# Instruments and Equipment > Equipment >  Pick Blasphemy

## MikeEdgerton

For the last few years I've used those picks made out of what we don't discuss here. I've also purchased just about everything that's come along in the high end pick market. They are all great picks but the other day while walking through a local music store I stopped at two huge cases of picks and decided to spend five bucks or so on picks just to see what is available cheap. I'm talking about fifty cents a pick or less. I appreciate folks wanting the best experience possible when they buy a pick but I have to say I'm not seeing a whole lot of difference between some of those fifty cent picks and a few I paid $35.00 for.

----------

Ben Cooper, 

Bertram Henze, 

Bluejay, 

Bob Clark, 

bratsche, 

Charley wild, 

DavidKOS, 

Ellen T, 

Gelsenbury, 

Jim Adwell, 

journeybear, 

Nevin, 

Perry Babasin, 

Tommcgtx, 

xiledscot

----------


## Canoedad

Mr. Smith of The Matrix is walking to your location at this very moment ....

----------

Ben Cooper, 

Jim Nollman, 

MysTiK PiKn, 

Pick&Grin, 

TC-in-NC

----------


## George R. Lane

Mike it was nice knowing you. The BC police will be pulling up to you house in a few minutes.

----------

Ben Cooper, 

David Rambo, 

MysTiK PiKn, 

Nick Eanet, 

Pick&Grin

----------


## Timbofood

Reminds me of an old saying
"Build a better mouse trap......."
If I had not just bought a gross of the "regular" kind, like Mr. Bibey uses, I might get one of those fancy shmancy ones. Until they are gone, I am not going to worry about it.

----------

Ben Cooper, 

Pick&Grin

----------


## Bluejay

That post took some courage.

----------

Ben Cooper, 

Pick&Grin

----------


## tkdboyd

I have found myself reverting to Dawg picks, and using the pointy end. For two or three years I had been using the rounded edge and BC picks. Strange how things like these can evolve and change. Of course genre and instrument usually dictates pick and pick parts for me. 

However, I can't see myself using a $.50 pick by choice anytime in my near future, but I will never say never!

----------

Perry Babasin

----------


## Jim Garber

I agree with you, Mike for the most part. However the one place where BC really made a difference for me is playing old time rhythm guitar backup -- I loved the sound of ultem picks but they would wear out to a razor edge within one tune's worth. The big triangle BC picks I have don't wear at all and I can pound away. 

I don't actually wear out the mandolin picks as easily so I don't really need the BCs for that but I like them so that doesn't matter. I also am quite fond of small Gibson jazz picks but they don't make them any more.

For the most part it is the shape as much as the thickness and the feel.

----------


## MikeEdgerton

I'm finding that there are songs that I really like that pointy end. I've used the Dawgs and the Goldengates too. I'm also starting to mess with shaping and thinning more because I'm liking what I hear. I have nothing against any of the premium picks but  if all I had to worry about was wear I can buy a whole lot of fifty cent picks and not even care if I lost one. 

Look, if you find that the high priced spread floats your boat I'm cool with that. I'm just not sure I need to be spending that much money any more. I could change my mind.

----------

Ben Cooper, 

MysTiK PiKn

----------


## Denny Gies

I love it.....does take some "cahones" to say such things Mike.

----------

Ben Cooper

----------


## Phil Goodson

I must admit that time changes things.
When I began my mando trek, it didn't much matter what pick I used; *everything* sounded bad!   
Guess why!  :Crying: 

After a few years, every little nuance seemed to make a huge difference.  Get the tonegard; get a better strap; get a better pick; change to a better string.   (Got to get things to sound better.)   :Confused: 

Some more years have passed, and things don't seem to make quite so much difference.
(Okay, I DO have my favorite string, favorite pick, favorite strap,  etc., etc., )

BUT ..... if I don't have those things right at hand, I can make do with other things and not worry so much about how it's going to turn out.  :Smile: 

I'm SURE it couldn't be that something has changed about ME! ..... ya think????   :Wink:

----------

Ben Cooper, 

TC-in-NC

----------


## Tobin

> Look, if you find that the high priced spread floats your boat I'm cool with that. I'm just not sure I need to be spending that much money any more. I could change my mind.


Hey, if you get the same enjoyment out of other picks, by all means use them!  I absolutely agree that it's silly to spend more money on a pick if you can't hear a difference.

For me, though, it does.  Every now and then, I dump out my big ol' bag of picks and try a bunch.  And my result is always the same.  Most of them sound terrible to my ear, with only a select few giving me what I'm after.  I actually wish I weren't so picky (pun intended) about the sound, but I guess I am.  

I'm not going to say that the expensive picks are "better", because tone is subjective.  But it really does surprise me that you are "not seeing a whole lot of difference" between pick brands.  To me, the difference is night and day.

----------

Ben Cooper

----------


## Shelagh Moore

The most expensive I've tried was a Wegen. It was OK but no better that the Ultex, Proplecs, and Kasho and unmentionable material picks that I normally use. Now that mortgages are becoming more affordability-vetted here in the UK I cannot see myself getting the money together for one of those ultra-priced US picks anytime soon. So I'll be satisfied with what I've got for now.

----------

Ben Cooper

----------


## Tom Coletti

Dunlop Gator Grips are still my 50-cent pick of choice after trying a lot of picks in the $6-15 range; I see no need to detain or assassinate a person for preferring an inexpensive item that gets the job done well.

--Tom

----------

Ben Cooper, 

Jim Adwell, 

TC-in-NC, 

Tommcgtx

----------


## tkdboyd

I would play with a toothpick or a quill if I could sound like Mike Marshall, David Grisman, Carlo Aonzo, etc...I think that is the name of the game with all the accessories, it isn't about the toy or $ value, but what the tool does for your sound/playing.

----------

Ben Cooper

----------


## MikeEdgerton

> ...I'm not going to say that the expensive picks are "better", because tone is subjective.  But it really does surprise me that you are "not seeing a whole lot of difference" between pick brands.  To me, the difference is night and day.


I didn't say I dumped out my old picks and couldn't hear a difference. I've got picks that are probably 50 years old. I went out and bought the new stuff, not simply what I already had. In some cases I do hear a difference, I just don't hear $34.50 worth of difference. Again, I'm not dissing the premium picks, I'm simply stating what I'm hearing and I usually can tell the difference between good and bad products. YMMV.

----------

Ben Cooper, 

Jim

----------


## Marty Jacobson

I have found that these Tortex picks are 95% of what the Blue Chip is, especially if you bevel and polish the edges. I still prefer the Blue Chip, but for casual jamming or when clients visit the shop, these work just fine. Also, $4 for a dozen? C'mon. Actually I buy the 72-pack for $20. The main thing is that they do wear out. Still, awesome value.

