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Picks theory update


merciful-evans

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This wont mean anything to many (so ignore it) but...

My pick research and experiments concern one technique only; alternate picking (feathering, speedpicking etc). Everything else can be done with cheap thin picks. Quick alternate picking cannot because you get lag. Any deflection in a pick will translate into lag. It may not seem noticeable, and I only realised it when listening back to a recording of a solo I once made. I thought at first it was software latency, but it turned out to be physical delay. It spoilt the recording. 

This realisation came a few years ago, and I have spent most of that time trying to find the best pick to accommodate quick alternate picking. The pointed tips help most of all. Bevels help too, though they need not be 'handed'. Thickness is vital.

The next part is just my opinion/experience and can't be verified anywhere else:

Though thickness prevents pick deflection, I have recently realised something else. Pick bulk and size (mass) absorbs string vibration. This translates into smoother picking. My largest (homemade) pick is certainly the smoothest speed wise. 

Edited by merciful-evans
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17 minutes ago, Murph said:

Picks have a huge impact on tone. That's why acoustic players are obsessed with them.

Most of us use no, or little, effects. 

 

 

True, though my preferred tone was a heavy (sometimes medium) Gibson triangular black pick. I used them for at least 25 years. That only applies to electrics though. I found Blue Chip TAD40 to be a slight improvement though. Maybe 10% or 15% I reckon.

I have never used picks on acoustics. Thumbpicks sometimes when my thumbnail is missing; otherwise its fingers all the way.

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2 minutes ago, merciful-evans said:

 

True, though my preferred tone was a heavy (sometimes medium) Gibson triangular black pick. I used them for at least 25 years. That only applies to electrics though. I found Blue Chip TAD40 to be a slight improvement though. Maybe 10% or 15% I reckon.

I have never used picks on acoustics. Thumbpicks sometimes when my thumbnail is missing; otherwise its fingers all the way.

And there are those, Albert Collins, Wes Montgomery, Toy Caldwell who never used a pick. 

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M-E, you're well ahead of me but, I'm kind of obsessed with picks right now.   Just when I think I have it figured out, I try something new that changes my mind.  And I haven't even gotten into materials like stone or metal.  But I do agree with everything you said.  

Most important for me is thickness.  Thin, [thumbdn].  Thick, [thumbup].  And yes, pointy(er) tips and beveling.  

I've tried some Thalia picks recently which are interesting.  They're rosewood.  They come in two thickness, 0.9 and 1.4.  The 0.9 is worthless.  The 1.4 is pretty good.  The 1.4 is a three ply laminate and is pretty stiff.  They come un-beveled but they break in fast and auto-bevel to your technique which is kinda cool.  I was worried they would wear too fast but that doesn't seem to be the case.  

My favorite right now is just a plain old Dunlop Flow.  

Edited by Black Dog
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My go-to these days is a Dunlop Prime Tone .73 but I am slowly trying to train myself to use a thumb-pick and emulate Johnny Winter.

I had a look at those Blue Chip picks that are always mentioned in these sorts of conversations but I'm not sure I can ever justify spending £38 on a pick - that's a bit rich for me.

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4 hours ago, billroy said:

I've got to believe you're doing some serious shredding to have lag affect you though.  No chance you still have access to that clip would love to hear it?

 

No. I dont shred 🤣 ! 

I do have the recording. It sounds horrible. Like someone has dragged the whole of the phrasing to the right by enough BPM to make it just not fit the backing anymore.

The lag first occurs at 4.45 through to 4.52

It Doesnt Matter What I Sing

I should really have faded it out at 4.10 and abandoned the rest. Later recordings with thick pointy picks work just fine.

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7 hours ago, Murph said:

Picks have a huge impact on tone. That's why acoustic players are obsessed with them.

Most of us use no, or little, effects. 

 

Yup, and I personally hate the sound of a thin pick, even though thats what a learned to play with. I was always told “don’t use thick picks, you’ll break yer strings!”. Well, I have never broken a string while playing, and you can break a string with a pick as thin as a piece on paper, if your thumb is behind it enough (I saw my sister do this on 3 different occasions with a .50mm pick, each time she blamed the string). 

 

5 hours ago, billroy said:

I've got to believe you're doing some serious shredding to have lag affect you though.  No chance you still have access to that clip would love to hear it?

For some people maybe, but I notice alot of pick lag while doing things like crosspicking, and yes especially when playing fast, but its still noticable at slower speeds. Thats when my bluechip proves to be most useful

 

1 hour ago, Filbert said:

My go-to these days is a Dunlop Prime Tone .73 but I am slowly trying to train myself to use a thumb-pick and emulate Johnny Winter.

I had a look at those Blue Chip picks that are always mentioned in these sorts of conversations but I'm not sure I can ever justify spending £38 on a pick - that's a bit rich for me.

I got my bluechip off Reverb for $25, but yeah even at that its alot of money for a pick. For me I believe its worth it as it does improve my picking speed SLIGHTLY, and I would say that unless you play alot of blistering solos or crosspicking, then you probably wont notice much of a difference to be worth the price

Edited by TheLeadFlatpick
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I like thick picks that go where I want them to go with no lag. I've been using Dunlop Stubby 3.0's for many years now; I find them to be very effective for all my picking needs. They do chirp at times when I play acoustic. I find that V-Pick's medium round is good for acoustic though some may not like it's darker sound. I've thought about trying a Blue Chip but, the one I'd like to try is $75!...I'll wait until my next life. I used to make my own picks out of plexiglass but, found that to be a bit labor intensive. So for convenience's sake, I'm sticking with the Stubbies at least for now.

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35 minutes ago, merciful-evans said:

 

I never noticed these before. They look like they should work pretty good. I'll look out for them.  Cheers !

 

The John Petrucci Flow is very good too.   It has a slightly smoother/faster feel on the strings that I like but it has no texture for grip that I also really like.  That's  my main complaint about Blue Chips, no texture.  

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8 minutes ago, G Mac said:

I like thick picks that go where I want them to go with no lag. I've been using Dunlop Stubby 3.0's for many years now; I find them to be very effective for all my picking needs. They do chirp at times when I play acoustic. I find that V-Pick's medium round is good for acoustic though some may not like it's darker sound. I've thought about trying a Blue Chip but, the one I'd like to try is $75!...I'll wait until my next life. I used to make my own picks out of plexiglass but, found that to be a bit labor intensive. So for convenience's sake, I'm sticking with the Stubbies at least for now.

 

The Stubby is a good pick too.  [thumbup]

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2 hours ago, merciful-evans said:

 

No. I dont shred 🤣 ! 

Might not technically be shredding, but you're moving that pick pretty quick... I can see what you mean, but don't think that will ever be an issue for me.  BTW - nice clip!

Acoustic playing only, I've found .80mm is the sweet spot.  I like the thicker ones for being stiffer, but going thicker than .80 - tone diminishes, almost gets muted.  I found this on Blue Chips, Prime Tones, and several other misc...  Fender tortoiseshell heavy seem to hit the sweet spot for me, Gibson black heavy a close second.  I've got several Blue Chips, hate having to keep track of them, and feel acoustically, they also mute the sound (albeit ever so slightly).  I do feel fancy when I'm playing with a $35 pick - so there's that.

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