1950 j45 sound

[Motherofpearl]

Here's a little video just to show the tone of my favorite player guitar.

 

 

[duluthdan]

I agree ! Nice sound.

[j45nick]

A classic early-50's J-45 sound, to my ears.

 

Sounds to me like you are using a plastic pick. You might want to experiment with some other pick materials and thicknesses for some tonal variety. It's a fun and cheap way to explore the possibilitities of any guitar.

[Motherofpearl]

I do I use gibson mediums Nick. Any suggestions

[j45nick]

I do I use gibson mediums Nick. Any suggestions

 

Red Bear, Blue Chip, or the heavier (1mm or thicker) Dunlop Tortex are a good place to start. The Tortex are cheap and available at any music store, and although they aren't that much like Red Bear or Blue Chip, they are miles away from the typical medium plastic pick.

 

I'd buy a variety of Tortex thicknesses just to experiment, before spending the bucks on Red Bear or Blue Chip.

 

Be warned: your guitar may sound radically different when using these, and you may not like the effect at first. If you are going to play bluegrass style, you may want to stick to plastic to maintain the hard edge, but other options let you get away from the "pick-forward" sound resulting from the typical plastic pick, and let you enjoy a bit more of the guitar tone.

[Motherofpearl]

Ill try them out thanks. I've never really experimented before.

Just kind of grabbed whatever at the store. I made this video on my phone and just listened to it sounds kind of harsh really.

[blindboygrunt]

Red Bear, Blue Chip, or the heavier (1mm or thicker) Dunlop Tortex are a good place to start. The Tortex are cheap and available at any music store, and although they aren't that much like Red Bear or Blue Chip, they are miles away from the typical medium plastic pick.

 

I'd buy a variety of Tortex thicknesses just to experiment, before spending the bucks on Red Bear or Blue Chip.

 

Be warned: your guitar may sound radically different when using these, and you may not like the effect at first. If you are going to play bluegrass style, you may want to stick to plastic to maintain the hard edge, but other options let you get away from the "pick-forward" sound resulting from the typical plastic pick, and let you enjoy a bit more of the guitar tone.

 

hey nick , what do you mean by 'maintain the hard edge' with plastic picks ? arent the big bear and blue chip picks harder ??

i recently got some bone pins and was sent a bone pick as a freebie amongst them from the nice guys , but all i hear is the pick when i play ... its a big fat thing ... what am i doing wrong ?

i can see why the bluegrass and country pickers like them

[j45nick]

hey nick , what do you mean by 'maintain the hard edge' with plastic picks ? arent the big bear and blue chip picks harder ??

i recently got some bone pins and was sent a bone pick as a freebie amongst them from the nice guys , but all i hear is the pick when i play ... its a big fat thing ... what am i doing wrong ?

i can see why the bluegrass and country pickers like them

 

I was speaking about the tonal edge you get, not the physical aspects of the pick itself. The Red Bears and Blue Chips are fairly thick, and therefore stiffer than a medium plastic pick, but they do not have a harsh sound at all, so I'm not sure they are actually harder. The Tortex sounds somewhere between a conventional plastic pick and a pseudo-tortoise pick like a Red Bear to my ear.

 

Bob Colosi is making picks out of bone now, but it seems to me they would be very stiff and hard.

 

I used regular Fender medium plastic flat picks for decades--used to buy'em by the box--and it wasn't until people here like Buc turned me on to alternatives that I started appreciating how much impact the choice of pick had on the sound of the guitar. With a pick like a Red Bear or Blue Chip, the plastic "click" against the strings simply isn't there, but the attack is also more subdued.

 

Now I'm fingerpicking 90% of the time, so it's all academic,

[blindboygrunt]

I was speaking about the tonal edge you get, not the physical aspects of the pick itself. The Red Bears and Blue Chips are fairly thick, and therefore stiffer than a medium plastic pick, but they do not have a harsh sound at all, so I'm not sure they are actually harder. The Tortex sounds somewhere between a conventional plastic pick and a pseudo-tortoise pick like a Red Bear to my ear.

 

Bob Colosi is making picks out of bone now, but it seems to me they would be very stiff and hard.

