Favorite Guitar Pick

[GuitarAttack Forum]

All -

Do you have a favorite guitar pick? Do you use them (think Jeff Beck)? Have your preferences changed over the years?

Here is a photo of my pile of picks on my recording desk. I gravitate towards my old standby, Fender cellulose picks in Medium gauge, but there are so many choices! Note: there are more available.

Look forward to hearing what you use.

John

[antares]

See that little red one just right of centre- Dunlop Jazz III I believe? I have an ancient ceramic Whitbread Brewery ashtray loaded with them. Danny Gatton used Jazz IIIs and that alone works for me. Eric Johnson uses them too (but they have to be the red ones!) It's kind of a kick back against a time when cash was short and buying a pick / plectrum was a big deal for me.

That said, I have a number of bone picks and I really do like them, and (within reason) the thicker the better. Best Beloved has bought me a number of picks over the years- a solid sterling silver one comnes to mind and there's a wooden one too. One time she bought me a mega thick bone pick carved in the shape of a heart (ahhh!!) and like the other fancy ones I put it in a drawer.

Then on another Proboards forum, I got to know a guy who lived nearer Pensylvania than New York and he convinced me to try bone picks. He's passed now but he left me that legacy and I have never looked back. I still leave Jazz IIIs clipped under the strings on the electrics that hang on the wall, but I generally grab a bone pick and that one in particular. I managed to buy a few bone picks with exactly the profile of Jazz IIIs and I always have one on me in my wallet. Similarly, I have a quite thin and flexible horn pick which seems to be just made for my mandolin.

Despite the foregoing, I'm with Jeff Beck and play with my fingers. There are some things you just need a pick for- pinch harmonics come to mind, but I usually play without. I like playing with a pick and fingers too- a Curtis Mayfield kind of thing. John Frusciante does that. I was lucky to start off with classical which affords me the choice.

I recall a conversation decades ago with a dear southpaw guitar playing friend when I hang my hat on the fact that you can only get a great sound on an electric with a pick. He put on some Jeff Healey. He asked me what I thought and I said that I was blown away, and he said "he plays with fingers. Sitting down lap-style too. And he's blind." What could I do but eat that hat!

[dnic]

I'm a Dunlop medium gray kind of guy, .060mm. But I started with a lighter gauge and still prefer that for strumming or quiter songs.

Mark Knopfler plays with his fingers as well. He gets a nice chunky sound and he also hybrid picks with no pick.

[antares]

Apr 6, 2024 12:17:52 GMT -6 antares said:

See that little red one just right of centre- Dunlop Jazz III I believe? I have an ancient ceramic Whitbread Brewery ashtray loaded with them. Danny Gatton used Jazz IIIs and that alone works for me. Eric Johnson uses them too (but they have to be the red ones!) It's kind of a kick back against a time when cash was short and buying a pick / plectrum was a big deal for me.

That said, I have a number of bone picks and I really do like them, and (within reason) the thicker the better. Best Beloved has bought me a number of picks over the years- a solid sterling silver one comnes to mind and there's a wooden one too. One time she bought me a mega thick bone pick carved in the shape of a heart (ahhh!!) and like the other fancy ones I put it in a drawer.

Then on another Proboards forum, I got to know a guy who lived nearer Philadelphia than New York and he convinced me to try bone picks. He's passed now but he left me that legacy and I have never looked back. I still leave Jazz IIIs clipped under the strings on the electrics that hang on the wall, but I generally grab a bone pick and that one in particular. I managed to buy a few bone picks with exactly the profile of Jazz IIIs and I always have one on me in my wallet. Similarly, I have a quite thin and flexible horn pick which seems to be just made for my mandolin.

Despite the foregoing, I'm with Jeff Beck and play with my fingers. There are some things you just need a pick for- pinch harmonics come to mind, but I usually play without. I like playing with a pick and fingers too- a Curtis Mayfield kind of thing. John Frusciante does that. I was lucky to start off with classical which affords me the choice.

