Gray and rainy day here in the North of Spain.
I was playing some guitar and drinking coffee while trying to figure out the harmony on Chick Corea's "Windows" when the hipster inside me thought it would be cool to take some photos of my pick collection.
I've been a classical player since I was 7 years, and tone nuances/refinements are something we are taught since we grow our first fingernail. So, when I began to study electric guitar, although most of the time I use fingerstyle of hybrid picking, I got interested in all the different picks you could get out there.
Here's my arsenal (some others got lost or were given to friends):
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Hr2ERTXt4Tw/VHSdvXNp3LI/AAAAAAAACzc/3a727a9xlFw/w683-h513-no/IMG_0345.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uTaMaXrWjaE/VHSd4_40iAI/AAAAAAAAC04/ZI5A62UyQiM/w683-h197-no/IMG_0358.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qWoWSQO4B1A/VHSd2iSYLDI/AAAAAAAAC0o/LYUYrNRVXL8/w683-h623-no/IMG_0354.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y2GEIzENdoc/VHSd3eoYWFI/AAAAAAAAC0s/gd0Zr1aEdnU/w616-h667-no/IMG_0356.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pIi6gFTdUyg/VHSd3LIdIjI/AAAAAAAAC0g/_H0462RCl2Y/w683-h148-no/IMG_0355.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xSLKjJq3TRw/VHSd2AHmnJI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/RKOCbMTONfA/w683-h387-no/IMG_0353.JPG)
The question is: are you picky about picks?
window's view by the way:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Dze9KtdaCpY/VHSd7YksM6I/AAAAAAAAC1M/v5-UrxUpADU/w958-h639-no/IMG_0360.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-87w-hYo2tC8/VHSd8S7q83I/AAAAAAAAC1c/9ERiM0i6KH8/w958-h639-no/IMG_0362.JPG)
Man what a great collection!
I am kinda picky about plectrums but I don't spend oodles of money on them. Right now I'm really liking the JAZZIII XL Ultex, the MaxXGrip 1.14, and a Gravity pick. I have a fat V-Pick which I use occasionally. All of them sound completely different. I'd like to try other new ones out.
I really want to check some models from Timbertones, but they're quite expensive. The picks with a hole in the center are my most recent discovery and I'm digging them a lot, they're hand made by a guy here in Spain (JN Serret) and cost about 2 € ($2.5 aprox) each one (which I find reasonable enough).
I've noticed that after getting used to the smaller sized picks like the Jazz III I have a hard time using a regular sized pick. My all time favorite is Fender 451 it's the same shape as the standard 351 but the size of a Jazz III. Unfortunately they are impossible to find in stores so I have been using the Eric Johnson Jazz III which is a standard jazz III but with more grip.
Richard
Quote from: Shrtyska9 on November 25, 2014, 03:40:17 PM
I've noticed that after getting used to the smaller sized picks like the Jazz III I have a hard time using a regular sized pick. My all time favorite is Fender 451 it's the same shape as the standard 351 but the size of a Jazz III. Unfortunately they are impossible to find in stores so I have been using the Eric Johnson Jazz III which is a standard jazz III but with more grip.
Richard
I highly recommend you to try the Dunlop Ultex Jazz III - same profile, more grip and warmer tone
I like the Tortex Pitch Black Jazz III. They can slip out of your fingers if you're not careful, though.
Yeah I grabbed a pack a while ago but I only can find one. They are great.
Richard
Quote
I highly recommend you to try the Dunlop Ultex Jazz III - same profile, more grip and warmer tone
+1 for this recommendation. These are my main picks now. Only downside is the transparent toenail-ish colour causes them to be lost quite easily. Buy more then one pick ;D
I always thought that tone was in the pedals
I used to be very picky about picks -- to the point that I'd carve my own out of plexiglass. I quit using picks for about 10 or 15 years and I still mostly play without them. When I did start playing with picks again, I went through a bunch of different types and profiles. I've pretty much settled on the Dunlop 205's, although I will try out new picks if I happen to see them somewhere and they look interesting.
I was REALLY hoping tone was in the picks ... or the pedals ... or something ... my novice guitar hands still aren't delivering in full.