----------

Ben Cooper, 

Jim Adwell, 

Timbofood

----------


## nickster60

I like a variety of picks to get differant sounds from my two mandolins. I equate it to the differences in violin bows. I found on the ground at a jam that kind of surprised me how good it was its plain old big Fender Heavy. I also like Dunlop 207, Wegans, Goldengates, and Dawgs.

----------


## stevedenver

I have been saying the same thing too as Mike, especially with the polish and bevel aspect for some, and indeed the point shape.

it makes me wonder if many folks actually do go out and buy an assortment and do a taste test, and make up their own minds, or simply read the 'common knowledge' here and leave it at that.

----------


## Ray Neuman

I am with you Mike. I tried a bunch of different pics, and yes, they seem to all have a different sound,feel,tone,edge, aurora. But in the end, I just found one that I like, and use it. I dont lose picks, so its pretty safe, not grinding down quick so should be good for a long while. But what I DO find funny is that everyone in BG seems to lust after "that Big Mon tone!" ....oh which some pay $150K for a Loar, others by $35 picks to emulate a sound that the man got on a good mandolin with a cheap pick!

----------


## JEStanek

I've done a taste test with a wide variety of picks found at a local music store, probably $7 worth and 8-9 different styles/brands and I bought a set of Wegens.  I still prefer either the Dawg pick or the Pro Plecs that came with the JazzMando strings for my taste and playing.  I can certainly hear a difference in materials/stiffness of different ones.  I still say one of the least expensive ways to alter your mandolin's tone (for better or worse) is to vary the pick and strings you use.  Practice helps too.

Jamie

----------


## chuck3

I follow these pick threads with amazement.  I like Wegen picks, which aren't cheap as picks go.  The BC's must be amazing if people pay 35 bucks for one pick.  I can't get myself there (yet).  Maybe someday.   It is probably penny-wise, pound-foolish in that I spend lots of disposable income on musical gear generally.  (Also being a bass player.)

----------


## Caleb

Best thread title ever.

----------


## AlanN

Another pick thread

----------


## AubreyK

Well, PAS is a sight cheaper than MAS...

(Pointedly not looking at the new-to-me case containing a new-to-me stringed thing over there in the corner.)

----------


## Tommcgtx

> Mike it was nice knowing you. The BC police will be pulling up to you house in a few minutes.


I believe they have drones nowadays.....

----------


## John Hill

I have 5 picks I'm evaluating right now: Wegen TF140 & M150, Ultex 1.14 teardrop, Bluechip CT-55 & Proplex big triangle 1.5mm

And at the moment I'm preferring the Ultex.

----------


## Tom Coletti

> The BC's must be amazing if people pay 35 bucks for one pick.


Someone paid $28,000 for a half-eaten ten-year-old grilled cheese sandwich in a Ziploc bag on eBay, so I don't quite follow the logic of "if it's expensive, it's good by default."

--Tom

----------


## bratsche

Love this thread!  Here are my blasphemous comments.  My opinion has always been that the "emperor" has no clothes, but didn't want to say so too loudly on one of the emperor's praise threads.  One thread was even getting quite 'out there' for a while, with not-so-veiled accusations that "some people" would complain about spending less (for a clearly superior pick) than what they would easily spend on a steak dinner at a fancy restaurant; and comparisons involving stereotyped trailer park residents with expensive boats or fancy trucks with gun racks in the driveway, and other crazy stuff.  I had to leave - I couldn't take it any more!

I won't complain about the price, even though I've never been able to afford to visit a fancy steak restaurant, or _any_ restaurant in more than 2 years, but I digress.  Simply, I would have kept the $35 pick I bought, if I had liked it as a plectrum. I really wanted to like it, and even spent a year trying to like it, for various unusual situations or effects.  But I just couldn't. The only saving grace in those things that I can see is their apparent indestructability.  Mine just clicked too audibly, with a strident high-pitched "tzzk tzzk" noise under my ear that no other pick has at that same frequency that I could practically feel in the fillings of my back teeth.  Many other picks from many other substances, both natural and synthetic, just sound better to me, even if only by virtue of that annoying noise's absence.  So it's someone else's pick now.  I took a $7 loss to make it so, but it wasn't getting used, so how long it would have lasted me is completely immaterial.  Call it a "learning experience" that cost about 2 days' worth of meals (the $7, that is), for me.  Frankly, I do not understand that particular pick cult at all.  But to each his/her own.

bratsche

----------

Jim, 

Jim Adwell

----------


## Kevin Campbell

I had a $35 pick, and liked it a lot. I included it in a mandolin sale, and didn't have a mandolin for a couple years. I had some Wegen 1.0 when I got a mandolin. I used 1 of them and really liked it. I don't much like the Fender Heavy, or Extra Heavy. That could change, though. I intended to buy another CT- 55. Instead, I ordered a pack of the Wegen rounded triangle 1.5, and, for now, that is the pick for me. I do want to try the Dawg pick, and some others. But, I really like the Wegen. It seems to give me a thicker tone, stays between thumb and finger nicely, and seems plenty loud.

----------


## Vernon Hughes

In 40 years of playing, I think i've tried them all..still go back to the old fender extra heavies-I buy them by the gross and toss when worn or just lose them without fear there'll never be another to take it's place..

----------


## mandobassman

> I have found myself reverting to Dawg picks, and using the pointy end


Dawg picks have a pointy end??

----------

Dan Krhla

----------


## Mandoplumb

I wonder if the pick makes as much difference on the other side of the mandolin. I'm very picky about my picks, and won't consider anything much under 1.5 thickness they just sound so thin. But my father used to pick up my mandolin and ask the guitar player for a pick, he used a triangle pick not much over 50 or60 and my mandolin sounded good. I never got that sound with a pick that flopped that much. Was it Dad's playing or that I was on the other side of the mandolin,   I don't know

----------


## Jim Broyles

> Dawg picks have a pointy end??


No, they don't but I'll be darned if I can get a decent noise out of them. On my mandolin, all of those thermoplastic picks (ProPlec, Dawg) and casein picks (Red Bear, Papa's, John Pearse) sound like crud. I can get acceptable sounds out of most others, but you all know my go-to. Nothing I have (including BC's) sound better.

----------


## Scott Tichenor

> One thread was even getting quite 'out there' for a while, with not-so-veiled accusations that "some people" would complain about spending less (for a clearly superior pick) than what they would easily spend on a steak dinner at a fancy restaurant; and comparisons involving stereotyped trailer park residents with expensive boats or fancy trucks with gun racks in the driveway, and other crazy stuff.  I had to leave - I couldn't take it any more!


And yet, here you are again.

Sometimes it's just too much fun.

----------

AubreyK

----------


## Tobin

> I wonder if the pick makes as much difference on the other side of the mandolin.


