Right pick,s

[stevenmando]

Hi I know that this topic has been on the form before but I can not find it . The question that I have is what is the right pick to use? when I use my bowlback there is a certain pick that I use a small pointy one ,(not mandolin talk) and it sounds good but the 515F Eastman that I have now I have been looking for the right pick and I can not find the right one , some are to thick and some are to thin the thick one,s have a muted sound for me and I don,t like that and the thin one,s have a tinny sound. I go to music stores and ask for mandolin picks and some just look at me and say Huh? there are no mandolin picks and other stores that I go to say yaa there are mandolin picks. The eastmand has a great sound with volume and I do not want any pick that will take away that great sound so here is the ultimite queation what is a great pick and where can I get it. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif not hyped up on coffee.

[12 fret]

The short answer is there's no such thing. Pick shape, thickness, and material all give very different sounds. Different, not better. You have to determine what sound you like or want with a particular intstrument and try many til you find one that works for you. Basically thinner and or more pointed equals brighter sound, Thicker and or more rounded equals darker sound

[MandoSquirrel]

Have you tried the rounded part(s) of the "pointy" pick on the Eastman? You'll just have to try a variety, but most folks seem to like anything from 1mm to about 1.75mm, but the material & shape make a difference as well. The Tri-corner 346 D'Andrea Proplec is one popular choice, as are Clayton, Dunlop, Dawg, Golden Gate, Wegen, &(for "real money")Tortis.Then again, you may find you like something else. Experiment, Internet ordering can be your friend.

[56 Gibson Hoss]

Some songs require different picks. I cant play a fast song with a real stiff round corner pick. I use a medium gauge pick for those.
For songs that are not burners, I can use the stiffer Golden Gate picks.IMHO, YMMV

[JeffD]

Try try and try. See what you like. I love the Tortis C Heavy triangular pick. People laugh when they find it costs $20.00. But I figure it would cost a lot more than $20 to make my mandolins sound that good using a cheaper pick.

[stevenmando]

thanks great advice I will try everything.
Steven

[DryBones]

I usually use the Wegen M100 on my Eastman using J74 or Gibson Bush Monel strings. Recently I have moved up to the Wegen M150 as it seems to make the tremolo easier.