What picks do you play with?

[offplanetfilms]

I've been tinkering with the joy of trying different pick sizes & materials... I've found it's amost like instantly trying different pickups in your guitar! ...I've only just compared the tone of Fender pearloids to cheap music shop clear vinyls. (I have one unknown clear vinyl brand that really makes solos on my Legacy sound much creamier & smoother than any other pick in my collection.) The Fender pearloids have more of a vintage tone & twang, but are a little harsh on soloing at times. I haven't tried any other materials... is there anything anyone here would recommend? (I don't want to miss out on something extra special I really should be trying!)

[Philby]

I've worked my way through most of the Dunlop range over the years. I have no special allegiance to Dunlop, it's just that they were plentifully available in my local music shop.

I started out with the Dunlop Genuine Celluloid, migrated to the yellow Tortex in the 90's and I've been using the grey nylon standard for the last 10 years or so. I find the nylon standard to be the best all round pick for strats and teles as it naturally mutes excessive twang and gives a smoother, muted tone. The Tortex seemed to accentuate highs too much for my liking, but is good for strumming a bassy acoustic guitar. I like the Genuine Celluloid too but just can't hold the sucker when my hands are sweaty!

I've found that pick thickness has just as much effect on tone as the type of material it is made from. I prefer medium heavy gauge picks, but my Dad who has played for 50+ years will only play with wafer thin picks. Then there's Brian May from Queen who uses an English sixpence as a pick.

At the end of the day everyone has a different technique and sound that they're trying to achieve, and the type of pick is very much part of that quest. Have fun experimenting! It's cheaper than buying a new guitar!

[sirmyghin]

They are Agate and Australian jade, I had them made for me.

[blargfromouterspace]

I like the Fender celluloid ones. Medium gauge. I used to use the Dunlop Jazz picks, the little thick ones. Then green Tortex, but I kept dropping them, they had no give and unless I held the pick really tight out they'd go.

For me, picks have to be cheap and easily visible because I lose them by the dozen. I bought about 20 a month or so ago and I'm down to two. A couple have been worn out (celluloid isn't very durable, but has a great sound and they're cheap) but the majority have been lost.

[BillEvans1956]

They are Agate and Australian jade, I had them made for me.

What's the sound like?

Bill

[sirmyghin]

[
They are Agate and Australian jade, I had them made for me.

What's the sound like?

Bill

Not much on their own, that is for sure. They are about as far from finger picking sound as you can get, very crisp defined attack. The pick doesn't take anything away from the note (which some may not like). Clarity is the name of the game. I like the sound, but I gravitated towards them for their rigidity. The pick is always in the same place relative to my fingers, I do a lot of shredding (or try to) and I find a rigid pick is necessary for solid alternate picking at high speeds because you can depend on it not being behind.

[fixapony]

I have a giant ziploc bag full of different picks I've experimented with, all weights, materials and shapes. (OK yeah, so I went crazy on amazon.com... haha!) Fender, various types of Dunlop, Planet Waves, Dava, Wedgie, and more recently I tried the V-picks. After all that, I came out with the Dunlop Nylon. The medium grey for the acoustic, and the black for the G&L. I had fun trying out a few different v-pics (they have interesting tone and are FAST!), but as fun as those were I still kinda like the feel of the black Dunlop nylon for some reason.

[Dave_P]

I started out using Fender heavy celluloid, at one point I was using a piece of mother of pearl (shell) that I had found at the beach, but since the late 90's have been using the yellow (medium..ish) Dunlop Tortex, just recently started using the slightly lighter gauge orange tortex. I like the texture of them and they are brightly colored so I can find them easier, I still find ways to lose them though

Never gave too much thought to how different picks sound, I just may do some experimenting later today

-Dave

[offplanetfilms]

I'm terrible when it comes to losing picks around the house. My wife recently stuffed a heap she found into a wooden clothes peg to keep them together. I have to admit, the peg idea is working out scaryingly well !

[SouthpawGuy]

D'Adrea Pro Grip .60mm, the orange ones for everything. When I want a really fat tone I use a 1.1mm purple. Funny thing is I stopped using the point of the pick a few years back, don't know exactly when or why These days I use the side of the pick, never the tip.

[SouthpawGuy]

I'm terrible when it comes to losing picks around the house. My wife recently stuffed a heap she found into a wooden clothes peg to keep them together. I have to admit, the peg idea is working out scaryingly well !

I bought twenty picks at the same time, so as to always have at least one to hand. Then I lost all twenty at the same time. So I bought another twenty. Of course I found the others a week or so later ... in the washing machine !

[sirmyghin]

D'Adrea Pro Grip .60mm, the orange ones for everything. When I want a really fat tone I use a 1.1mm purple. Funny thing is I stopped using the point of the pick a few years back, don't know exactly when or why These days I use the side of the pick, never the tip.

You play mostly rhythm?

[SouthpawGuy]

D'Adrea Pro Grip .60mm, the orange ones for everything. When I want a really fat tone I use a 1.1mm purple. Funny thing is I stopped using the point of the pick a few years back, don't know exactly when or why These days I use the side of the pick, never the tip.

You play mostly rhythm?

No, I tend to bend the pick in my grip which gives it a different tone. I also drop them less often that way. Can't bend the really heavy ones, I still try though !

