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Thread: What pick for what style?

  1. #1
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    Default What pick for what style?

    Ok so I’ve got another question(I’ll be good this time promisemaybe you good folks can shed some light on this.
    I’ve been using the Dunlop prime tone heavy guitar picks as my all round pick for mandolin/guitar for a while now,but with the innovations made each year with picks I’m wondering, is there a certain preference you have for picks for bluegrass vs your pick for classical or just soft sweet bluegrass songs like Tennessee waltz? Or do you use the same one as an all round pick like me as well?
    I’ve been pretty happy with the prime tones cause they come pre-beveled from the factory and give a real smooth feel.but as I broaden my scope to different styles I can’t help but wonder what your pick or picks of choice are?
    Hardwick Bluetone banjo, old Washburn b16 with an rb250 tone ring
    Custom Martin D28, and D45
    Tyler White #12, Eastman MD 815cs, Austin AU657 beater mandolin
    Several violins, eletric guitars, piano, Suzuki bluesmaster harmonica set, and my Dads old trombone from high school.

  2. #2
    Registered User CWRoyds's Avatar
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    I use a Bluechip CT55 on mandolin, or Wegen Tf140.
    I like the big triangle for mandolin.
    I find it just suits the playing style better.
    For example, I find tremolo much easier with a big triangle, rather than a guitar style pick.

    For electric guitar, I use a 3mm Big Stubby.
    On acoustic guitar, I use either the Big Stubby, or the BlueChip CT55, depending on the guitar.
    Mandolins: Northfield 5-Bar Artist Model "Old Dog", J Bovier F5 Special, Gibson A-00 (1940)
    Fiddles: 1920s Strad copy, 1930s Strad copy, Liu Xi T20, Liu Xi T19+ Dark.
    Guitars: Taylor 514c (1995), Gibson Southern Jumbo (1940s), Gibson L-48 (1940s), Les Paul Custom (1978), Fender Strat (Black/RWFB) (1984), Fender Strat (Candy Apple Red/MFB) (1985).
    Sitars: Hiren Roy KP (1980s), Naskar (1970s), Naskar (1960s).
    Misc: 8 Course Lute (L.K.Brown)

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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Very Interesting CWRoyds which of your 3 lend themselves toward a more rich/warm tone? And wow that 3mm big stubby ain’t no joke. My friend who plays uses the big stubby picks for his telecaster. I’ve never used it tho.

    Has anybody ever heard of or use a mammoth pick called tuskbuffer? I found one on my hunt for a new mando and I bought it cause I thought it was cool. but son it ain’t no slouch for some hard driving bluegrass guitar. I’m more curious as to how rare they are if rare at all? It was the last one in a display case a store in Tennessee the owner said he didn’t think he could even get them anymore.
    Hardwick Bluetone banjo, old Washburn b16 with an rb250 tone ring
    Custom Martin D28, and D45
    Tyler White #12, Eastman MD 815cs, Austin AU657 beater mandolin
    Several violins, eletric guitars, piano, Suzuki bluesmaster harmonica set, and my Dads old trombone from high school.

  5. #4

    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    I am using a Bluechip TAD-1R 40 for my octave and 1R 50 for my mandolin. ITM, fiddle tunes and Appalachian tunes are most of what I play. An occasional choro or two. I don't really swap for particular genres, though with the little classical I do, I am trying out the Wolle plectrum. I was surprised at its tone with my MTO and TI flatwounds.

    Also, I almost exclusively use the rounded corner on my Bluechips. I realized over a year ago that the pointed picks were hiding a problem of mine where I was not fully engaging the bottom string of a pair in a lot of cases. I had avoided using the rounded end because I thought it sounded weaker, when actually it was driver error. Forcing myself to use a rounded pick has improved my technique. Plus, it helps on the triplets and tremelo.
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Wow you know I struggled with the same thing when I first started not playing the pair of strings but just hitting the top one and failing to play through. And I to prefer a slightly rounder edge on the mando and that’s what I like about the triangle picks they’ve got 3 sides so sometimes my wife’s nail files go missing so I can shape and bevel the back side of a pick and still have a round edge to switch to without putting it down and picking another pick up.
    Hardwick Bluetone banjo, old Washburn b16 with an rb250 tone ring
    Custom Martin D28, and D45
    Tyler White #12, Eastman MD 815cs, Austin AU657 beater mandolin
    Several violins, eletric guitars, piano, Suzuki bluesmaster harmonica set, and my Dads old trombone from high school.

