What kind of pick do you use?

Derek McNelly · July 3rd, 2009, 09:05 PM

I've used Fender 346 picks since I started playing guitar back in '04.

Tried a few different ones here and there, but these always seem to be my favorite.

Mediums seem to be the easiest to find. I prefer heavy, but I can't get 'em anywhere anymore.

Joe-Bob · July 3rd, 2009, 09:11 PM

I use several different picks, depending on what sound I want. I like the 351 shape, I use Fender celluloids, Dunlop Ultex, and Dunlop GatorGrips.

There are also several that I'm experimenting with.

I encourage people to change pick materials, sizes, and thicknesses. You'll be amazed at the differences in your sound.

Picks are the cheapest new pickups you can buy.

TxTeleMan · July 3rd, 2009, 09:15 PM

Herco.

Ususally gold, sometimes gray.

Occasionally I'll use a Fender jazz pick.

For acoustic work on my Martin Om-28, I use a tortoise style Martin heavy.

cber1517 · July 3rd, 2009, 09:15 PM

V-Picks for me - medium rounded 2.75 mm

www.v-picks.com

Other than these, I prefer D'Andrea Pro Plek 1.5mm

Tdub · July 3rd, 2009, 09:24 PM

Stainless Steel.

JPark · July 3rd, 2009, 09:24 PM

I use these...

...these...

...and these for my bass (2.0mm).

maestrovert · July 3rd, 2009, 09:30 PM

Heavy Fender 358 Jazz/Mandolin picks for me please....
Heavy Claytons of the same size and style work ok too in a pinch....

RodeoTex · July 3rd, 2009, 09:30 PM

80s Gibson medium only for me. I bought a gross of them back in the day and am down to only about 2 dozen now. I don't know where I'll go when they are gone.

Jahmbie · July 3rd, 2009, 09:33 PM

Green Dunlop Tortex, because they're really easy to find on a stage.

Also like the traditional Fender heavy teardrop for acoustic flatpicking.

mellecaster · July 3rd, 2009, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek McNelly

I've used Fender 346 picks since I started playing guitar back in '04.

Tried a few different ones here and there, but these always seem to be my favorite.

Mediums seem to be the easiest to find. I prefer heavy, but I can't get 'em anywhere anymore.

You just haven't looked hard enough !
Click Here

telejake · July 3rd, 2009, 09:59 PM

There was a big movement at NAMM 10 or 12 years ago when Jeff Beck stopped using picks. Seymour gave out buttons that said "no more picks, meat sounds better". I stopped using them and haven't looked back.

Derek McNelly · July 3rd, 2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellecaster

You just haven't looked hard enough !
Click Here

Well, this would've been nice about two weeks ago when I bought 6 dozen Mediums!

Thank you though, I'll keep this link for the future.

fezz parka · July 3rd, 2009, 10:02 PM

I use my fingers and Steve Zook Speedpicks, now made by Dunlop.

cotecj · July 3rd, 2009, 10:05 PM

Dunlop Nylon, .60mm or .73mm

E5RSY · July 3rd, 2009, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotecj

Dunlop Nylon, .60mm or .73mm

I use the black 1mm Nylon in the pic directly above, which looks suspiciously like the Herco's further up the page.

Scott

Rasputan · July 3rd, 2009, 10:20 PM

Fender Moto mediums, or

www.v-picks.com
large ultralite pointed.

================

<><> Rasputan <><>

pchilson · July 3rd, 2009, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotecj

Dunlop Nylon, .60mm or .73mm

The black nylon 1mm for me as well.

tazzboy · July 3rd, 2009, 10:29 PM

Dunlop Metal Pick

PennyCentury · July 3rd, 2009, 10:32 PM

Dunlop Tortex sharp jazz (3/4 inch) 0.88 mm thickness -- the green ones.
Standard picks are too large for me to use comfortably.

Big Mike Simpson · July 3rd, 2009, 10:51 PM

gibson guitar pick GG-S74 tortise heavy... bought a few bags (72 per bag) in 1995 or so... I am about to run low...

Derek S · July 3rd, 2009, 11:14 PM

Just switched a few months ago from Planet Waves .88 or Fender mediums to Snarling Dogs Brain Picks, 1.14mm. I really like the SD's in general for their feel and the heavier guage has worked out great for my playing.

Turnercaster · July 3rd, 2009, 11:21 PM

I've tried just about everything under the sun, and settled on Dunlop Tortex .77 picks-the yellow ones.

