Pick Thickness & Sound Relationship

[rlouie]

Originally Posted by TaylorPrague

Im going to go against the grain and state that IMO strumming with a thicker pick generally sounds awful.

Ive tried a whole bunch of them, adjusted my attack, approach, right hand technique but they just sound harsh when strummed, especially across all the strings, better when riff strumming or picking.

The pick needs to flex a bit when its strummed to get a lush strumming tone, and you just aint going to get that when you start going 1mm plus.

From my experience between .60mm and 73mm is the sweet spot.

For picking and riff strumming where you dont need a lush strumming tone the thicker picks do work very well.

different strokes for different folks!!!! I used to use .73, .80 pics but once I made the switch to 1.0 & 1.2's I found that strumming with a thin pick just gave me a wimpy, weak sound....too much flap from the pick!!!! I now am a 1.5 to a 1.9mm user and I'll never go back....YMMV though

[architype]

Originally Posted by bluesbassdad

A potentially confusing aspect of this discussion is the fact that angle of attack can be expressed in one of two ways.

• Rotation of the pick about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the strings.
• Rotation of the pick about an axis parallel to the strings

As I understand it, the purpose of the bevel is to faclitate the first, above.

There's a third axis, perpendicular to each of the above, but I don't believe any of us is talking about that one. (Rotating about that axis would consist approximately of shifting the position of the pick within one's grip but not changing the position of the hand.)

I understood it, or at least visualized, that they are refering to your thumb either tilted slightly toward the neck of the guitar or away from the neck. So either the front edge of the pick is hitting the strings or the back edge is hitting the strings. In your interpretation I would call that the perpendicular axis to the plane of the strings. Is that correct?

[#Cruncher]

I was getting a very annoying "tinny" sound from my Taylor 614ce when using a 0.6mm pick. But today, I switched to a 2.0mm Dunlop Big Stubby and I loved the sound it produced. Full balanced articulated sound when picked AND when strummed. No "muffed" sound but just clarity when strummed. I have no use for these thin picks anymore. Bye bye thin picks!

[muscmp]

i'm really glad to see this post and people's responses. i, for one, use different picks depending upon the guitar i'm using, the part in the song i'm playing and the effect i want the pick to have upon the strings.
thanks to all!
play music!
mikeB.

[bluesbassdad]

Originally Posted by architype

[snip] So either the front edge of the pick is hitting the strings or the back edge is hitting the strings. In your interpretation I would call that the perpendicular axis to the plane of the strings. Is that correct?

I didn't follow your sentence that I snipped.

I agree with the remainder.

However, in my own case I don't believe I've ever hit the strings with the back edge. It's merely a matter of the angle as the front edge hits the first string it comes in contact with.

The way my arm works, that angle would increase a bit as the pick comes into contact with each string.

[architype]

However, in my own case I don't believe I've ever hit the strings with the back edge. It's merely a matter of the angle as the front edge hits the first string it comes in contact with.

The my arm works, that angle would increase a bit as the pick comes into contact with each string.[/QUOTE]

I think we are saying the same thing w/ different words. The angle, relative to the strings, would increase as your hand moves down w/ the wrist or elbow acting as a hinge.
I've never used the back edge of the pick either...the guitar neck would have to be pointing toward the ground for that to work.
The point is that apparently Red Bear takes this angle into account if you order a pick from them. They also want to know if you are right handed or left handed, although that is a different issue from the horse we've been beating.

[cmds]

BC TD-50 does it all for my style. Enough has been said about the BCs that i don't need to expand that.

[Landru]

Originally Posted by rlouie

different strokes for different folks!!!! I used to use .73, .80 pics but once I made the switch to 1.0 & 1.2's I found that strumming with a thin pick just gave me a wimpy, weak sound....too much flap from the pick!!!! I now am a 1.5 to a 1.9mm user and I'll never go back....YMMV though

Yes - I agree. But it's all personal taste. Anything under 1mm is a thin pick to me and thin picks sound thin. The pick shouldn't flex, your wrist and fingers should - that way, you have the control, and not the pick.

[GibbyPrague]

Well, the great thing about picks is that it is BY FAR the cheapest and easiest way to experiment with tone. Also the easiest and cheapest to switch.

Originally Posted by Landru

Yes - I agree. But it's all personal taste. Anything under 1mm is a thin pick to me and thin picks sound thin. The pick shouldn't flex, your wrist and fingers should - that way, you have the control, and not the pick.

[rmyAddison]

"Good" thicker picks provide better attack and more tone than thin picks, strumming and flakpicking, Bluegrass is the perfect example, most players use heavier picks.

TS and Blue Chips, with a good technique, make thin picky sounds "clinky" in my personal experience, and I used .73 for decades, now nothing under 1.2.

You do need to work a pick and your grip to find what is optimal for your style, lots of folks have poor form and get lots of pick noise, that is avoidable with the right pick and technique.

To me, thin pick, thin/bright sound.

[GibbyPrague]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

To me, thin pick, thin/bright sound.

So thin picks for Taylor players Rich ... ? ;-)