DUer guitarists, what type of pick do you favor?

[freethought]

Kind of a dumb question, I know, but bear with me.
I've returned to playing after an absence of several years and I reevaluating the way I play. Trying different ways to hold the pick, type and weight of picks, how I hold my non picking fingers and the like.
The thickness of the picks are kind of a problem. Heavier ones have their advantages but so do lighter picks as well. This is still and ongoing process. I slightly favor Tortex .50 mm from Dunlop just because I find it is less work to get a note out.

I'm just seeking some outisde opinions from other player on the picks they use and why.

Thanx in Advance,

Freethought

[DrDan]

1. Dunlop Ultex 73

not a dumb question at all, IMO

I play acoustic guitars, primarily, but like this pick on my electric also

[freethought]

2. What type of pick is the Ultex?

Is it heavy and thick or a lighter pick? What makes you favor that pick?

[DrDan]

3. you can get the ultex in either a lighter version

I think like a .6, or a heavier version - over 1.something.

I find them to be indestructible and offer a good bright sound that I like on my acoustics.

btw, I use a corner of the pick, not the tip.

I am not into heavy-duty playing right now - if I were and could generate a cleaner sound, I would move to a heavier pick - the .73 offers some forgiveness

[freethought]

6. Using the corner and not the tip of the pick eh? Hmmm.

That's not the first time I have heard or saw someone using that method. I'll have to give it a try.

[Idylle Moon Dancer]

4. fingernails

unbeatable, IMHO.
Before I went fingerstyle, I liked Tortex 1.0, and heavy strings.
Got great tone with that combo.

[freethought]

7. Thanks for the input, unfortunately

I can't finger pick to save my own life. Guess I'll have to work on that too!

[freethought]

5. I believe I am seeing the wisdom in using the corner of a pick

I have been trying the technique of using a pick's corner and not the tip for the last few days.
I think I can see the advantage in using it in this fashion. I also have read that some well known pros use the same method.

It seems as if you get less resistance from the string by using that blunt corner. It seems easier when you trying to speed pick. You do tend to get that 'scrape' that come through for just the briefest of times before the note rings. It tends to get heavier if you're playing heavily distorted.

One problem I do see is that when you pick up your instrument, one tends to pick up the pick and hold it with the point at the ready. It's almost as if some sort of instinct tells you to hold the pick that way.

I'll keep trying it and see what happens.
Hey, maybe I can modify some picks with file or emory board, blunt down that tip some.

[DrDan]

8. well - not always

I pick up my ultex with the corner at the ready - anything else feels out of place

[cleofus1]

9. i've seen wooden picks for sale on the internet

never tryed one tho...anyone ever used one?

[countryken]

44. Wooden picks

At one point I bouoght two of them, I think they were rosewood and ebony - mainly just to try them out. I thought the sound and feel of them were fine - they were very comfortable to hold, but since I generally use the generic 'medium' plastic picks, they're really too different for me to use on a regular basis. If they still happen to be at the bottom of my 'Official Pittsburgh Steeler Guitar Accessory Ashtray', I'll be glad to drop them into an envelop and send 'em to you. Send me your snailmail address and I'll get 'em to you. Send to "kenconnors at bellsouth.net".

-Ken in Jax

[ProfessorGAC]

10. I've Gone To Thins

I use the Fender thins that are sort of rounded triangle. There is more to grab onto than a regular heart shaped pick, which is especially important since i do a lot of fan picking.

I don't let a whole lot of the pick out from between the thumb and forefinger (keeps the tip of the thumb close to the string for false harmonics) so a thin is best. It doesn't get "floppy" because only a little of the pick shows.

Lastly, for pick noises i like thins better too, since they make less noise but fit into the imperfections of the strings to give cool noises.
The Professor

[bullimiami]

12. whats fan picking? ive always used heavy small picks.

used to use the little fender oval things, heavy. now ive been using the litle dunlop nylon triangles, pretty heavy too.

[ProfessorGAC]

Answer

Sorry, i've been gone for a bit.

Fan picking is the very fast tremolo picking that comes all from the elbow and wrist. The fingers stay quite still. (Think Dick Dale! Better still, think mandolin!) With a thicker pick, i find the pick makes too loud a click and causes the sound to be a little too harsh.

I like the pick to cause the attack, but i don't want to actually hear the pick hitting the strings. That's probably the main reason i use thins, aside from the noise possibilities they open up.
The Professor

[bullimiami]

14. ahh. i cant do that. always felt too uncontrolled or sloppy for me.

ie i cant coordinate fingers with picking that way.

thanks.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Darn It!

Dupe

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Dupe

.

