Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about the three tines, the three materials and what happens after you order. If your question is not here, send it to us.
The pick
- What makes Trident Picks different from a traditional guitar pick?
- Every other pick hits a string once and gets out of the way. The Trident has three tines, and two of them catch each string on the way down, then two catch it again on the way back up. Four hits per strum. Because those hits land milliseconds apart, your ear stops hearing one string and starts hearing two, which is exactly the trick a twelve-string pulls with its paired courses. Same guitar, no pedal, no second take. The three-tine design is patented.
- Do I need to hold it a particular way?
- No. The tines are laid out so that two of them meet the string whichever way round the pick sits in your hand. The geometry handles that, not your grip. What you control is depth. Skim the string and the doubling sits under the note; dig in and both hits land hard and nobody in the room misses it. Rotate the pick as an edge wears, the same as you would with any other plectrum.
- How thick are the picks?
- Every Trident is 0.88 mm through the body. That is medium gauge, stiff enough to hold a line, loose enough to strum with. The gauge never changes across the range, so the feel comes from the material instead: nylon at 0.88 mm gives noticeably more against the string than POM at the same number.
- What is the patent status of the design?
- Patented. The three-tine geometry is covered by a granted patent, not an application, which is why you will see "patented" rather than "patent pending" on the packaging and everywhere on this site.
Choosing
- What are the three series, and how do I choose?
- Three series, one material each. Flex in Nylon. Warm & smooth. Best for Acoustic, Classical, Jazz, Folk. Sharp in Acrylic. Bright & crisp. Best for Electric, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo. Power in POM (Delrin). Punchy & aggressive. Best for Heavy metal, Punk, Hard rock, Aggressive styles. All three share the same patented three-tine geometry at 0.88 mm, so moving between them changes the material and the feel, not your technique. If you cannot decide, the Variety Pack is one of each.
- Are Trident Picks suitable for beginners?
- Yes, and the shape is more forgiving than it looks. Because the tines do the doubling for you, more than one grip and angle will sound right while you are still working out how you hold a pick. Most beginners start on Flex: nylon gives against the string, which takes the edge off a heavy hand.
- Will they work on anything other than guitar?
- Yes. Sharp is the usual choice for bass, mandolin and banjo, where the extra definition helps the note speak through a heavier string. The geometry is identical across the range, so the decision is about how much the material gives, not about the instrument.
- What comes in the Variety Pack?
- 3 picks, one Nylon, one Acrylic and one POM, for $22.49. It is the only pack with all three materials in it, so it is the cheapest way to hear the difference before you commit to a two-pack of one series. Play all three for a week; one of them ends up in your pocket.
Orders
- How much is shipping and how long does it take?
- Standard $5.99 (5–7 business days); Express $12.99 (2–3 business days); Overnight $24.99 (Next business day). Standard shipping is free on orders of $50.00 or more. An Express or Overnight upgrade is charged in full whatever the order value, because free shipping only ever applies to the Standard rate. Delivery estimates start the business day after your order ships, not the day you place it.
- Which countries do you ship to?
- We ship to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland. Orders outside the United States may attract import duty or tax on arrival, which is charged by the destination country and is not included in the price you pay at checkout.
- Can I return them?
- Yes. You have 30 days from delivery to return an order. Unopened packs come back for a full refund of the item price; if a pick arrived faulty or we sent the wrong thing, we cover the return postage and refund the shipping you paid. Otherwise return postage is yours.
- Do you sell wholesale or to stores?
- Yes. Email zeus@tridentpicks.com with your shop name, location and rough volumes, and we will send trade pricing and minimum order quantities.
Shipping rates and delivery windows are set out in full on the shipping page, and the returns process is on the returns page.