Best bass guitar picks 2024: our pick of perfect plectrums for bass players

Alessandro Venturella playing bass with a pick
(Image credit: Future)

The plectrum is probably the most overlooked part of your set-up – usually the last thing anyone thinks about. After all, if Paul McCartney can use flattened pennies, won’t anything do? Well, we’re here to tell you that, with a bit of thought, the best bass guitar picks can significantly enhance your playing and even your tone. 

Ask most players about bass picks and they’ll say thicker is better. While that’s partly true – since bass strings are much thicker than guitar strings – there are benefits to using thinner picks too. Thick picks offer more attack and durability, but thinner, more nimble picks can help you glide through bass runs with greater speed and less resistance.

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

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Ross Holder

Ross has been a music lover and guitar player since the age of 8. He has spent the five years since graduating from university working in music retail, selling guitars, amps and more. Ross is particularly interested in electric guitars, pedals and amplifiers and his current rig includes a trusty 2009 American Standard Stratocaster and Vox AC30S1 with a few Walrus Audio and Way Huge pedals in between.