As part of hard rock band the Cult, Billy Duffy employed memorable riffs and masterful songwriting to filter old school hard rock through innovative, unorthodox energy of post-punk. Throughout his career, he’s mixed droning chords and lyrical single note runs with effects to infuse the sonic atmosphere available to him as the band’s sole guitar player with rich, melodic texture.

One of the most important tools in Billy’s arsenal is the Herco^® Flex 50 Pick. “I went to see a punk rock show in 1977 in Manchester in England,” Billy says. “At a break between the bands, I went into the lobby to get a drink or something, and Johnny Thunders—somebody who I idolized for quite a long time—is standing on the payphone. I walked up to him, and he reached into his pocket, pulled out a gold Herco Pick, handed it to me, and gave me a thumbs up.”

Billy has been using Herco Picks ever since that consequential moment. “I’ve never found a reason to change. I always carry them with me—they’re so much a part of what I do. I have to use that pick. A lot of people who aren’t musicians say, well, couldn’t you use anything? But you couldn’t, you really, really couldn’t.”

In addition to Herco Flex 50 Picks, Billy uses his signature Billy Duffy Cry Baby^® Wah.