I’ve seen a lot of people say using metal picks don’t damage the strings, is this true? Brian May comes to mind.
To me that just seems off, I understand the concept of the picks metal being softer than the steel strings, but it just feels like thats not true, like you can cut into things with softer materials, water vs stone for example.
Has anyone experience with this? Have you found your strings last vs using plastic?
I haven’t tried a metal pick in a couple of decades, but I do remember it felt horrible enough for me to not want to try again.
Maybe they have different types of metal that work better now…?
Alien metal 
lol
Did you find it had to much abrasion? Like the lower strings are wound so gives a feel like running your nails over a holographic card, that kind of stuff is too much for me, makes me shrivel up, but I do like slightly lesser vibrations, the wound strings aren’t an issue.
I think different feels are really important in zeroing in on your preferred texture tho.
That is a bit off topic, but have any of you ever done that? Run your nails over a holographic card or lenticular card? It used to make me cringe. Like getting violated…
Any time two surfaces grind against each other, they’re both being abraded, but it’s a question of relative degree. For example, your strings grind away at your frets (bending) and plastic pick (I suspect). The cumulative damage from the strings on non-stainless frets is annoying, eventually requiring a fret job.
You are right that metal picks will likely damage the strings, but if the practitioners suggest that the strings will die from other reasons before the pick kills them, then why not use a metal pick (assuming that you like the sound)? In fact, Dunlop has a stainless steel pick, that will probably trash everything (including your guitar finish), as well as what seem to be anodized aluminum picks (a sapphire surface, quite hard). But in practice, I think the what kills most strings is skin cells and dirt getting into the windings and making them sound dull; this is why I like Elixir strings (now that I went back to 9 gauge instead of 8), they have a teflon tube that keeps the string windings clean.
NOTE: I HAVE NEVER PLAYED A METAL PICK AND HAVE NO PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH THEM.
It’s been a long time, but I do remember I didn’t like the sound. I also remember that it felt very difficult to play, like a lot of resistance. Although my technique was likely awful back then and I was probably trying to jam a metal pointy pick through the string completely flat!
I have elixirs on an acoustic, tho i found them slippery and didn’t have much grip?
I remember scott grove saying that the nano elixirs are bad, and it’s hard to get the originals?
And one reason I’m interested in metal is as Brian may says
It lets you feel the strings a lot, and in that vid he even says they don’t hurt the strings… But I’m not Brian may lol, getting a set of strings is nothing to him, but I’d rather keep a set of strings for years. I don’t mind the lower wound strings getting muddy, I prefer it acually as clean strings are too slick, it’s like drawing on a Wacom tablet vs paper, paper gives you more grip and control.
Years ago I had a metal pick. I hated the feel and tone it had.
I cared less about the strings and what a thin piece of metal would do to my guitar’s finish and plastic.
I never had an issue bending them, but perhaps it is because I always have either tall frets or a scalloped neck. They have three versions that one can order, and the following page helps one to understand what is going on.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/manufacturer/Elixir_Strings
I guess a metal pick would really mess them up lol.
Tall frets and scalloped necks are something I rarely have, I did a scallop on one of my guitars but it seems to of run off. Was great tho. All my guitars are second hand so I’ve never got used to that squeaky clean feel, I really notice a difference playing guitars that are new or kept well, they feel loose… Easier on the hands but idk if I like that, I kind of like that used warn in feel.
Scott Grove is a wealth of unsupported opinions presented as facts.
Blocked him on YT a long, long time ago.
I enjoy him, even if we go into the bush and get lost, his effort is most important. As all of us we can talk shit, but we’re acually interacting, isn’t that the most important thing? Back n forth.