Guitar Picks

Functional guitar picks for you playing enjoyment.

The key to printing a functional guitar pick is getting it thin but strong. I found a 0.08mm layer size was key to this, as it lets me get 9 or 10 layers into a 0.7mm thick pick.

Print Settings

• Material: PLA
• Layer Height: 0.08mm
• First Layer Height: 0.08mm
• Infill: 100% (though at 0.7mm you've got nothing but top and bottom layers anyway)

Thickness

0.7mm out of PLA feels pretty close to a Fender Medium celluloid pick. Go thicker if you want it a little heavier, but thinner may get you mixed results.

Designs

To successfully put a design on the pick, you need to minimize any lines that overlap. I limit any design to no more than 2 layers thick. I have successfully put 2 layers of design on both the top and bottom of the pick without sacrificing strength noticeably. If you're using a multi material unit to put the design on, then I find the best way to do it on something this scale is to import the base pick and the design separately, then assemble and align them. That way I can color the parts individually and not have to mess with the color painter tool.

I included a couple of Green Day and Van Halen themed inlays my kid likes. To use them - pull it in, scale it to match 2 layers thickness, assign a contrasting color, align it centered with the main body and assemble. I didn't scale them properly in CAD - so just scale them in X and Y in slicer, then set the Z to 0.16mm.

The monogrammed one in the photo was done using the built in slicer text tool - just play around with the z position of it after you use the text tool to get it flush with the surface.

Shapes

I've uploaded two different shapes. The rounder one (Model A) is similar to the store bought picks I have. The sharper one (Model B) has a slightly more aggressive point to it. My son prefers the sharper one for faster passages.