Picks

[elmariachi]

Hey im just wondering what picks everyone uses and if this is actually related to the style you play. I found it interesting that alot of non jazz players use those small jazz II red picks (e.g eric johnson). Recently started using them and im finding it reall nice! Less contact area = improved speed and dexterity for me although its taking some getting used to!!

Any thoughts?

[AndyPollow]

you might lose only a tiny bit of speed but i think its worth it cuz i LOVE clayton 1.52mm and i use a metal file to make the tip really sharp ( i got the idea from al dimeola ) you can buy dunlop sharpies is similar but mine are wider - only sharp at the tip. it makes a perfect tone every time even without distortion - you can especially hear a big difference sweeping arpeggios.

[LaughingSkull]

I like them small and firm. I use Ibanez Paul Gilbert signtr.

[Joe Pass Jr]

yes i like small firm breasts also ;)

As for picks. I play jazz and despite most other jazz guitarists i know. I hate using those small stubby 'jazz' picks. Although they may help speed, they aren't great for tone as far as I'm concerned. I use Jim Dunlop XH picks. They are about 1.2 - 1.5 mm or so. Also I use the round side, not the pointy end which the majority of people use. For me it gives a much punchier fuller tone when rest picking (which is just about always ) and honestly I don't find it an issue for faster tempos either.

[elmariachi]

Yeah i used really wide picks for the last 6 years and a friend recommended the jazz picks. Wish id found them sooner! As far as tone goes i find them a nice change. I feel i can get a better control of my tone beause of the improvement in accuracy. Thats interesting about filing picks. Never even thought of doing that! I suppose you could create a 'hybrid' of the two which could work. Im going to continue using these for the time being. Kinda reinforces the whole idea of trying something new on the guitar!

[NG7]

I use 2mm stubbies coz they look cool and they're small.

The tips kind of wear out quicky though, they're sort of more round than they used to be. But that's ok, they don't sound bad.

[magpie74]

90% of the time I use Dunlop Tortex 1.0mm. They're about the only picks I can keep a grip on and can take a lot of abuse before they wear down.

I had the pleasure of meeting Fred Kelly on his way to the NAMM show back in July, and he dropped off a few samples I'm going bananas over. My favorite is a medium poly pick he made for Mel Bay. It has a fairly pointed tip and a crisp, percussive sound, and works great for acoustic strumming where the Dunlop would be too brash.

[forgottenking2]

I have had this love/hate relationship with the 3mm stubbies. I keep going back to them for some reason, they tend to sound less like a pick and more like when I play with my fingers (with more enphasis on the low end... or maybe it's just me) sometimes I go back to 1.14 mm tortex for a more trebly sound but I have ended up coming back to the stubbies... I guess I just like the way they feel.

[elmariachi]

I never even considered changing the type of pick i used. I remember trying the jazz III about a year ago. A friend of mine lent me one and i was like "how the hell do you pick with that thing?!!" It was so small compared to what i was used to. I was missing the string 70% of the time. I've given them a proper go this time and i find they suit me far better the wide picks. I like the way they're real sturdy. I feel i have alot more control over the string. Less give form the pick but more give from the string if you get me!
As far as choosing a pick thats right for you. Anyone based their choice on a guitarist they like? If so, who and what pick? One of my reasons was the mighty E.J..

[Babsi]

I use the purple 2.0mm Jim Dunlop Tortex Jazz Picks. Good for shredding. For some Bossa or Jazz I use my thumb.

[metalmike06]

I use the Dunlop Jazz III. I'm hooked! For acoustic I use something thinner, usually a .72mm

[Teletubby]

the jazz III is the only way man...after using all kinds of crazy stuff..the jazz III is where tis at for sweeping and playing fast and accurately. so much more control and speed its insane. who knew a little piece of plastic would change the way you play for the better

[kjellen]

http://elderly.com/images/accessories/PK/PKBBJ-M_sm_.jpg

Fred Kelly's Bumblebee pick. It's awesome. Feels like a regular pick when you hold it between thumb and index, and works perfectly as a thumb-pick for using fingerstyle stuff.

[sib]

I started using Jim Dunlop Tortex picks because I had issues with cheap generic ones slipping out of my hand. I like the 1.0mm. I've never had a problem since.

Recently, I "discovered" Dunlop's Ultex picks and grabbed one on whim. I dunno what the heck they put in this thing (just looks like plastic), but it's the best pick I've ever used.

[Padawan]

Yeah, small tortex picks work best for me, they also never slip out of your hand.

[mattfnk]

jazz III and also the paul gilbert picks

MK

[AndyPollow]

ive always thought dunlop big stubby 2mm is the best pick for everything exept they sound really bad when i try to sweep pick an arpeggio. every rose has its thorn. poison looked totally cool. im gonna start a glam neoclassical band soon.

[.huzzah.]

I use the dunlop tortex .88 mm. I like to shred and play some neo-classical stuff,but I mostly play jazz and blues. The only thing that wears out is the black paint :p

[Sperzel]

I use Jazz III's.. but for acoustic things i have yet to find anything that really works. Jazz picks are disaster for strumming and such, plus the tone they produce on acoustic guitar is equally disastrous ^^

//Carl

[forgottenking2]

I like these Dunlop .69 nylon picks for acoustic stuff. The tone is pretty good, sort of like when you strum bare handed except without your nails being shred to bits

[wild_child]

How come picks don't count as a gear thread?

Anyway, I use the Tortez Jazz H3s. They're similar to Jazz III's (which I used to use) except theyre made of Tortex and dont have the annoying 3d logo. The tone they give isn't so harsh and the material just feels right.

