Picks-evolution of in your playing

[unstrung]

My shred friends keep trying to get me to play Jazz IIIs but no. Whatever I'm playing, I want the feel of this pick.

 

[gjacob]

It didn't take many pick-scrapes to realize the fender picks were worthless.  Settled on Tortex .88 early on and haven't looked back.  The Ultex picks are great, but I prefer the grip on the Tortex.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I went through A LOT of different picks over my first few years of playing - still have a cup full of probably 40 different kinds.  I narrowed it down to Dunlop tortex (red, orange or yellow) for strumming and Dunlop Jazz for lead.  I tried the Jazz III's at first but they felt too small, tried the Jazz III XL's, and then in the end settled on the Ultex Jazz III.  As I got more used to them I got used to the smaller Jazz III (instead of the XL).  I just carry the two now and that's all I've played for the last 3 years or so - Orange (.60) vortex and Ultex Jazz III.  The Ultex Jazz III's do wear (the tips round out) but I just love the feel of them so I'm willing to replace them periodically.  I keep the cup of picks around just in case I start feeling unsettled and want to go back on the search - and I give em away to new guitarists so they can search through the library to find what they want to use. 

For a really odd pick check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p84RxNcl2l4 .  He seems to really like them but a monster sized pick like that seems really weird to me!

 

[mark1178]

I started out with those thin fender thin tortoise picks after realizing I can't use a penny like Brian May, then moved over to Dunlop .73 Nylons. Used those for years, I played them upside down as well to get that scratchy tone when playing U2 songs. Nowadays I still use the Nylons, but mostly for acoustic work. Now I just use the Dunlop Tortex 1.0 and 1.14. If warmoth would sell those picks they throw in with each package is gladly buy a handful of them, they're comfy and though could be thicker, still a usable pick.

 

[Logrinn]

After a long hiatus, where before I tried and used almost all and any picks that were available - small, large, thin, heavy, plastic, nylon, metal, stone - I now have a new guitar and for no particular reason ended up using the red relief sharkfins. They are very thin, but I like them a lot.
http://www.sharkfin.eu/products/.
Similar, but not quite the same as the goldprinted ones that Trevor Rabin uses though.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Nothing beats the Dunlop Gator-Grip picks.  Nothing.

 

[Glimmer]

For the years I was regularly playing out I always used a thick orange pick (don't even know what kind it was :icon_jokercolor: ) on bass and an "ultra thin" Dunlop on guitar. Only ever had those two. Never experimented.

In the mid-2000s I started playing acoustic guitar pretty much exclusively. Used Fender medium picks for a couple of years then, after buying an acoustic archtop, found that heavy and extra heavy picks = bigger fatter sound and switched to those.

Am now experimenting with different heavy picks and am most enjoying Dunlop Ultex 1.4, which I'm using on acoustic and electric.

 

[Strat Avenger]

For the years I was regularly playing out I always used a thick orange pick (don't even know what kind it was :icon_jokercolor: ) on bass and an "ultra thin" Dunlop on guitar. Only ever had those two. Never experimented.

In the mid-2000s I started playing acoustic guitar pretty much exclusively. Used Fender medium picks for a couple of years then, after buying an acoustic archtop, found that heavy and extra heavy picks = bigger fatter sound and switched to those.

Am now experimenting with different heavy picks and am most enjoying Dunlop Ultex 1.4, which I'm using on acoustic and electric.

Yeah, I use nothing but Fender Heavy picks for acoustic. For electric it's the Dunlop Gator-Grip. I should have clarified that in my previous post.

 

[rgand]

For years, I've used Fender picks. My favorite is the 346 heavy. I just got a couple Tusq picks, triangular ones in 1mm. I keep going back and forth between those and the Fenders. I like the feel of both but for different reasons. Tusq picks are smooth playing but Fenders sound a little clearer. I'm still not fully sold on either one enough to say, "This is my favorite." Maybe there's something out there I'll like better.

Now with 6 months under my belt with the Tusq picks, They have become my go-to favorites. I got all three weights (bright, warm and deep) and the warm ones are by far the best for me. For thickness, I like the 1.0 mm ones. Equally as nice playing are ones made from old vinyl records. A guy on another forum sent me a couple to try. They really are nice.

 

[Cagey]

I ordered all three sizes of the TUSQ picks when they first came out and I liked they way they felt and sounded, but I ended up breaking several of them so I stopped using them. I'm not a particularly aggressive player, so I'm not sure why that was happening. I don't have that problem with Dunlop's Tortex and Ultrex picks, which have been my favorites now for many years. I can use one of those for months on end unless somebody pockets it.

 

[rgand]

Cagey, What thickness did you get? I went with 1.0 mm and haven't broken one yet.

 

[Cagey]

I don't remember what the thicknesses were, if I ever knew. As I recall, they called them "thin, medium and heavy", whatever that means. I went looking around and all I could find was yellow and white ones, and they're not marked as to thickness.

 

[rgand]

Thanks, I was just curious. Maybe I haven't broken one since it's thicker than many.

 

[stratamania]

I mainly use Dunlop Delrins, 1.5mm which are a purple colour.

But often I don't use a pick at all. Depends on what I'm playing.

 

[Cederick]

Started with .60 dunlop standards 16 years ago.
Plays with .73 dunlop standards since one year ago  :toothy12:

I don't like changing stuff. Still plays D'Addario 10-46 on all guitars, except shorter scales with 11-52.  :toothy12: as absolutely standard as it can be, but hey, it works really well!

 

[Strat Avenger]

I mainly use Dunlop Delrins, 1.5mm which are a purple colour.

But often I don't use a pick at all. Depends on what I'm playing.

I was using the Delrin 1.5mm too, but never liked how slippery they were. The Gator-Grips solved that problem, and they have the exact same shape and beveled edge as the Delrins.

 

[stratamania]

I mainly use Dunlop Delrins, 1.5mm which are a purple colour.

But often I don't use a pick at all. Depends on what I'm playing.

I was using the Delrin 1.5mm too, but never liked how slippery they were. The Gator-Grips solved that problem, and they have the exact same shape and beveled edge as the Delrins.

I've tried a couple of the Gator grips when a shop was out of stock of the Delrins. I liked them too but my hands are usually quite dry relatively so the Delrins seem to work for me. I also like to flip the pick out of the way so I can use my fingers at times.

 

[Max1981]

Dunlop Primetone sculpted plectra, .96 mm gauge. Thick enough to deliver good attack without flexing, but not so thick that pick noise is an issue. They have a tastefully-made textured grip, which I need so I'm not dropping them everywhere. For some reason, they make the notes sound clearer than the other picks I've tried. Not at all complaining, I love it. There's only one downside to them, and that's the pricetag.

 

[Glimmer]

FWIW, bought up all the Dunlop Jazz IIIs in town (well, one of each to tell the truth) and have been trying them out against one another this past week and have found that...

I really like the Ultex best for a thick, clean, smooth sound.

The black nylon one is nice for brighter if thinner sound.

And the Stubby 3.0 is really interesting for a thick, smooth sound w/clean, bright highs.