Lerb21 · July 3rd, 2009, 11:24 PM

At first I used Fender Heavies, but I wanted to play faster so I went to mediums. I then go wind that Don Rich used thins, so I went to them. I really liked em', but they broke too much so I've gone back to mediums.

91xlntS-3 · July 3rd, 2009, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotecj

Dunlop Nylon, .60mm or .73mm

Dunlop .88's for me, been using them since about 1976.

rangercaster · July 3rd, 2009, 11:30 PM

Quote:

I encourage people to change pick materials, sizes, and thicknesses. You'll be amazed at the differences in your sound.

i agree ... and it's a cheap way to alleviate GAS !!! i buy them online on sale ... my best deal was a gross of Fender Delrin Purple for 9 bucks !!!

DMace · July 3rd, 2009, 11:32 PM

Dunlop .73mm, played with the fat end corner.

Flashback · July 3rd, 2009, 11:39 PM

Green Tortex Dunlops... .88s I think?

gitarzan · July 3rd, 2009, 11:58 PM

Canuckcaster · July 4th, 2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek S

Just switched a few months ago from Planet Waves .88 or Fender mediums to Snarling Dogs Brain Picks, 1.14mm. I really like the SD's in general for their feel and the heavier guage has worked out great for my playing.

I'm also a fan of the Brain heavy picks(the black ones, not sure of the thickness in mm). They never seem to have them in stock at my local shop, so I snap up a handfull when they show up.

CC

dijos · July 4th, 2009, 12:10 AM

I played, red, yellow, orange, and green tortex at various points (getting heavier over time) then I got the black jazz (pics 1.14), but since they were black, and I kept losing them as soon as I dropped one, I wrote dunlop, asking them to make them in different colors, and they sent me some freebies, namely, the purple and green jazz picks (both styles), and I am really happy with the green traditional jazz picks.

Derek S · July 4th, 2009, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canuckcaster

I'm also a fan of the Brain heavy picks(the black ones, not sure of the thickness in mm). They never seem to have them in stock at my local shop, so I snap up a handfull when they show up.

CC

The black ones are .88mm, I have some of those also. I might get some Grays, 1.00mm for even more variety.

Nash · July 4th, 2009, 01:37 AM

I use Dunlop Tortex picks. I used to use the blue 1 mm(still do on occasion), then I switched to the orange 0.60 mm, then I arrived at the green 0.88 mm and have been using those for quite some time. I also tried the various fender's, ernie ball's, dunlop nylon's, etc. but found the tortex picks to be my favorite.

brownshoe · July 4th, 2009, 01:37 AM

Most of the time I use these 1.00mm -

iansmitchell · July 4th, 2009, 01:40 AM

Friend of mine turned me onto these:

Guess who?

They're good picks. Lotta length, three sides, hard to loose 'em, easy to grip, and they don't snap in half like others. Plus I happen to have a bunch of them handy.

PraiseCaster · July 4th, 2009, 02:23 AM

These:

V-Pick, medium rounded.

Lets me really spank that plank, and oh the sweet sounds it surrenders under the abuse!

bfgz · July 4th, 2009, 02:34 AM

V-Pick's........

Dimension's
Diamond's
Screamer's
Med Rounded

They feel and play terrific and are also very fast off the strings. They have a ton of styles to try and i like different ones for different tones and styles.

ole AZ · July 4th, 2009, 02:38 AM

Tortex Reds .5mm I believe. They don't break or slip

P Thought · July 4th, 2009, 03:11 AM

I love pick threads!

I had a GAS attack, and bought nine or ten guitars in a couple years. I didn't want to end up with thirty of them, or with no wife, so I started collecting picks instead of buying guitars. I think it did the trick: I have enough picks now--I keep them in an old piggy bank I've had since I was little--and I have stopped wanting to buy every guitar I see.

As Joe-Bob and others have said, picks can make a real difference in your guitar's sound, and the way it feels to play it. It's like getting a new guitar, almost, and lots cheaper, even if the price seems like a lot for a pick.

At about the time I started acquiring more guitars, I also took up using picks, having used my fingers for thirty years before that. At first I used the Fender tortoise mediums. I've since come to generally prefer thicker picks.