[DrDan]

15. for anyone interested in a really hard pick

http://starmediagroup.web.aplus.net/wwwmeteoriteguitarpickscom/index.html

$110 and up and you can have one . . .

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

16. lol, I call price gouging if I see a pick over $1.50

Granted, I get $.30 Jim Dunlap .88mm

[greyl]

17. Usually pickless, but Everly when using one.

It's the best at preventing unwanted sweat-induced rotation in my experience. ;)

[leftofthedial]

18. my fingers

I hate using a plectrum.

[Sammy Pepys]

19. Dunlop Tortex

Either a .60mm or .73mm depending on what I feel like using that day.

[opiate69]

20. Dunlop Nylon - .73s

[CrownPrinceBandar]

32. Same ones I use.

Dunlop .73's or the gold Hercos

[paulk]

21. jim dunlop nylon .46mm

I don't know why, I've always used really thin picks. They just felt right.

I feel like I have more control with a thin, flexible pick.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

22. Fender model 358 jazz pick, heavy

It's also called a mandolin pick. That's the fastest playing pick I've ever found. Gibson used to make a similar small jazz pick but I can't find them anymore. I switched to fingerstyle on nylon strings a few years ago, but occasionally I play on steel strings. For that, I've devised a way of both playing fingerstyle and using a pick. I've put a hole in the center of a little jazz pick and two notches on the edges, one at the upper side and one at the lower side. I put a small rubber band through the hole in the center and loop it back through the notches and then slip it on my thumb. It lets me hold the pick between my thumb and index finger when I put them together, as I would normally do for picking. But when I use the pad of my thumb and the fingers for fingerstyle playing, the pick stays out of the way and remains attached to the thumb. If the rubber band is small enough and thick enough, the pick stays very tightly on the thumb but still allows enough of the thumb pad to be exposed for regular fingerstyle playing. It allows for instant transition between fingerstyle and pick playing, which works better for me on steel strings.

[leftofthedial]

23. I keep my fingernails long so they click when I play the piano

actually, they break when I play the piano, so I've learned to play guitar with my fingers with short nails.

[abq e streeter]

35. Joe Ely-- but can't remember who wrote it (don't think it was Joe)

there's a great video of Joe singing Fingernails at Gruene (sp.?) Hall, 1985---killer band including Dave Grissom (later with Mellencamp and Dixie Chicks) on lead guitar, and Bobby keys (Rolling Stones) on sax...

[Zodiak]

24. I have used Dunlop Tortex...

picks for my bass since 1985. I do not play often with a pick, anymore, but I still use the Dunlop (the green ones). I like the durability and the course design, which does not slip through my fingers easily. Also, the pick does not crack like the petroleum-based ones do.

I haven't been playing electric guitar long enough to know what kind of pick I like (been playing it for six months after a looong time being a purist bass player), but I know it isn't a soft one. Way too flimsy for my tastes.

[Rockit]

25. Definately dunlop tortex

I think in any gauge they are better than for instance, fender picks. They do not get brittle and break, nor do they get all slippery when wet.
But I personally prefer the 73's.

[calimary]

40. My son uses Dunlop Tortex, too. The green one.

Can't read the gauge number on the ones he leaves around here, though - he's worn 'em off. But he will have nothing else.

[freethought]

26. Dunlop Jazz III's

Tried a few after reading a few big names use them regularly. John Petrucci, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson, and a few other names.
They are very stiff and are smaller than the Tortex picks. Thick too. They take some getting used to. First because of their size but the upside is that you tend to keep a better hold on the pick.
With other picks, they tend to shift position in use and can wind up at weird angles.
They articulate quite well. The tip of the pick comes to a sharp point .

I'll stick with these for a little while and practice with them. In time I am sure I will get used to the way they handle and, hopefully, I'll be able to improve speed and accuracy.

I still can't fingerpick to save my life.

[XNASA]

28. I just started using those.

For leads......you can't beat 'em.

[whatchamacallit]

43. I use them too, and like EJ prefer the red ones (n/t)

[Blue-Jay]

27. Acoustic: yellow tortex. Electric: green tortex.

[Jamastiene]

29. Any brand, I use delrin picks, medium thickness.

.88 is perfect for me. Anything over or under is either too thick or too light. I break anything less than .88 so it's a waste of money in that case. I will use heavier picks with little trouble.

[freethought]

30. Actually, I found a pick that I like that Ibanez makes

Found them online but I haven't been able to find them in shops locally. They are slightly smaller that the typical pick. There is an area on each side of the pick that is coated with an abrasive grip area. I am finding them to be ideal. I just have to order a supply of them.

