Looking for picks

S

sonicmayhem

Member
Messages
117
I currently am usin 1.00 mm donlop Tortex blue picks I like them but am open to new sugestions. What would you suggest and what tonal quarities do the pick add. This is one of the cheapest ways to change tone and so I am always looking for new ideas.
 
cubistguitar

cubistguitar

Member
Messages
5,863
I like the v-picks, but do not especially recommend the starter packs, cause i like the thicker stuff. I would buy a dimension junior, diamond, and maybe a dimension unbuffed.
 
thesjkexperienc

thesjkexperienc

^^^ I made this guitar^^^
Messages
4,718
Really the best thing to do is to try a few different shapes, sizes, thicknesses and materials to see what works with your hand and style. After using the traditional Fender style pick for 30 years I moved to a larger three sided pick and am liking it very much.

I'd look at Ultex, Delrin and even tortex in other thicknesses and shapes.

Generally, thicker picks sound fatter than thinner, pointy picks are brighter than more rounded/blunt picks given the material is the same.
 
N

niclake13

Member
Messages
1,199
See, for me, I'm always a small, thick pick guy. Large picks dig in too much. Thin picks flex, and don't offer me (personally) the control I desire. So I use Dunlop Tortex Jazz 1.14mm picks. I have over 200 sitting at home, in case they ever stop making them.
 
crawz

crawz

Member
Messages
712
I'd suggest that you use the search function and check out threads associated with these companies:
BlueChip, V-Picks, D'Andrea, Dugain, Red Bear Trading, Golden Gate, etc etc. Just with Jim Dunlop alone you'll have an amazingly deep selection to experiment with. You'll find heaps to read if you just start looking around with what's already been posted. It's no small factor in things the choices you make in terms of the overall shape/ size, specifically the tip shape, the material itself, if it's having a speed bevel vs. universal bevel etc. Player's tastes are all over the map. You'll have to try these for yourself. V-Picks website has a ton to check into and read up on. Do check out Jean-Charles Dugain's French website and all the varying clips of the different materials that he offers as played by three different types of instruments.
http://www.dugain-picks.fr/
That will be an education in and of itself.
Plenty of end-user YouTube videos exist as well that will help in telling the tale of what's right for you to check into.
 
N

niclake13

Member
Messages
1,199
I wish Dunlop/other companies had a "everything" pack. One of every size and style of pic in a package at a reasonable price. Lets peeps try them out and all that.
 
J

jessejsaunders

Member
Messages
23
The Golden Gate flatpick is really thick (no flexing) yet retains brightness, doesn't wear down like most celluloid picks, and the wide tip slides off the strings in a way I really like. Plus, the rounded triangle design means it's really 3 picks for $1.
 
coot tone

coot tone

Member
Messages
1,756
I love the old Herco Flex 50's. Good enough for Neil Young, Joe Walsh, and Mick Ralphs in their prime. Love the tone on acoustics and electrics.
 
mgrier1

mgrier1

Gold Supporting Member
Messages
1,144
My faves are:

http://www.picksandstones.com/

They are made in all popular sizes out of Brazilian and Montana Agate.

Finished smooth - they are beautiful. Better yet, they sound great and play very well...

They are so fast they seemed a bit slippery at first... However once I realized it was the lack of resistance against the string, I modulated my pick stroke appropriately, and was capable of far more speed and accuracy.

Expensive but worth it!

My Best,

Mike
 
wundergussy

wundergussy

Silver Supporting Member
Messages
9,527
I would get a bunch at once and really swap in and out. If you don't want to spend more than 50 cents or so on a pick, stick with Dunlop and play around with different sizes, thicknesses, and materials. If you want to spend a little bit, try a few Vpicks/Pickboys/Wegens, etc. I would do that before investing in a Red Bear or Blue Chip just to see if this is a road you want to travel.
 
AD

AD

Platinum Supporting Member
Messages
3,756
I just went through an exercise of going through a bunch of picks: Vpicks, RedBear, BlueChip, etc....I ended up with Gator Dunlop 2.0mm.....incredibly smooth and sound great...and you can afford to lose them :) . I had been using Jazz III's for quite some time and the Jazz sound thin now and with less control.
 
Blues Lyne

Blues Lyne

Member
Messages
3,465
I'm really liking Pickboy Cellulose picks. I use .75, but have also used the 1.0mm. I'm using the T-Shell triangles or the rainbow triangles (slightly different shape), but the standard shape ones are great also. They just have a tone and feel that works for me. There is less pick noise and a fuller sound that what I get from other celluloid picks of the same shape and thickness.
 