I received some free V-picks (http://v-picks.com/ (http://v-picks.com/)) with a humbucker order from a small builder. Not cheap picks if you're buying them (and the clear ones are hard to find when you drop them), but they're nice and grippy and the different models do seem to vary tone-wise.
Tone here!
(http://s26.postimg.org/tdceilpsp/tonehere.jpg)
Damn! You see, I looked at that pic and thought: I NEED that headband!
I gravitate towards the Dunlop Tortex .88s for electric and 0.60 for acoustic. I can't/don't play with the celluloid ones, cause I just end up shredding them (literally).
Picked up some of the Tusq picks the other day. Really nice feel and grip to them, haven't played them enough to determine if the properties of the picks are as advertised (Deep, bright, warm).
Have a bin full of other picks (Jazz IIIs, stubbies, Ultex, Delrin, Nylon, felt, wood, brass, Dava, etc, etc, etc), but 90% of the time I reach for the green (0.88) Tortex.
i use maxgrip jazz iii almost exclusively. cant stand "regular" size picks anymore :)
regular j3 were slipping all the time, maxgrips are great and i keep coming back to them.
V-pick Screamer for electric and acoustic, would like to try some of the fatter ones as well, next order...
Used to use various thicknesses of Tortex but once i got the 'V' no going back.
I actually have and use and like a variety of picks also, but I haven't got a photo of my collection handy.
I have a couple of these Dunlop 'stubby' picks I like quite a bit. For a long time I used a 1mm one, and then my mom had one of mine cast by a jewellery maker she worked for, so I ended up with a pair of them in sterling silver (really cool sound). Don't have any of the originals, but I still have the silver ones. I do have a 2mm one, which is HUGE, and a couple of the 1mm jazz size which are really good for lead playing.
I've been leaning more and more to Jazz sizes for electric and full size for acoustic. So I have a couple different jazz sized picks for electric playing, and I'll have to try some of the above suggestions.
For acoustic rhythm playing I've always liked the Dunlop Tortex 'orange' picks, but a while back I picked up this variety pack of these Dava picks which I've been gravitating to. They're a Delrin material, which I really like the sound of, and they're a bit thicker, but they have a rubber grip build into them, and a flex point as well, so depending on where you hold the pick you'll get a thinner or thicker feel. I'm using some of the jazz sized version for electric playing, and I use the larger 'regular' sized ones for acoustic rhythm.
Jacob
i use my nails mostly. nothing beats the feel of something attached to your finger. and i never drop my fingernail. :)
when i do use picks i use the dava w grips. i'm kind of heavy-handed so i find having a flexible pick helps me not murder everything so much on electric. the rubbery texture gives a softer sound, but a lot of that depends on how you play anyway imho.
I use Dunlop "Jazztone" 204 exclusively, in combination with hybrid picking.
Quote from: Haberdasher on November 25, 2014, 05:36:47 PM
and i never drop my fingernail. :)
That would be painful!
I used to use Dunlop Tortex but I started using Lollar picks and can't see myself looking back anytime soon. Very unique sounding/feeling pick. Got one with a p-90 purchase and once it took on a good bevel I knew I had to order more.
http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LGP&Product_Code=BagOfPics (http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LGP&Product_Code=BagOfPics)
:o Just checked and it looks like they don't sell them anymore!
I dropped all of mine and can't find them. ;D
Quote from: pickdropper on November 25, 2014, 10:22:57 PM
I dropped all of mine and can't find them. ;D
Exactly.
I'm not too picky.
I did have a really nice 2mm wooden pick once. It was the perfect balance between defined pick attack and soft finger attack.
Other wise i use the pink Dunlop Delrin picks with a bandaid wrapped around it. These picks wear down pretty fast, but I'm fine with that. I use the worn down picks on treble guitar to try and neutralize the attack on those thin strings.
For me it goes like this:
Bass: Fingers only.
Guitar: Purple Tortex (whatever thickness that is). No special reason other than I don't drop them as much as other picks and they're thick enough to stand up to the .012s I string my guitars with except for...
Twelve String: Something mediumish (using a Function (F)x pick currently) mainly because of the lighter string gauges on the twelve and not wanting to restring that bitch any more than is absolutely necessary.
(I strum like a gorilla.)
