What Picks do you use or find to be best? Do you use more than one type of pick for different applications? Joe
I've been using the DAWG picks and the similar Golden Gate picks. They are both fairly heavy. I usually use an extra heavy fender pick for guitar, but don't like it as well for mandolin. I'd love to try some of the expensive ($15 and up) picks that I read about, but don't feel like spending the money until I've had an opportunity to borrow one and see if I like it. Norman Blake said in one of his instruction videos that he prefers heavy picks and tends to use a different pick for different mandolins. Tom
I only have one mandolin and from time-to-time and tune-to-tune I may use a different pick. Must be the moon or something. A former student took some lessons with a Russian mandolinist who was touring and in the Quad Cities. He told her that you start out with a real thin pick, get your tremolo goin' and gradually the pick's thickness until you reach the thickest picks made. I never had the patience for that or was too set in my ways at the time to re-educate myself. The best picks I've ever used were actual tortoise shell picks. Unfortunately, they come from an endangered sea turtle, so, they're illegal to sell in the U.S. A local music store used to import them from Germany. Problem is whatever the owner bought were not graded by thin, medium or heavy. Whatever he had was whatever he had. Another problem was the picks would break more quickly than the synthetic. But I've never found a synthetic pick that gives me the tone tortoise shell does.
Believe it or not, I use a Jim Dunlop .60mm guitar pick. I just can't get used to a think pick. As a result, my tone is a bit on the bright side. Jim D
I used the yellow Dunlaps for years on the guitar. I think they're just a bit thicker than the .60 mms. It took me a long time to get comfortable with the heavy and extra heavy picks, but it does make a difference to the sound of both the guitar and mandolin. I just tried one of the orange Dunlaps on my Eastman mandolin and found it had a much thinner sound than it does with the heavy picks.
I am a new convert to the Blue Note picks.... a disbeliever for a long time... finally gave in and bought one,,,, tail between my legs convert. Send one to my son, a guitar player, and now he is loving it too. He also didn't believe the hipe, but is now swears by them,,,, For years I stayed with natural tort, which I cut from old throw away early 20th century, beaten up, ladies compacts and mirrors that I found in second hand shops and antique strores. Loved em, but always felt a little guilty, even with the thought that they were destined for a scrap heep. I think these Blue Notes play better. "nough said
Have to see where I can find one of them Blue Note picks.
I use a Blue Chip 50. Very heavy, rounded. In addition to great tone, this pick doesn't slip! Why, I don't know.
I picked up some Weggen 150s and like them quite a bit but they do tend to slide around a bit. Not sure I'll cough up the bucks for a blue chip or not as I keep findin' other stuff I need to get for other aspects of life. Maybe I'll put that on my Christmas wish list!
I use the Michel Wegen white picks, 1.0 mm. They are a little thinner than most mando picks, but I play Celtic style and I like the slight flexibility. I think a Wegen pick of about 1.25 mm would be perfect, but so far, haven't seen any. I have to be careful, my dog tries to steal them. They are 5 bucks each so I guard them. Mike
