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Thread: DAWG picks. YES, they work

  1. #1
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    Default DAWG picks. YES, they work

    DAWG picks are great, The shape is where the science is. The thickness is exactly what I like. 1.5MM is what I use for picks for my guitar. The problem I had with standard guitar picks is the point on a guitar pick hangin up a bit in the strings when using tremolo picking in a song. The DAWG is rounded at the tip and this makes a world of difference. Tremolo picking is much easier with a DAWG. Ever notice Mr. Grisman uses lots of tremolo style picking in his playing? Might be the reason why he designed this pick the way he did. The price is right too. Try one and I am sure you will love it and what it can do for your playing.

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    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    ''Dawg'' picks,& the very similar ''Golden Gate'' picks work for some folks,but not for others. It really depends on how responsive your mandolin is & what 'tone' you prefer. If they work for you,fine,if they don't - try other makes,
    Ivan
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I need more point than that. Also, I need a bevel on anything that thick.
    Soliver arm rested and Tone-Garded Northfield Model M with D’Addario NB 11.5-41, picked with a Wegen Bluegrass 1.4

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    Quote Originally Posted by rljmusic13 View Post
    DAWG picks are great, The shape is where the science is. The thickness is exactly what I like. 1.5MM is what I use for picks for my guitar. The problem I had with standard guitar picks is the point on a guitar pick hangin up a bit in the strings when using tremolo picking in a song. The DAWG is rounded at the tip and this makes a world of difference. Tremolo picking is much easier with a DAWG. Ever notice Mr. Grisman uses lots of tremolo style picking in his playing? Might be the reason why he designed this pick the way he did. The price is right too. Try one and I am sure you will love it and what it can do for your playing.
    Well put - although I am in the opposite camp and cannot use anything BUT a pointed pick on mandolin - and I play with a lot of tremolo.

    The essential difference is that the rounded picks do not sound like the pointed ones - and some of us prefer one sound to the other.

    I knew guitar players that used the round end of picks, but I like picks to have a sharp point that actually plucks the string, not sort of glides over the string.

    "Ever notice Mr. Grisman uses lots of tremolo style picking in his playing?"

    Yes - and I notice a difference in the tone color of the tremolo with a round pick. I appreciate the differences, that's for sure.

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    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I have Dawg and Fender 'Heavy' 346 triangles*, they migrate to the appropriate mandolins...

    *from various sources , some labeled 'Martin', etc.
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    Registered User Charlie Bernstein's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I posted a question here about tone (my A's and E's were too bright), and folks suggested different picks to try. Ordered a few, and settled in on Dawgs.

    Love 'em. They make my maple axe sound fat and warm - just the way I like it.

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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I go back and forth between a Dawg and a rounded corner Prim Tone, both are 1.5 thickness...The Dawg is a little bit more mellow..

    Willie

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    Registered User 40bpm's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I'm the lucky owner of one of Dawg's personal picks. Trained by him, but apparently only obedient to him. Nevertheless, it's a prized possession.
    [note to self] Burst not thy brother's bubble ~ unk

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    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    Maybe as we get older,& the treble side of our hearing drops away,we need 'brighter' sounding picks. The Dawg & Golden Gate picks simply don't work on my mandolins. The thick,rounded edges slide over the strings almost silently,without imparting any 'push' to them - but that's 'me' on 'my' mandolins. I need 'points'.

    Just as an aside to this - I've recently been using a modified point 2 mm Primetone pick of the shape shown here,just for the extra volume that it seemed to give my Weber "Fern". A couple of days ago,i was playing it,& hitting the A strings in particular,i wondered where all the clarity had gone. The only thing to have changed was the pick. I went back to my previous 1.5 mm PT pick - much better,then,i tried my original 'first purchase' 1.3 mm PT pick - amazing !!.

    As is often the case - ''we don't know what we've got 'til it's gone'',
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I reserve my Dawg picks for mandolins I don't like the sound of!

    I usually use the rounded Wegens and I'm thinking of introducing a Wegenesque bevel to a Dawg to see if it makes it useable.

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    Registered User Eric Platt's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    Just have never been able to pull a good tone with a Dawg pick. Get too much pick noise for my taste. Yes, it's all my mechanics. Totally understand that part. But I'm not planning on changing. The closest I am able to get a good tone are on the old white Dawgs. But even then, am not satisfied with my sound.

    My preference is for triangle picks like Blue Chip, or Manouche picks in 1.25 or 1.35 thickness. Will occasionally go to the Wegen triangle or bluegrass pick for a different sound.

    Spent part of last night going through about a dozen different styles of picks on my Breedlove. Quickly became apparent that the Manouche and BC are my favorites. Earlier in the day a guitarist tried a few of my BC and Manouche. He quickly went back to the Dunlop blue he favors. He felt there was too much click with my picks. (And I have found too much raspy sound with his. Both on guitar and mando.)
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    Mediocre but OK with that Paul Busman's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    Quote Originally Posted by Willie Poole View Post
    I go back and forth between a Dawg and a rounded corner Prim Tone, both are 1.5 thickness...The Dawg is a little bit more mellow..