The guys at the LA pedal Show were passing out V-Picks last year, and I picked one up. It looked a little ridiculous to me so I put it away until, I was listening to the Amps & Axes podcast (great show by the way) and Vinny from V-Picks was the guest. That show peaked my interest and I pulled out my old free v-pick. You know what, I actually really dig them! I think I got a Medium Pointed, but was just one the website and gonna pick up one of the screamer Models. They are pricey, but in the grand scheme of things, 4 bucks isnt that much for new inspiration and possibly breaking out of old playing habits. Cool things happen under those circumstances. Which V-Pick models are you into?
Herco Gold nylon. Not fancy but very practical. Great grip and you can use one for five sets a night for a year. If you don't lose it but...
Tone is the combination of everything; The tree your guitar started as, the craftsmanship of the guitar builder, your hands, your pick, the strings, your technique, if electric the pickups the electronics the preamp the power amp, the speakers as well as the acoustic environment. Last but not least the ears that hear and the mind that perceives. Tone is so cool it is beyond putting into a box....
Dad uses the lightest Dunlop nylon pick (the pure white one), really light acoustic strings, and compensates by strumming the living crap out of them.
I use a Dunlop nylon 0.66, I think. I use a heavier one on the resonator. Fingernails when I'm doing single note, though, the pick is just for strumming!
What's amazing is I've used the SAME pick every day for about 4 years now - Buffalo horn pick from Brossard. It's thick, slick and sounds great for strumming and digging in.
So am I the only one still using Fender heavy picks like a neanderthal?
Dunlop Jazz III's only. I need something that's thick and small as I can't play with anything that's thin and big. I used to be able to play bigger picks but now they feel clumsy. Never could play with thin picks. To me they feel like they're flapping about like a playing card on a bike's wheel.
I know from U2 message boards that the tribute Edge's swear Edge's chime comes from using blue Herdim picks and using the broad holding side ultimately I believe that true tone comes from one's hands and mind. Not a piece of gear. Any famous guitarist will still sound like himself, no matter the guitar or rig he's playing. Sad news for beginning guitarists who want to sound like their heroes probably, as there is no wonder pedal or gear piece that will make you sound exactly like your hero. But on the plus side, think of how incredibly dull musicians would sound if they could all sound like their heroes from the start? And the long search that it takes to try and emulate your heroes ultimately leads to develop your own tone. After all, great guitarists like Brian May didn't start wanting to sound like themselves, they wanted to sound like their heroes as well. In the end its the journey, not the destination, that makes it interesting, and the journey might take you to interesting and unexpected places you never had in mind if you had an instantaneous 'get there at once' magical button.
I use 0.96 Dunlop Riffs (the fluro green ones) exclusively. It sounds a bit wanky but it's to the point that I fudge notes constantly if I use something else. I arrived at that gauge after breaking strings a little to frequently with the purple tortex 1.14mm and the 1.0 black nylons. The .88 greys and .93s felt too flimsy, and I hardly ever break a string with these (D'addario XL 9-46).
The sad thing is that the Riffs don't come in separate gauge lots - they come in a mixed jar - so I usually buy $20-$30 dollars worth at a time, shifting through the jar. On the upside I get the other gauges for my students to use when they don't bring their own.
I should start renting picks out though, as I probably go through $80 a year on picks for the kids as they quite often forget to give them back (and I forget to get them back) at the end of the lesson.
Quote from: Frag Magnet on November 26, 2014, 12:27:08 AM
Bass: Fingers only.
x100. Using a pick on bass is like...well, I don't know what but it's wrong I tells ya! You get so much more sound out of finger playing. There is a certain type of bass line where a pick can be good like really driving 8th note stuff. But, I don't play no punk rock.
Quote from: icecycle66 on November 25, 2014, 11:12:57 PM
Quote from: pickdropper on November 25, 2014, 10:22:57 PM
I dropped all of mine and can't find them. ;D
Exactly.
I'm not too picky.
I did have a really nice 2mm wooden pick once. It was the perfect balance between defined pick attack and soft finger attack.
Other wise i use the pink Dunlop Delrin picks with a bandaid wrapped around it. These picks wear down pretty fast, but I'm fine with that. I use the worn down picks on treble guitar to try and neutralize the attack on those thin strings.
I wasn't actually saying they made no difference, I was just being silly based on my user name.