My advice is not to apply your pick to the other side of the mandolin.  You won't like it, I guarantee.  :Smile:

----------


## Dave Simmons

Just me but I prefer the Wegen m150's in white (in case I drop it), and as many here, I have tried and own the Dawg's, the "V" picks (which I really liked), BC's and on and on, but before the Wegens won my heart, I loved the "shiny" Dunlop 107's (but not so much the matt finish), HOWEVER, in all honesty when I try a few picks I tend to find good and bad in all of them, but what made my decision was extedned playing with a given pick, I feel that at least "I" have to learn how to use a pick, they all seen to react differently to different approaches (attack). By now I am sure this makes little sense, but what I am trying to say is that I think it is necessary to learn how a pick reacts and responds, once I have learned how to "use" different picks, many seen the same, but must be a thick rounded three corner for me though...P.s. I have NEVER noticed ANY wear my Wegen pick(s), not sure that is so with others with exception of the "V" picks...ok, I am through, let me have it :Chicken:

----------


## Susan H.

:Popcorn:

----------


## bratsche

> I wonder if the pick makes as much difference on the other side of the mandolin. I'm very picky about my picks, and won't consider anything much under 1.5 thickness they just sound so thin. But my father used to pick up my mandolin and ask the guitar player for a pick, he used a triangle pick not much over 50 or60 and my mandolin sounded good. I never got that sound with a pick that flopped that much. Was it Dad's playing or that I was on the other side of the mandolin,   I don't know


The angle at which you strike the strings is one thing that makes a big difference.  For example, I'm amazed by how Avi Avital can sound great using such a skinny little pick (in a video interview I saw, he stuck it under the strings up at about the 2nd or 3rd fret, so it can't be any more than .6 or .7mm).  Yet he gets that big tone by hitting his strings somehow sideways from the pick's edge, I think.  I also find a 1.5mm pick about the minimum thickness I can use to get good tone, but I hit the strings straight on, with the flat side of it.

bratsche

----------


## Ellen T

I've been experimenting with my small stash of picks the last few days, and (bearing in mind that I do not do chords, just melody), the thicker picks with rounded corners give the softest sound, although I am still fighting the string click; and the thinnest pointy picks are really loud, annoyingly so to me, and really annoying to the dog, who demanded to go outside.  The thin picks made it sound like a banjo!   :Disbelief:   I like Fender medium through extra-heavy as my comfort zone, but I am trying to adjust to some others.  Is there a gizmo that would hold three or four picks (pointing outward) to be able to rotate for different effects throughout one tune?  It would probably be difficult to grasp, though.

----------


## bratsche

> And yet, here you are again.  
> 
> Sometimes it's just too much fun.


"Here", in this thread, yes - as those where opinions are less dogmatic and more shared for the sake of sharing are the most fun to be, generally.  Not in that other one - where I never posted a word, and haven't even read in many weeks, after any initial amusement at the sideshow wore off. 

So, although that seems a personal jab of some sort, I'm unsure what "here you are again" is supposed to mean.   But, whatever....

bratsche

----------


## dang

> So, although that seems a personal jab of some sort, I'm unsure what "here you are again" is supposed to mean.   But, whatever....


Not that I can speak for Mr Tichenor, but since your comment:




> ...and comparisons involving stereotyped trailer park residents with expensive boats or fancy trucks with gun racks in the driveway, and other crazy stuff.  I had to leave - I couldn't take it any more!


...is basically calling him out on his post from another thread- _and he owns the place_ - I don't think his wry sense of humor is out of place, regardless of the kind of plastic you slap your strings with  :Wink:

----------


## Ivan Kelsall

From Mike - _"..I'm not seeing a whole lot of difference between some of those fifty cent picks and a few I paid $35.00 for"_.
I must admit that the 2 'high end' picks i've tried out,haven't shown any significant improvement in tone/volume/ease of use than any of the picks i regularly use - Wegen Bluegrass & Dunlop 500. I will qualify that remark by stating that the 2 expensive picks were far thicker than my 'preferred' ones. I'd certainly like to try a 1mm thick 'high end' pick on for size,but at £38 UK ($64 US),i won't be doing that any time soon (if ever !). I'm like a few folk on here,currently awaiting the arrival of the new Dunlop ''Primetone'' picks to see what they offer at a far more sensible price.
    From *Ellen T* - _" the thicker picks with rounded corners give the softest sound.."_. Same here !. Using either a dawg or Golden Gate pick,i really struggle to get any 'bite' into my picking.I think i'd get the same effect stuffing a sock in my mandolin - something my wife would really go for ! :Grin: 
   From *justpickit007* -_ " I have NEVER noticed ANY wear my Wegen pick(s)"_.No pick wear on _my_ Wegens either,& the 2 i'm currently using have been in use 95% of the time for over 5 years,
                                                                                                                           Ivan :Wink:

----------

Gelsenbury

----------


## Gelsenbury

> I will qualify that remark by stating that the 2 expensive picks were far thicker than my 'preferred' ones.


That's the thing, isn't it? It's not just about the brand or material, there are also variables including shape, thickness, finish, and so on. Not to mention the properties of your instrument with which the pick interacts. So any discussion about "the best pick" is always too abstract. 

I treated myself to a Blue Chip pick for my birthday last year. I chose the Jazz shape because that's the shape I prefer in other picks too. It's a nice pick, but not my favourite. It doesn't show any wear, but neither do some others. And, most importantly, it tells me very little about how a Blue Chip pick with another shape or thickness would sound or feel to me. Experimenting with all these variables is just much easier and cheaper with picks that aren't so far at the high end. 




> From *Ellen T* - _" the thicker picks with rounded corners give the softest sound.."_. Same here !. Using either a dawg or Golden Gate pick,i really struggle to get any 'bite' into my picking.I think i'd get the same effect stuffing a sock in my mandolin - something my wife would really go for !


I'm glad it's not just me. I dislike the muffled, scratchy sound I get with round picks. To pull anything more substantial out of them, I need to hit the strings at a flatter angle, which increases the risk of just "slapping" the string. I use my Golden Gates for rhythm playing occasionally, but I have never understood the argument of needing thick picks in order to move the strings and get a bigger sound, when the shape of the pick is so round that it precisely prevents the moving of strings and the generation of those higher overtones. Some people prefer thick round picks, others prefer small pointy ones. I'm not aware of any scientific argument showing one to be better than the other.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

The more I read these pick threads, the more I realise I'm out of step with most players who generally like thick picks, it seems.

I really don't like thick picks. I play my mandolin with a Dunlop .88 which is the thickest I've been able to use.  For many years I only ever used a white Sharkfin - a Swedish pick - and I still tend to use that for rhythm playing on OM and guitar.
I find that nowadays I use different picks for different instruments.

Different strokes for different folks.  Whatever works for you.

----------

Gelsenbury

----------


## tkdboyd

> Dawg picks have a pointy end??

