Originally Posted by: hunter1801I've actually heard the opposite to what Slipin said. For me it's heavier picks and thicker strings for faster picking. Heavier picks just seem "tighter" and more responsive to me. You don't get that "floppy" feeling when playing

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I'm not advising the "light on light" setup as the way to go, but it was you'll find many hardcore shredders using... we're talking lighting fast playing, hot pick-ups, whammy bar stuff, etc, and of course, lots of tapping. Its all about economy of effort at that point, and its just a fact that heavier gauge strings will require more effort than lighter ones... but then you don't get the tone either.