Celluloid material. Well, at least I think it is celluloid. I’m actually pretty sure it is as Ernie Ball refers to it “Cellulose Acetate Nitrate” which I believe is a much fancier way of saying “Celluloid”.

Alas, these guitar picks are a very good choice if celluloid is your material of choice. They come in 3 different gauges: Thin, medium, and heavy. However, they are limited to regular shapes only.

The standard picks by Ernie Ball are a classic choice, and you will find many guitarists that use these picks. Some include Eric Clapton as well as John Mayer. For all these reasons, the Ernie Ball celluloid is on my best guitar picks list.

Ernie Ball Nylon

The nylon guitar picks produced by Ernie Ball are similar to those made by Jim Dunlop . However, whilst the Dunlops come in a wider variety of gauges and shapes, the Ernie Balls are limited to one size (regular) with only three gauges: Thin, Medium, and heavy.

With that said, the quality of these Ernie Ball nylon guitar picks is as good as any of the best nylon picks around. They also have an epic Ernie Ball imprinted grip on both sides of the picks.

This is not just for branding but serves a purpose and that is to prevent the picks from slipping out your fingers.

Ernie Ball Everlast Delrin

The Delrin series is a relatively new product to the Ernie Ball guitar pick range. They’re made from high-quality Delrin and are available in the usual three gauges thin, medium, and heavy.

These are supposed to be resistant to wear and are meant to take a beating. So what that means is that they are meant to last a long time.

I’ve yet to try these Delrin picks for extended periods of time so I cannot say for certain that they do last a long time. However, Ernie Ball is an innovative company and I have no doubt these picks do exactly what they claim to.

Ernie Ball Prodigy Picks

Ernie Ball Prodigy guitar picks are the newest range by Ernie Ball. But despite being the most recent, it is definitely the most extensive of all their picks. Especially when it comes to shapes. You can read more about these at my Ernie Ball Prodigy picks review.

The prodigy picks are made from a material called Prodigy, which is a type of plastic that is designed to offer a balance of durability and flexibility.

These picks are designed to produce a warm, smooth tone with good definition and sustain. They are available in a range of thicknesses, including thin, medium, and heavy, and in a variety of shapes, including teardrop and triangle.

What makes these picks so unique is their beveled edge. This beveled edge feature allows the guitar picks to glide smoothly along the guitar strings. Which means better precision and consistency when playing, especially lead.

Ernie Ball Fingerpicks and Thumbpicks

The Ernie Ball finger picks are perhaps their most famous and widely used plectrum. They’re available in thumb picks and finger picks in different sizes.

These finger picks and thumb picks are made from the same celluloid material as above. However, there are metal finger picks available by Ernie Ball which you can see below.

The celluloid thumb picks come in different sizes but I believe they only come in one gauge and that is 0.75mm.

**Update: it seems that Ernie Ball no longer produces their famous thumb picks anymore. I will investigate and update here so keep an eye out.