[chaska]

31. Does anyone know of a pick of med to heavy thickness that does not flex....

at all?

I've used stainless steel picks on electric for decades and they work great, except that the material doesn't always have the best tone. I can't use them on acoustic.

I've tried everything, including many I've made myself ... from damn near everything. Plexiglass is about as close as I've gotten, but it too flexes. Plastic is the preferred material - mother of pearl is stiff but wears out too quickly, and again, not the best tone.

[ProfessorGAC]

33. Have You Tried Stone?

Min'd Pick makes a whole bunch of different stone picks. Many thicknesses, and many types of stone. I've had a few myself. Different stone has different tone! (Hey poetry!)

I had one from onyx, another of granite, and another from polished feldspar. I'd say the latter had the softest tone and the least "ping" of stone against metal.

There are not terribly thick but they definitely do not flex. There are other companies out there that make stone picks as well.

Lastly, there are some bass picks of polysulfone that are extremely firm and are transparent in many colors. They're a lot cheaper than stone picks which makes experimenting a lot easier, since mistakes cost 40cents instead of ten dollars.
GAC

[Throd]

34. I make my own by cutting up credit cards.

They have a "medium" feel to them and I can shape them however I want. I like to make them about 50% bigger than normal picks.

[Flabbergasted]

36. Any medium with hard gloss plastic.

[DarkTirade]

37. I'm a freak... I can't use a regular pick.

It's either bare fingers or thumbpick for me. :)

[KatyMan]

38. usually

thumb and fingers (I can't call it fingerpicking, per se :) ), but when using a pick, I always use Jim Dunlop nylon .88mm, the grey ones. Love em.

ETA,

I usually strum with my index finger fingernail, holding my hand like I'm holding a pick.

[KatyMan]

39. Didn't Chris Squire used to use a coin

or something like that? I've googled but can't find anything, but I swear I remember hearing that.

[here_is_to_hope]

41. Brian May used a sixpence or something....

From what I recall.
I use Fender thins, ten a show as I break them almost one per song (yes, heavy handed percussive player), love them but the breaking thing...argh!

[SoFlaJet]

42. I like Jim Dunlop picks

I use a .60 it's a grey pick and what I like about them is they are rough where you hold it-it has like a grip to it

[BarbaRosa]

45. When I use a pick (bass player),

I use a Jim Dunlop .88mm.

[Iggo]

46. Three different ones, depending on what I'm playing...

...and what guitar I'm playing it on.

.63 Clayton for big strumming on the dreadnought. Real flexible.

.66 Dunlop Tortex green for strumming with a lot of picking on the dread, or if I'm playing songs on the electric with a lot of strumming.

JD Jazz III for straight ahead metal and beyond on the electric the (The red ones. They're easier to see. I can never find the black ones.) If I could get my upstrokes to sound like my downstrokes with this pick I might be able to eliminate the Tortex. Not there yet, though. I keep getting stuck going up.

[old mark]

47. Mostly Fender Thins, with the palm tree. Sometimes other types of thin picks,

mainly Cactus.

I like the feel and sound they give me, and they seem to suit my playing style.

mark

[earcandle]

48. J Neo Marvin says " my favor is Jim Dunlop 60mm or75 mm, it has

a rough surface that doesn't slip off your fingers.

And it feels good to play.

[freethought]

49. Actually I found some picks to my liking

I dropped off one of my guitars for intonation/neck adjustment at a Sam Ash. When I retrieved it they left in a the case a few complimentary Sam Ash black picks. They don't even have the thickness printed anywhere on them but I have found them to my liking. Not overly thick and stumbly but their not too thin and floppy either. Next time I go there I will have to by a bunch.
Thanks for everyone for their input!!

[Swamp Rat]

50. I've been using my fingernails for the past 24 years, but when I did use a pick

I used to make them myself out of very thick plexiglass. I went to a local Cadillac dealer and got a remnant sheet of 1/8 in. thick plexiglass (which I still have), used my mom's jigsaw to cut out various rough shapes, then ground down the edges with my father's grinder and mill files. Then I spent hours and hours sanding and buffing each pick to my tastes and needs. My final formula was to use the basic Fender pick shape, but bevel the middle so it would be very easy to grip. The thickness made the pick totally rigid, but the tip was sloped to a smooth, rounded point. I was able to play blazing fast scales with this type of pick.

Btw, I have returned to playing guitar after a decade of playing percussion. Maybe this would be a good time for you to try using your fingers instead of a pick (or both). I say this, though, from the perspective of a classical/flamenco guitarist who mostly plays on nylon string guitars. I would not want to damage my fingernails on a steel string. When playing my Gibson SG, I usually use a pick.