How one guitarist turned a lifetime of playing into a handcrafted innovation.
When I was around twenty years old — sometime around 1993 — I made a decision that changed the way I play guitar forever.
I realized I had to somehow merge my pick technique with my fingerstyle playing.
Back then, I was obsessed with every modern guitar technique: alternate picking, sweep picking, chicken picking, tapping, slap — all the ways to make the instrument speak faster, louder, and more expressively.
But switching between pick and fingers always broke the flow.
I had to constantly put the pick down whenever I wanted to play fingerstyle, and pick it back up again for fast passages.
It felt like playing two different instruments — and that wasn’t good enough for me.
🧩 When thumbpicks didn’t exist
At that time, there were no guitar thumb picks available like today — only old banjo-style metal or plastic ones, which didn’t feel right at all.
So I started making my own.
I would cut small pieces from other picks, glue them together with superglue, reshape the angles and the curve of the tip, and experiment endlessly with the way it sat on my thumb.
Every tiny change — even just a degree or a millimeter — took weeks of daily playing to evaluate whether it improved the feel or made it worse.
That was the beginning of a long, patient journey.
🧠 Hundreds of prototypes, decades of testing
Through the years, I built and tested hundreds of prototypes.
I tried countless angles, thicknesses, and materials.
I refined the design by feel — not theory — letting my thumb and the sound tell me what worked.
A few years before the pandemic, I was fortunate to team up with my friend and creative partner, Branislav Mereš — a designer and mechanical engineer.
With his technical precision and creative insight, he helped me turn my early handmade experiments into the first 3D-modeled prototypes, carefully shaped according to my physical picks and detailed instructions.
From that moment, our collaboration naturally grew beyond guitar picks — we often brainstormed about art, design, and creative engineering.
Two creative minds working together can always imagine more — and motivate each other to keep pushing forward.
Over time, Braňo became a key part of several of my artistic projects, including our imaginative world of Capitan Crescendo.
When the pandemic hit (2020), I finally took things even further myself:
I learned 3D modeling so I could shape the thumb pick with precision.
For the first time, I was able to bring the concept I had been chasing for decades into a perfectly balanced, repeatable design.
There were still dozens of dead ends, but each one taught me something new about the connection between the thumb, the pick, and the string.
🪶 Finding the perfect balance
After nearly 32 years of research, mistakes, and discovery, I finally reached a point where I don’t want to change a single thing.
For the past five years, my pick has remained exactly the same — perfectly comfortable, reliable, and natural.
I can now play everything I want — from delicate fingerstyle to fast hybrid picking — without compromise.
It’s become an invisible part of my hand, an extension of my playing.
🛠️ From a personal tool to a shared creation
Half a year ago, I finally made the decision to take the next big step — to share it with other guitarists.
I spent months planning everything: the brand name, the logo, the production process, packaging, and distribution.
And yes, I was afraid — creating something by hand is one thing, producing it for others is another story.
But I wasn’t alone. Braňo Mereš, who had been part of this journey, once again stood by my side — this time as an integral part of the Luha Picks project.
Now, after all this time, I’m proud to finally present our creation to the world:
👉 LUHA Picks.
Each Luha Pick carries a piece of my 32-year journey — and the shared vision of two creators searching for freedom, control, and connection between the thumb and the strings.
🧭 The philosophy behind LUHA Picks
Luha Picks are not just accessories.
They’re designed for players who want to feel their instrument as naturally as breathing — without losing precision or tone.
Whether you play acoustic, electric, fingerstyle, or hybrid, these picks give you stability, comfort, and expressive control.
Because every note begins with a touch — and that touch should feel right.
📦 What’s next
The first official Luha Picks release is now in its final preparation phase.
Online sales are planned to begin in December 2025 or January 2026.
Early adopters and testers will soon be able to order the first batch, including a Starter Pack with all three sizes (S, M, L).
Stay tuned — or subscribe for updates at luhapicks.com.
✍️ Written by Peter Luha
Founder of Luha Picks · Guitarist · Composer · Educator
peterluha.com