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jedzep

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...so if you take a Dunlop Primetone .73mm standard smooth (non-grip) flat pick, round off the point a bit, and bevel to your preference, you'll have in your grubby little paws the perfect pick.

 

Sit down, Red Bear.

 

Just tryin' to help.

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A timely topic.

 

As you guys know, I've owned a Blue Chip for YEARS. Sticky. Never really got it.

 

Well, fast forward. I've been getting annoyed at the sound of "plastic" on recordings. ALL recordings. So I've been experimenting for months, all year actually.

 

However, there are times the mandolin is a percussion instrument and that requires some "chop" from a plectrum with a "little" give. For me it's the Tortex .60mm (Orange) because anything thicker, or more rigid, has no percussion tone.

 

But, having said that, I used the Blue Chip TD35 on MOST of the mandolin work on the new project. When Owen plays the mandolin he uses the same skinny red Tortex .50 he uses for guitar and I can hear it.

 

I'm now using the Blue Chip some with guitar and have been experimenting with different materials, brands and thickness. What I really want is to get my hands on a real antique tortoise shell pick because I don't think I've ever used one.

 

But I think a lot of that is mental just because I know you can't buy them. That makes me want to buy one even more......

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Real tortoise has the potential to produce some very interesting results. They're not, in my experience, much like anything else, no matter what the adverts say. Also, you need to log some practice hours with tortoise to get comfortable with it and learn to get the most from it with regard to tone and response. It's what I'd use if they were readily available, but - alas - it just ain't so. Fender heavy triangles are, to me, the closest thing - but that's kind of like saying that a uke and a bass are similar because of having 4 strings😒

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The "perfect" pick? Just one?! It doesn't exist! My pick preference changes depending on what I'm playing, the style of music I'm playing (strumming vs flatpicking, etc.) the tone I'm trying to achieve...the list goes on. Most people post what their perfect pick is but never mention what kind of music they're playing with that pick. The most versatile for me is the Primetone 1.0mm. I can get away with flat picking and strumming with it with great results. Any thinner and it starts sounding too thin for flatpicking, and if it's much thicker, it gets a bit dull yet clacky with strumming, so I usually go with the 1.0mm Primetone for strumming, and a Dunlop Celluloid xtra heavy or 1.3mm Primetone for flat picking. And trust me, I've been through a LOT of picks. I have a double sided parts organizer that I keep picks in, and a separate smaller parts organizer for thumb picks!

 

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Wow, lots of pick pickin persons here. It's been so long since I used a pick with an acoustic guitar I realize I've kinda loss my technique with such on an acoustic. This is a wake up call to me. Thanks. I'm hunting for something besides a Gibson thin I use with electrics right now. Finger picking is all I ever do on my acoustic guitars anymore. Ah, just located my pick box. Lets see, Dunlop Blues, Red Bears and a bunch of old homemade Ts from yesteryear. Wish I had found that 12 string I've been looking for about now!

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Sbpark...

Third picture.

Second row from bottom.

Far right.

Red Dunlop gels. They are awesome. Great grip. Great at gigs. No clank. Smoooooth.

 

I agree those red and purple Dunlops are great, but even the thicker purple sounds a bit to thin/airy for my taste. But man, the stiffness and point on those makes for a great flatpicker!

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The "perfect" pick? Just one?! It doesn't exist! My pick preference changes depending on what I'm playing, the style of music I'm playing (strumming vs flatpicking, etc.) the tone I'm trying to achieve...the list goes on. Most people post what their perfect pick is but never mention what kind of music they're playing with that pick. The most versatile for me is the Primetone 1.0mm. I can get away with flat picking and strumming with it with great results. Any thinner and it starts sounding too thin for flatpicking, and if it's much thicker, it gets a bit dull yet clacky with strumming, so I usually go with the 1.0mm Primetone for strumming, and a Dunlop Celluloid xtra heavy or 1.3mm Primetone for flat picking. And trust me, I've been through a LOT of picks. I have a double sided parts organizer that I keep picks in, and a separate smaller parts organizer for thumb picks!

 

wLAjBgQ.jpg

 

5d4eahd.jpg

 

3Y0Sv6W.jpg

 

zGzNRn5.jpg?1

Did you work for them or just steal all of their inventory?

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........there's nothing in the world like real tortoiseshell....but then, you'll never wear one out either.

 

True the former, no so the latter. Tortoise picks wear very quickly and need regular attention with an emery board to maintain the edge profile. Used them for many years, gave away a several when I had stock and now find them nearly impossible to find. I have located a source but they are not suitable for my style as they are quite thin cut and very "clicky" on the strings. I now prefer a Blue Chip TPR50 on the J-35 (cuts a bit of the brightness) and a JB 1.5mm celluloid with the points rounded on the J-45 (adds a touch of brightness). Pick preference is just like everything else.......very subjective.......we likes what we likes!

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True the former, no so the latter. Tortoise picks wear very quickly and need regular attention with an emery board to maintain the edge profile. Used them for many years, gave away a several when I had stock and now find them nearly impossible to find. I have located a source but they are not suitable for my style as they are quite thin cut and very "clicky" on the strings. I now prefer a Blue Chip TPR50 on the J-35 (cuts a bit of the brightness) and a JB 1.5mm celluloid with the points rounded on the J-45 (adds a touch of brightness). Pick preference is just like everything else.......very subjective.......we likes what we likes!

 

Hmmm. I have a bunch but have been using the same two or three favorites for years. Maybe you had some defective turtles [biggrin]!

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SBPick- . . . I mean 'Park- Really? ? Dude, you need to accessorize. Not. (and I thought I had a problem) :)

 

 

I only own 2 acoustics. Way cheaper to mess around with different pics to get different sounds/tones than go through a ton of guitars. My two acoustics are an AJ and a D-35. I can cover a lot of ground with just those two guitars and a bunch of different picks.

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1531812434[/url]' post='1945867']

I only own 2 acoustics. Way cheaper to mess around with different pics to get different sounds/tones than go through a ton of guitars. My two acoustics are an AJ and a D-35. I can cover a lot of ground with just those two guitars and a bunch of different picks.

 

This makes sense. Ask me how I know.

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