Wegan Pick

Gregocide

My first Gypsy Jazz pick came in the mail yesterday. It is a Wegan 3.5 mm.

I have to say, I was amazed by the difference in sound and feel. I totally prefer the Gypsy Pick to the dunlop jazz III's I was using before.


On an interesting note, I had a family member of mind do a blind test to see which sound was prefered. I was shocked when she said the dunlop. However, I was thinking about it and I think a big consideration in the difference is also the volume. Plus the variable of dynamics.

Also, the dunlop was the second choice i gave her. Maybe I should have tried a best out of 3 scenario. I think I'm going to try the same thing tonight with someone else.


Anyone else ever try a blind test like this? Like I said though, I def prefer the Wegan.

BluesBop Harry

I did try that with my girlfriend too, and she liked the purple dunlop picks the best.
The Wegen is very loud but with the volume also comes noise and you lose some articulation.
I use Dunlop Gator picks 2mm now.

klaatu

I've been using the Wegen 3.5 for a couple of years and really like it - it sits nicely in the fingers and gets a great sound from the strings with little effort. Also bought a couple of 5mm Wegens from Michael at Django in June this year, equally good. Terrific rhythm picks. However, recently I also began to notice some pick noise on solos while recording. I thought at first it was finger squeaks, but it turned out to be the pick.

Here's my new fave:
https://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/item--Dugain-Contoured-Pick-Tortoise-Color-Acetate--dugain_tortoiseacetate_contour.html

Feels great, excellent sound, and noise-free. I've also tried a Dugain bone pick and found it to be a little scratchy. I wish the Dugain were a little more blunt, like the Wegen, but I'm getting used to it.

Dr. Hall

It's 50-50 for me: some folks I've done this listening test on have preferred the Wegen, some the Dunlop Delrin 2mm. I've resorted to the Dunlops which I've used for 20 years or so now--less pick-click, warmer sound, yadda yadda. I can get the same volume out of the Dunlop 2mm that I get out of a Wegen 3.5mm. It's all in the right hand technique if you're willing to work at it. Andreas Oberg and Bireli use them . . . .
-Stefan

bluetrain

The same here. I prefer the 2mm or 1.5mm Dunlop gator grip (or delrin 500 versions). I like to play with the round corner and it gives very thick sound and noise free.

I've met only two professional gypsy swing players Andreas Öberg and Ritary Gaguenetti here in Finland and Andreas was using at that moment Nylon Jazz XL pick (http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page ... ucts/picks) and Ritary Gaguenetti was using the purple Dunlop delrin 500 pick (round corner).

I think if you have a very expensive and good guitar you can get a very good sound using whatever pick.

klaatu

bluetrain wrote:

I think if you have a very expensive and good guitar you can get a very good sound using whatever pick.

I think if you're Andreas Öberg or Ritary Gaguenetti, you can get a very good sound using whatever pick OR guitar.

Passacaglia

I'm personally still torn on the Wegen. I have played using it almost exclusively, since beginning my entree into playing again (a few months ago), believing that it's important to exhaust the potential of something, to ensure whatever issues I have are due to the thing itself, and not my own shortcomings (or something else extrinsic to the thing), before moving on.

In the case of the Wegen, I do still find it a bit too thick for it to feel comfortable in my hand, but that chiefly varies depending on whether I am playing rhythm or lead. I do find it fine for lead playing, using the techniques of this style.

When it comes to rhythm playing, however, I still find an overly harsh response. Part of that is assuredly my playing, and I do think part of that is a natural "wetness" to my Gitane, an early-model DG-300; but I do think part is attributed to the wegen. It helps for me to play using the round of the pick, but for rhythm playing, I still prefer my Red Bear, C-style, Xtra-heavy (C-XH-SB) - much thinner, but extremely rigid. I play with the round on the Red Bear as well, for rhythm. Much quieter, by far, than the Wegen, but overall, I like the tone much, much more.

GrimfanDjango

I used a Wegen 3.5 mm exclusively until I discovered the Dugain buffalo horn contoured pick. The Wegen was great for single line stuff but sounded harsh when playing "La Pompe". The Dugain (once is was worked in in) served both purposes very well, and the organic horn material has a more tactile feel to it. The only draw back with the organic material is that is degrades much faster than the Wegen. If you play a lot you can really chew through the Dugains quite quickly.

I think I'll give the Red bears a go.

-Grim

klaatu

Funny, I have just the opposite thought about the Wegen - really good for rhythm, but a little clacky sounding on lead (something I never noticed until recording).

If you like the Dugains, but find that the natural ones wear quickly, you should try the tortoise colored acetate one. Has the same feel, sounds great, is very silent on the strings, but should wear better.

BluesBop Harry

If you like the horn you're gonna love tortoise shell, it sounds great and last very, very long.
These guys can make you a tortoise shell pick: http://www.art-ecaille.com/turtle-shell-EN/plectrum.htm
Expensive but worth trying out.

Frank Wekenmann

These guys can make you a tortoise shell pick: http://www.art-ecaille.com/turtle-shell-EN/plectrum.htm
Expensive but worth trying out.

Unfortunately there is no mention on this website where they have their tortoise-shell from, so, since tortoise-shell is on the CITES list appendix1, what they are doing is almost certainly illegal. Here is a good link on this subject:
http://www.bluegrasswales.org/Re-worked%20Tortoiseshell.htm
Don't support the poaching of an endangered species just for a luxury item such as a guitar pick!