What picks?

[carkva]

I was just wandering if anyone had any tips about using picks, and what kind of picks you should use.
I've been trying different kind of picks, but I'm yet not sure about how the best picks should be like, especially in different playing styles. I'm haven't been playing Mandolin for so long, and I am grateful for answers and hope it can be useful for others, as well.

Thanks.

[mandroid]

Picks are discusses ad-nauseum in the equipment section .

I recommend looking for the various competing opinions there.

[MikeEdgerton]

Picks are a favorite subject here and honestly, the easiest way to change the tone of your mandolin is to change picks. Here are several pages that discuss various brands and models. Choose a topic that looks like what you're looking for. In my book a good starter pick is to try the Goldengate mandolin picks and go on from there. They're cheap. Get the hang of a heavier rounded pick and then move on into the more esoteric choices available, or maybe not.

[AlanN]

Doyle Lawson likes 'em 'stiff as half dollars'...FWIW.

[Womandolin]

Picks are a favorite subject here and honestly, the easiest way to change the tone of your mandolin is to change picks. Here are several pages that discuss various brands and models. Choose a topic that looks like what you're looking for. In my book a good starter pick is to try the Goldengate mandolin picks and go on from there. They're cheap. Get the hang of a heavier rounded pick and then move on into the more esoteric choices available, or maybe not.

That's the kind that I use. I like it for now. It makes a nice warm sound.

[Ernie Campbell]

Should Pete Rose be in the hall of fame.

[Tobin]

Heh, one of the first bits of info I started looking for on this site was the subject of picks.

You folks who have been here a while probably get tired of questions on picks. But for newbies to the site, it's like information overload. It's hard to weed through all the discussions of picks to find a clear answer. I've played guitar for a couple of decades and have plenty of picks, but the mandolin pick is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

I haven't been playing mandolin that long, but I've tried a vast array of picks (and it seems I've invested quite a bit of money in my large pick collection!). The Golden Gate pick listed above is fairly good, although it produces a tone that doesn't particularly suit my style of music. I find myself mainly switching back and forth, depending on the song I happen to be playing, between a Wegen TF-120 and an el-cheapo Dunlop Tortex triangle pick (1.14mm).

The Wegen TF-120 gives me a nice clear tone and plays fairly quickly. The Dunlop has a more mellow tone, and I like the texture of it. It doesn't seem to slip or roll on me at all.

One of these days I'll try the mystical/magical Blue Chip that everyone seems to think is so wonderful.

But really, carkva, the best advice is to just try them all yourself. Picks are generally pretty cheap. Buy a lot of them and give each one a try. You'll eventually find "the one" that you fall in love with that suits your instrument, your hands, your playing style, your string choice, and your music. There's really no instant answer on this. It's a study in experimentation for each individual player/instrument/music combination.

[earthsave]

I use the Wegen M150 (I think that's the nomenclature for it?). It's the mandolin pick in 1.5mm thickness. It's a triangle (more of a cam shape) with just the right amount of rounding on the point.

I tried the 1mm version, which was too thin for my liking.

My first pick was the D209, which I still have a handful, but have not used in a while. Great pick, but the shoulders are different than the point.

Got a old Dawg and Goldengate and they are too rounded for my liking.

In a pinch, you can get by using the shoulder of a heavy guitar pick.

[Shelagh Moore]

The favoured picks on this wesite are quite hard to get in the UK... I'd like to try a Blue Chip sometime. I tend now to use fairly stiff celluloid picks between about 0.96 and 1.2mm, Japanese Kasho picks being my current favourites.

[KimRoulias]

One of my favorites is the Blue Chip 50 teardrop. It is very fast... faster than me! Whatever is in it, it's amazing. I met the guy who makes them, Mr. Goins, at SPBGMA in Nashville, and he explained it to me about the fibers and everything. I also have a couple of antique tortoise picks that belonged to my Dad. (I'm not going to jail, am I?) It took me two years to decide what kind of pick I wanted to play with. Here's a tip ... trade picks with your friends before you invest a lot of money in something you may not like. Your friends probably have picks they don't like, that you might like. And you have picks that you don't like, that they will like. I probably have 200 picks of all shapes, sizes and materials around the house, from elk horn to plastic, and I'm always glad to let people try what they like and take their "pick" from them. Good luck! And don't underestimate how the pick you use will affect your playing, everything from the sound to the speed. Nobody really explained this to me at first.

[woodwizard]

Should Pete Rose be in the hall of fame.

My little brother won an autographed baseball signed: "I'm sorry I bet on baseball, Pete Rose". Answer: Yes and so should Shoeless Joe...

Meanwhile ... Back to picks..... The Dawgs, Goldengates, Wegen M150's and the RedBears are all pretty decent picks IMHO but.... if you want to skip to the top/best get a Bluechip TPR60.

[pickloser]

Another vote for the Wegen M150. A cheaper but still good sounding pick is the Dunlop Jazztone 207. I liked Red Bear picks very much until I hit upon the right Wegen shape for me.

Everybody's got a favorite, and soon you will too. It may not be your favorite in six months. Mandolins seem to have their own preferences as do string sets. My Ratcliff loves the 207, my Pheonix doesn't; the Phoenix loved Red Bear, Ratcliff didn't. I can't figure it out, really.

Every month or so, a Cafe member sells a bunch of different picks tried before finding a favorite. It's a good way to sample different kinds. Keep check on the accessories classifieds.

Another way to try some out is to go to the biggest jam you have available and ask all the mando players what they suggest. They'll let you try their favorite, let you use the second favorite all night, and they'll probably give you a couple that are just rattling around.

Good luck hunting. It's one of the less expensive mandolin related shopping experiences. Thank goodness.

[carkva]

Thank you very much, everybody! All the tips are very useful. I'll remember all your tips while I go on searching for my favourite pick, or picks. I'm going to buy a bunch of new picks downtown as soon as I'm able to, and then I'll try too see if I can find some of what you have suggested here. I will also ask my friends if I can borrow their picks a little to find new picks I like.

Again: Thanks a lot!

...And I'll try to place my problem in the correct category next time

Carl Oskar.