Guys,
 
Usually spam the site with some irreverent tirade. After a few beers and just for the fork of it to cause trouble and annoy the moderators.
 
Do have a serious question however (even if after a few beers...).
 
What is the census, experience, opinion about the use of a guitar pick, or not to use a pick.
 
BassDaddy gave reference to abandoning the pick and not looking back.
 
Realized something was different in ancient times seeing an LP Muddy Waters album cover with him obviously using his thumb.
 
More recent history, the Dire Straits dude cranking out etherial sounds and no pick.
 
Eagles unplugged DVD, all fingers, not to remotely mention the flamenco masters. Long cruddy finger nails only.
 
I try on rare occasion to abandon the pick, mostly when I can't find one.
 
For a fleeting instant, gain a glimpse of what is possible with fingers manipulating the strings, far more subtle in potential than having a piece of plastic between me and the instrument.
 
Trouble is, can't get the sharp ring, bite without the plectrum. Find myself using a finger nail in the down stroke to grab a bit of twang, but can't pick as rapid. Some trade off. I wimp out maybe too soon and revert back to the comfort and predictable sound of the plastic crutch.
 
Any advice or experience about the possibility of life without a pick?
 
John
 

I absolutely hate using a pick, refused to use one much to the frustration of my guitar teacher years ago.  I do not even own a pick/plectrum and yet I have 3 guitars.
 
Are not a great guitarist though, as I play for pleasure only, and do not practice as much as I should, and are way out of practice, but when I do play I like to feel the strings, and keep it simple.  I do not play electric though, just acoustic, finger picking style, with little to no strumming.
 
My brother would always use a pick, but he was more into playing chords and a little bit of lead for 80's style rock band music with his electric guitars, when he was younger and at school he won some state music awards doing just this.
 
It all depends on what you want to do, and what works for you, that's my 2 cents worth.

IMHO it's all just driven by the sound you want to achieve; pick or not to pick makes a major difference, especially also for bass; even where the pick meets the strings has a very noticeable impact ...
 
sometimes the groove would be much easier to get without the pick, but the sound is not there, so you got no choice and use the pick until you nail it ... vice versa applies, too

Rob[atSound-Rehab]
IMHO it's all just driven by the sound you want to achieve; pick or not to pick makes a major difference, especially also for bass; even where the pick meets the strings has a very noticeable impact ...
 
sometimes the groove would be much easier to get without the pick, but the sound is not there, so you got no choice and use the pick until you nail it ... vice versa applies, too

+1 it definitely depends on what you are going for...Soft single string arpeggios...I typically do these without a pick...But there are also times when I want it very bright so the pick comes into play.  Also try picks made from different materials.  That changes the sound as well.  There are metal ones, wood ones, different grades of nylon & plastic and even stone picks.  I have mostly plastic, but if you want something extra bright, try these:
 
https://www.amazon.com/Cool-Picks-Ultra-Guitar-Pick/dp/B00ZSPQF9M/ref=pd_sim_sbs_267_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E0SZR2AP6M3BMDACTJ9M
 
 

I agree with that...entirely dependent on what you are trying to do.

I believe you SHOULD be able to do BOTH.  THAT is the BEST OPTION,
and provides the MOST diversity of "sound possibilities"

Sorry. Wrong thread.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0ieDXIhci7o

Definitely learn both. Different skills for different jobs.

I abandoned the pick more than 20 years ago. It wasn't a conscious decision - I just found myself playing without one more often than not, then at some point realized that I preferred it. To me the main attraction is that you feel more "in touch" with the guitar - sorry for the imagery but when I play with a pick it almost feels like wearing a condom. There's that extra layer of plastic between you and the instrument. 
 
I find I can be more expressive with a pick, particularly in terms of dynamics. And because I feel psychologically closer to the guitar then it seems to facilitate the flow of musical ideas from my brain to the strings. 
 
For single note runs, I use a combination of my thumb and 2nd finger. I find I can play quite fast with them. It'll never be as fast as alternate picking with a pick, but once you add hammers and pulls you can play very fast legato runs along with the best of them. I don't play metal styles but used to in the past with a pick, and I feel quite confident that I could hold my own with a metal player (if not along the lines of someone crazy fast like Paul Gilbert). 
 
Another advantage of using fingers - you can break out into fingerstyle at the drop of a hat, and this adds variety and interest to your playing. I self-studied Bach on classical guitar for years and so my fingers are quite adept at playing independent lines simultaneously - sometimes I'll subconsciously drop a bit of Bach style counterpoint into a lead line. I don't think I would be attempting that if I was using a pick. 
 
Playing with fingers is also great for sweep picked arpeggios and rakes. Again I feel like you can do it with a lot more expression when playing fingerstyle. You might also find that you develop your left hand technique in other directions in order to take advantage of your right hand fingers. For instance, I play a lot of three or four note runs which involve contiguous scale tones played on adjacent strings, sometimes utilizing open strings in the process. Take the pentatonic scale, there are a number of positions in which it's quite comfortable to play 3 contiguous notes of it on the G, B and E strings as long as you're comfortable with a bit of a stretch. I've developed that technique to involve the lower strings as well. If you really study it, you can play whole scale runs using a combination of adjacent and open strings, and you get a really nice harp like sound as some of the notes run into each other. You'll find yourself playing runs that would be extremely difficult with a pick. Danny Gatton was the master of this three finger "roll" technique. 
 
As for hard versus soft, well I keep my fingernails short, but just long enough so there's an edge on them to give a bit of a percussive bite. I used to grow them longer for classical playing but found that they broke too easily when I switched to steel string. When they're short they break less easily. And there is a strumming technique which utilizes the nail surfaces, giving a sound that is every bit as percussive as pick strumming if you stick at it. You strum down with the top surface of the fingernails of the first three (or four) fingers, then strum up with the top surface of the thumbnail. Bit of a flamenco style strum. When you develop your fingers in this style you can play anything a pick based rhythm guitarist can, including high tempo funk. 

my vote is both.....prefer fingers for bass,   though as many stated....depends on sound and song your dealing with achieving....and mood i guess.   I do get that urge/vibe with a Strat to "try" to emulate that Beck tone/groove at times  ...now thats a good workout on the hands.... ;o) 

Definitely both!!
I love playing the guitar and just enjoy playing the acoustic with my fingers (sometimes a pick, depending on what sound I'm after). Funnily, I was finger picking on my daughters acoustic......a smaller nylon string guitar, and I kept hearing a continuous squeaking noise.....turned out it was my 3 fingers causing it (sliding by the sound hole). 
 
The electric is always with a pick. My only limitations seem to be........myself.