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Post by justin on Jan 6, 2021 14:40:45 GMT -5
I've never been a hybrid picker, nor have I really given thumb picks a try. I either use a pick or fingerstyle. I've moved on from mediums to heavy. I've been expanding my horizons lately and have been really enjoying the virtues of single coil tone and the use of the tone knob. Perhaps I've been influenced by hours of listening to Phillip McKnight's "Know Your Gear" Podcast and YouTube videos. I like this guy's perspective on gear and he's about as unpretentious as you can get. He was talking up the virtues of these picks and I thought I've give them a shot. I just hope these don't feel clunky. Yeah, I paid $20 for 3 picks... Black Mountain picks |
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Post by windmill on Jan 6, 2021 18:41:16 GMT -5
We expect a full report on this !  |
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Post by Riff Twang on Jan 6, 2021 21:38:51 GMT -5
They do seem interesting.
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Post by LTB on Jan 8, 2021 0:08:58 GMT -5
I bought 3 Black Mountain picks several months ago. They are ok. Probably just need to use them enough to get use to them. Problem is I mostly play finger style bass and guitar and keep forgetting about them.
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Peppy
Wholenote
Guitar gear guru at Milano Music Center
Posts: 180
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Post by Peppy on Jan 8, 2021 3:58:46 GMT -5
Great thumbpicks. I have a few. We sell them at 'my' store. Phil McKnight was in the store about a month ago to try out a guitar. I briefly demoed a Deluxe Reverb Tonemaster for him and he seemed quite accepting of it.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Jan 8, 2021 9:07:22 GMT -5
Holy Empty wallet, Batman! That's expensive for a little piece of plastic the size of a Cheez-It. At least it's not $50 for one, like the Blue Chip.
If it helps you play better, it's worth it.
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Post by guildx700 on Jan 8, 2021 20:59:03 GMT -5
I recently bought 500 of the Fender Extra Heavy 351 tortoise picks. Should last me several months.
I use those exclusively. Have for 45 years. Needless to say I wear them down way too fast.
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TBird
Wholenote
Posts: 298
Formerly Known As: greg1948
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Post by TBird on Jan 9, 2021 8:54:06 GMT -5
I tried a couple thumb picks, by Herco and Fred Kelly. The ones with an almost full size flatpick. You are supposed to be able to use the pick in thumb- and flat modes. Never did get the hang of it though. Now I'm just using a standard pick and two fingers.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Jan 9, 2021 9:23:27 GMT -5
Good luck!
Picks are a funny rabbit hole. Once you dive in and realize that it has way more effect on tone and feel than you'd ever expect, it can either draw you in, or you just throw in the towel and say "I give up!" because you don't to have to curate a collection of hundreds of picks and map them out in a spread sheet because one type of pick works better for one song than another. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but it can get funny like that. I like the tear drop style for the simple reason that I tried them once years ago, and once I got used to them I found anything else to feel funny. I found that changing the shape of the point changes the tone as well as the bevel, but have since forced myself to forget about it, lest I get too weird. Classical guys deal with this all the time, because they have to perpetually reshape and hone their plectra because they grow from their fingertips.
I like Phil McKnight, too. I was actually just listening to one of his videos. As someone who works in the industry, I often find many, many of the media people to be deeply eyeroll inducing, but Phil is a cut above the rest. He doesn't live too far from me and has likely been in our shop so I keep half expecting to run into him, but I haven't yet.
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Post by guildx700 on Jan 9, 2021 11:49:19 GMT -5
Good luck! Picks are a funny rabbit hole. Once you dive in and realize that it has way more effect on tone and feel than you'd ever expect, it can either draw you in, or you just throw in the towel and say "I give up!" because you don't to have to curate a collection of hundreds of picks and map them out in a spread sheet because one type of pick works better for one song than another. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but it can get funny like that. I like the tear drop style for the simple reason that I tried them once years ago, and once I got used to them I found anything else to feel funny. I found that changing the shape of the point changes the tone as well as the bevel, but have since forced myself to forget about it, lest I get too weird. Classical guys deal with this all the time, because they have to perpetually reshape and hone their plectra because they grow from their fingertips. I like Phil McKnight, too. I was actually just listening to one of his videos. As someone who works in the industry, I often find many, many of the media people to be deeply eyeroll inducing, but Phil is a cut above the rest. He doesn't live too far from me and has likely been in our shop so I keep half expecting to run into him, but I haven't yet. I use my extra heavy Fender ones many ways, upside down, steep angle, sideways. I'm to the point it's automatic when I play I instinctively adjust on the fly. |
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Post by LTB on Jan 9, 2021 21:35:53 GMT -5
I recently bought 500 of the Fender Extra Heavy 351 tortoise picks. Should last me several months. I use those exclusively. Have for 45 years. Needless to say I wear them down way too fast. I still have about 15-20 Gibson Teardrop picks of my he 50 I bought just before you couldn’t find them anymore. Liked them back in the day but tastes have changed now |
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Post by justin on Jan 11, 2021 12:12:50 GMT -5
I'm still waiting on the Black Mountain picks, then I'll have to build up some hybrid chops to give them a fair shake. I've always liked delrin picks going back to when I actually played out. I found a bunch in a guitar case recently but they're all .63mm. Those feel too flexible to me now but I do like them for strumming acoustic. I don't think I like nylon picks as they sound dull to me. Celluloids are cool, but I get flashbacks of them cracking on me - that was in my thin-medium days. I'm fairly certain I'm going to settle on normal sized delrin picks. Can't beat a 12 pack of 1.0mm Tortex for $2.99.