----------


## Freddyfingers

I have played a variety of the everyday picks.  It wasn't until I broke someone's bear pick and had to replace it, that I was introduced to the world of luxury picks.  I could honestly feel a difference in how the pick glides off the strings.  A noticeable difference.   Sound wise, I did not hear a big difference.  But feel was there.   To me, feel is Important.   If the pick feels comfortable I play better.    Based on this , I bought a red bear and a blue chip here, used.   I liked the blue chip better as it had a better point.   I would order more, once I figure out the exact shape I like.  At 30 to 35 dollars a pick, I can't afford to try a bunch.   Short story made long, last week I lost my blue chip at a gig.  It's gone.  I would replace it today but can't afford it.  If I found another inexpensive pick that felt like these high end ones do, I would buy without hesitating.  To me the name is useless.  The audience can't see I am using a 35 dollar pick.    And I have yet to hear a dramatic difference in tone.  Perhaps I need to record some samples.  At the same time, Velcro the expensive picks to my hand.

----------


## Matt DeBlass

I like my BC, but to be honest it doesn't sound all that much different from my Jazzmando picks, and not 35 times as nice. But I also work in the bicycle industry, where I've seen people pay $85 for a carbon fiber water bottle holder to save two paperclip's worth of weight from their bicycle, so $30 for a little bit nicer pick doesn't seem too weird to me.

----------

9lbShellhamer, 

Perry

----------


## Andy Morton

The newer Dawgs have the pointy end---a couple of years ago these became available.  The "old Dawgs"  are/were similar to the Golden Gates--rounded on three sides.

Enjoying this thread---I like the Wegen large triangles---relatively thick.  Since how the strings are "attacked" can very subtle and will result in differences in tone--it makes some sense that players are sensitive to how different picks play and feel. 



Andy

----------


## Bertram Henze

> I'm also starting to mess with shaping and thinning more because I'm liking what I hear.


Wild guess: a tendency to use thinner/pointier picks to produce more brilliant overtones, all to counter the increasing aural threshold shift that comes with old age  :Grin: 
(at least, that's my excuse)

----------


## Polecat

Nice to read a thread where the BC is not celebrated as the dernier cri, and all dissent slapped down (my subjective impression of the usual discussions here). As Dagger Gordon writes, "different strokes..." (his choice of pick would drive me to distraction, though). I like pointy fender-shaped galalith picks (no, not caseine, that's  a protein and the picks are made of polymerised material). Others have complained that they are raspy, break easily and I don't know what all, but they float my boat. I've tried the high tech indestructible pick which is brown despite its azure designation, and found it OK, but no better than either Tortex (which unfortunately wears out) or Galalith (which doesn't in my experience). I don't like the smell of celluloid, although picks of that material sound OK, and though for many years I used the unmentionable exoskeleton of an endangered beast, I no longer feel the need to. There is no right and wrong here, just taste (and mine is exquisite :Wink: ).

----------

Dagger Gordon

----------


## wsugai

To me, this is what Blue Chip picks are all about.




> To me, feel is important.   If the pick feels comfortable I play better.

----------


## JeffD

> The angle at which you strike the strings is one thing that makes a big difference.


This is huge. I have found it especially true on my resonator. It's as if I can get the thing to whisper and to yell and everything in between. It has added a whole new dimension to playing expressively.

----------


## Caleb

> The more I read these pick threads, the more I realise I'm out of step with most players...


 Isn't the whole thick pick deal more of a Bluegrass thing anyway?  I've seen some Irish and other non-BG players just use reg guitar picks.  I admit I like the tone of the thick picks, but I can't play as well using them, and I get more volume from a lighter pick.

----------


## tkdboyd

> Isn't the whole thick pick deal more of a Bluegrass thing anyway?


JazzMando.com sells only the 1.5mm, guess the question would be is how thick is "thick"? 

Don Stiernberg is on record with this: 
"Picks: Jim Dunlop "USA Nylon" 1 MM (Old Reliable), Blue Chip 40 (for extra punch, clarity, or brightness, like around banjo players). Also acquired some tortoise last summer which I'm liking for a fatter sound on tremolo, ballads, etc. All these are "Fender Medium" shape, and I play with the point."
I think it is fair to say there is a difference in plectrums per genre, but fortunately there is no one enforcing generalizations.

----------


## JeffD

> There is no right and wrong here, just taste (and mine is exquisite).


Lots of options at a range of prices, for different instruments, different styles of play, different venues, and different tunes. All of them are worth the price if they do what you want, and all of them are way too expensive if they do not do what you want. And nothing does it for everyone.

----------


## Caleb

> JazzMando.com sells only the 1.5mm, guess the question would be is how thick is "thick"? 
> 
> Don Stiernberg is on record with this: 
> "Picks: Jim Dunlop "USA Nylon" 1 MM (Old Reliable), Blue Chip 40 (for extra punch, clarity, or brightness, like around banjo players). Also acquired some tortoise last summer which I'm liking for a fatter sound on tremolo, ballads, etc. All these are "Fender Medium" shape, and I play with the point."
> I think it is fair to say there is a difference in plectrums per genre, but fortunately there is no one enforcing generalizations.


Good point.

----------


## Jim Broyles

> Isn't the whole thick pick deal more of a Bluegrass thing anyway?  I've seen some Irish and other non-BG players just use reg guitar picks.  I admit I like the tone of the thick picks, but I can't play as well using them, and *I get more volume from a lighter pick.*


This does not compute. Can you expand on this for us?

----------


## bratsche

> Not that I can speak for Mr Tichenor, but since your comment:
> 
> "...and comparisons involving stereotyped trailer park residents with expensive boats or fancy trucks with gun racks in the driveway, and other crazy stuff. I had to leave - I couldn't take it any more!"
> 
> ...is basically calling him out on his post from another thread - _and he owns the place_ - I don't think his wry sense of humor is out of place, regardless of the kind of plastic you slap your strings with


"Calling him out", seriously?  I'll do that with ideas, but never people.  Actually, unless I re-check, I hardly remember who wrote what on a thread I read the day before. After weeks, I don't even recall specific posters at all, only the ideas that were expressed.  Which, in those few I mentioned, came across to me as more disparaging than humorous - in any case, not at all "welcoming of different points of view". 
Quite different from this thread... I hope.  (So far, at least.  :Laughing:  )

bratsche

----------


## bratsche

> Isn't the whole thick pick deal more of a Bluegrass thing anyway?  I've seen some Irish and other non-BG players just use reg guitar picks.  I admit I like the tone of the thick picks, but I can't play as well using them, and I get more volume from a lighter pick.


I never play bluegrass, and mostly play Bach, and I prefer thick picks (1.5-2.5mm) too.  I get better tone, and it's easier to play with a pick that I don't feel the strings vibrating through to my fingers so much as I find with thinner ones.  The edge is very important, as are the points.  In the latter, I've evolved from preferring a more rounded point to a more pointy one.

bratsche

----------


## foldedpath

> Isn't the whole thick pick deal more of a Bluegrass thing anyway?  I've seen some Irish and other non-BG players just use reg guitar picks.


I can't speak for other players of Irish trad, but a thinner (by Bluegrass standards) pick of around 1mm makes it easier for me to hit the quick little "treble" articulations in this music. 

