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Thread: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

  1. #1

    Default OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I started with a Dunlop .73mm but it was too stiff.
    Next grade down at the local music shop was .60mm so I bought a couple.
    Seems to work better but when hammering through some triplets they start to feel rather soft.

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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use a Golden Gate "stiff" .91mm, but i'm too new to have a valid opinion. joe

  3. #3

    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I have just been using my usual mandolin picks (Wegen TF140)… should I be trying something thinner?

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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I don't use a different pick going from Mandolin to Octave, either prime tone 1.4 or prime tone 1.5, and recently I have been using a Blue Chip CT 55 which does just fine.
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  5. #5

    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    hmm, those are all much stiffer than .70 or .60mm.
    Maybe i'm moving in the wrong direction.

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bluey View Post
    hmm, those are all much stiffer than .70 or .60mm.
    Maybe i'm moving in the wrong direction.
    I use a .73 mm Ultex/ultem sharp. they are thin enough but also very stiff. They work very well for my playing style.

  8. #7

    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    Funny thing is I just purchased a CT 55 compared to my CT 40 - On my Gibson f-2 1914 it really brings out volume and feels much better.

    On my OM though, I am finding I prefer the CT 40. I like the lighter pick as it seems to make the sound come clearer from the notes compared to the heavier pick.

    Interesting things!!

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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use stiffer picks on mandolin than on octave mando because of the scale length difference. Shorter, therefore less flexible, strings make the stiffer plectra essential while longer, more flexible strings of octave are more compatible with thinner picks with a little more flex to them. So on mandolin I usually use 1.3-1.5 mm and on octave it’s 0.8-1.3 mm. I have a range on hand and I occasionally try others but mostly I use Dawg, Primetone 1.4 and clown barf 1.3 for mandolin and the same clown barf 1.3 or a couple mystery picks (0.8 or 0.9) from my collection on octave.
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    Registered User foldedpath's Avatar
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use a Blue Chip TAD40-1R (speed bevel right hand) which is 1.0mm thickness.

    I use that same pick on octave mandolin, standard mandolin, and acoustic steel string guitar. With the Irish and Scottish trad I mostly play, thicker picks are more difficult for me to hit treble ornaments on mandolin or OM. Anything thinner tends to lose too much energy bending the pick. As it turned out, this particular pick also works fine for guitar, so it keeps things simple. Fewer picks to keep track of.

    I did a lot of experimenting years ago and ended up here. Maybe there is a better pick out there, but once you settle in with something that works, the motivation to keep experimenting tends to disappear.
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    Wegen 150 pick. triangular shape with grooved indentations in the center. does not shift or slip away or rotate when playing. (would use the 250 and 350, but they have too much friction). strings are thomastic flat woulds (guitar strings custom set).

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    Registered User 5Guitars's Avatar
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use Blue Chips - Jazz 60 and Jazz 50 on electrics and IBJ 55 on acoustics - on most of my guitars, but I like 2.5mm Wegen Twins on my Mandola and Octave Mandolin.

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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    1.33 shell for my Randy Wood F 5. A slightly heaver one for guitar.

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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use Red Bear heavy picks for all my instruments & vary the shape depending on the style. I do like a slightly thinner pick for acoustic guitar strumming but still in the 1.25-1.5 range.
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidKOS View Post
    I use a .73 mm Ultex/ultem sharp. they are thin enough but also very stiff. They work very well for my playing style.
    This is what I use also. I have thicker picks, a Gravity, and a Blue Chip 1.5mm, but I keep going back to my Dunlop Tortex .73mm.

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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    On mandolin my favs are TAD 60 and CT 55 or similar (so 1.4-1.5 mm). Have some thicker but those are my go to picks. On OM I use a TAD 50 or a Wegen TF 120. I will occasionally use something heavier on OM (sent a vid to my brothers using a Toneslab 1.4 mm on Monday just cuz it was out), but tend to stay a little thinner on OM, especially if I’m mostly playing rhythm. I don’t feel like I need so much pick with the OM’s longer scale length and floppier strings.

    But, do what works for you. I started off using a .73 Dunlop, even on mando, because I had them and didn’t know any better, then moved to Fender Heavy, then up to Wegen TF 140 on mando, 120 on guitar and OM, then just kept falling down the rabbit hole…
    Chuck

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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use the prodigy 2.0mm from Ernie Ball. They got a nice shape and feel good in my hands. Slimer ones don't do it for me - I dont like the sound they produce.
    Recently tried the 2mm from Gator, but they got a way to rough surface.

  19. #17
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I've tried just about every brand and shape of pick. I've gone from 1.0 mm up to 3.0 mm thickness. For years I felt like 2.0 mm was the absolute best thickness for every plectrum instrument I play. Now I've backed off to 1.5 mm, mainly because my favorite picks (original Gravity Gold PEEK) aren't available in 2.0 mm - just 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm, and I found 2.5 mm to be too thick.

    I use the same 1.5 mm Gravity Gold on all my mandolins, mandola, octave mandolin and mandocello. I still like my M200 (2.0 mm) Wegen's also.

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    Registered User David Rambo's Avatar
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use a Blue Chip CT 55. I'm happy with the feel and sound I get with the CT.
    "Put your hands to the wood
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    Registered User Rob Meyer's Avatar
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    After trying a bunch of different picks over the years, I’ve settled on BlueChip TD 35 for playing tunes and a Primetone .73 for strumming. They have the right amount balance between stiffness and flexibility that suits my playing style. Anything much thicker and I find trebling more difficult. I like their longevity as well.
    Rob

  22. #20
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use a Wegen 140 large triangle. I have also used the BC equivalent. Both work well for me.

  23. #21

    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I just got some work done on my OM and I ordered a Tone Slab TS 3 Tri Round which came the day after I got my OM back. It is right hand speed bevel and 1.5mm thick. I love it. It grips well, is slick on the strings, loud, clear, and responsive. I absolutely love it. I previously played a Blue Chip CT pick but I don't like it nearly as much as the Tone Slab.
    I use a much more rounded pick for the mandolin and a pointier one for the OM.

  24. #22
    Registered User McIrish's Avatar
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

    I use the Primetone 1.5mm picks on all mandolin family instruments. Works well for me.
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    Default Re: OM, What pick thickness do you use?

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