Guitarists: Which Plectrum Do You Favor

Discussion in 'Guitars' started by Lois Lane, Mar 19, 2019.

  1. LuckySevens

    LuckySevens Platinum Record

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    When I used to play, I used to cut my own picks out of laundry detergent and fabric softener jugs... for me, they had the best sound for the funk guitar playing I was known and hired for. A unique sound that was all my own... cheap too.
     
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  2. Ad Heesive

    Ad Heesive Audiosexual

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  3. Kluster

    Kluster Audiosexual

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    Brain 1.30.
     
  4. Gizmoz

    Gizmoz Producer

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    Interesting topic

     
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  5. charliesan

    charliesan Noisemaker

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  6. Georg Figél

    Georg Figél Noisemaker

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    Dunlop Nylon 0.73mm
     
  7. ThrashHead

    ThrashHead Platinum Record

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    Ultex and Primetone for metal, rock and blues.
    Gauge depends on the arrangement and tone I'm looking for.
     
  8. mm5

    mm5 Member

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    excellent material, good size, 2mm thick, based on Jazz III.
    Best.
     
  9. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

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    I've interestingly moved up to a 1.5mm thick Blue Chip 60 with a right handed speed bevel to play on my dreadnoughts, Martins D-18 (Sitka/Mahogany) and D-15M (all Mahogany) and a Cedar/Brazilian Roy Noble. I bought one used from a fellow who didn't like using it and bought a new one as backup from the manufacturer. With my other acoustics I still play with an Orange .50 Tortex, and am enjoying the Blue Chip 40 (1.0 mm) on various electrics.
     
  10. Georg Figél

    Georg Figél Noisemaker

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    Dunlop Nylon 0.73 for everything, except Jazz
     
  11. Helter Skelter

    Helter Skelter Producer

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    I use my fingernails, all except the pinky. Sometimes I'll use my index finger- or middle finger- nail as a plectrum, but I would not recommend it as it can get bent or broken after a while. Used to use Snarling Dog Brain picks 0.88 but gravitated more and more towards fingernail. You can get much more tone variation from a finger, and you have five of them! But not good for speed metal I would guess, although that's not my style anyway...
     
  12. Dimentagon

    Dimentagon Platinum Record

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    Yeah I'm Playing Saturday Night..

    I do In my Ambient Rock Band

    I'll check them out thanks
     
  13. tommyzai

    tommyzai Platinum Record

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    Good old standard Fender Medium Turtle thingy.
     
  14. DoubleTake

    DoubleTake Audiosexual

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    .73 yellow Tortex.
    They seem the easiest to find when they fly out of my hand and behind the outboard racks.
     
  15. pizzafresser

    pizzafresser Producer

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    I've recently discovered Black Ice 1.5mm picks. They're a nice alternative if you're looking for a Jazz III feel but with a softer attack.
     
  16. ohmowl

    ohmowl Newbie

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    The humble toothpick is bright and can be funny on easy parts
    [​IMG]
     
  17. Haliax

    Haliax Guest

    I left my collection of picks at the office prior to lock down, gutted really because I also left a guitar and practice drum pads.

    So for the past few months I've been playing with my nails, I hold my fingers like I'm holding a pick but angle my wrist a bit more. I'm loving the sound I'm getting, especially the Strat quack
     
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  18. mr.personality

    mr.personality Producer

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    An assortment of materials between 1.5 - 3mm thick but 98% of the time a 1.5 or 2 and mostly a standard delrin or tortex. Although Ultex at 1.14mm is as stiff as a 1.5-2.

    Everything I wind up using is Dunlop. Huge selection that I know my favs will be available virtually forever, lol.

    One thing that bugs me is playing an acoustic unplugged. I want loud volume. Thin picks will give the guitar volume and percussiveness while strumming but none picking single notes. Thick picks otoh, suffer from reduced volume, brightness, percussiveness altogether. However I recently tried one of those really honking fat 5mm picks Dunlop makes as a Wegen knockoff.

    Seems being soooo fat, it makes the acoustic sound as loud/percussive as strumming with a thin pick plus stiff for fast picking while maintaining good single note volume as well.

    I hate pointy tipped picks. Can't get on with them at all. Might as well be making them with a hook on the tip that be grabbing onto strings, lol. Especially all the tiny jazz style ones. Absolutely useless for any kind of strumming as well.

    I've even just been trying out the large triangular style as something to provide better grip. I've never/rarely dropped picks but lately I'm all thumbs for some reason which is why I'm giving the large triangles a go. Never fancied them before till now.
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2020
  19. pizzafresser

    pizzafresser Producer

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    You might hate pointy tipped picks but they definitely have what you're looking for which is a brighter tone and more attack. I was surprised by how bright the Ultex Jazz III 2.0 picks sound. And they definitely don't "feel" like thick picks because of the pointy tip. Much brighter than my black ice picks. Strumming is really just a matter of technique, I can strum just fine with thick picks I just need to move my wrist and keep my arm almost stationary.
     
  20. mr.personality

    mr.personality Producer

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    I dunno, every pointy tip pick I've tried have been very thin sounding. I can see how those type of shredders you see on youtube for example that have that whole blindingly fast minimum of movement, very light touch technique going on, can take advantage of them small pointy picks.

    But for me I feel there's just not enough mass to them altogether, not only in the tip, to give strings enough 'oooomph'

    But, ya know, whatever works for ya
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2020
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