A thick pick doesn't flick that quick.  :Grin:

----------


## JeffJones

I have a Blue Chip that was given to me by a student, that I use fairly often on my mandolin. It is a TP-1R 40, basically a 1mm triangle pick. I like it a lot but I do not think I will buy another one when I lose this one, nor am I that interested in considering any of the other high end picks.

My main pick, on both mandolin and guitar, is a 1 mm Ultex standard teardrop shape pick, a very similar pick to any old Heavy Guitar pick that you can buy in any music store on the planet. I have a stash of 100 or so of these picks that I got real cheap many years ago that I like well enough. This stash will last me a long time, possibly forever now that I am not losing picks nearly as often. And even if I ever do run out of the Ultex picks, or can not get them for some reason, I can easily switch to a standard Heavy guitar pick without any real adjustment or loss/change in tone.

I decided many years ago, back when I was constantly losing picks, that I didn't want to get too attached to any rare or expensive pick. I am happy to sacrifice a little but of tone if it means that I will always be able to find a pick that I am comfortable using. 

I have also known a good number of pickers who have become attached to a Tortoise shell, or other rare or unusual picks, who were totally thrown off when they lost or wore out their rare and expensive picks. A couple of them have remarked that it took them a long time to get comfortable with a replacement pick because they were so attached to that specific pick or type of pick. 

Between those two experiences I have consciously stayed away from any of the higher end picks. I think if the person who gave me the Blue Chip wasn't a current student of mine that I was seeing every week, I probably would not have even given the Blue Chip a try, out of a fear that I would get attached and then lose it. But they are and I did try it, and as I said I like it. Fortunately I don't think I have become a hopeless addict yet. 

Hmmm, maybe I need to set it aside for a while, you know just to make sure...

Nah, I am sure I can stop using it whenever I want to.   :Smile:

----------


## Caleb

> This does not compute. Can you expand on this for us?


With a thicker pick I get a darker, more thuddy sound, and the mandolin is somewhat dampened or muffled.  But with a lighter (medium guitar pick) my tone is noticeably brighter and louder.  Maybe it's just my mandolin?

----------


## mandroid

...  72 to 1 , for my $35 ..

----------

Jim

----------


## Ellen T

> With a thicker pick I get a darker, more thuddy sound, and the mandolin is somewhat dampened or muffled.  But with a lighter (medium guitar pick) my tone is noticeably brighter and louder.  Maybe it's just my mandolin?



Same for me.  I like the thin picks on D & G because it sounds less thuddy, but I like thick on A & E because the thin sounds clangy and harsh and louder than I prefer (I play folk, cowboy, old stuff, no BG).  So I like the feel of thick but now I am going to try different size and shapes of medium.  I have a large Fender medium that is less pointy that I kind of like but need to use more to be sure.

----------


## Bertram Henze

> With a thicker pick I get a darker, more thuddy sound, and the mandolin is somewhat dampened or muffled.  But with a lighter (medium guitar pick) my tone is noticeably brighter and louder.  Maybe it's just my mandolin?


Not just your mandolin - everybody gets that from a thin/sharp pick, but not everybody likes that, apparently. However, I am definitely in your camp with this:

----------

Caleb

----------


## Caleb

> Same for me.  I like the thin picks on D & G because it sounds less thuddy, but I like thick on A & E because the thin sounds clangy and harsh and louder than I prefer (I play folk, cowboy, old stuff, no BG).  So I like the feel of thick but now I am going to try different size and shapes of medium.  I have a large Fender medium that is less pointy that I kind of like but need to use more to be sure.


I like the rounded "shoulder" of a guitar pick. A lot less bright than using the point too.

----------


## Jim Broyles

> With a thicker pick I get a darker, more thuddy sound, and the mandolin is somewhat dampened or muffled.  But with a lighter (medium guitar pick) my tone is noticeably brighter and louder.  Maybe it's just my mandolin?


Got ya. I believe it is a function of the point rather than the thickness. I can pretty much guarantee that under normal playing conditions, my preferred pick, Dunlop Ultex 1.14 rounded triangle,  will be louder on my mandolin than a Fender medium. In fact, a Fender extra heavy will be louder than the medium, points of the picks being equal. The thick picks which sound muddy to me are the thermoplastic varieties such as Dawg, Proplec and the like, and the casein picks like the Red Bear and the like.  I can file a sharp point onto a 3.0 mm pick, such as a Big Stubby, and the tone will be noticeably thinner and quieter. Any pick which bends as you strike the strings will lose volume compared to the same pick that has no flex to it.

----------


## AubreyK

I'm still trying to find a pick I can just hold on to - hand issues.  This weekend is experimenting with sticky stuff.  (While waiting for the elusive Prime-tones...)

That said, I like the tone of the thicker, more rounded pick, but I am not really a bluegrasser - more folk and light rock.  And I really don't know enough yet to be very dangerous.

----------


## Charley wild

I agree with the OP. I use a variety of cheaper picks from Fender heavies to Dunlops to Golden Gates, and........
I have a bunch of them on my coffee table and I play with which ever one I grab. I really and truly don't hear or feel much of a difference. As mentioned, the angle seems more important than the brand or type. I've never tried an expensive pick of any kind and might like one if I did. I just don't feel the need and I'm too cheap anyway. Anybody got a free Blue Chip they want to send me??

----------


## bayAreaDude

> Got ya. I believe it is a function of the point rather than the thickness. I can pretty much guarantee that under normal playing conditions, my preferred pick, Dunlop Ultex 1.14 rounded triangle,  will be louder on my mandolin than a Fender medium. In fact, a Fender extra heavy will be louder than the medium, points of the picks being equal. The thick picks which sound muddy to me are the thermoplastic varieties such as Dawg, Proplec and the like, and the casein picks like the Red Bear and the like.  I can file a sharp point onto a 3.0 mm pick, such as a Big Stubby, and the tone will be noticeably thinner and quieter. Any pick which bends as you strike the strings will lose volume compared to the same pick that has no flex to it.


I agree, which is why I currently prefer my triangle shaped blue chip 55.  It's just as loud and bright as a pointy thin guitar pick on the a and e strings but moves the g and d strings like a thin pointy guitar pick cannot.  My second favorite to that blue chip is a wegen that's rounded like a golden gate, but my beef with that one is that it's not as bright and loud on the a and e as the pointed bc.

Downside of a pointy pick is that for me it takes more effort and discipline in the right hand for tremolo else the pick gets caught up/stuck and which detracts from a smooth tremolo.

----------


## MikeEdgerton

> I'm still trying to find a pick I can just hold on to - hand issues.  This weekend is experimenting with sticky stuff.  (While waiting for the elusive Prime-tones...)


Get some Gorilla Snot. You won't have to hold onto the pick it will hold onto you.