  8. #6
    Registered User CWRoyds's Avatar
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Quote Originally Posted by AHoyle View Post
    Very Interesting CWRoyds which of your 3 lend themselves toward a more rich/warm tone? And wow that 3mm big stubby ain’t no joke. My friend who plays uses the big stubby picks for his telecaster. I’ve never used it tho.

    Has anybody ever heard of or use a mammoth pick called tuskbuffer? I found one on my hunt for a new mando and I bought it cause I thought it was cool. but son it ain’t no slouch for some hard driving bluegrass guitar. I’m more curious as to how rare they are if rare at all? It was the last one in a display case a store in Tennessee the owner said he didn’t think he could even get them anymore.

    The BlueChip is the rich warm one of the three. Give a clean rich tone.
    The Wegen is a little brighter and has a slight texture which makes it a very slightly grittier tone.

    The Big Stubby sounds super thick at 3mm, but it has a long slope to a very sharp bezel, so it does not feel like a super thick pick. It gives a fairly sharp tone. My Strat has a particularly dark tone, so the Big Stubby brightens that up.
    For recording acoustic guitars, the Stubby gives a nice bright sparkling tone, whereas the BlueChip gives a more bold rich round tone. Both textures are useful is different circumstances.
    Mandolins: Northfield 5-Bar Artist Model "Old Dog", J Bovier F5 Special, Gibson A-00 (1940)
    Fiddles: 1920s Strad copy, 1930s Strad copy, Liu Xi T20, Liu Xi T19+ Dark.
    Guitars: Taylor 514c (1995), Gibson Southern Jumbo (1940s), Gibson L-48 (1940s), Les Paul Custom (1978), Fender Strat (Black/RWFB) (1984), Fender Strat (Candy Apple Red/MFB) (1985).
    Sitars: Hiren Roy KP (1980s), Naskar (1970s), Naskar (1960s).
    Misc: 8 Course Lute (L.K.Brown)

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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Cool stuff. I was really wondering about those blue chip picks I’ve never had one myself. I hear good things about them tho every time I ask somebody about the subject of picks they come up.
    P.S. CWRoyds have you ever played bluegrass on one of your sitars? Is it even possible? I like the thought of playing a bluegrass concert and halfway through getting one of those things out and just watching everybody’s jaw drop. Who knows it’s probably already been done as much genre hopping that happens nowadays.
    Hardwick Bluetone banjo, old Washburn b16 with an rb250 tone ring
    Custom Martin D28, and D45
    Tyler White #12, Eastman MD 815cs, Austin AU657 beater mandolin
    Several violins, eletric guitars, piano, Suzuki bluesmaster harmonica set, and my Dads old trombone from high school.

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    Registered User foldedpath's Avatar
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    For what it's worth, and we all play different music here -- I use a Blue Chip TAD40-1R (medium triangle, 1.0mm thick) for playing Irish and Scottish traditional music on mandolin. I need a thinner pick to hit the rapid treble ornaments in Irish trad. If I played Bluegrass I'd probably use a heavier pick.

    Buy every pick you can find in different sizes and thicknesses, to see what works for you. It's cheaper than a violin bow! (see that other thread here).

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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Those blue chip TAD picks seem like a viable option for me. Do they have pretty good grip to them? I’m used to picks with grip I like having the extra assurance that it won’t easily slip out of my hand when they get sweaty. They are larger than my current pick so the size might help in that aspect as well.
    Hardwick Bluetone banjo, old Washburn b16 with an rb250 tone ring
    Custom Martin D28, and D45
    Tyler White #12, Eastman MD 815cs, Austin AU657 beater mandolin
    Several violins, eletric guitars, piano, Suzuki bluesmaster harmonica set, and my Dads old trombone from high school.

  14. #10

    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    To me picks are about tone and ease of playing.

    BC's are darker and glide easier than the equivalent pick in another material.

    I used to play a primetone 1.5 triangle, switched to a BC equivalent: TP-60 (non-beveled to get darker for classical), I love it's smaller triangle shape.

    If I wanted a brighter (more bluegrasssy) sound I would get a beveled version of the same pick, or maybe a CT55.
    Davey Stuart tenor guitar (based on his 18" mandola design).
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Mostly I play European folk music, with the emphasis on playing the melody, including lots of tremolo as a matter of routine. I've tended to settle on the Jim Dunlop nylon range, typically the .73mm, but often the .60mm too, which I like a lot.

