Picks

Appel

Great post, @stuart. I think the Djangojazz and Wegen picks are a great value for what they are, the Guzz pick as well. I am very appreciative of these makers' work and cherish everything I have been able to afford to buy from them. Nigli is a favourite pick-maker of mine as well.

4,000 years ago I used a thick black pick that was made by a small supplier in the U.S. somewhere. One pick survived three years of 15+ hours per day of practice and over a thousand gigs - and had a beautiful tone, full and clear. Same pick. I still have it, but it finally wore down past the point of usefulness. It was four dollars - a lot of money, 4,000 years ago. Then that company disappeared, and before long Dunlop started putting out the Jazztones, which were exactly the same thickness and shapes, and even the colour was the same ... but they wear out to uselessness within a month, and don't sound at all the same. Unforgivable!

Is anyone familiar with crocus cloth? - it's like emery paper, but it is coated and feels smoother and flexes like cloth. It's used in fine metalwork and on gemstones. The finest sandpapers and emery papers seem to open the surface of most plastic picks in a way that lets them wear more quickly. The crocus cloth seems to polish, even burnish as it cuts, and makes the surface stronger. So it seems to me. I use it to soften the edges on my Wegen picks; that material responds really well to crocus cloth. You can soften the edges and adjust the bevels beautifully. I don't like to let the strings finish the bevel, on these picks; that just makes a mess, as I don't know about yours but the force of my attack is not always exactly even across the tip (I'm not interested in that modern machine-gun or assembly-line sound) and if the bevel isn't right it can get wonky as it wears in. But if it's cut to suit the angle and buffed a bit with the crocus cloth, it remains just so for a long time.

It seems to me the Wegen picks are cut and finished to a certain point, and a bit of material is left to allow them to wear in just right for the player. I love that.

I guess this is a bit silly as topics go but for some reason it's one of my favourite topics - picks are just so fun, aren't they fun?

Hemert

Nice to hear y'all enjoyed the video, more will be coming soon! I just wanted to say that despite the 'indie picks' not occupying the top spots on our lists (and we made them independently, only revealing our choices while filming) there's still abunch of them in our top 5s.

I must have tried at least 100 different picks the past four years so the 5 picks that made it to my list are all great (or at least, I think they are).

Two picks that are just outside the top 5 and weren't mentioned in the video are definitely the Muzic pick and probably one of the V-picks.

Jazzaferri

I'm still completely sold on my Blue Chip Kenny Smith. Tried a few others based on the discussions here but nothing compares for me.

Buco

I go between Kenny Smith and SR60. KS has a better tone but SR gives me a better attack. So once I had enough of one I grab the other and it sounds fresh and new again, closest thing to buying a new guitar.

I just ordered 2 Romino picks from Jokko, one in black tortoise which he says is the quietest material he has and one in new art deco tortoise which he says is the closest to the tone of natural tortoise he's gotten. Both in 2mm. I ordered directly because no one carries 2mm and the exchange rate is the best it's been in a long time.
I'll post here once I try them.

terrassier

Im going to try Gator grip 2mm - round side

wim

Good! don't expect it to be comfortable or sound good immediately. It's an acquired taste

required reading -> http://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/13633/sideways/p1

rob.cuellari

I would love to see a video comparing the picks by actual usage so I can hear the difference. it seems like much of the preference is mostly preference. anyone willing?

Jazzaferri

somewhere in here, maybe this thread@stuart posted a video comparison of several. However....... Each player with their attack and style, each guitar with its own response, strings too make a difference to how the pick works.

Unfortunately, (like sax mouthpieces, which are far more expensive) it is really a matter of personal experimentation. Think of it as part of the fun. Much cheaper than experimenting with guitars. LOL

And as for sax mouthpieces at between 100-600 a pop I went through 5 tenor before I landed it and after 8 alto still searching. Fortunately, unlike used picks, they have some resale value.

rob.cuellari

thanks, i'll try to dig it up.

i see what you mean there, for each guitar - you may end up preferring a different pick.

i just use the same pick most of the time and have for the last 10 years (i own a handful of picks, but have really only used 1 model during gigs/recordings. that's the big trimus wegen.

Jazzaferri

I went for the pick that had e least noise and gave good fat tone. I also am finding it a little easier to pick faster with a rounded profile than a pointy one. I only use the one pick on all my guitars now. A discerning trained ear can hear the difference in a quiet environment if not too far away. The average audience member I think not.