Picks

AmundLauritzen

I've tried all kinds of picks and have settled with the Wegen 1.8mm BigCity pick for playing gypsy jazz acoustically on gypsy jazz guitars with the appropriate technique.

On electric guitar, regardless of it being an archtop or solidbody I use the Dunlop Jazz III. This pick is too thin sounding for the acoustic IMO, while the BigCity is too clunky and imprecise for the kind of electric guitar strings I'm using, so that's why I'm using different picks for different instruments and styles.
I also use an economy picking technique on electric guitar which the Jazz IIIs work perfectly with.

The reason why I like the Wegen BigCity so much is that since I'm a fan of Stochelo Rosenbergs sound, that's what gets me closest to that since that's what he is using.
But regardless, it is thick enough to produce a strong tone, but not so thick as to sound dull or to be imprecise to the point that I lose "string feel".
This was a huge issue for me with the Wegen 3.5 and similar, that I lost the feel of strings and that the pick sounded dull to my ears.

BigCity gives me bite but also enough fullness. It produces the kind of tone that I like the most and it is comfortable in all aspects.

Jazzaferri

I play lead on my Dunn with a Blue Chip copy of a Wegen Big City but it's only 1.5. My fave pick design on that guitar. I left my Big City In Lancaster last Nov but I am assured by Stuart it's safe. Crisper attack on single string and ok dry crunch playing lightly on rhythm.


They sound way too thin and crispy on my DuPont.

Jazzaferri

I saw that, @stuart i will have to listen through my Grado headphones to truly appreciate the differences.

Chiefbigeasy

I'm with Amund. As a fan of Stochelo, I have been using the Wegen Big City picks for over a year and a half now. I prefer the 2.5 mm, myself. I began with the 3 mm pic, but it was sounding too dull and clunky for me. The Big City Pick has the right amount of slip, yet produces a wonderful crisp sound.

Another thing, though. I think string choice can make a big difference in the combination pick and string sound. I have become very happy with the sound of silk and steel strings. Somehow, the combination of the Wegen pick and the strings is exactly the sound I want. Purely personal, I know, but that's the whole point, I guess.

That said, Because of my recent and finger nerve issues, I have been having trouble controlling the Big City pick. I have recently changed to the Wegen GP 250 and am happy to say that the sound is still there, but I have a lot more control over the pick because of the larger size.

I'll add one more thing I've mentioned before: I have been using the Monster Grip stick-on silicone circles on both sides of the pick for over a year now. I can't tell you how much more confident I feel holding the pick. It adds very little to the width of the gripping surface, even though the Wegen picks already have grooves and an indentation for the thumb and the finger. The monster grip silicone gives me confidence moving the pick from a lead position to a rhythm position fluidly without fear of dropping it. Just my take on it, but I think it's a great product.

woodamand

stuart wrote: »

I wouldn't bother - I couldn't hear any difference on the playback, even with the Gibson Medium pick!

stuart - I am so happy you said that, I couldn't hear any difference either! But I am sure it is different when you are playing the guitar.

Jazzaferri

The question is, why, the recording gear, or @stuart are you saying you didn't hear a difference while playing. LOL

Buco

Those nuances are very hard to record. But they are there nevertheless. It's a good video regardless, if only for Stuart's explanation about different picks.

Scoredog

I need to waste some time so here as an old story.

A buddy of mine, at the time one of the most in demand players in LA, was making a solo album and another buddy of mine was producing him. They went down to the local guitar boutique store when they heard this new fabulous amp came in. The guitarist brought in his current amp to compare. After 3 hours of tweaking with the new amp the guitarist purchased the new amp. My producer buddy said he spent 3 hours trying to get the exact sound he already had.

I know I go back and listen to recordings I have done over the years and can't tell what amp I was using, it seemed important then but in retrospect made little difference. Probably was mostly about comfort or wanting the new thing.

woodamand

Speaking of picks.......even though I don't own a GJ guitar yet, I thought I would do something really radical for me. The local music store does not have anything like the Wegen or other picks like folks here use, but they do have some thicker picks. So instead of the .88 Dunlops that I have been using since the dawn of time, I got some different types in 1,2, and 3 MM. And unlike looking at the video, I can actually tell the difference in tone with these and my normal picks. Amazing, maybe this old dog can learn new tricks!

Il Trovatore

I like all my picks differently. Like many I started with a Wegen gj2.5 and the played around with a few others, I dig the Button for rhythm. I also got a bluechip TD80 from Michael and I enjoying playing with that too but... I was given a gator grip 2mm by Gonzalo and started playing with those cheap ones and I feel like when I started playing with those I stopped thinking about the pick and started thinking about my playing. So while I will go back and play with the wegens and the like, my day to day pick is the cheap gators. The Bluchip i picked up is almost exactly the same, but with awesime bevels, it lives in my guitar case though and isn't the one I carry around. This has worked for me personally, I can't and won't speak for anyone else. Cheers!