I changed picks today and like the attack better

Yeah, picks make a bigger difference in tone than most of the tube or signal cap changes we talk so much about here. While I can't imagine using a pick as thin as you like, I agree with Scott that it pays to try many different types and thicknesses. I've pretty much settled on Dunlop Ultex 1.0 and 1.14, but will go to 1.5 or even 2.0 for a more mellow tone. Going without a pick at all is also great for some stuff and I'm amazed at guys (like JB) that can do this exclusively for all styles.

 

I generally use a .73 mm Dunlop tortex and not long ago I tried a 3 mm Dunlop stubby.Broke my high E string in about 30 seconds! Since then I've been trying all different types and I enjoy the contrast.Should have been fooling around with many picks earlier.

 

Not just the pick... but how you hold it, which part of it you strike the string with, where you pick the string from bridge to fingerboard area, etc.

 

Check out this auction...

I bought one of these variety packs and it is really nice for tweaking my sound a little hear and there. Or for just experimenting and trying picks I had never tried before. I also picked a set of the new Ultex Dunlop picks from this seller. I think it had six of every gauge.

 

I gave up on picks 10 years ago and haven't looked back. Actually, the first 6 months were horrible, I felt like a beginner all over again. While I lost some speed in my playing I am able to do so much more and I don't have to worry about that stupid piece of plastic slipping in my fingers while I'm playing anymore. When I did use picks I used the Dunlop jazz 2's or 3's? They are little triangle shaped picks that just kick ass. Everyone has their preferences but I'm glad I switched to just the hands.

 

My ideal tone has lots of Angus Young/Billy Gibbons 'ping' string attack. Over the years, I had settled on medium heavy picks (Orange Tortex) to prevent string breakage during a gig, but get the desired tone.
My main band was recording our first record this past winter, and I brought a bunch a different picks in the studio. I knew how the tone was affected when playing acoustic, but the big surprise was my electric tracks. I ended up using a much heavier pick (Blue Tortex) than before. It completely changed everything. My attack lightened up, but with the same 'ping' I wanted to hear. Not only was I easily getting the tone, but my playing REALLY improved. I wasn't hitting stuff so hard, so my timing, phrasing, dexterity, all cleaner and better, less hand fatigue. Faster jazz and country licks than I've ever been able to play, clean and sounding so good when I'm messing around at home.

Ever notice how radically the tone changes when a pick 'breaks in'? I've found when the pick is played a bit, it loses some stiffness, which softens the attack, as well as the edge. My picks get worn down on both sides from down and upstrokes. I need a new pick for every gig.

 

I used a stainless steel pick for a decade, the same one. We left it somewhere once and I drove well over an hour to find her, at which time I conclude we maybe too close?

For acoustic I use .46s.

For jazz I use .76s.

For rock I use 1.0s, this pick is half round on the rear and is super pointy, the way my ss pick is.

I still have my stainless and use her, but she never leaves the house now so she is safe. I know, it pathetic but I've held her in my hand for 5000+ hours.

 

I love Dunlop Ultex 1.14s myself. They never fall apart (which is important if you like doing the occasional string rake). They sound very vibrant and are very articulate, I can't imagine anything better (although to be honest, I haven't tried a lot of different picks, I just know I'm completely happy with them).

 

Same here...the .71 pinkish ones. Every now and then i'll try something else and use it for a while sometimes for months. But i always seem to come back to the derlins. Right now i'm on a clayton kick, and just like all the other picks i've used for a time i feel like they are going to stay. But i've been thru this way too many times to really believe that. No matter how much i think i love a new pick it always seems to give way to the old standby eventually. As to tone, i find theres a good bit of difference too. But oddly once i've used them for a while i no longer notice the difference as being so huge, so for me it really comes down to feel.

You'll find the pearloids will not last near as long, and if you don't like a pick with a rough edge you'll find the pearloid which is celluloid usually, will develop rough edge quickly. I sometimes like that, but i prefer a smooth edge, and derlins go much longer before the edge gets rough. At that point i just rub the edge back and fourth on my levi's and it smooths em out.

 

i just got this metal-tipped one on the bottom and it is great! i don't normally like metal picks, but it's only the tip that's metal on these; the rest of the pick's flexibility or rigidness is dependent on where you grip it. it's not even as pointy as i like it, but that doesn't seem to come into play at all with this pick. it sounds jangly on chords, & it's extremely precise for picking techniques. i've always liked their standard, "greenie," i like this one more! otherwise, my faves are the pointy pickboys:




ml

 

i hold my pick sideways.. i never use the "pointy" end.. so, the textured ones never work for me.. i use a tortise shell pick.. cant buy them (legally) in the states, but you wont get a duplicated tone from any plastic pic! cost about 20$ each... (come from japan i think) but i have not needed to buy new ones for YEARS.. they form to you playing style... pretty cool.. i originally used them as a flatpicking bluegrass acoustic player, but have found them to add some extra character to electric...

may be cruel.. but isnt that a cheeseburger in your hand??

 

I use my fingers about 70% of the time but when I do use a pick use one of these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20831&item=3779005477&rd=1

I bought my first one as a novelty item but wound up using it and LOVING it. They are the only picks I've used for almost a year now.

 

I used to use the Dava Control picks when they first came out (green nylon) and I just discovered the other day that I still have a bunch kicking around my "music room." From the looks of the previous post they've added a bunch more. (must try them)
For the last two years though I've used (exclusively) the Pyramid Blue picks. I get mine from Harri Koski at Custom Sounds. These picks have a very unique tone/reaction with the strings and I REALLY like them. They are slightly thicker (when compared to say Fender picks) and I like that. Sort of like a "thicker" medium without going all the way to "heavy."

Chuck

 

I too have been searching for some new picks. When I visited NAMM a few weeks ago I challenged some of the mfg's to "convinvce" me to change from my Claytons. The Jellyfish demo was interesting but not what I had in mind. I came home with lots of samples but seem to gravitate back to my old habits of late. Lots of fun though!

 

I recently ordered an $11 handmade wooden pick out of lignum vitae, one of the hardest and heaviest woods known to man (it sinks in water). The grip end is dipped in rubber.

I was expecting it to be a mellow sounding pick, but it's quite bright. Articulate as hell, though, and extremely accurate for speed picking. By now (after many hours with it) I would have expected it to be rounded down from wear, but it's still sharp as a tack. Not sure I love the tone for clean playing, as it really brings out the "ice pick in your ears" sound, but for overdriven tones, it's got a great bite.

I'd buy a bunch more, but at $11 a pop I can't afford to have them disappear in the couch or wherever.

 

Anytime I need a pick, I just go to the lint trap of my dryer.

 

So true!!!

 

Oh man! i had a SS pick about 17 years ago that i cherished -- i had shaped it to the perfect profile. always knew where it was. then i lost it. it was really a sad sad time. this is the first time i've thought about it in ages, but it was the absolute perfect pick. i tried to make another one but it was not the same. man, i was more crushed about losing that pick than probably half the women that have dumped me over the years.

doe you have a source for these anymore? haven't seen them advertised in ages....

baald