----------

AubreyK

----------


## bratsche

> Get some Gorilla Snot. You won't have to hold onto the pick it will hold onto you.


B...b...b...but how do you first hold onto the gorilla?   :Laughing: 

bratsche

----------

AubreyK, 

David Watson

----------


## Mike Bunting

> B...b...b...but how do you first hold onto the gorilla?  
> 
> bratsche


Especially one that'll let you blow his nose!

----------

AubreyK

----------


## JeffD

For me 1mm is about the thinnest I will play. Medium picks just sound thin and I dunno, airy, to me. I think its because for the same stroke energy, some of the energy applied goes into deflecting the pick and less goes into deflecting the string. 

For guitar I know many folks like the medium picks. Amongst my guitar friends, my pick punched credit cards are popular.

----------


## Ellen T

> Especially one that'll let you blow his nose!


Just put pepper on the bananas.  And bring a really big hankie.

----------

AubreyK

----------


## Mike Bunting

> Just put pepper on the bananas.  And bring a really big hankie.


 :Laughing:

----------


## Barry Wilson

I like a variety of picks depending what instrument I am playing and what the song is as well. My fav all around pick is a 1.5mm stubby triangle.

----------


## fatt-dad

I dated around for a while. . . 

Now I'm faithful.

f-d

----------


## Bob Clark

Some like picks with bevels, some like picks with points, I like picks with perks :Wink: .  This pick gets the bearer $1 off a drink at the Blue Parrot in Wilmington, Delaware (cool live music bar and grill) and that seems pretty good to me! Note one of them has been cut down by me.  I think it will still work for a drink discount!

----------

Jim

----------


## Ron McMillan

The thing about obsessing over one pick is that it would deny me the pleasure of varying my pick for whatever irrelevant reason I want.

I'm also yet to be convinced that a premium pick will make ME sound better, an argument cemented often when I see YouTube clips posted by people who talk here with what seems like the utmost authority - then reveal themselves on YouTube to be every bit as poor a player as I am. I'm certain that the professional stars who praise the premium picks DO derive a real benefit from them. The rest of us, I still wonder if we're kidding ourselves. No harm done, though. It's a fine hobby, and as so many correctly point out, $35 is NOT really a significant outlay for an extra bit of pleasure.

----------


## dang

> ...an argument cemented often when I see YouTube clips posted by people who talk here with what seems like the utmost authority - then reveal themselves on YouTube to be every bit as poor a player as I am.


 :Laughing: 

well put!

----------

Ben Cooper, 

Susan H.

----------


## Petrus

Actually I don't feel comfortable using a pick. I have a hard time holding on to it. I mostly just thumb & strum, fingerstyle. I know, totally unorthodox and maybe it defeats the point of a mandolin.  I have had some luck with those thick fuzzy felt ones that people apparently use for ukes, though. And those giant-sized triangular ones.  (And yet, I just bought 100 picks for $7 'cuz who can resist that price?)  :Confused: 

Anyone try making their own?  You can get a pick puncher from eBay for less than twenty bucks.

----------


## Petrus

These look cool, though I've never tried one.  Somebody on eBay makes all kinds of these, cut from coins and so forth.

----------


## Markus

Got a Blue Chip almost three years ago. Tried it, went back to the Wegen I had used before. Like OP just did not find any sound/feel difference that it improved when playing in a group. 

Still have both, still play the Wegen which is years old but without noticeable wear. With my mandolin and playing style, it's what works for me. I stay out of pick discussions for the most part, as I do not think that there is a one size fits all pick for everyone.

----------

Gelsenbury

----------


## bratsche

> Anyone try making their own?  You can get a pick puncher from eBay for less than twenty bucks.


I make a lot of my own, and have to tweak commercial ones too (the edge usually).  But the kinds I like are too big and thick to punch out with a machine; they have to be entirely made by hand.

bratsche

----------


## Ivan Kelsall

I've always found that thin picks work best for me,as long as they're 'stiff'. Thin,flexible ones just don't cut it. Also,the other big problem with 'thick' picks,ie Dawg or Golden Gate ones,is that being thick,the edge bevel is correspondingly huge. So much so,that the picks slide over the strigs almost without moving them. It's a really weird sensation picking on the strings & getting almost no response. I had a similar thing (but to a much lesser extent) with the 1.4mm Wegen Bluegrass picks.I had to file most of the bevel off
so i got a good 'pick' on the strings. Now i'm using the 1mm thick ones,there's almost no bevel there to begin with,
                                                                                                                                                         Ivan

----------


## jso

Which is the better comparison?
Is a pick more like a fiddle bow (range of prices and quality, but once you've got what  you like, you use it pretty much all the time)
or more like a golfing iron: you need a few and use each of them according to the shot?

----------


## Petrus

> Which is the better comparison? Is a pick more like a fiddle bow (range of prices and quality, but once you've got what  you like, you use it pretty much all the time) or more like a golfing iron: you need a few and use each of them according to the shot?


Probably different people will give you different answers, but speaking for myself, 90% of the time I just fingerpick; when I use a pick, I try different types depending on the instrument and the strings. So I'd say it's more like the golfing example.

----------


## John Soper

Petrus- if you fingerpick, try using a thumb pick - Herco makes a "flat pick" shaped thumb pick, that I've used when I'm switching between electric guitar and mandolin during a show.  Works OK; not what I use on a day-to-day basis, tho...

----------

Petrus

----------


## Jim

Fender 351  heavy or medium, or Dunlop tortex in the 351 shape. played with point, like em best when played a bit to develop a bevel but don't really need it. How I hold the pick and where i pick the instrument has more effect on tone than pick material or bevel.

----------


## JeffD

> Which is the better comparison?
> Is a pick more like a fiddle bow (range of prices and quality, but once you've got what  you like, you use it pretty much all the time)
> or more like a golfing iron: you need a few and use each of them according to the shot?


I am more in the second camp. I change picks depending on the venue, or the tune, or the mandolin. 

But there is a hitch in your analogy. I know a couple of fiddlers who use different bows - one depending which fiddle she is playing, and the other depending on what she wants to play. A third friend has a different bow for her electric fiddle.

So, I dunno.

----------


## jso

> But there is a hitch in your analogy. I know a couple of fiddlers who use different bows - one depending which fiddle she is playing, and the other depending on what she wants to play. A third friend has a different bow for her electric fiddle. So, I dunno.


Yes, I thought there'd be an analogy weakness. I did post from a position of relative ignorance, since I don't play golf. I don't play the violin much either, since acquiring a mandolin. But I only have one useable bow.

----------


## Austin Koerner

A lot of people get a warm, fuzzy feeling when they spend a lot of money for something. If you spend $40 on a pick, it kinda becomes something more, it's exciting. I feel like I get good tone out of my expensive picks, but also, I like spending money on silly things like picks.

