Of all the things a guitarist can tweak and experiment with in his or her setup to get a new sound, the guitar pick is probably one of the last things to consider. That is, until now. The Jellifish is a new take on guitar picks, changing the basic structure of the plectrum and taking it into an altogether different direction.

The Jellifish gets its name from its shape---a rounded piece of plastic, with short metal wires sticking out from the bottom, cut at angle, reminiscent of its nautical namesake. The plastic grip is twice as thick as your average medium guitar pick, while the metal "tines" are set tightly together, and fairly stiff to the touch. The idea is to give the pick a varied surface area to bring out new sounds from your guitar, sounds that a standard plastic flat pick will not make.

The makers of Jellifish claim that you can produce three different distinct sounds with their recommended techniques, each with its own goofy moniker of exclamation---the "Chorus!", the "Pluck!", and the "Bow!"---which should give you the sound of a chorus/12 string guitar effect, a sharp metallic plucking effect, and the sound of a bow riding across the strings, respectively. We decided to put these claims to the test to see if the Jellifish is as revolutionary as it is presented to be.

We tried all three techniques on both an acoustic and an electric guitar, while employing different playing styles. On the acoustic guitar, the results were obvious and immediate, especially with the chorus technique. As the pick was stroked gently at a 45 degree angle, the guitar came to life, with a bright and full sound. It might be a bit of a stretch to say that it sounded like a chorus effect pedal, or even a 12 string guitar, but the Jellifish did produce a pleasant sound which was similar to both in theory. It surely did not sound like a standard, plastic flat pick.

The "Pluck!" and "Bow!" methods were not quite as impressive, as the plucking technique simply sounded like a metallic pick, and the bow technique sounded too scratchy and was somewhat difficult to maneuver. Moving on to the electric guitar, it seems that the difference in sound was not quite as pronounced as it was in the acoustic, although the end results were similar overall.

As for durability, the literature says that it should last a few months of continuous use, as long as you are careful and are not overly aggressive in your playing. We attacked the guitar fairly hard in one of our tests, and we managed to bend and pop out one of the tines, but it shouldn't be a problem with normal strumming.

The verdict? If you are looking for a new sound, especially if you play acoustic guitar, then the Jellifish is definitely worth a try. The list price is around $10, which may sound steep for a pick, but not when you consider the amount of change in sound that you're getting. It may not make you forget about and throw away your usual picks, but it will give you something new to play with and a chance break away from the ordinary.

MISH MASH Mandate: Fishy Pick
Jellifish Website