BEING A MONEY PLAYER

Though live he usually uses thick plastic picks, on record the peso is as much part of Billy Gibbons folklore as Pearly Gates and his facial hair. “It’s the stridency of the coin,” he says. “There’s no give.” Billy has his pesos machined into the shape of a standard plectrum, but if you can’t find a peso, then try any other coins, those with a nonserrated edge work best. You’ll be sacrificing speed for tone here – you’ll need a catering pack of new strings if you’re going to try to tremolo pick or, harder still, alternate pick with a coin. But much like Brian May with his sixpence, this stridency/lack of give results in a lot of attack, volume and that satisfying metal-on-metal clunk when striking the strings. Such an unyielding pick will also help no end with pinch harmonics.