----------


## Petrus

They're fun to collect because they're mostly cheap and come in so many varieties.  (I need to find a mandolin-shaped one.)

https://www.google.com/search?q=guit...=lnms&tbm=isch

BTW, here's a great way to make your own picks while solving your MAS at the same time ... punch picks out of your credit cards!  :Grin:

----------


## bratsche

> ... punch picks out of your credit cards!


Probably as good a way as any for MAS sufferers to deal with credit card debt temptations!  :Laughing: 

bratsche

----------


## Ellen T

> Probably as good a way as any for MAS sufferers to deal with credit card debt temptations! 
> 
> bratsche


Is that musical multitasking to make picks and control the credit spending at the same time?

I enjoy being a cheapskate and I'm always trying to find really inexpensive things that I like, clothes, perfume, all sorts of things.  Got a pair of knock-off Croc shoes at Dollar General recently for $8 and they are the most comfortable thing I've ever worn.

Besides liking Fender picks because they are inexpensive (Mr. T is trying to break me of using the word "cheap" too frequently) and quite good for my purposes, I also found that the old hair clip sitting on my night stand works as a decent pick.  Now I'm going to be house-scavenging to see what else can be musically re-purposed.

----------


## bratsche

I'm a cheapskate by necessity!

Being in Florida, I like to live in basic Birkenstock sandals, but could never afford them new, so I buy preowned ones for under $15 on eBay, and wear them until they look like crap - then I buy another decent used pair on eBay, but still wear the old ones for yard work until they completely fall apart.  Well, I'm always looking for picks that sound as much like human fingers as possible to use on my Baby Taylor that I converted to an octave mandolin.  Don't ask why I don't just use my fingers - I just have trouble doing that!  But anyway, I found that the leather from my fallen-apart sandals could be repurposed into such picks!  In my post #85, the pick on the far left in the pick grouping photo is one of those.  

 :Smile: 

bratsche

----------

Ellen T

----------


## JeffD

> I'm a cheapskate by necessity!


I know that one.

----------


## Bertram Henze

> I found that the leather from my fallen-apart sandals could be repurposed into such picks!


_Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
Parsley sage rosemary and thyme
And tie it up with a peackock's feather
Then she'll be a true love of mine..._

(Simon & Garfunkel)

----------


## GRW3

Trying a lot of different picks is a good idea. I've settled in with BC but I'll try new things. In a way, picks are like instruments. Everybody hears something different. I just try to duplicate the sound I hear in my head. Also playing a role is your hearing acuity. If, like a lot of people of certain years, you have some high frequency loss, you may well prefer a brighter pick. It's a complex mix.

----------


## Russ Jordan

> I'm a cheapskate by necessity!
> 
> Being in Florida, I like to live in basic Birkenstock sandals, but could never afford them new, so I buy preowned ones for under $15 on eBay, and wear them until they look like crap - bratsche


My daughter bought used sandals and got a terrible fungus..................

----------


## bratsche

> My daughter bought used sandals and got a terrible fungus..................


So sorry to hear it, but I believe it would have been easily avoidable... in any case, the miniscule risk to me is far better than having to go barefoot and perhaps step on broken glass (not to mention the asphalt street in 90+ degree temperatures).  

Were you trying to kill this thread, btw?  Seems like it worked...

bratsche

----------


## Mike Floorstand

> _Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
> Parsley sage rosemary and thyme
> And tie it up with a peackock's feather
> Then she'll be a true love of mine..._
> 
> (Simon & Garfunkel)


I think you mean "(Trad. arr. Martin Carthy)"
 :Grin:

----------


## Mike Floorstand

> They're fun to collect because they're mostly cheap and come in so many varieties.  (I need to find a mandolin-shaped one.)
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?q=guit...=lnms&tbm=isch
> 
> BTW, here's a great way to make your own picks while solving your MAS at the same time ... punch picks out of your credit cards!


I have one of these, so far have only tried it on credit cards and with fairly poor results - I was hoping the embossed digits would provide a nice grip, but the plastic itself seems fairly poor quality, difficult to get a smooth, clean edge so the tone is not good. I think it might be possible to make something decent if you buy some decent plastic - maybe acetate from a craft shop or something? - but I haven't tried that yet.

----------


## Charlieshafer

Just on a whim, I read the initial post by Mike (which I'm glad he said) and then the last couple, just to see the mission creep. Foot fungus? I love the internet.

----------

MikeEdgerton

----------


## yankees1

I'm ready for the moderator to close this thread ! Whoops, he is the moderator !

----------


## Jim Garber

> I love it.....does take some "cahones" to say such things Mike.





> I see no need to detain or assassinate a person for preferring an inexpensive item that gets the job done well.


I find it pretty entertaining on either side of this "fence": I frankly don't see why it takes "cahones" to admit that you prefer an inexpensive pick nor (on this thread) to admit that you like an expensive one. Why should I care what any other players prefer? I like what I like and you like what you like. There are played that love the Dawg style super thick rounded picks and I don't get those. On the other hand at times I play classical with a super pointed long Roman pick but I would never say that those are the right ones for all classical players. 

The same thing goes with any accessories or with any mandolin. It is nice to hear that some folks like certain things and why but it doesn't matter that much to me except for curiosity. And I don't see that it is blasphemy either.

----------

Mike Bunting

----------


## Perry

For the most volume and a very good tone BC does the job for me but I don't always want or need maximum volume. For me different materials work for different instruments. I am big fan of Ultex and anxiously await the arrival of the new kind of Ultex.

----------


## Jim Garber

> F I am big fan of Ultex and anxiously await the arrival of the new kind of Ultex.


I also like Ultex/Ultem for the tone. Is there a new type of Ultem plastic out there? I did not know about that.

----------


## Russ Jordan

He may be referring to the Primetone picks.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ight=primetone

----------

Perry

----------


## DavidKOS

> Dawg picks have a pointy end??


Even that isn't pointy enough for me.




> The angle at which you strike the strings is one thing that makes a big difference.  For example, I'm amazed by how Avi Avital can sound great using such a skinny little pick


And it's not rounded at the tip.




> The edge is very important, as are the points.  In the latter, I've evolved from preferring a more rounded point to a more pointy one.
> 
> bratsche


I'm using the regular shape "Spike" picks.

I've tried all sorts of expensive picks...nothing is better than the ultex/ultem and those are a lot cheaper than the fancy picks.

----------


## DavidKOS

> I also like Ultex/Ultem for the tone. Is there a new type of Ultem plastic out there? I did not know about that.


No, it's Dunlop's trade name for the same stuff.

----------


## bratsche

I use ultem picks occasionally when I want a bright sound, but they're too bright for using all the time (for me, personal taste, on my instruments, which are mostly mandolas).  Another Cafe member sent me some of the raw material to make my own picks from, as you can't get ultem picks commercially as thick as I'd like them, or with as much of a point.  One of my mandolas sounds much better with my ultem picks than the others do (and by that I mean having the least audible pick noise).  Another mandola sounds horrible with them (you can hear every move the pick makes, it seems).  The others are by degrees in between those two extremes.  The commercial ultem/ultex picks all produce pick noise like a card flapping between the spokes of a bicycle wheel, so I can't use them at all.

bratsche

----------


## Bertram Henze

> I'm using the regular shape "Spike" picks.