    Willie
    As I've written in the Cafe before, my current favorite is the 1.5 Triangle Prime Tone. I round off one corner just a bit for ease in tremolo (not that I use tremolo much in Irish music). It's easy and gives me a pick with two distinctly different feels and sounds.
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan Kelsall View Post
    The Dawg & Golden Gate picks simply don't work on my mandolins. The thick,rounded edges slide over the strings almost silently,without imparting any 'push' to them - but that's 'me' on 'my' mandolins. I need 'points'.
    That's what I mean when I describe the difference between a round pick "gliding" over the strings whereas a pointed pick "plucks" the string.

    It is a plucked string instrument.

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  24. #14

    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I recently purchased a Dawg and I like how it feels and how smoothly it moves over my strings. My issue is that the pick is not loud at all. But overall a fun pick to have in a collection. I thought it felt better that the typical Golden Gate picks. I would suggest anyone buying a Dawg and trying it out. It seems most people don't use it as their #1 and that's okay.

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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    Quote Originally Posted by Chughes423 View Post
    I recently purchased a Dawg and I like how it feels and how smoothly it moves over my strings. My issue is that the pick is not loud at all.
    Exactly my experience - I assume you've tried the Wegen M100/150s? - If not, you ought to. They're like Dawgs with sound!

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    Registered User Atlanta Mando Mike's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    A pick is a very personal thing. I used the Dawg picks for years although I don't anymore. For me, they produce a very warm, round tone with little pick noise. And yes, awesome for tremolo. The downside is accuracy. They are perfect for what the Dawg does IMO. At the end of the day, its what you want though. I decided I needed a little more point, but I've sacrificed some tone for that.

  28. #17
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    From Ray - "I'm thinking of introducing a Wegenesque bevel to a Dawg to see if it makes it useable." . I've done that myself Ray & the difference was very not noticeable !. All you do is to substitue a thick bevel for a thick edge - the picks still slide over the strings almost silently - they seem to have all the picking power of a ball bearing !. I've used the rounded corners of my Primetone picks on ocassion,& even though they do 'slide' a bit more,they still produce a strong tone,
    Ivan
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I found the golden gate/dawg picks to be terribly difficult to use. There was more pick noise compared to my pro plec and it just felt mushy. The only area where I think the tone or performance was better was with tremelo. It just sounded smoother to my ears. I'm sure all the little changes in attack speed, angle, depth etc. are why some people love them and some people hate them.

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  31. #19
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I've never been able to bond with Dawg or Golden Gates. Have always wanted to, because, well, Dawg, but feel like I have to really wail on it to get any volume with that shape. Got some Prime Tones in a similar shape, and they're a little louder, but not by much. I'll stick to my Bluechips, Wegens, and (occasionally) Primetones for now.

    That said, glad you found your pick, and glad the price is right!
    Chuck

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    Registered User McIrish's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I think a lot of this has to do with the mandolin as well. I had a Weber oval hole that was bright and kind of stringy sounding. The combination of using the silk and bronze strings and a Golden Gate was perfect for that particular mandolin. On my Gibson Fern, the Primetone 1.5 smooth triangles is my favorite. So, different picks for different instruments. Oh, I did find the GG picks to be great on electric bass when I needed a sound that was softer than a regular pick but harder than fingers.
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  35. #21

    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I just received the traveling pcik sampler which included a dawg pick. To my ears, it sounds great on the G and D strings but I don't get enough tone out of the A and especially E strings. I find it very easy to tremello with and chords and double-stops sound great.

    My one major complaint is that it only has one usable corner. I just don't understand the thinking there.

  36. #22
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    Quote Originally Posted by McIrish View Post
    I think a lot of this has to do with the mandolin as well.
    I'm certain you are correct.

    Do any of you play a bowlback or other traditional short scale European mandolins with a Dawg or other "poker chip" pick?

    I'm not trolling, I honestly want to know.

  37. #23

    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I've found that shaping a RH bevel on each of the playing edges has greatly improved the usefulness and tonal response of these picks. I don't know if I'm using a GG or Dawg pick since the logo has worn off a long time ago. Prior to reshaping, I had the same complaints as voiced above, too quiet and too muddy, not very good sounding at all. I bought some of the Dunlop PT Sculpted Plectra rounded triangle 1.5 mm thickness. I liked the projection of the PT but found the RH bevels to be too severe and one dimensional so I took some 600 grit sand paper to each of bevels and rounded the edges somewhat, allowing them to slip off the strings a little easier. That's what gave me the idea to try it on the GG (or Dawg) pick with surprisingly good (to me) results. The PT is still my go to pick but the GG is my #2. You may want to try it.

    Len B.
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  38. #24
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I have always used pointier picks, went thru a long phase of jazz picks of various makers. I pick up a Dawg pick from time to time to see if they work but always put them aside. More recently i have settled on less pointy picks, tho, using primarily BC TAD50-3R , TAD60-3R or Wegens.

    Yes, to each his or her own and even to each mandolin (sometimes) a different optimum pick.
    Jim

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  40. #25
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    Default Re: DAWG picks. YES, they work

    I love the dawgs for guitar more than mando oddly enough. On mando fam stuff I use 2mm gator grips which is nice cause they're cheap.

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