[jessmanca]

thumbnail pinched to index nail.

I rarely use picks, there is just so much more you can do with fingers, even strumming wise.

But if I do use a pick I just use a standard Fender Heavy (1.0mm). They're all I used for about 4 years when I first picked up the guitar, and now anything else just doesn't feel like proper pick, even though I know there are many superior picks.

[Joe Pass Jr]

I think i responded to this earlier but have since changed to the Jim Dunlop Stubby 3mm. I broke several nails working on my car a little while ago and had no choice. Now I enjoy the versatility of fingers and a monster pick, yes pick :)

[theMoor]

I went the opposite route of Wild Child. I used to use H3s but now use Jazz 3s. I liked the feel of the H3s, but I didn't like the tone as much as the Jazz 3s.

[heavymental]

Hey, has anyone here used those Alaska or Alasika finger picks? I would like to know how well they work.

Normally I just use your standard Fender medium or hard. The seem to work good for me.

[dorfmeister]

V-Picks

http://www.v-picks.com/

This is the pick I use:

http://www.v-picks.com/SuperGrip.jpg

[Teletubby]

I use diamond picks...and then sometimes I use gold ones and plutonium ones...If I am playing really hard songs that require superpowers, I use a bit of uranium in my picks.

[JNagarya]

I used Fender mediums for awhile. Then I grabbed the Fender wedge off my acoustic and have been using that ever since. (They're big enough that it's more difficult to miss hitting the strings. :])

Here's a question: I'm interested in the Dunlop wedgies; but which of them is the equivalent of medium?

[paulhudhar]

i use comet 1.5mm as well as jim dunlop jazzIIIs

[Halvor Hosar]

I generally use Fender Heavy picks. For some reason, I find that the confetti version gives you a better grip than all the other finishes.

Regarding the small jazz picks, I think they can help your technique. It seems like many speed guys are using them. However, when I have tried them, I always felt that I was compromising some dynamics in my playing. I've found out that for me, Fender Heavy picks gives me the best combination of practicality, since they are heavy enough not to get flabby during speed picking, but at the same time I find them dynamical for my electric use. I'm constantly trying out new ones, but I keep coming back to them.

[diablosrising]

I'm not one to stick with a particular plectrum for very long. I think I've found my issue, though. Depending on the guitar, the string gauge, bridge, scale length, etc, my pick preferences change. I've found you can't pick exactly the same on multiple guitars with the exact same pick and get the same response. The pick I've settled in at right now is the Dunlop Tortex Jazz M3. It's a #3 sharp tip and .88 mm green tortex. I find the 1.14 tortex to be too stiff. Pinch harmonics also don't come out as nicely. The greens are still sharp and small enough to play very, very fast with, and give enough for me to really dig in for the heavy, chunky riffs.

I've played almost everything from Dunlop over the years. The red jazz III's were nice, but not "grindy" enough when I needed them to be. They were too smooth.

The Stubbys have a quick release, but sound like garbage. It's like picking with a piece of glass.

The .73 mm Tortex were nice for digging, bluesy stuff, but had a little too much thwap on the really fast runs.

So here I am, Dunlop Tortex Jazz M3's. Not a lot of people use them, and they're not common on the south side of Chicago at any of the stores I shop at. But if you can get your hands on one to try, I recommend it.

[Blutwulf]

I use whatever I have close by. I don't pay a lot of attention to a pick unless it is too flimsy, and then I'll toss it. I prefer bricks. If I were at the shop buying picks, I'd probably just grab normal sized, thick-as-a-brick of the cheapest brand. Last batch I bought were purply Fender things. I bought some brass picks once - loved the things.

[theMoor]

Has anyone tried these Ultex Jazz III picks (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Dunlop-Ultex-Jazz-III-Guitar-Picks-6Pack?sku=111004)? I was going to order some of the regular Nylon Jazz IIIs and noticed those. I'm guessing they're fairly new. I'm curious as to how they feel and sound.

[Authorized77]

I usually flatpick with a 1mm on my acoustic, sometimes a little thicker. The brand doesn't matter so much, but I found these clear Dunlop picks that I have in red and yellow (heavy, XH) that I really like for their gripability. They're kind of glossy. I don't like the way they wear though, so I'll probably be back to the blue 1mm (Tortex?) I usually get.

Bonnie

[mattblack850]

White Landstrom Sharkfins for me!!

I'm just awaiting a shipment of Arista Santana signature picks which are 0.30 med/soft and completely triangular!

[Leviathon]

Love the Dunlops Jazz III's... Tried them about a month ago and am hoping to be able to pick up about 100 dozen of em for christmas... The are great IMO... Really helps with accuarcy and timing... It makes your movements smaller... Ever watch MAB and see how little his hands move, that is what the Jazz 3 does... I have always choked down on the picks leaving very little exposed and the Jazz 3's are perfect...

For acoustic strumming I like Dunlops nylon .60's...

[forgottenking2]

I went back to just generic "heavy" picks (barely 1mm). I am liking the more treble heavy tone I'm getting. I was getting kinda sick of the boomy tone of the stubbies. A pick is like the cheapest equalizer ever lol

[EricV]

Just posted some thoughts on picks at my blog: http://ericvandenberg.wordpress.com/2007/12/09/on-picks/
Eric

[Obivion]

I usually play with 1.5-2mm picks so they don't bend while alternate picking, but I also like playng with my nails. I think nails give the best tone and are better at sculpting the sound, giving more control (though I can't reach the same speeds).