These? (Very good, I use the triangles)

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## DavidKOS

> I use ultem picks occasionally when I want a bright sound, but they're too bright for using all the time ......The commercial ultem/ultex picks all produce pick noise like a card flapping between the spokes of a bicycle wheel, so I can't use them at all.


Interesting, that has not been my experience, the Ultem picks sound plenty warm enough to my ear, but we are all subject to our own tastes. That's why they make so many different picks.

----------


## JeffD

> A lot of people get a warm, fuzzy feeling when they spend a lot of money for something.


Well... yea the first day I tried a pick costing more than pocket change. It was a Red Bear Heavy style C. I liked the feel of the pick and all and yea probably was adding to its mojo in my mind. And I thought it sounded better.

But first time I played it in a jam, and someone said something about how my mandolin sure sounded good, its really breaking (opening up) nicely. 

That was the real warm and fuzzy.

----------


## bratsche

> Interesting, that has not been my experience, the Ultem picks sound plenty warm enough to my ear, but we are all subject to our own tastes. That's why they make so many different picks.


Too true.  And also, in an attempt to be as fair and impartial as humanly possible (LOL), I should add that one must also take into account the angle of the pick striking the strings that each individual player most often uses. When I said the commercial ultem picks sound like "flapping between the spokes of a bicycle wheel", please understand that when I play, I hit the strings from a pretty much parallel attack, and that's why thicker picks work better for me, and make less noise.  OTOH, players such as Avi Avital can get great sound using a thin pick because they strike the strings more from the edge than the face of the pick.

bratsche

----------


## Joey Anchors

I use Fender 351 Extra Heavy picks. Nothing fancy but they have a very classic tone.

----------


## JeffD

I once went to a fly fishing show, one of the biggest on the east coast. 

I watched a video talking about the advantages of a special Parachute Winged Adams fly, which was especially designed for late evening on the river.

Well I am as much a rube as anyone and immediately got on the line with about 20 others at the back to purchase these magic flies, at about twice or more the cost of other less magic flies. 


Next weekend, on the West Branch of the Deleware River, late in the evening, I cast one of these magic parachute adams right on the other side of the river, about a foot in from the far shore, and BAM, ... well the jerk on one end of the line felt the jerk at the other end of the line. 

What can I say. How much did wanting it to work make it work? Did I want it to work so much that I did everything else correctly? Would anything have worked?

You bet I mail ordered more of those flies.

----------


## Timbofood

You know, when something works just right, it always makes me happy too! Still working through the set I won from here! So far, I kind of like the jalapeño but, still need some goo to keep it in best orientation. I still like the cheap ones I've used for years.

----------


## DavidKOS

> that one must also take into account the angle of the pick striking the strings that each individual player most often uses.


I agree - and I find I will change the angle depending on what I am doing.

It also depends on how hard you pick, too.

----------


## Bertram Henze

> The commercial ultem/ultex picks all produce pick noise like a card flapping between the spokes of a bicycle wheel, so I can't use them at all.


Such are the differences. Most of the commercial ultem/ultex still produce not enough pick noise for me, but the Clayton Spike does. I like my tone crispy, crunchy and rich in fibers  :Wink:

----------


## bratsche

> I like my tone crispy, crunchy and rich in fibers


I like my breakfast cereal that way, but I think think of my picks in terms of being more as children should be - seen, but not heard!   :Smile: 

bratsche

----------


## Dave Martin

I have been going through another stage of pick evaluation, after ordering and really liking my bc40, mostly because I wanted to see if I really could tell the difference.  My buddy, with a very good ear, volunteered to assist.  Method: plain strum across 4 open strings, first position scale with open strings, closed ffcp type scale, single string tremolo, double stop tremolo.  Random selection.  No rigorous record keeping (circumstances and environment were not conducive). Differences noted included: treble, warmth, pick noise, ring. Subjective analysis.  Dawg pointy, Jazz-mando, Fender heavy, Dunlop Americana small were very close, with the Dawg being a littler darker.  Wegen 120 and 140 brighter, Wegen 250 brighter still. They rang more (?).  BC TAD 3R 40 not as bright, maybe a little less noise.  While other picks, including other Dunlop and a Tortex  and a wooden, and a quarter cut and polished, and one Carol Kaye (see wrecking crew, Good Vibrations, etc.) gave me with her name on it, interest and attention span, not to mention coherency, did not support additional analysis.  Initial conclusion: picks sound different to a listener with background and experience with plectrum instruments.  Inference: grab the one that sounds good to you.  Plan: try it again sometime and take notes.  Oh, and start a little earlier in the evening, with less lubrication applied. Final observation: this study confirmed something we already knew.  I wonder if we could get a grant to continue the analysis?  Ales preferred over lager.

----------


## Killian King

I have to admit that I was a huge BC skeptic. I assumed they were good picks, but I had no intention of paying that much money, especially since the wegen picks I had been using were doing the job nicely.

Two weekends ago I went to the music emporium and they had a small assortment of BC picks for sale. I purchased a TAD 50. Consider me a convert.

I've tried the pick on my acoustic guitar, my OM and my mandolin. It sounds good, but it's the feel in my hand that really has me impressed. I'm probably going to purchase a TAD 60 or maybe a TAD 60 1R. 

What really blew me away more than anything was how good it felt on my Taylor acoustic. I've never used a pick anywhere near that large while playing guitar.

----------


## zedmando

If a cheap pick does the job great.
If an expensive pick s worth it to you--great.

I remember when I first bought a stone pick--people thought I was crazy--but it lasted for a long time--and it was probably no more expensive than the picks I was using that wore down, so I would have bought several.

And if it gives you a sound you love and it works picking wise to help you with technique, sound or whatever--go for it.

----------


## outsidenote

$35 for a pick wasn't something I would usually do  although I don't think it is necessarily outrageous in context.  However, I got a BC as a very thoughtful gift and I really do prefer it.  A lot of it is in the feel and the feedback from the string through the pick to my finger.  It just feels nice, and I do like the sound.  A little more volume per effort quantum and less pick noise in my untalented hands. The closest thing to it for me are the new primetones which are really nice picks also.  In perspective - I only have one BC but a collection of other picks that represent a similar expenditure in aggregate (maybe)as well as a collection of instruments that definitely represent a higher expenditure.  Not to mention my most excellent Mandolin Cafe hats!

----------


## Keith Witty

What really sold me on BC's was how they play and sound on a guitar. They are truly remarkable on guitar. Mandolin... they are great. I really like it, but it's not necessarily the greatest thing I've ever heard. But it's really good and I think it's better to my ear than most things. 

But on guitar, man. BC's are just out of this world good.

----------