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Post by LTB on Jan 12, 2021 17:14:57 GMT -5
I'm still waiting on the Black Mountain picks, then I'll have to build up some hybrid chops to give them a fair shake. I've always liked delrin picks going back to when I actually played out. I found a bunch in a guitar case recently but they're all .63mm. Those feel too flexible to me now but I do like them for strumming acoustic. I don't think I like nylon picks as they sound dull to me. Celluloids are cool, but I get flashbacks of them cracking on me - that was in my thin-medium days. I'm fairly certain I'm going to settle on normal sized delrin picks. Can't beat a 12 pack of 1.0mm Tortex for $2.99. I have found not only thickness but material sound different. My favorite are blue Tortex, I believe.88’s |
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Post by justin on Jan 12, 2021 17:27:01 GMT -5
I'm still waiting on the Black Mountain picks, then I'll have to build up some hybrid chops to give them a fair shake. I've always liked delrin picks going back to when I actually played out. I found a bunch in a guitar case recently but they're all .63mm. Those feel too flexible to me now but I do like them for strumming acoustic. I don't think I like nylon picks as they sound dull to me. Celluloids are cool, but I get flashbacks of them cracking on me - that was in my thin-medium days. I'm fairly certain I'm going to settle on normal sized delrin picks. Can't beat a 12 pack of 1.0mm Tortex for $2.99. I have found not only thickness but material sound different. My favorite are blue Tortex, I believe.88’s Good to know because that's what I have arriving today - blue Tortex (1.0mm). I think I'd like the .88 a lot but decided to go big. |
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Post by cedarchoper58 on Jan 12, 2021 19:14:45 GMT -5
.60 Dunlop oange or fender medium for me
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hilltop87
Wholenote
My Strat is my friend
Posts: 885
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Post by hilltop87 on Jan 15, 2021 13:18:33 GMT -5
I just picked up some Classic Fender Mediums. They always are up to the task for me.
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Post by guildx700 on Jan 15, 2021 20:33:47 GMT -5
I just picked up some Classic Fender Mediums. They always are up to the task for me. Those are nice. |
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Post by walshb 🦒 on Jan 17, 2021 8:46:06 GMT -5
For a long time, I was spending $4 each on V-Picks. But the Screamers I was using make a lot of pick noise. I switched to Prodigy picks by Ernie Ball and that's all I use now, on electric anyway.
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Post by Seldom Seen on Jan 17, 2021 18:44:10 GMT -5
I ordered a few. It looks like they would match up well with my unconventional finger picking style. I've tried a few different types in the past but never warmed up to them.
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Post by Opie on Jan 18, 2021 7:27:24 GMT -5
I've used them for the last year or so,at least when I use a pick. I'm mostly 90% fingers only, 5% pick and 5% thumbpick. My only complaint with them is there's not much to chose from,the original and a new one slightly thinner.