I used to really like Jazz IIIs, but once I got used to them I didn't feel as comfortable with larger picks, plus they aren't as good (for me) for strumming and sweeping.
Lately, I've been using the Cool picks, which are sort of an overpriced ripoff. They're about a $1, which isn't too bad, except they don't last terribly long. They are basically a glorified Fender style pick with a sharper point and some coating on the top that helps your grip. I wish I could find them in bulk.
Quote from: pickdropper on November 26, 2014, 01:37:26 PM
Quote from: icecycle66 on November 25, 2014, 11:12:57 PM
Quote from: pickdropper on November 25, 2014, 10:22:57 PM
I dropped all of mine and can't find them. ;D
Exactly.
I'm not too picky.
I did have a really nice 2mm wooden pick once. It was the perfect balance between defined pick attack and soft finger attack.
Other wise i use the pink Dunlop Delrin picks with a bandaid wrapped around it. These picks wear down pretty fast, but I'm fine with that. I use the worn down picks on treble guitar to try and neutralize the attack on those thin strings.
I wasn't actually saying they made no difference, I was just being silly based on my user name.
I used to really like Jazz IIIs, but once I got used to them I didn't feel as comfortable with larger picks, plus they aren't as good (for me) for strumming and sweeping.
Lately, I've been using the Cool picks, which are sort of an overpriced ripoff. They're about a $1, which isn't too bad, except they don't last terribly long. They are basically a glorified Fender style pick with a sharper point and some coating on the top that helps your grip. I wish I could find them in bulk.
I was agreeing with you in that I am constantly dropping picks never to find them again. That awesome wood pick I had; i have no idea where it is.
I go back and forth between pick and no pick through the course of a song, depending on what sort of sound I want for a given section. When I switch back and forth I drop the picks and usually have to get a new one. By the rime I'm finished there are two or three picks on the floor somewhere, only a couple of which I'll actually be able to find.
Bass is exceptionally sensitive to picks, particularly the flexibility of the pick. That's why I like the Dunlop pink ones. They are thick enough to pull the lower E and B strings, but flexible enough not to pull too hard on the G and C strings.
Fred Kelly Slick Pick and three latex salon nails for me. Never have dropped a thumb pick ;)
I don't have to drop picks to lose them, all I have to do is put them down on the amp/coffee table/chair/guitar case and they disappear. Same thing with headstock tuners, I have four of the PW ones, but if I can find one at any given time, I'm having a good day.
Quote from: madbean on November 26, 2014, 12:16:32 PM
Quote from: Frag Magnet on November 26, 2014, 12:27:08 AM
Bass: Fingers only.
x100. Using a pick on bass is like...well, I don't know what but it's wrong I tells ya! You get so much more sound out of finger playing. There is a certain type of bass line where a pick can be good like really driving 8th note stuff. But, I don't play no punk rock.
I used to be kind of a snob about it but at this point it comes down to the fact that I can get pretty damn close to that sound but with a bit more meat on it (which sounds better to me anyway) yet also have all of those other sounds instantly available... without having to palm the pick or something.
The best is to pull out a pick just before you "try out" an expensive classical guitar. Watch people's reaction. Nnnnooooooooooo!!!!!! (slow-motion replay)
Quote from: pickdropper on November 26, 2014, 01:37:26 PM
I used to really like Jazz IIIs, but once I got used to them I didn't feel as comfortable with larger picks, plus they aren't as good (for me) for strumming and sweeping.
(http://troll.me/images/asdasdasdasdasdasd/watch-out-guys-we-got-a-badass-over-here.jpg)
laugh.
Jacob
I've been using V-Picks "Small Lite" or "Medium Lite" pretty much exclusively for the past 3 years or so. I bought half a dozen when they were on sale for $2 and have managed only to lose one so far.
Quote from: madbean on November 27, 2014, 09:40:18 AM
Quote from: pickdropper on November 26, 2014, 01:37:26 PM
I used to really like Jazz IIIs, but once I got used to them I didn't feel as comfortable with larger picks, plus they aren't as good (for me) for strumming and sweeping.
(http://troll.me/images/asdasdasdasdasdasd/watch-out-guys-we-got-a-badass-over-here.jpg)
Haha, I am living proof that practicing doesn't always make you an expert.
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