    When playing among other musicians, reluctantly I switch to something heavier, such as the 0.88mm or even 1mm, sacrificing quality for quantity. I would avoid anything heavier than that as the sound suffers. For my style I need a reasonably sharp point too, rounder types tend to scrape and scratch their way across the strings, muffling and deadening the tone, especially the tremolo, which I want to keep clean and ringing.

    I'd add that I've been playing for more than half a century, and have on occasion improvised with all manner of random objects, as well as purpose-made plectra. By now the type of sound produced is inherent in what I'm aiming to achieve, it's all part of the music, including sometimes pickling the string right up the fingerboard, say around the 12th fret or higher. Choosing where to pluck the string alters which harmonic components of the sound will be produced. For a soft accompaniment with a quiet vocalist I might pluck the strings with the fleshy part of the thumb. I'd also vary the pressure and angle of the plectrum during the course of a single tremolo note, I'm not aiming for a flat, constant volume or constant tone, so lots of variation, depending on what I'm trying to express. And expression is ultimately what it's about, for me.

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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    I have used BlueChips (TAD 40's) a lot for guitar & mandolin but recently have been using a Charmed Life ntr-1.15. I find that the Charmed Life Pics hold their own against BlueChips. I was dropped on my head a lot as a child, so. take what I say with. a grain of salt.

    And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.

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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cobalt View Post
    Mostly I play European folk music, with the emphasis on playing the melody, including lots of tremolo as a matter of routine. I've tended to settle on the Jim Dunlop nylon range, typically the .73mm, but often the .60mm too, which I like a lot.
    Sound sample with the 0.60mm
    Moscow Nights 0.60mm.mp3
    I wouldn't always play it like this, more often I'd use the 0.73 which is a little firmer, and if I was playing along with others, something heaver still.

    Sometimes I like the brighter, more trebly sound from the thinner plectrum, other times I want a sound which is a bit rounder and fuller, it is very much a matter of preference, not something I'd stick to all the time.

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  22. #14
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Picks are as personal a choice as strings. What suits you is what is important. Shape , material, thickness, bevel are all choices to be made. Yes Blue Chip and Wegan both manufacture fine picks. As do a myriad of other vendors. So from .30$ to 30$ are available large triangles to teardrops and very thin to 3 mm. It requires a heavier pick, 1.5mm, for my style of mandolin play. Your choice may be different. What you are using is likely the choice of many. Folks here on the Café often praise Primetone picks. I bought several Blue Chip picks a few years ago and they don't seem to wear enough to be concerned about I expect I will stick with them. One thing about B C picks that is interesting … they are easy for me to hang on to. I like that. R/
    I love hanging out with mandolin nerds . . . . . Thanks peeps ...

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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Quote Originally Posted by AHoyle View Post
    Those blue chip TAD picks seem like a viable option for me. Do they have pretty good grip to them? I’m used to picks with grip I like having the extra assurance that it won’t easily slip out of my hand when they get sweaty. They are larger than my current pick so the size might help in that aspect as well.
    One thing that's neat about Blue Chip picks is that although they have a very smooth surface, they get "stickier" if your hand is damp. It's something to do with how surface tension of moisture interacts with the material. I'll even lick my fingers if it's Winter and my hands are dry, for a little more grab on the BC pick.

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    Dave Sheets
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    It's probably worth signing up for that traveling pick sampler if you are curious about different picks. Different instruments sound better with different picks as far as I can tell. My son got an octave mandolin that came a bag of 20 or more different picks, it was interesting to try them on different instruments. These days, I use the blue chip Tad 60 or CT 55 on mandolins, primetones on just about everything else, just cause they are so much cheaper.
    As other folks have said, the blue chips stay put in my hand, so that my grip stays looser. This matters a lot in a long dance.
    -Dave
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Quote Originally Posted by AHoyle View Post
    P.S. CWRoyds have you ever played bluegrass on one of your sitars? Is it even possible? I like the thought of playing a bluegrass concert and halfway through getting one of those things out and just watching everybody’s jaw drop. Who knows it’s probably already been done as much genre hopping that happens nowadays.
    Nope. I don't play anything on the sitar other than traditional Indian Classical Music.
    I guess I am a snob in that way, and don't think the sitar is appropriate for other genres.
    There are a few isolated examples of the sitar being used in other genres that are interesting, but in general it tends to lose its best qualities when crammed in with other instruments.
    The sitar is a solo instrument, meant to be played alone, with only Tanpura drone and Tabla accompaniment. It is a subtle instrument that needs its own space to shine.
    Mandolins: Northfield 5-Bar Artist Model "Old Dog", J Bovier F5 Special, Gibson A-00 (1940)
    Fiddles: 1920s Strad copy, 1930s Strad copy, Liu Xi T20, Liu Xi T19+ Dark.
    Guitars: Taylor 514c (1995), Gibson Southern Jumbo (1940s), Gibson L-48 (1940s), Les Paul Custom (1978), Fender Strat (Black/RWFB) (1984), Fender Strat (Candy Apple Red/MFB) (1985).
    Sitars: Hiren Roy KP (1980s), Naskar (1970s), Naskar (1960s).
    Misc: 8 Course Lute (L.K.Brown)