 

I used regular Fender medium plastic flat picks for decades--used to buy'em by the box--and it wasn't until people here like Buc turned me on to alternatives that I started appreciating how much impact the choice of pick had on the sound of the guitar. With a pick like a Red Bear or Blue Chip, the plastic "click" against the strings simply isn't there, but the attack is also more subdued.

 

Now I'm fingerpicking 90% of the time, so it's all academic,

 

ah ok , i get ya ...

have to get my hands on one of these fancy pants picks and see , if i use a pick i like the tortex ones , although mainly because they dont fly outta my hand as easy ....

like you , i like to use my fingertips though, i i'm gigging i use a pick to compete with my lead player who turns himself up too loud :-)

[blindboygrunt]

what strings you got on there MOP ??

nice guitar !

[Motherofpearl]

I got elixir pb lights and they were brand new! Haha I should have watched the video it sounds a little harsh there. It's got great bass. I just put a fishman PU in it for gigging. Should be great! :)

[chasAK]

I mostly use a Fender heavy pick or Tortex .73mm to 1mm (I can'tremember the colors). I have tried thicker tortex but when I get above 1mm loss too much on the high end and the bass gets too muddy. BTW, nice picken

 

 

chasAK

[Motherofpearl]

Thanks! :) I have always used gibson picks haven't really explored. I bought a box set of 50 quite awhile ago and have been grabbing out of the box. I've tried a thumb pick a few times

[EuroAussie]

Thanks! :) I have always used gibson picks haven't really explored. I bought a box set of 50 quite awhile ago and have been grabbing out of the box. I've tried a thumb pick a few times

 

Which Gibson pick did you buy in the box, light, medium or heavy ?

 

Best pick Ive come across by far is the Gibson medium, and thats after a tonn of experimentation. But picks like strings are a very personal things. I for example hate the real thick picks like the red bear, wegan etc. To me they are tone killers, but others seem to love em.

[blindboygrunt]

i hope i'm in the latter EA , just bought one

 

should arrive today

[ParlourMan]

Best pick Ive come across by far is the Gibson medium, and thats after a tonn of experimentation. But picks like strings are a very personal things. I for example hate the real thick picks like the red bear, wegan etc. To me they are tone killers, but others seem to love em.

 

That's the ones I use with my dodgy covers band, got a box of 50 for free. Playing on my own, a fairly even split between bare fingers and fingers & thumbpick

[j45nick]

But picks like strings are a very personal things. I for example hate the real thick picks like the red bear, wegan etc. To me they are tone killers, but others seem to love em.

 

 

Every guitar and string combination reacts differently to different playing styles and different picks. I doubt if I could ever get a good tone out of a Hummingbird with a thick pick, but Buc McMaster can.

 

At the same time, I can tell which pick he is using in his recordings on his 'bird when he switches them around, as he does from time to time.

[EuroAussie]

Every guitar and string combination reacts differently to different playing styles and different picks. I doubt if I could ever get a good tone out of a Hummingbird with a thick pick, but Buc McMaster can.

 

At the same time, I can tell which pick he is using in his recordings on his 'bird when he switches them around, as he does from time to time.

 

Playing style is also very important Nick. If you look at Buc's vidoes his playing style is very similar across all his tracks. He doesnt really strumm through rather he sort of does that little percussive shuffle where he mainly plays the bass notes. For that style where you want to emphasise the bass notes I can understand why a thicker pick would be more faourable.

 

But if he strummed through I would suggest the thicker pick would give a harsher tone than with a lighter, more flexble pick.

[Motherofpearl]

Which Gibson pick did you buy in the box, light, medium or heavy ?

 

Best pick Ive come across by far is the Gibson medium, and thats after a tonn of experimentation. But picks like strings are a very personal things. I for example hate the real thick picks like the red bear, wegan etc. To me they are tone killers, but others seem to love em.

EA I use the gibson mediums and have elixir strings on it now which really make the guitar sound to sparkly on the trebles. So I need to experiment with that.

[EuroAussie]

I'd say its mainly the Elixirs that are causing the excfesive high end spatkle. They are very bright strings with a metallic edge.

I suggest some DR Sunbeams that have a good balance between warmth and brightness.

[Motherofpearl]

I'll try those are they the ones you can't cut till after?

[EuroAussie]

I'll try those are they the ones you can't cut till after?

 

Yep, thats the ones.

[Motherofpearl]

Perfect ill try them. Thanks