Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Pick killer


ParlourMan

Recommended Posts

I'm trying my best to be nice, but we should all be aghast….

 

No need, it's me, I'm not one of the sensitive souls… say what you want to say.

 

Holy Moly Palourman - you are the only person I know who could do this.

 

Which guitar was under the sledgehammer ?

 

J-45, it's perfectly fine. As I said bar one string it was still in tune afterwards. It's the pics… I average a couple per gig. Other brands I've had for years and still using the same one….

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 57
  • Created
  • Last Reply

The shark fin ones you mentioned are the worst I've used. They always broke .

 

I've never broken one, but yeah they're the worst plectrums I have ever had the misfortune to be given for free. Utter rubbish.

 

 

 

I'm proud of you PM. Rock n roll \m/

 

Do you chew them between songs ??

 

No, I punch carcasses with my bare fists while listening to my favourite Mariah Carey / Whitney Houston mix-tape dressed in a onsie and welly boots.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think this damage is indicative of a change in material which I've seen reported somewhere in the mists of time and the net. I'm certainly no tickler, though I don't really do thrashy strumming with a pick either. My Gibson heavy pick has survived well over 20 years, including some fairly regular gigging at one point, though on electric and not as regular as yours PM. I've not seen any damage to it from playing pretty heavily on the acoustic either. It does appear that Gibson changed their choice of celluloid at some point, with the result that a lot of old customers were not so happy. I'm holding on to my old Gibson pick for my electric, as it's perfect for that. But it was the crucial factor in making my SJ sound like a banjo when played hard, and I have to say that I am sold on Dunlop Ultex at the moment: hardwearing, mellow sounding, and available in a nice thin-yet-rigid format which comes close to the old Gibson heavy without the tonal issues. The only issue with the Ultex is that it is so mellow and even sounding across the strings, that it can't quite get the optimum thump out of the bass - plenty thump, but not quite as good as the back of my fingers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it was 14-15 euro for a box of 50… so we're not talking about an expensive material here… I'm not really ranting about it, the cost of doing business you could say and I've seen several FB posts about people who'd picked ones off the floor after we gigged etc… (not that I'm under any illusion that it would give them some value) but a few folk seemed to enjoy it… but, back on course, it's not a very durable material. No doubt this casts aspersions on my playing style, on the one hand I've posted enough vids here to demonstrate I'm not exactly the 60's model Pete Townshend, but nor am I some cross-legged chin stroker who talks on forums between acoustic polishings. My singer can fair beat a guitar, I have a way lighter touch then him…and the two guitars are not all beat-up, chewed round the holes or anything.

 

Without jumping down the route of "I must have got a faulty batch", mu summation is that in comparison to other plectrum materials, the Gibson one sounds quite good, but in durability stakes it's a vastly inferior material. The same playing style makes no mess of other materials.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to figure you're helping your J to open up at a faster rate. Might be a good thing, PM.

 

Well, one might argue it that way…… :D

 

I'm a wee bit younger than a few of the souls on here and I come from an electric background really, I do like to put on a wee bit of a show at gigs,.. I figure a band enjoying themselves is fairly infectious. If my guitars demonstrated the same wear as these plecs I'd say the problem was me… but do the comparison between pics I've used at home since 2009 and going through 46 of them since May/June I'd say it clearly demonstrates that either me and the material used don't get along, the material is quite flimsy really, or that I've been unlucky and had a batch which were in some way brittle.

 

Anyway, just been to see Jake Bugg live and I now have a solid ebony 3mm thick plectrum which makes the J-50 sound pretty amazing. Pleasant young man. Mannerly too. It's his round and I'm not drinking the cheapest beer on the menu.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, one might argue it that way…… :D

 

I'm a wee bit younger than a few of the souls on here and I come from an electric background really, I do like to put on a wee bit of a show at gigs,.. I figure a band enjoying themselves is fairly infectious. If my guitars demonstrated the same wear as these plecs I'd say the problem was me… but do the comparison between pics I've used at home since 2009 and going through 46 of them since May/June I'd say it clearly demonstrates that either me and the material used don't get along, the material is quite flimsy really, or that I've been unlucky and had a batch which were in some way brittle.

 

Anyway, just been to see Jake Bugg live and I now have a solid ebony 3mm thick plectrum which makes the J-50 sound pretty amazing. Pleasant young man. Mannerly too. It's his round and I'm not drinking the cheapest beer on the menu.

 

Would that be a Timbertones pick? I have one which I believe to be ebony. It does sound great, but I can't really handle it for anything but basic strumming or simple boom-chicka.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would that be a Timbertones pick? I have one which I believe to be ebony. It does sound great, but I can't really handle it for anything but basic strumming or simple boom-chicka.

 

No idea there's no markings on it. WIll give it a whizz… got a meet n greet and a wee look around last night. The young fella seems to enjoy his Gibsons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Someone gave me a rosewood pick a while ago. Lovely tone , but it doesnt look like it would last too long . showing signs of wear after half an hour of playing.

 

Always been skeptical of the wooden picks myself... I'll give this one a go though, certainly thick enough, looks about 3mm, so it's a beefy bugger.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yip , the rosewood one is a big fatty. Nice for individual note picking and gentle strumming.

 

Yeah it's a handful... I use quite a beefy job (2mm) for playing Tele's, the chicken-pickin' etc... (most amusing music form out there) but I always liked the thinner mediums for acoustics... you get enough bang-for-buck in terms of power etc... without it being too stiff. I honestly just think it's the particular material the Gibsons are made of, never had any kind of pick performance like that before.

 

Not a big worry given they're pennies a piece.... I just thought the chuck out of it was quite amusing...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jesus, this thread is reeking of envy, keep piling it on boys... I'm almost feelin fruity now...

 

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I'm green with envy and feeling quite inadequate in the face of the stunning technique that must be the physical cause of this visual evidence. A shot of your bleeding right hand would be even more exciting. We're you doing windmills? Be still my green and beating heart...:)

 

P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I'm green with envy and feeling quite inadequate in the face of the stunning technique that must be the physical cause of this visual evidence. A shot of your bleeding right hand would be even more exciting. We're you doing windmills? Be still my green and beating heart...:)

 

P

 

Hmmm, like a bit of blood do ye.... Kinda kinky, shall we take this off-line? What you wearing?

 

 

That's a classic. Needs a Post-It at the top of the forum.

 

FMA

 

I did hope somebody would enjoy that one, I liked it myself.......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No idea there's no markings on it. WIll give it a whizz… got a meet n greet and a wee look around last night. The young fella seems to enjoy his Gibsons.

 

They don't have markings. They're the only 'widely' available pick in a range of woods, though. Made here in Blighty as well. Too thick for me to do any arpeggios. Inhibits my accuracy. I guess I could do rough and ready gypsy stylings with it, but a short-scale Gibson isn't really the thing to practise Django-jangles on. Nice, but not the golden pick.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...