I still use the medium Fenders sometimes, but my favorite nylon pick is the Pro-Plek 1.5mm tri-tip. I have a real tortoise-shell pick a friend gave me. It's nice: I keep it in a holder on my keychain, and I use it mostly when I'm looking at guitars in a music store. I like Red Bear picks, so I bought three of them in different configurations. The V-chip picks are good (a price value, by the way, in my opinion,) especially the thicker ones, and they kind of "glide" over the strings. I have one wood pick I bought, and several my son made me. They produce an interesting tone. I bought an ivory pick. It's nice looking, but too squeaky and clickety on the strings (most of my guitars are acoustics) to suit my taste. I keep meaning to try a metal pick or two, but haven't gotten around to it. I rotate my picks, keeping a different one parked in the strings of each guitar.

My favorite of all my picks is my Blue Chip 60 TP1R, a tri-tip pick with two rounded points and one round corner. It's quiet on the strings, but still thick and stiff enough to get all the volume I want, and it's beveled just right for great feel. I might one day order a medium thickness, conventional-shape pick from Blue Chip. They're spendy, though, so I might wait.

Sorry about the long post. I get kind of excited about picks.

absurdplanet · July 4th, 2009, 03:18 AM

Picks are very personal--I use my fingers and picks.
I think I've run the gauntlet from Fender Mediums to Ex-Heavy Jazz picks (for speed).
For a very long time I've been using the "Fender Heavy," for me, I can strum chords
and just play rhythm with more finesse.--I hope.
Doesn't matter what you use as long as it works for you.

brokenjoe · July 4th, 2009, 03:20 AM

Depends on the gig, or tone I want. Sometimes these:

And sometimes these:

July 3rd, 2009, 09:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
Derek McNelly Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2009 Location: . Posts: 362	What kind of pick do you use? I've used Fender 346 picks since I started playing guitar back in '04. Tried a few different ones here and there, but these always seem to be my favorite. Mediums seem to be the easiest to find. I prefer heavy, but I can't get 'em anywhere anymore.

July 3rd, 2009, 09:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
Joe-Bob Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Dallas, Texas Age: 47 Posts: 5,476	I use several different picks, depending on what sound I want. I like the 351 shape, I use Fender celluloids, Dunlop Ultex, and Dunlop GatorGrips. There are also several that I'm experimenting with. I encourage people to change pick materials, sizes, and thicknesses. You'll be amazed at the differences in your sound. Picks are the cheapest new pickups you can buy. __________________ Why didn't the Psychic Network already know I was gonna call?

July 3rd, 2009, 09:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
TxTeleMan Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Age: 54 Posts: 341 21 Photos	Herco. Ususally gold, sometimes gray. Occasionally I'll use a Fender jazz pick. For acoustic work on my Martin Om-28, I use a tortoise style Martin heavy. __________________ "Every musician adds something to a song; some when they play, and some when the don't." -G. R. Storey

July 3rd, 2009, 09:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
cber1517 TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Nashville Age: 38 Posts: 44	V-Picks for me - medium rounded 2.75 mm www.v-picks.com Other than these, I prefer D'Andrea Pro Plek 1.5mm __________________ Guitars - G&L Tribute Bluesboy, Peavey USA Generation Standard Amp - Fender Blues Junior w/Harvey Morrill mod Effects - Boss CS-3 w/Opto Plus Mod, Barber LTD, Catalinbread Sagrado Poblano Picoso

July 3rd, 2009, 09:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
JPark Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Saint John, NB Age: 19 Posts: 1,199	I use these... ...these... ...and these for my bass (2.0mm). __________________

July 3rd, 2009, 09:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
maestrovert Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow Posts: 8,024	Heavy Fender 358 Jazz/Mandolin picks for me please.... Heavy Claytons of the same size and style work ok too in a pinch....

July 3rd, 2009, 09:30 PM	#8 (permalink)
RodeoTex Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 2,838	80s Gibson medium only for me. I bought a gross of them back in the day and am down to only about 2 dozen now. I don't know where I'll go when they are gone. __________________ Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose.

July 3rd, 2009, 09:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
Jahmbie Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Berea, KY Posts: 877	Green Dunlop Tortex, because they're really easy to find on a stage. Also like the traditional Fender heavy teardrop for acoustic flatpicking. __________________ "I'm not responsible for anyone's gruntlement" - Lt. Col. Henry Blake

July 3rd, 2009, 09:59 PM	#11 (permalink)
telejake Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: 8700 ft/Colorado Rockies Age: 62 Posts: 252	There was a big movement at NAMM 10 or 12 years ago when Jeff Beck stopped using picks. Seymour gave out buttons that said "no more picks, meat sounds better". I stopped using them and haven't looked back.

