How the Precision Pick Tapered Was Born

The original Precision Pick solved a specific problem: grip. Players were losing control of their picks, and a textured surface with a sharp edge fixed that for a lot of people. But not for everyone...

A particular type of player kept coming back with a variation on the same complaint. They liked the grip. They liked the edge. But the feel at the tip was too stiff for what they were doing. They needed flex — the kind of responsiveness you get from a lighter pick — but they didn't want to sacrifice the control that came from holding something substantial.

I heard that tension enough times that I couldn't ignore it. That's where the Tapered came from.

The Problem I Was Trying to Solve

Most picks are uniform in thickness from grip to tip. You choose a gauge and that gauge applies to the whole pick. If you want a flexible tip, you buy a thin pick. If you want a solid grip, you buy a thick pick. You can't have both — at least not with a standard design.

That always struck me as an unnecessary compromise. The part of the pick you're gripping and the part hitting the string are doing completely different jobs. Why should they be the same thickness?

The Tapered pick changes that by making the pick two different thicknesses at once. The grip end is thick — 1.5mm in two of the three variants, 1.0mm in the third. That's the part sitting between your thumb and forefinger. It gives you mass, stability, and the same textured grip surface as the rest of the Precision Pick range.

The tip end is thinner — tapering down to 0.99mm, 0.80mm, or 0.70mm (which tapers from 1.0mm instead) depending on which variant you choose. That's the part hitting the string. It flexes. It gives. It responds more like a light pick at the point of contact.

The result is a lighter-weight precision plectrum with the ergonomics of a thicker pick. That's not a marketing line — it's a precise description of what the geometry actually does.

Three Variants, Three Different Players

When I designed the Tapered range, I didn't want to land on a single compromise point and call it done. Different players need different amounts of flex, so I built three configurations.

1.5mm to 0.99mm The most conservative taper. The tip is still relatively firm — 0.99mm is close to a standard medium-heavy pick. This one is for players who want just a little more give at the tip without moving far from the feel of a standard pick. Heavy attack, slightly more agility.

1.5mm to 0.80mm The middle option. A more pronounced taper, designed for lead playing where the pick needs to move through strings quickly without catching. The 0.80mm tip is noticeably more flexible than the 0.99mm — you feel it immediately on fast single-note runs.

1.0mm to 0.70mm The most flexible of the three. The grip end drops to 1.0mm and the tip tapers to 0.70mm. This is the option for players who want the most responsiveness at the tip while still having something meaningful to hold onto. Cameron Cooper — one of our artists and a genuinely world-class guitarist — chose this variant to showcase at launch. That told me something.

The Tapered's specific gap — the flex-versus-grip tension — is one that any guitarist who's experimented with pick gauges will recognise. You find a thin pick that feels responsive but keeps slipping. You switch to a thick pick that stays put but feels stiff. You compromise somewhere in the middle and accept that neither problem is fully solved.

Who It's Actually For

The Tapered is the most technically specific pick in the range. It requires you to know something about what you want from a pick before it makes sense to buy it.

If you've never thought about pick flex as a variable, start with the standard Precision Pick. If you've tried the standard and found the tip too stiff — particularly for lead work or any technique that benefits from a more responsive tip — the Tapered is the logical next step.

My recommendation for most players trying the Tapered for the first time: start with the 0.70mm. It's the most flexible, the most distinctive, and the one that makes the design concept most immediately obvious. If it's too much flex, step up to the 0.80mm or 0.99mm.

All three variants are £7.99 for a 10-pack — the same price as the standard Precision Pick.

The Tapered Precision Pick is available in three variants at dansguitarstore.com and on Amazon UK.