I recall a conversation decades ago with a dear southpaw guitar playing friend when I hang my hat on the fact that you can only get a great sound on an electric with a pick. He put on some Jeff Healey. He asked me what I thought and I said that I was blown away, and he said "he plays with fingers. Sitting down lap-style too. And he's blind." What could I do but eat that hat!

[GuitarAttack Forum]

I've played the Herco and Dunlop nylon picks for a long time, and I really liked the Pickboy Metacarbonates. The John Petrucci picks and the Eric Johnson Jazz IIIs are also favorites.

The Fender cellulose picks are all kind of different. The confetti picks - red, white, and blue - feel different compared to the checkerboard picks. I still think the plain white Fenders are the best, and you can find them when you drop them on a dark stage!

The Ernie Ball Everlast picks are great, and I still use the Dunlop Tortex picks with the sharp tip.

Then there are the Davas...that grip can be habit forming.

One of my new favs is the V-Picks made in Nashville. Lots of choices and they do sound good.

For Bass I still use my Dunlop nylon 1.0mm pick. I've never found one better.

John

[GuitarAttack Forum]

Here is a link to the V-Pick site: v-picks.com/

Vinni is a very nice guy. I have a lot of his picks and even have one of his slides!

The way the picks feel is pretty interesting - they do tend to stick very lightly to your fingers when they warm up.

John

[antares]

That's a good website John, very little hyperbole. Some of those V-Picks thick picks look a lot like some of my bone picks, and the heart profile pick in particular.

[GuitarAttack Forum]

Steve -- very true. Vinni is a really good guy, and his picks are really different.

John

[stratpurist]

My favorite pick brand is freebie.  Sometimes my children will give me some for the holiday.  When I do buy picks its fender medium although recently I bought 100 custom picks just for the heck of it.

[ehaataja]

Jim Dunlop. The grey .88mm is the only pick I use.  I need the little grippy bumps and letters.  I just drop the smooth ones right away.  I need the grippy things.  I suppose in time I could learn to just squeeze harder, but why?  They make picks with grippy things.  

[dnic]

I like the Dunlop for the same reason.

[ehaataja]

Apr 11, 2024 14:26:21 GMT -6 GuitarAttack Forum said:

Here is a link to the V-Pick site: v-picks.com/

Vinni is a very nice guy. I have a lot of his picks and even have one of his slides!

The way the picks feel is pretty interesting - they do tend to stick very lightly to your fingers when they warm up.

John

These look pretty cool.  Sticking to your finger when they warm up, now that's a good idea.  I hope he patented that.  They are too pricey for my taste though, and possibly a little on the thick side for my taste. 

[GuitarAttack Forum]

Apr 27, 2024 16:53:58 GMT -6 ehaataja said:

Jim Dunlop. The grey .88mm is the only pick I use.  I need the little grippy bumps and letters.  I just drop the smooth ones right away.  I need the grippy things.  I suppose in time I could learn to just squeeze harder, but why?  They make picks with grippy things.  

If you like the grippy things, try the Dava picks. They have a rubberish coating and are pretty cool. There is a one in one the right/middle of the photo I posted.

We had a jazz cat that used to come in the shop and he always had a pocket full of Dava picks. He must have been an endorser, and he gave me a few.

Worth checking out.

On another note, V-picks come in regular thicknesses,too. I use several of the "classics" and they are pretty comfortable.

John

[GuitarAttack Forum]

Apr 27, 2024 9:12:28 GMT -6 stratpurist said:

My favorite pick brand is freebie.  Sometimes my children will give me some for the holiday.  When I do buy picks its fender medium although recently I bought 100 custom picks just for the heck of it.

Very cool...I have a lot of GC picks laying around!

Curious - who did you get your custom picks from and would you recommend them?

Thanks
John

[stratpurist]

John, I got my custom picks from pickworld.com
The process was dead simple and they emailed a jpeg to show me what my picks would look like. The more you order the price/pick goes down substantially.
100 picks was $45 including delivery.