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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    I definitely agree with you about it being used best as a solo instrument in the traditional style. I was just curious when I saw sitar’s listed. If any experimentation had happened to a positive outcome. Anyway back to picks I’ll be giving those blue chips a try but I’m curious even more so about the traveling pick sampler. Where would I find more info on that?
    Hardwick Bluetone banjo, old Washburn b16 with an rb250 tone ring
    Custom Martin D28, and D45
    Tyler White #12, Eastman MD 815cs, Austin AU657 beater mandolin
    Several violins, eletric guitars, piano, Suzuki bluesmaster harmonica set, and my Dads old trombone from high school.

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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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  33. #20
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Quote Originally Posted by AHoyle View Post
    I definitely agree with you about it being used best as a solo instrument in the traditional style. I was just curious when I saw sitar’s listed. If any experimentation had happened to a positive outcome. Anyway back to picks I’ll be giving those blue chips a try but I’m curious even more so about the traveling pick sampler. Where would I find more info on that?
    LOL... I just realized my response was very dry and not reflecting the light hearted intent of the question.
    I will admit that I tried to bust out Big Mon once, but it didn't go well.

    Then there is always this...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyAh4-LJ2Hg
    Mandolins: Northfield 5-Bar Artist Model "Old Dog", J Bovier F5 Special, Gibson A-00 (1940)
    Fiddles: 1920s Strad copy, 1930s Strad copy, Liu Xi T20, Liu Xi T19+ Dark.
    Guitars: Taylor 514c (1995), Gibson Southern Jumbo (1940s), Gibson L-48 (1940s), Les Paul Custom (1978), Fender Strat (Black/RWFB) (1984), Fender Strat (Candy Apple Red/MFB) (1985).
    Sitars: Hiren Roy KP (1980s), Naskar (1970s), Naskar (1960s).
    Misc: 8 Course Lute (L.K.Brown)

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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    Ha ha ha that’s awesome. Country/bluegrass really does bring people together. And thanks for the info on the pick sampler as well. It’s an interesting idea for sure. I’d think I’d rather just buy one at a time instead just save up a little here and there for all the ones you’ve mentioned I’ll start with blue chip and then I’ll get a Wegen so on so forth until I have the ones I really like. They’re expensive for picks but hey I’ll spend that much in one dinner at a restaurant. So I’ll just skip that and buy some picks.
    Hardwick Bluetone banjo, old Washburn b16 with an rb250 tone ring
    Custom Martin D28, and D45
    Tyler White #12, Eastman MD 815cs, Austin AU657 beater mandolin
    Several violins, eletric guitars, piano, Suzuki bluesmaster harmonica set, and my Dads old trombone from high school.

  36. #22
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    One thing about a Bluechip is that they sell pretty quickly here in the classifieds. So if you don't bond with your choice you could flip it.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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  38. #23

    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    For bluegrass I like the Wegen BG 140.

    Bright and loud but not brash or tinny. I liked the Primetones and Pro plecs but the Wegen just gives me more volume for less effort especially on the treble end. Thick enough that my wrist doesn't need to work too hard. Thin enough that I can do triplets. The price is decent, a 4 pack for 15 bucks and they are durable.

    I've started to use them on all my instruments. Keeps things simple
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    Default Re: What pick for what style?

    When I play classical, the warm tone really sound wrong to me. I much prefer the high scintillating brilliance. The sparkles. This requires a thinner pointier pick. I use a PickBoy 0.75 mandolin pick for that.

    When I play old time, or fiddle tunes, I like the warmer creamier sounds, and go with a heavier pick, BC TAD 60, or a Wegen TF140 or Primetone 1.4. Red Bear heavy. Something like that.
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