Pick Recommendations Please

[Murphy Slaw]

Blue Chip picks feel and sound denser to me. Which means clearer and more articulate.

That's the best I can describe it.

[cdkrugjr]

Picks are cheap. No reason not to try them all.

I started with the old standby Fender medium for strumming, Tortex 1.15 for scales, finding thin picks “too clicky.”

Now I find that Sometimes the thinnest pick I own is “just right” for a certain song.

And sometimes the pick another player calls “dull” will be Magical.

Try em all

[Lillis]

I went through a pick buying frenzy and there are several I like but the V-Pick traditional UL and Radex .75 and 1.0 have an exceptionally nice feel to them. Nice balance of feel and tone.

[JBCROTTY]

My go to picks are the Clayton Acetal large triangle picks. I have large hands so the larger pick size really helps for that. I play the .50, .63, and .80 thicknesses the most, though will go up to a 1.00 on occasion.

[OKCtodd71]

Having gone through many materials, I found that the affordable Dunlop Ultex really brings out the best an acoustic guitar, especially for strumming.

[jschmitz54]

I’ve become attached to the BiG Stubby 1.0. I also like flow and primtone but there’s something about the way a Big Stubby sounds and the ease in which in slips off the strings.
Dunlop Big Stubby Guitar Picks 475 Red 1.0mm

[colchar]

Try some George Dennis picks (the Standards are the best), if you can find them. And if you can, please PM me as I'd like to send you some money so that you can send me some.


http://www.georgedennis.eu/pages/picks.htm

[bufflehead]

I gravitate to smaller picks, even jazz picks. I've recently switched to Wegen Bigcity 1.4mm, and I'm loving them. My go-to pick for gigging, up until now, has been a Primatone Small Tri 1.3mm, which is an ultex pick.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

Picks are like strings. There's no right or wrong only trial and evaluation until you find what size, shape, material, thickness..... works best for you.

The typical response is "I can't agree more"... BUT I CAN! With trial and experimentation not only may you find a pick or picks that work generally for you, but you may also find that different guitars like the sound better with different picks- and even different songs may sound better with one pick than another. Additionally, you may walk into a gig situation where the sound of the ensemble may require you to produce a warmer, or crisper, more articulate sound. What you may like at home may be totally different than when you get to a gig. I find it helpful to have different picks on hand so that I can make last minute adjustments. When they say "tone is in the fingers" that extends to picks too.

[Shadowfox]

I don't think you can beat a Charmed Life Pick in the brown variety. They don't wear nearly as quick, and will transform any set of strings.

[Tnfiddler]

I have a Blue Chip TD50 that I really like with my D41, but I prefer my Wegen Bluegrass 1.20 with my Bourgeois. I have a .96 Primetone that keep in my pick pouch, but I can't make up my mind if I like it or not.

[Mandobart]

I started on the grey JD .73 nylons myself about 40 years ago and used them up until about 10 years ago. Then I got into mandolin and the thicker picks needed to get good tone from 8 high tension strings. Here's what I learned:

1. Thicker picks sound better on guitar too. 2 mm is pefect for me. Anything less than 1 mm gives a flutter sound like a baseball card in bicycle spokes.
2. Thicker picks are easier to grip as well.
3. Any pick flex means you're losing tone - the energy going into flexing the pick isn't going into your strings.
4. Thicker picks give more volume.

Acrylic picks give the brightest tone. Vespel (like Bluechips) is more dark and mellow. Wegen's are right in the middle and give me the least amount of pick click noise.

[JC.]

Primetone or, my latest squeeze, Dava Control Orange.

[Beachrunner]

Originally Posted by Lillis

I went through a pick buying frenzy and there are several I like but the V-Pick traditional UL and Radex .75 and 1.0 have an exceptionally nice feel to them. Nice balance of feel and tone.

Same here on the V-Pick Tradition UL.

I bought the V-Picks "starter kit" a while back, and the included Tradition UL really stood out. That pick just felt like "home" right from the get-go.

I liked it so much I just bought three more..

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by skyblue314

I like the Dunlops too, specially the Primetone and NuTone.

Sky, just to keep the record straight, the NuTone picks are made by Clayton. They are an inexpensive (but very good) casein pick, ideal for someone who has never played casein but has had the scuttlebutt about this wonderful plectrum material.

Other thoughts:

Wade: On celluloid: Yes, still wonderful stuff. I don't know the numbers, but it's safe to say that more than 90% of all the picks currently made by everyone on the planet are celluloid. And without a doubt the Fender Medium teardrop is the most popular pick in the world.

Ultex (Dunlop): I still think the Ultex line by Dunlop is the best value in the pick industry, bar none, cost vs. performance. Try them, and if you like 'em then step up and try the Primetones.

Try Wegens -- great performance, low price.

Scott Memmer