Agreed

Agreed

Member
Messages
1,647
AD said:
I just went through an exercise of going through a bunch of picks: Vpicks, RedBear, BlueChip, etc....I ended up with Gator Dunlop 2.0mm.....incredibly smooth and sound great...and you can afford to lose them :) . I had been using Jazz III's for quite some time and the Jazz sound thin now and with less control.
Click to expand...
I do not prefer them to the range of crafted picks I've got, but nonetheless the Gator Grip 2.0mm are pretty good picks for the money, they don't wear badly. I think step one to using them is to wash them with dishwashing liquid, get them down to the material itself. The powdery stuff is just awful imo and adds nothing useful!

One of the better mass-produced picks I think. I also, for affordable but good sounding picks, dig the Tekpick or Techpick or whatever it's called, the Brass one. And for three years or so I used Dunlop 3.0mm Big Stubbies as my main pick. The Stubby bevel wears down way more quickly than I'd like, though, I had to keep extras on hand or just get used to a duller sounding and more "resistant" feeling pick as it wore further.

Really glad to be using a combination of many fine (and very affordable in the scheme of things!) V-Picks, several wonderful sounding and very smooth playing Surfpicks (heck, Ra even made a "Baker" model named after me, really cool of him), a great Blue Chip that's unusually thick and has superb glide and tone which I bought from a gent I met here at TGP, and some very fine Dugain plectra (just put in an order for some from Monsieur Dugain today, looking forward to their arrival some time in the next couple of weeks hopeflly!). I have kept a couple Big Stubby 3.0mm to compare, and frankly there just isn't any comparison. I always try them with the picks I've got in, don't want to just be fooling myself, no point in that, but so far it's been one vindication of the craftsmanship inherent in the really nice picks after another. But yes, they are expensive compared to Dunlop's stuff, and it isn't that Dunlop's stuff is bad, there are just other options which are clearly the products of people who have honed their craftsmanship over years and years. I value that "craft" element, and thankfully it's not just an aesthetic quality, but an audible one as well :)

Just don't ask me which I'd choose if I could only use products from one maker. Vinni has the broadest range of sounds and styles available in one material, and the things he accomplishes with acrylic are amazing, but I love the not-at-all subtle differences between materials. It's been a fun and engrossing education for me.
 
Stonebandit

Stonebandit

Member
Messages
1,778
If you're used to the Dunlop Blues, as I do check these out. I was on a hunt myelf a little while back.
- D'andrea Cool Plecs (tats series) (Heavy Guage). They last well, wear evenly without chipping, cut grooving or delaminating. And have a nice rebound response.
Available thru - http://store.guitarcore.com/coolplecs.htmlRight hand side column.

Or

- PickBoy Celltex Heavy Flag Rising Sun. These guys are a bit stiffer, the wear is even and feel good in the hand.
Available thru MusicLandCentral on E-Bay, item 290560638876

I have all three in my pockets all day and cycle thru them. There are some nice subtle distinctions between the different picks which is handy so that you are not drastically having to change your style.

I hit those string pretty hard regularly, and they all hold up well whilst also maintaining their point for detailed work.

Got to say that I really like the D'andrea's. The texture of the pick is unlike any others I've used.
If you PM me I ordered a batch medium Gauges that I won't be using, so if you were after something a bit softer, these may well be the go.
Im pretty happy with the Heavies. I could also give you one of the Heavy Cool Plecs and a PickBoy Celltex for you to try out to see if they suit you.
D'andrea's come in at around 12 for $5.99, whilst the PickBoys are slighty steeper around the dollar mark(or near enough to...)

Better head back into work.
PM me, it's all easy from there...
 
John Thigpen

John Thigpen

Silver Supporting Member
Messages
3,758
I'm never satisfied, especially if it's off the shelf. I've been through Red Bear, V-picks, Dugain and others, but my current favorite is unobtainium.

I like the shape and size of the Dunlop Jazz XL, but not crazy about the material. I really like the Ultex Sharp 2.0 except for the shape, so I trace the Jazz XL shape on the Ultex with a Sharpie and then start grinding away. Fortunately the sharp end is nearly a perfect match, so I only have to grind away the top of the pick. The first one took me about half an hour, but I should get faster as I make more. That Ultex is hard! Unfortunately, I can't find all the Ultex Sharp 2.0's that I bought a month or two ago.

I'm loving the only one I've done, though.

John
 
Stonebandit

Stonebandit

Member
Messages
1,778
John make sure you empty your pockets before washing. If that pick goes missing, I could see manic depression headed your way.

I had misplaced all my D'andrea picks, bar one. Then some days I would leave it in a safe spot for later. And yeah safe spots are great for Later
... Way later...

Our Local store stopped carrying D'andrea, so now I get them shipped from
'States.

http://store.guitarcore.com/coolplecs.html
 
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