TBird
Wholenote
Posts: 298
Formerly Known As: greg1948
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Post by TBird on Aug 15, 2020 7:02:10 GMT -5
I have tried almost every pick gauge, shape and material out there over the years trying to find The One that would give me comfort, playability and great sound. Thin picks felt too wimpy for leads, heavy gauges caused finger pain. I tried V-picks, the thick ones with beveled edges, a stainless steel pick, ones with holes for added grip, various shapes and sizes, well, you get the idea. Last week, I was doing some recording and I wanted a muted sound with a lot of click for a rhythm part. I had a thin generic pick I had gotten somewhere, so I used that for the track and it gave me just the sound I wanted.
Then I started some noodling with this skinny pick and discovered that I liked the bright open sound I got on each note. So I sat there and went through all my different picks and was surprised that the tone I liked best was from that thin gauge. The heavier the pick, the duller the sound. After 50 years of playing, this was the first time I made the connection between the sound and the pick itself. Years ago, I wrote thin picks off because when I "dug in" while soloing, the pick felt like a piece of paper. Now, in my old age, I've learned to play lighter and let the amp do the hard work.
Will the thin picks be my new standard? Haven't tried to use a thin pick in a band situation yet, so that will be the real test.
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Post by ninworks on Aug 15, 2020 10:59:09 GMT -5
I used the same Jim Dunlop .75mm picks from the time I was about 15 until my 50's. After the carpal tunnel experience I couldn't hold onto them anymore. They would either move around in my fingers or I would drop them. I tried about a half dozen different larger picks to see if that would help. It did. I like the big triangular ones made by Clayton. The only thing was the tip shape. I couldn't decide if I liked the rounder tip or pointy ones. The jury is still out on that. Sometimes I like the round tipped and sometimes the pointy ones. As of today, it's the pointy ones again. Every time I think I have settled in on one or the other I'll pick up the different one and it feels good for a while, until it doesn't.
When playing, and especially recording, steel string acoustic guitar, I like a thin pick unless I'm doing lead work. It keeps me from digging in too hard and hurting the tone of the guitar. Lighter usually sounds better with just about any guitar. I have always been heavy-handed with picking and I'm still trying to overcome that.
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Post by reverendrob on Aug 15, 2020 17:40:02 GMT -5
Due to a hand injury, the only ones I can hold on with authority and regularity are the ridiculously heavy - my "standards" are the purple tortex 2mms.
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twangmeister
Wholenote
Posts: 349
Formerly Known As: Twangmeister
Age: 72 and fading fast.....
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Post by twangmeister on Aug 15, 2020 19:10:00 GMT -5
For years I used medium gauge picks (remember when they existed?) only to go to heavier and heavier picks more recently for better control. So I have quite a few 1mm to 2mm thick picks.
A few months back one of my mummer's string band buddies handed me a triangular light gauge pick to use when I couldn't find my spares at a gig. I hadn't used one since Merseybeat music was popular. It actually worked quite well for me so when I restock I'll get some lighter regular and triangular picks. Also it seems like modern picks are less brittle than the ones I used in the '60's and '70's when only celluloid and nylon Marcos were available at the local music store.
Can't ever have too many.
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Post by Highstrung56 on Aug 15, 2020 20:08:14 GMT -5
I've been using Blue Chip picks for a while and even though they are pricey for a pick, I like the feel and tone. I use them for guitar and mandolin. The video attached is cool, and similar to why I decided to try them. I use the TD45 and the CT55.
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Davywhizz
Wholenote
"Still Alive and Well"
Posts: 442
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Post by Davywhizz on Aug 17, 2020 12:12:25 GMT -5
Have you tried the original Dava control pick? Nylon, with a good, moulded grip. But the key feature is a thinner strip across the middle. Depending on how you hold it in relation to that, it can play like a hard, medium or soft pick. Dava do various ranges, but I prefer the originals.
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Post by Duke on Aug 17, 2020 15:10:54 GMT -5
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Aug 22, 2020 11:47:46 GMT -5
Picks are a weird rabbit hole. Size, shape, material, thickness, and you can even move that point around and the sharpness on the edges to change the sound. It is a much bigger deal than anyone gives credit for. That might be because A) they're usually a pretty cheap experiment (we like thinking spending money is the answer) and B) they take time and integration to your playing, and we generally want instant results. Also, I personally don't want to go down that rabbit hole. I don't want to have to sit there with a small file and sand paper and reshape all of my picks to get the perfect shape for the tone and feel that I want. I've done it enough to know that it is effective... I just don't want to go there.
I like heavy, but when a pick is totally inert it is weird to me, and maybe you nailed the reason why. They do get a bit of a dull sound. I play pretty light and heavy works better for that, though I'm not sure why. Maybe because I don't have to swing the pick through as far for the flap effect. That could be bad technique on my part, though.
Years ago I tried the tear drop size picks, and I've been stuck with those since. Once you get used to them everything else feels comically big, like those giant plectrums used for the koto in traditional Japanese music. They're also easier to turn around on its long axis for a different attack. I'm not sophisticated enough of a player to tell you how, why and when I do this, I just know that when I don't have the ability to do it intuitively, the sound of my playing is different.
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Post by guildx700 on Aug 31, 2020 20:06:47 GMT -5
Been using Fender tortoise extra heavy for decades, I wear em down pretty fast so I buy em in packs of 100.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Sept 1, 2020 0:41:36 GMT -5
Blue Chips are nice picks, but there is absolutely no reason for them to cost $35, even if they do last forever. Stainless steel is an expensive material, and the exact same object made of stainless would cost about $20, including shipping. I'm not suggesting stainless steel is a good material for a pick; just offering it by way of cost comparison. A molded plastic part that gets tumbled and hot stamped costs $35? Oy. Even funnier is their Jazz100. It costs twice as much as their common models, and it contains 2/3 less material. Does that smell funny to you? I guess jazz cats make more money than bluegrassers so they can afford 'em.
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Post by LTB on Sept 7, 2020 14:36:00 GMT -5
I have been using Delrin XT Wedgie Picks (Red .050 with center contoured with texture in that area) so thumb neatly rests in it and grips the pick nicely. I have a "ton" of different type picks over the years. Some I love for the tonal response but they always twist around and slip out of my fingers so when I found these I haven't used any other.
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Post by guildx700 on Sept 7, 2020 19:51:57 GMT -5
I have been using Delrin XT Wedgie Picks (Red .050 with center contoured with texture in that area) so thumb neatly rests in it and grips the pick nicely. I have a "ton" of different type picks over the years. Some I love for the tonal response but they always twist around and slip out of my fingers so when I found these I haven't used any other. I use to like Dunlops for the grips on em, but their "action" just didn't feel right to me. Boy....that's one big pick!
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Post by Vibroluxer on Sept 7, 2020 20:01:58 GMT -5
I still have a few gross of Gretch medium cellulose picks.
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Post by Opie on Sept 8, 2020 6:59:02 GMT -5
I rarely use a pick,but when I need one I use These.https://blackmountainpicks.com/
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Post by LTB on Sept 8, 2020 16:13:44 GMT -5
I rarely use a pick,but when I need one I use These.https://blackmountainpicks.com/ I mentioned in another thread I needed to clean my computer desk so I could find mu picks. I totally forgot I ordered 3 of these. Thanks for reminding me. Will give them a try
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