Picking conundrum

I've been playing guitar most of my life, but almost completely acoustic. I play both flat-pick and finger style on the acoustic in a pretty broad range of genres, but my main style is country. I got into chicken picking this past winter when I picked up a Tele and started twangin...well...something that was twangish - lol. Anyway, my problem is this. When I do bluegrass and chicken stuff on the acoustic, I have no trouble whatsoever with using a flatpick hybrid technique - it sounds fine, and feels good. When I pick up my Tele, however, I don't seem to get quite the snap I'm after when hybrid picking, and almost immediately revert to a thumb-pick. The problem is that I hate the way the thumb-pick sounds for strumming, and I don't like it for fast up and down stuff. I tried a Hercko but hated it.

Any suggestions?

Brent Mason uses a thumb pick, but I can't do it. I agree, it sounds horrible for strumming. Just keep practicing hybrid picking, you'll get a sound you like. Make sure you like the pick sound. I use a heavy or extra heavy celluloid pick for the most part. A Dunlop Ultex 1.00 or 1.14 works pretty well, too.

I've been playing guitar most of my life, but almost completely acoustic. I play both flat-pick and finger style on the acoustic in a pretty broad range of genres, but my main style is country. I got into chicken picking this past winter when I picked up a Tele and started twangin...well...something that was twangish - lol. Anyway, my problem is this. When I do bluegrass and chicken stuff on the acoustic, I have no trouble whatsoever with using a flatpick hybrid technique - it sounds fine, and feels good. When I pick up my Tele, however, I don't seem to get quite the snap I'm after when hybrid picking, and almost immediately revert to a thumb-pick. The problem is that I hate the way the thumb-pick sounds for strumming, and I don't like it for fast up and down stuff. I tried a Hercko but hated it.

Any suggestions?

use a normal pick and when the picking part comes tuck up your pick into your pointing finger and start fingerpicking with your fingers except your pointing finger case u use it for the pick.
watch brian setzer doing it. he hates thumb picks too.

I've been playing guitar most of my life, but almost completely acoustic. I play both flat-pick and finger style on the acoustic in a pretty broad range of genres, but my main style is country. I got into chicken picking this past winter when I picked up a Tele and started twangin...well...something that was twangish - lol. Anyway, my problem is this. When I do bluegrass and chicken stuff on the acoustic, I have no trouble whatsoever with using a flatpick hybrid technique - it sounds fine, and feels good. When I pick up my Tele, however, I don't seem to get quite the snap I'm after when hybrid picking, and almost immediately revert to a thumb-pick. The problem is that I hate the way the thumb-pick sounds for strumming, and I don't like it for fast up and down stuff. I tried a Hercko but hated it.

Any suggestions?

Pick on bass strings, fingers popping double stops or pulling chords. Are you muting the bass strings? Most (myself included) use pretty heavy palm muting on the bass strings in this style and never had any problem with it sounding right.

Thanks, guys.

Yup - I mute the bass strings a lot - no trouble there. I just find I don't get the same snap off my middle finger as I do off my index finger when hybrid picking on the Tele. Because I do most of my playing at house volumes, I wonder if maybe it wouldn't be so bad turned up, by my tone just sounds kinda weak hybrid style on the electric. I read some posts where a few guys started using those smaller pics - maybe I'll pick up a couple of them and try;)

Is the Telecaster your only electric guitar? I think what you're hearing is the tone difference between plucking the strings with a soft surface (your finger tip) and a hard surface (the pick). The difference is going to be more pronounced with an electric.

Do other electric guitars sound the same? If not, then disregard the above. :mrgreen: I fingerpick probably 95% of the time, and can tell a big difference between a flat pick and my fingers, tone wise. I would imagine that mixing the two techniques would produced a similarly mixed result.

Actually, I keep my nails just long enough to catch the strings. It works fine on acoustic, but it almost feels like I'm finger picking from an angle intead of a straight attack on the electric.:confused:

Thanks, guys.

Yup - I mute the bass strings a lot - no trouble there. I just find I don't get the same snap off my middle finger as I do off my index finger when hybrid picking on the Tele. Because I do most of my playing at house volumes, I wonder if maybe it wouldn't be so bad turned up, by my tone just sounds kinda weak hybrid style on the electric. I read some posts where a few guys started using those smaller pics - maybe I'll pick up a couple of them and try;)

I use thes Dava jazz picks really like them. I just use the meat of my finger tips.

Actually, I keep my nails just long enough to catch the strings. It works fine on acoustic, but it almost feels like I'm finger picking from an angle intead of a straight attack on the electric.:confused:

I know the feeling, except in reverse. When I hybrid pick on an acoustic I get this awful SCRRRRRRAAAAAPE sound because my nail hit it diagonally.

Sounds like it might just be a technique issue. Try angling your wrist just a tiny bit more. Also, don't be afraid to really SNAP the strings.