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Post by Mike the marksman on Jan 18, 2021 8:02:04 GMT -5
I've been going back and forth between D'Angelico medium celluloid and Herco vintage '66 heavy
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Post by snakeboy on Jan 18, 2021 9:43:22 GMT -5
For a long time, I was spending $4 each on V-Picks. But the Screamers I was using make a lot of pick noise. I switched to Prodigy picks by Ernie Ball and that's all I use now, on electric anyway. I've tried the V-Picks, and they definitely didn't work for me - along with the Gravity brand. That acrylic material lets out a chirp as it contacts the string that drives me crazy. Picks are most certainly a rabbit hole, but I think I've reached the bottom. I really like the Wegen 1.2 Bluegrass picks, and use them for pretty much everything acoustic and electric. For me, they combine the perfect combination of feel and tone. Durability is another factor - they last a long time before they show wear. I used the same pick exclusively for around three years before I replaced it with another. I've got a few Blue Chips as well. If I was really into flatpicking, they'd see a lot more use, but I don't care for them when I strum. They're a little "clacky" for me in that regard. As far as thumbpicks go, I'm still struggling with those a bit. Since I got a resonator, I've been trying to get better with using them and fingerpicks. It still feels awkward, but getting better with practice. I've gone down the thumbpick rabbit hole as well. The Black Mountain mentioned in the OP are probably my least favorite, along with a couple others that combine a more traditional sized pick on a thumb mount. So far, I like the Fred Kelly Slick Picks the best. I'd still rather fingerpick with my natural nails when all's said and done. |
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Post by justin on Jan 18, 2021 13:02:11 GMT -5
I’m not getting along well with the black mountain picks I ordered. I’d much rather just fingerpick. The paper that comes with them recommends 50 hours to get used to them! I’m not going to commit the time to find out. I’m so used to regular fingerpicking that using a these means I have to keep my thumb farther away from the strings and that just feels clumsy to me. I’m having a great time with regular Tortex picks and/or plain fingers. YMMV
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Post by thumbpicker on Jan 23, 2021 19:35:09 GMT -5
Friend of mine bought some of the Black Mountain picks even though he's not a thumbpick guy. I tried them and while they were better than I expected for a large clunky looking pick. I found them not to have much of an advantage over a Fred Kelly pick like I normally use. The moving parts work ok but felt like they wouldn't live very long on my thumb and as the spring weakens would fail to stay on or just leave you standing there watching your pick fly across the room.
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Post by Seldom Seen on Jan 23, 2021 20:31:18 GMT -5
I received my three-pack today. These picks suit me just fine. I even play a bit better with them after switching back and forth. I need to work on adding my index finger to the mix, previously occupied holding the pick, and work on the upstrokes. Once again, good things happen here in the tavern. After several tries I found a thumb pick that works for me.
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Post by windmill on Jan 24, 2021 2:54:11 GMT -5
Been trying to get the hang of finger picks and thumb pick recently.
Have probably put in at least 25 hours over a few weeks and am just on the cusp of mastering them.
50 hours might not be that far off, but we are smarter than the average players aren't we, so it should be a bit less than that.
☺
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sirWheat
Wholenote
For a better future, play Stevie Wonder for your children.
Posts: 318
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Post by sirWheat on Jan 24, 2021 11:27:30 GMT -5
I've been watching this thread as I came across those picks a while back and wanted to see what y'all had to say about 'em. My main issue with thumb picks is that they're either way too tight or, if they're big enough to fit my thumb, they move around too much. I solved that problem with the National picks; they're comfy but a bit loose so I used some thin strips of sticky-back velcro which allows me to find a sweet spot of tight enough without cutting off the circulation. Bummer is, most thumb picks are meant for picking, not strumming, and as such lack material on the "leading" edge. At some point I'll get out the Fordham tool and go to work on my favorite pick (Golden Gate mock tortoise) with the intention of attaching the velcro strips.
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Post by thumbpicker on Feb 8, 2021 19:20:26 GMT -5
I've been watching this thread as I came across those picks a while back and wanted to see what y'all had to say about 'em. My main issue with thumb picks is that they're either way too tight or, if they're big enough to fit my thumb, they move around too much. I solved that problem with the National picks; they're comfy but a bit loose so I used some thin strips of sticky-back velcro which allows me to find a sweet spot of tight enough without cutting off the circulation. Bummer is, most thumb picks are meant for picking, not strumming, and as such lack material on the "leading" edge. At some point I'll get out the Fordham tool and go to work on my favorite pick (Golden Gate mock tortoise) with the intention of attaching the velcro strips. I usually just buy a handful and pick out the most comfy ones. I use just a dab of Gorilla Snot "drumstick rosin" below the nail of my thumb and that's enough to keep them from leaving town on their own when I'm playing. Surprising just that little drop of product holds thumbpicks strongly.. |
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Post by bluzcat on Feb 11, 2021 9:02:14 GMT -5
My current faves are the Dava Delrin grip tips. I have tried the Dunlop jazz III’s but found them too slick to hang onto. These are just a little larger in the jazz size but the rubber grip is wonderful. www.davapick.com/picks/jazz_gripI have been thinking a lot more about hybrid picking since getting a new acoustic for Christmas so I am intrigued by these. |
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Post by Duke on Feb 15, 2021 20:30:30 GMT -5
For “cheaper” picks I like the Petrucci Flow pick and the Ernie Ball Prodigy.
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