[sirmyghin]

D'Adrea Pro Grip .60mm, the orange ones for everything. When I want a really fat tone I use a 1.1mm purple. Funny thing is I stopped using the point of the pick a few years back, don't know exactly when or why These days I use the side of the pick, never the tip.

You play mostly rhythm?

No, I tend to bend the pick in my grip which gives it a different tone. I also drop them less often that way. Can't bend the really heavy ones, I still try though !

Gotcha, I tend to barely hold onto the pick, it knows where to be.

[Dr B]

Oddly, I have gone from large to smaller picks as I have improved as a player. Like others above, i have moved through the Dunlop range and now use the thick (3.0mm) small Stubby (the small purple one) for most playing. It has a strong big tone with it and as its small, my thumb is always close by for the pinch harmonics and the like.

It can get slippy after a while (with sweat in the fingers) but i sometimes rough the grip end up lightly with a hacksaw blade just to generate a few grooves for grip and its perfect. I would not recommend these for hard strumming on an acoustic (where i prefer a bigger sized, thinner pick).

[sirmyghin]

Oddly, I have gone from large to smaller picks as I have improved as a player. Like others above, i have moved through the Dunlop range and now use the thick (3.0mm) small Stubby (the small purple one) for most playing. It has a strong big tone with it and as its small, my thumb is always close by for the pinch harmonics and the like.

It can get slippy after a while (with sweat in the fingers) but i sometimes rough the grip end up lightly with a hacksaw blade just to generate a few grooves for grip and its perfect. I would not recommend these for hard strumming on an acoustic (where i prefer a bigger sized, thinner pick).

I really liked the purple 3mm stubbies before I went to the agate. I hold them close to the tip despite being 'standard' sized. More area = more friction.

[cmguitar]

I use standard med-picks celluloid. No particular brand. I tried tolex I just don't like the feel.
I like old Gibson tear drop pics med. But they quit making them. I like Fender 347 picks,they are hard to find. So its now standard picks.
I hold my pick sideways and always have It is more comfortable to me.

Chet

[KenC]

I've also gone through a slow progression toward smaller and thicker picks, except for when I'm playing chord forms up the neck. Interestingly, I've also noticed a tendency to turn my pick and play with the side or top. It's not intentional - I just realize after 15 minutes of playing or so that the pick has turned at least 90 degrees.

[Tall-Fir]

I started flatpicking on my old Martin recently and was immediately annoyed with the amount of clickiness I got hitting hard with my old standby, the Fender medium in tortoiseshell. At a folk music shop here in Minneapolis, I ran across Dan Pierce picks. I tried and liked the heavies for my flatpicking. I lost a little volume, but I really like the tone. They are made from a liquid chemical compound to imitate real tortoiseshell. They are more like glass than plastic in the way they feel in my hand, I think. What was really surprising was that I tried the Dan Pierce medium size for the playing of my G&L asat Classics and loved them. I use 9.5 strings. I have a light stroke so where I feel the pick really shines is both during strumming and single note picking. The sound of the pick doesn't quite match my fingers when I hybrid country pick, by using it and working on my hybrid picking while trying to improve the tone I get from my fingers trying to match the medium Dan Pierce being held with my thumb and forefinger is definitely improving my country playing. I can get a Waylon sounding strum (I saw him use the back of his fingers for strumming) with the use of this pick making improvements in the way my electric playing sounds for certain songs. They are certainly not for everybody as each pick is expensive--$9-$10. I have purchased six of them (2 for acoustic and 4 for electric) and don't plan on losing any. I will definitely be keeping track of them.

Anyway, the thread asked for ideas, so here is my initial feelings about the Dan Pierce picks--I like them a lot, and wouldn't be afraid to recommend them to any serious player.

My review sounds a little formal, so I add that I am in no way affiliated with Dan Pierce picks other than the fact that I use them. If anyone tries them, I would like to know what you think.

TF

[CGT]

I swear by Jim Dunlop Nylon 1MMs, but I've also got a whack of music store picks in various thicknesses. Every once in a while I like playing with a very flexible pick. I've also experimented with Dunlop shark fin picks, which have several points and a serrated side to create various effects.

Then there's my goodl uck charm, the pick used by Steven Rothery during Marillion's performance of This Strange Engine, the closing song of this year's 3-night stand at L'Olympia in Montreal. It never leaves my wallet.

[gitman001]

i find myself always going back to the dunlop ultex jazz III, i had played the tortex ones forever but found the ultex doesn't wear out nearly as fast. I was on Dugain's for awhile but at $15.00 a pop they were getting to expensive to replace every month - however they did sound amazing! I was using a horn and a bone one, they are worth trying if there is a dealer nearby.
Scott

[GentlemanJim]

I've alway use a thumbpick from my early days to present. Currently and for the last 6 or 7 years, a Bubble Bee. Flat pick thumb pic combo. I will take a pic, but right now having trouble logging in. Posted the problem on my original newbie page.
BTW, at 3.00 dollars a piece, you don't loose them either.

[3volved]

I prefer Dunlop Jazz III Ultex picks. They're grippy and small, seem to give me a more precise feel when picking, though strumming can tend to be a little tedious.