Pick Worries

[Silly Moustache]

Hi Robin, et al,

Every flat top guitar I own has in the case a Princess Mary box in which there is 1 x Blue Chip TAD , a Wegen TF and a Clifford Essex "Triad" buffalo horn pick along with a Shubb capo.

I discovered 346 style large triangle picks with my first Blue Chip pick, and found them ideal for me.

I use BC tad 40 (1 m/m) for guitars with light gauge strings (21-53)and TAD 50 (1.25 m/m) for guitars with medium gauge strings (13-56).

Wegen "TF" pics are either 120 or 140 (1.2 and 1.4 m/m and are beautifully made, polished, and bevelled.

The "Clifford Essex" buffalo picks seem modelled very closely on the Wegen designs but with a "natural" material.

For archtop guitars, and my 12 strings, I use the Wegen TF140s.

I recommend to all my clients that they try "346" triangles, which can be purchased from Dunlop in various qualities and thicknesses.

As I have now developed CMC (basal joint) arthritis, the larger picks reduce the issue somewhat.

I positively dislike celluloid picks like Fender, D'andrea etc., and also Casein which bend and both can break.

[PineMarten]

Ah yes, I quite like those Clifford Essex buffalo picks. I've just ordered a few more as they turn out to be the thing that best suits the old Flyde mandolin I've just picked up.

[Charlie Bernstein]

[QUOTE=Robin, Wales;7435396]. . . Has anyone else stockpiled their favourite Without question! But this boy just gets 'em when he needs 'em.

[Br1ck]

I already have four or five premium picks more than I have guitars and mandolins. In the seven or eight years since I bought my first Blue Chip, I haven't lost one nor broken or lost or worn out the Charmed Life picks I now favor. I have a Wegen pick in every guitar case I have as backups. What I have now is probably all I'll ever need and I have not scratched the surface of what is available.

[Mandobart]

I have tried every pick material, shape, most thicknesses and most brands in the 50+ years I've been playing. I have a whole bunch of guitar and mandolin picks.

My favorites for guitar for the last several years are Gravity Gold Standard (teardrop shape) in XL size, 1.5 mm thick.

For mandolin-family instruments it's the Gravity Gold Axis shape (triangle) XL size, 1.5 mm thick.

I still love my Charmed life resin and casein picks, and my Wegen Bluegrass picks for guitar, M200 for mandolin-family instruments.

I also like the Dunlop Primetime teardrop and big triangle picks.

The only picks I don't like are thin picks (under 1.0 mm), nylon picks, wood picks, felt, rubber, metal, stone or leather picks, and Blue chips.

[Mr.Thumbpick]

Or ditch the flatpick altogether and go to the darkside with a thumbpick.

[SalFromChatham]

My pick sickness is worse! I have a big box of picks… fender, cool, Gibson, store branded, you name it. And I have “the good pick box” with 4 blue chips, assorted thick Taylor picks, and perhaps another dozen including John pearse turtles.

My favorite are the blue chips … for most of my guitars anyways.

[guitargeorge]

I have been using Wegen picks for about 20 years. I like the very thick ones for rythm playing. I have not found any pick to make my guitars sound better than the Wegen. I have a BlueChip 60 but prefer the Wegen Picks. I use his bluegrass picks for leads or solo melody playing. Lately I keep going back to the Button:

https://www.djangobooks.com/Item/wegen_button

"The 5mm Button is especially designed for playing rythm on acoustic guitars."

[musicman1951]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Has anyone else stockpiled their favourite pick?

I have a BC TAD 40 in every case and another on a shelf. I will never wear one out as it's nearly impossible and I usually play with fingers - although lately I've been using a couple of BC thumbpicks more.

[hoosfoos]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Has anyone else stockpiled their favourite pick?

yes, indeed. For the past couple of years, I basically only use one Charmed Life Pick, a tortoise shell casein pick, at 0.95mm thickness, teardrop shape. I don't think that was a stock item, but Scott agreed to make one for me at that thickness. After I started using it, I ordered another 2 or 3 for a back-up. I've never had to use any of the back-ups yet, but I'm glad that I have them.

[K20C]

I’ve tried all kinds of material for pick, including these “legacy” picks from many, many years ago. I agree the type of material makes a tone difference but none make me a better player, they just sound different. I usually just play whatever’s at hand, which, lately, is a Taylor. BTW, the legacy picks don’t sound all that special.



——

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

It has taken me a long time and a LOT of picks to find what I like. I have pretty much settled for the past 18 months or so on the Wegen M100 as my favourite pick for the guitars I gig with and play at sessions etc. It is certainly not the pick that will suit many players - so unless you like rounded but stiff picks then don't even go there! It is the middle pick in the photo - shown next to two Fender picks to give some scale.

My nagging worry is that Michel Wegen is a one man band. At any time he could stop making these picks. And, so far, he has kept the material he uses under wraps, so no one else could pick up the slack (My hunch is that they are an industrial nylon - the material you machine bearings from). So I'm gradually stock piling in case the worst happens! Wegen picks really don't wear out - or at least I've not worn one out yet. But I need enough for 15 to 20 years of playing (hopefully!).

Has anyone else stockpiled their favourite pick?

Robin, howdy howdy. Long time no talk.

Just an FYI that we started testing all of our major competitors' materials about two years ago. This takes a lot of time and resources, but I'm insatiably curious. We have a company that runs these materials through a $50,000 spectrum analzyer. The machine spits out a precise written report about the material PLUS a sine wave that's distinct to that one molecular structure.

Michael is a lovely guy and also a younger guy with a growing family, so I don't think you have to worry about him going anywhere.

We have a hunk of that same material (which shall remain nameless) on the shelf and I could probably cut a few of those pick shapes for you. We've tested it and are probably going to go a different direction. I think you still have my email. Feel free to drop me a line via email (vs AGF).

Best to you and yours,
Scott

[Murphy Slaw]

Yes.

I'm a spare freak, too.

I stock up on everything I like "just in case" they are discontinued.

Well, not vehicles....