July 3rd, 2009, 10:02 PM	#13 (permalink)
fezz parka Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: A town south of Bakersfield... Posts: 1,633 47 Photos	I use my fingers and Steve Zook Speedpicks, now made by Dunlop.

July 3rd, 2009, 10:05 PM	#14 (permalink)
cotecj Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Maine Age: 32 Posts: 577	Dunlop Nylon, .60mm or .73mm

July 3rd, 2009, 10:20 PM	#16 (permalink)
Rasputan Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: no. ca. Age: 66 Posts: 116	Fender Moto mediums, or www.v-picks.com large ultralite pointed. ================ <><> Rasputan <><>

July 3rd, 2009, 10:29 PM	#18 (permalink)
tazzboy Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2005 Location: Oregon Age: 32 Posts: 4,748 1 Photos	Dunlop Metal Pick __________________

July 3rd, 2009, 10:32 PM	#19 (permalink)
PennyCentury Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 817	Dunlop Tortex sharp jazz (3/4 inch) 0.88 mm thickness -- the green ones. Standard picks are too large for me to use comfortably. __________________ Now with whole-grain Telecaster goodness! I see my body as an instrument, rather than an ornament. ~Alanis Morissette

July 3rd, 2009, 10:51 PM	#20 (permalink)
Big Mike Simpson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ (PHX) Age: 53 Posts: 1,972 69 Photos	gibson guitar pick GG-S74 tortise heavy... bought a few bags (72 per bag) in 1995 or so... I am about to run low... __________________ http://www.myspace.com/bigmikesimpson

July 3rd, 2009, 11:14 PM	#21 (permalink)
Derek S Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tucson, AZ Age: 41 Posts: 986	Just switched a few months ago from Planet Waves .88 or Fender mediums to Snarling Dogs Brain Picks, 1.14mm. I really like the SD's in general for their feel and the heavier guage has worked out great for my playing.

July 3rd, 2009, 11:21 PM	#22 (permalink)
Turnercaster TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Phoenix, AZ Age: 33 Posts: 13	I've tried just about everything under the sun, and settled on Dunlop Tortex .77 picks-the yellow ones. __________________ If its worth doing, its worth OVERDOING!-Paul Gilbert

July 3rd, 2009, 11:24 PM	#23 (permalink)
Lerb21 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: New Florence, PA Age: 17 Posts: 2,944	At first I used Fender Heavies, but I wanted to play faster so I went to mediums. I then go wind that Don Rich used thins, so I went to them. I really liked em', but they broke too much so I've gone back to mediums. __________________ If it don't twang then it ain't worth havin'!

July 3rd, 2009, 11:32 PM	#26 (permalink)
DMace Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 2,934	Dunlop .73mm, played with the fat end corner.

July 3rd, 2009, 11:39 PM	#27 (permalink)
Flashback Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Swamps of DOOM, South Carolina Posts: 1,040 1 Photos	Green Tortex Dunlops... .88s I think?

July 3rd, 2009, 11:58 PM	#28 (permalink)
gitarzan Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Columbus Ohio Age: 55 Posts: 270	__________________ Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster - Crimson Transparent Squier Telecaster Custom - Black SX Tele - Butterscotch Lero Tele - Banana Pudding - Worst clone ever

July 4th, 2009, 12:10 AM	#30 (permalink)
dijos Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: St. Pete Age: 35 Posts: 716	I played, red, yellow, orange, and green tortex at various points (getting heavier over time) then I got the black jazz (pics 1.14), but since they were black, and I kept losing them as soon as I dropped one, I wrote dunlop, asking them to make them in different colors, and they sent me some freebies, namely, the purple and green jazz picks (both styles), and I am really happy with the green traditional jazz picks. __________________ "Kid, it takes a long time"-Danny Kalb to me in NYC, 1992

July 4th, 2009, 01:37 AM	#32 (permalink)
Nash Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Fullerton, CA Age: 18 Posts: 497 9 Photos	I use Dunlop Tortex picks. I used to use the blue 1 mm(still do on occasion), then I switched to the orange 0.60 mm, then I arrived at the green 0.88 mm and have been using those for quite some time. I also tried the various fender's, ernie ball's, dunlop nylon's, etc. but found the tortex picks to be my favorite. __________________ The answer I'm looking for always seems to be in my other pair of pants.

