Favorite picks in 2024?

Scoredog

I use a gator part time on GJ guitars and full time on electric, rounded end.

voutoreenie

Gator 2mm, shoulder. I also use a couple different picks from manouchepicks...sometimes a Jazz III as well

rudolfochrist

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/116517#Comment_116517

The rounded sides.

djazzy

I really, really love the sound of the Dunlop gator 2mm played with the rounded edge. But the thing is just too thin for me to hold. It may not be au courant but I always prefer thicker picks, preferably with a slight indentation at the center for optimal grip. They also produce a better tone to my ears. And so I use various models (3mm or more) usually from Jokko. The role off from his picks is great & there is no audible 'click'. (I would run for a Dunlop gator upwards of 3 mm or more if they were made.)

Buco

Dunlop prime tone standard sculpted is available in 3mm. The material feels like a Blue Chip knockoff and it does a great job at that. They wear much faster than BC but in a good way, in my case. Once you use them a lot you end up with a nice bevel that corresponds to your playing. But they come with a nice bevel.

I only play with the shoulder tips.

pdg

Anyone find they cannot get anything more than a dull tone with the rounded edge of dunlop gator picks? (Or anyone who had that problem but solved it?) Remi Harris has said it takes him ages to break one in, but other people have no issues.

Maybe pick angle and/or how much of the pick sticks out, and/or how tight or loose you hold the pick, and/or where your elbow is on the side ot the guitar.

I don't have a problem with the rounded edge of the Killy Nonis picks, or playing the big city pick (pointed tip).

voutoreenie

Anyone find they cannot get anything more than a dull tone with the rounded edge of dunlop gator picks?

In my completely anecdotal experience, it can really depend upon the angle with which you're striking the strings - if completely parallel, the tone is definitely more flat and tends to show less projection. I don't know exactly what degree of angle I'm striking but it more follows the natural contour of my thumb, which is how I've adapted my technique over the years to account for better tone. I should also add I've got pretty crazy "hitchhiker's thumb" and I've noticed that players with more "rigid" thumb joints tend to prefer heavier, thicker picks.

Also, try and be aware of ensuring you're attacking the strings with a compact yet fluid rest stroke picking strike. I took a couple lessons with Antoine Boyer and some of the most helpful comments he made was in pointing out the small, unnecessary motions I was making but never would have noticed on my own and to constantly strive at eliminating them - better tone truly comes from the weight of your arm from elbow to wrist and any wasted movement/motion will have an adverse impact on both tone and projection. That was 2 years ago and I feel like my tone has improved tenfold.

Last, like all Dunlop picks, the Gators do need a little time to break in, although I think the more you comfortable you become playing with them, the less time is required - before I optimized my technique, it took a good 3-4 weeks but now? I can play on one for about a week and it's usually broken in enough for how I want it to sound, which makes sense considering there's far less material to shape compared to larger, super thick GJ picks. Again tho, completely anecdotal so ymmv.

pdg

@voutoreenie, I get the best tone from a gator pick (rounded side) only if the pick is parallel to the strings (though, of course, I still pick "into" the guitar top to some degree). But since my right elbow is not at the tailpiece (!), I can't really play that way very easily, unless I'm missing something.

Since you have a "hitchiker's thumb," your pick naturally ends up more parallel to the strings than a "regular" thumb (i.e., without backbow). Maybe that's why "straight-thumbed" people may tend to use thicker and probably right-beveled picks. Or maybe pointier picks (even if slightly rounded at the tip).

The matter of exactly how picks are held by each person is pretty esoteric, I guess!

voutoreenie

@pdg That's interesting because my right elbow is above and pretty far out behind the tailpiece...which is basically out of necessity because I also have a 6'7 wingspan lol. And tbh, being 6'4 w/lengthy arms might have been a hindrance for when I first started rest stroke technique because it took me a couple years to even learn how to sit properly and have my right arm positioned optimally. And you know what, more I think about it I have no clue if my thumb hypothesis even makes any sense lol; again, totally anecdotal and only noticed it after comparing pick stances with friends who are "straight-thumbed" and observing them play (btw, "straight thumbed" is a great way to put it).

Also, the more I think about this, the more I start to remember that neither tone nor projection were even a focus until I could finally just pick everything I was hearing without thinking about my right hand anymore - once I found that "freedom" after 4+ years of retraining my brain into finally being able to effortlessly play rest stroke, that's when it struck me that I needed to start focusing on maintaining good tone/projection regardless of tempo...and that's when I started making subtle adjustments to my picking angles to achieve good tone/projection, another multi-year process.

I'm not a player on the scene by any means but there's times when I want to record a youtube rest stroke picking vid just to help intermediate players gain efficiency in how they both learn and practice the style - it's taken me nearly 7 years to get where I'm at and I feel like it would have taken less time had I been more proficient earlier on at analyzing the flaws in my playing and identifying the mistakes I was making.

MikeK

Pivoting back to favorite picks in the new year, I must mention one detail about the gator grip 2.0's, and maybe I'm alone in this (and I acknowledge this is a "1st World problem":

I love the powder that's on them when they're new. I feel like the pick is an extension of my hand when it's powdery. But alas, like a lot of the finer things in life, it's great while it's around but it just doesn't last as long as I wish it would.