Fred Kelly Guitar Picks Review

Last Updated on July 22, 2023 by Justin

Fred Kelly has certainly stood out and taken the world by storm. The Fred kelly range of picks has expanded since its humble beginnings and now amongst the popular finger/thumb picks, they offer a whole range of other picks such as their flat picks and the bumblebee.

Fred Kelly himself has carefully crafted all of the picks in the range. Mr. Kelly took all of his years of guitar playing experience to design and produce these unique guitar picks that offer solutions to small problems he identified over the years with other guitar picks. The Fred Kelly guitar picks are all made of the highest quality materials.

Three materials have been chosen for the guitar picks for various reasons including durability, sound, etc. The three materials by Fred Kelly’s guitar picks include Delrin, Nylon, and Polycarbonate. For their innovation, some Fred kelly guitar picks have made their way onto my list of cool guitar picks.

Fred Kelly Flat Picks

This range of flat picks by Fred Kelly can get a bit confusing but I’ll try to simplify it.

Before I do so, let me start off by saying that these flat picks have been seriously well thought out and they all feature a grip that makes them a good choice for beginners to professional players.

Delrin Flat Picks: Gauges include Light, Medium & Heavy
Standard Delrin Picks: Gauges include Light, Medium & Heavy
Fat Flat Large Delrin 2.02mm
Baby Fat Polycarb 2.02mm
Fat Flat Large Polycarb 2.02mm
Nylon Flat Pick: Gauges include Light, Medium & Heavy
Pee Wee Nylon Pick 0.96mm
Polycarb Flat Pick: Gauges include Light, Medium & Heavy

The flat picks are available in three different gauges and three different materials.

The gauges include thin, medium, and heavy. Whilst the materials include Delrin, Nylon, and Polycarbonate. Now comes the confusing part…The shapes of the Fred Kelly flat picks.

There are a wide array of shapes available for these flat picks. I’ve displayed the different shapes available below, just keep in mind that each of these shapes is available in the different gauges and materials mentioned above.

Fred Kelly Freedom Finger Picks

The freedom range by Fred Kelly is finger picks that can be used on any stringed instrument. They’re able to fit most fingers by leaving them in very hot water and then cold water so that you can mold them to fit your fingers.

With that in mind, these Freedom picks are available in three sizes: small, medium, and large so you should not have a problem finding a size to fit you.

Freedom Delrin Finger Picks: S / M / L
Freedom Polycarb Finger Picks: S / M / L

The fantastic thing about these finger picks is that they completely replace the need to grow your fingernails much like the butterfly picks. This is particularly useful for classical guitarists.

The Freedom range is available in two materials which include Delrin or Polycarbonate. Each will sound different and have its own unique characteristics. The Delrin gives you a smoother and more organic tone whilst the polycarbonate picks give you a bright tone.

Fred Kelly Bumblebee Thumb Picks

The Bumblebee guitar pick by Fred Kelly takes the idea of the slick pick featured below and takes it a step further. The Bumblebee pick is a true combination of a flat pick and a thumb pick.

Bumblebee Jazz Thumb Picks: L / M / H / XH
Bumblebee Teardrop Thumb Picks: L / M / H / XH

The angle of the pick can easily be adjusted to your preference as the plectrum is made from two components. The pick itself and the thumb pick which is attached on a swivel that allows for the changing of angles on the fly.

You can go from thumb-picking to Flatpicking in an instant without having to change guitar picks. You have the ability to choose the bumblebee pick in many different variations.

These variations include choosing between the Jazz or Teardrop shape option. Another variation is choosing between the regular or large size thumb pick as well as a choice of 4 gauges: thin, medium and heavy, and extra heavy.

These bumblebee picks are made from Delrin. See the Bumblebee picks as well as the Freedom thumb picks in action in the video below.

Slick Pick Finger Picks

The Slick Pick range by Fred kelly is a specially crafted thumb pick that doubles up as a flat pick. What makes the Slick Pick thumb pick different from other thumb picks is the small yet round tip it offers unlike most other thumb picks which have extended tips.

Slick Pick Thumbpicks Delrin (L/M/H)
Slick Pick Thumbpicks Poly (L/M/H)

The small tip or “Slick” tip of these thumb picks allows for more control over the picking over strings as well as a smoother feel and sound. The slick picks are available in a choice of two materials which are Delrin and polycarbonate. See these slick picks in action below in the video.

Sizes, Thickness, and Gauges include: 

  • Sizes: Large or Regular
  • Gauges/Thickness: Light, Medium, or Heavy

Speed Picks

The speed picks by Fred Kelly are also thumb picks. However, they offer a very unique tip that I’ve never seen on any plectrum before.

The tip is long and thin which allows the guitar player to play much faster as well as being able to play more precisely and with a clearer tone.

The Speed picks are available in three gauges, thin, medium, and heavy. They also come in two different sizes which include regular and large. Lastly, you can choose between left and right-handed options for those southpaw guitar players.

The Fred Kelly speed picks are only available in one material and that is Delrin.

Fred Kelly Variety Pack

If you are anything like me, then trying out all of the Fred kelly picks sounds like a great idea. Instead of having to buy each pick one by one, Fred kelly has a variety pack of picks that contains one of each from their range.

This pack includes:

  • 3x Flat Picks
  • 1x Bumblebee Thumbpick
  • 1x Slick Pick
  • 1x Speed Pick
  • 2 x Finger Picks