July 4th, 2009, 01:37 AM	#33 (permalink)
brownshoe Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sunnyvale, CA Posts: 570	Most of the time I use these 1.00mm - __________________ If I grow up I'll be a singer wearing rings on every finger

July 4th, 2009, 01:40 AM	#34 (permalink)
iansmitchell Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Gainesville, Florida Posts: 1,007	Friend of mine turned me onto these: Guess who? They're good picks. Lotta length, three sides, hard to loose 'em, easy to grip, and they don't snap in half like others. Plus I happen to have a bunch of them handy. __________________ ... Please do not insinuate anything sexual from that.

IMPORTANT:Treat everyone here with respect, no matter how difficult! No sex, drug, political, religion or hate discussion permitted here.

July 4th, 2009, 02:23 AM	#35 (permalink)
PraiseCaster Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Whittier, California Posts: 5,879 16 Photos	These: V-Pick, medium rounded. Lets me really spank that plank, and oh the sweet sounds it surrenders under the abuse! __________________ Later! PraiseCaster Visit Guitarists Praise and Worship Forum!! Dance Like David, MySpace

July 4th, 2009, 02:34 AM	#36 (permalink)
bfgz Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2009 Location: Suburban Chicago Age: 48 Posts: 371	V-Pick's........ Dimension's Diamond's Screamer's Med Rounded They feel and play terrific and are also very fast off the strings. They have a ton of styles to try and i like different ones for different tones and styles. __________________ It's hard to soar with eagles when you hang out with turkeys! jdmac

July 4th, 2009, 02:38 AM	#37 (permalink)
ole AZ Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Verde Valley, Arizona Age: 22 Posts: 1,033	Tortex Reds .5mm I believe. They don't break or slip __________________ "I could listen to Mike Campbell play me the phone book." - Yoni

July 4th, 2009, 03:11 AM	#38 (permalink)
P Thought Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Coos Bay, Oregon Age: 56 Posts: 339	I love pick threads! I had a GAS attack, and bought nine or ten guitars in a couple years. I didn't want to end up with thirty of them, or with no wife, so I started collecting picks instead of buying guitars. I think it did the trick: I have enough picks now--I keep them in an old piggy bank I've had since I was little--and I have stopped wanting to buy every guitar I see. As Joe-Bob and others have said, picks can make a real difference in your guitar's sound, and the way it feels to play it. It's like getting a new guitar, almost, and lots cheaper, even if the price seems like a lot for a pick. At about the time I started acquiring more guitars, I also took up using picks, having used my fingers for thirty years before that. At first I used the Fender tortoise mediums. I've since come to generally prefer thicker picks. I still use the medium Fenders sometimes, but my favorite nylon pick is the Pro-Plek 1.5mm tri-tip. I have a real tortoise-shell pick a friend gave me. It's nice: I keep it in a holder on my keychain, and I use it mostly when I'm looking at guitars in a music store. I like Red Bear picks, so I bought three of them in different configurations. The V-chip picks are good (a price value, by the way, in my opinion,) especially the thicker ones, and they kind of "glide" over the strings. I have one wood pick I bought, and several my son made me. They produce an interesting tone. I bought an ivory pick. It's nice looking, but too squeaky and clickety on the strings (most of my guitars are acoustics) to suit my taste. I keep meaning to try a metal pick or two, but haven't gotten around to it. I rotate my picks, keeping a different one parked in the strings of each guitar. My favorite of all my picks is my Blue Chip 60 TP1R, a tri-tip pick with two rounded points and one round corner. It's quiet on the strings, but still thick and stiff enough to get all the volume I want, and it's beveled just right for great feel. I might one day order a medium thickness, conventional-shape pick from Blue Chip. They're spendy, though, so I might wait. Sorry about the long post. I get kind of excited about picks. __________________ quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur

July 4th, 2009, 03:18 AM	#39 (permalink)
absurdplanet Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2009 Location: RAIDER NATION, N. California Posts: 128	Picks are very personal--I use my fingers and picks. I think I've run the gauntlet from Fender Mediums to Ex-Heavy Jazz picks (for speed). For a very long time I've been using the "Fender Heavy," for me, I can strum chords and just play rhythm with more finesse.--I hope. Doesn't matter what you use as long as it works for you. __________________ Kind Regards Bill "Not all who wander are lost"

July 4th, 2009, 03:20 AM	#40 (permalink)
brokenjoe Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Toronto Age: 47 Posts: 1,496	Depends on the gig, or tone I want. Sometimes these: And sometimes these:

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