# Instruments and Equipment > Equipment >  Fender pick thickness

## Kevin Campbell

I am thinking about buying some Wegen picks.  I currently use a Fender Extra Heavy pick.  Can anyone tell me what thickness it is?  Thanks,

Kevin

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## yankees1

Don't know , but TOO thick!!

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## Jim Broyles

I have a bunch of the Fender Extra Heavies and they average right around .050" which is about 1.3mm. I respectfully disagree with my friend yankees1 that they are too thick. I think they are a very nice thickness and have a great sound on the mandolin. Great picks if you can find white ones (mine are white.) I swear there's a difference in sound between the white and the tortoise shell ones. :Cool:

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## Earl Gamage

I switch between Wegens M200 and another Wegen a little thinner with holes in it shaped like the M200 and Fender heavy and extra heavy.  None real expensive, and to me the Fenders are close to as good as the Wegens.  Fenders are cheap as dirt but the Wegen might tremolo a little better because of the bevel (maybe).

So I also think the thicker pick is good.  Don't know about the white, I don't think I ever saw Fender except tortoise.  Now I'm curious :Smile:

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## mandroid

You asking how thick is a Fender X heavy?  you can take it to your music store wlth a _vernier caliper_ and measure, to really know.... 
they should have one to measure thickness of strings.   I don't have any Fender X Heavy picks ,
 though I have a Heavy, it's a (.9~1)MM,   GGs and Dawgs are a MM and a half (1.5) .

OK, J.B. says  X Heavy is 1.3mm so there somewhere in the middle

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## SincereCorgi

I went from a Fender extra heavy (the fat triangle one) to a Wegen 140 and have been extremely pleased.

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## billkilpatrick

i use thick and extra-thick fender celluloid - didn't know they came in white as well:

http://www.elderly.com/images/access...P346-SHL-H.jpg

long ago i remember reading a thread here that mentioned how little of the pick is actually needed to get a good sound - just that little, triangular bit sticking out between your thumb and forefinger.  after months and months of ####### (sorry - methane related inference) around with everything BUT the excellent "power grip," i found this to be true ... and never looked back.

if you're only using that little bit of the business end of the pick, i don't see that composition - space age or otherwise - or thickness makes that much of a difference.

when all's said, fender-style picks are inexpensive and they get the job done.

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## wsugai

> long ago i remember reading a thread here that mentioned how little of the pick is actually needed to get a good sound - just that little, triangular bit sticking out between your thumb and forefinger.  after months and months of ####### (sorry - methane related inference) around with everything BUT the excellent "power grip," i found this to be true ... and never looked back.
> 
> if you're only using that little bit of the business end of the pick, i don't see that composition - space age or otherwise - or thickness makes that much of a difference.


I followed Anthony Hannigan's advice about using a tiny pick and used this Jim Dunlop Jazz III for awhile:

http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?p...products/picks

In the end, just a bit too tiny for me, so I switched to a pointy Cool Pick, which is shaped almost exactly like the Jazz III but with more surface area to hang onto.

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## mandroid

A wee bit exposed, of a big triangle pick , or Dawg , works for me ... YMMV ...  still plenty to hold onto..

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## Rob Gerety

> I respectfully disagree with my friend yankees1 that they are too thick. I think they are a very nice thickness and have a great sound on the mandolin.


Me too.  Great pick.  Sorry Yankees1!!!  I used to like the Yankees - if that helps.

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## Ian Rossiter

My all time favrite Telecaster pick is a Fender JZ Extra Heavy in White. Fender stopped making the White ones years ago, and the Tortise shell ones they make now aren't nearly as stiff. I'm sure it was for economic reasons,but I do wish they'd make em' again. 
 The older Fender picks from back in the 70's /80's seemed thicker and stiffer in the Heavier guages.

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## journeybear

I used to use Fender Extra Heavy until I found Dunlop, 1.5mm or 2mm. They're thicker _and_ purple.  :Cool: 




> I swear there's a difference in sound between the white and the tortoise shell ones.


This reminds me of a joke I just heard:

Q: What's red and smells like blue paint?
A: Red paint!

 :Laughing:

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## Spencer

> .  I currently use a Fender Extra Heavy pick.  Can anyone tell me what thickness it is?  Thanks,
> 
> Kevin


I just measured 2 of mine, they are 1.2 mm thick, which is =0.047 inches.

I used the Fender for a while, now use a 1.5 Wegen, which I like somewhat better than the Fender.

Spencer

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## fscotte

Sam Bush used to use the Fender heavy picks.  Not sure what he uses now.. maybe he still does.

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## Ed Goist

Pick thickness ranges from Fender:

Thin .45 - .48
Medium .55 - .78
Heavy .85 - 1.06
Extra 1.15 - 1.25

I find it interesting that Fender provides ranges instead of exact thicknesses...I'm guessing that picks are made in batches of slightly varying thickness?

-Ed

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## Paul Hostetter

I'm glad Eddie said ranges, though I've never seen that from Fender. Remember that different batches of celluloid can have very different compositions, so that some are really stiff and others quite flexible. Remember as well that celluloid shrinks with age.

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## Kevin Campbell

I haven't been on the forum for a while, so I wanted to thank everybody for your posts.  I haven't been playing my mandolin much, either.  I gotta fix that.  Thanks,

Kevin

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