Difference between a guitar pick and a mandolin pick?

[Chris Keth]

I guess the thread title says it all. I saw all the threads of people touting the advantage of their favorite pick and it made me wonder what the differences are. If you can't tell, I'm very new here and to mandolins.:))

For guitar I'm pretty good with anything over .8mm or so.

[earthsave]

My opinion of what makes a mandolin pick are the three point picks.

A standard guitar pick has two shoulders and a point. For me, a mandolin pick has three rounded points, cam shaped. I refer you to the M150 from Wegen for the shape I prefer. Some like a bit more point, some like a bit less point.

But you can use a guitar pick to play mandolin. When I do, I usually use the shoulders though.

1.5-2mm or so is my preference.

[man dough nollij]

I've never played the guitar much, but I used a guitar pick when I first started playing.

The more I tried different picks, the more I found that a bigger, thicker, more rigid pick works better for me. Guitar picks feel tiny and flimsy when used on eight very tight little strings.

For cheap picks, I like the Fender Heavy, and the Tortex in green and purple (mm?)

Once I tried the Blue Chip, I stopped my pick quest. TAD 60, baby!

[Ken_P]

A pick is a pick, doesn't matter what you use it on. I like pretty much the same picks on guitar and mandolin. I've got Red Bears for both, which are shaped pretty much the same. Blue Chips are great for either too.

[Mike Bunting]

No difference.

[sgarrity]

I prefer a 1mm for guitar and a 1.5mm for mandolin. I use the same shape for both, the BC TPR.
I used the Wegen Mando Pick for both guitar and mandolin for years before the Blue Chips came out.

[papawhisky]

I've always used the same pick for both. I recently switched to the Bluechip and find it works great on guitar.
Once I had the chance to see David Grier up close and he was using a David Grisman pick on his D-18.

It's all about tone, feel and preference.

[BradyK]

As a looong time guitar player, I settled on Jim Dunlops 2.0mm, for both electrics and acoustics and have used them for years. Very cheap. Tossed them around at shows, had a lot of them, never thought twice about them.

The mandolin, an instrument I've just discovered and have grown to love... well, the pick issue is now a big issue when it comes to tone. I've been on the 'perfect pick quest' just like many players here and have settled on the NEW Red Bear Tuff Tone picks. They are half the price of the regular Red Bears, which I have not tried yet. $10 for a pick? I thought that ridiculous but the Tuff Tones have been the best I've played so far.

I tried the Dawg picks... nice, but too quiet. Also tried the V-Picks... smooth but too chirpy.

[jim_n_virginia]

It's all just what you get used to and what you prefer. Now me I have tried and tried and I just cannot get used to playing with rounded corner picks. I have met pickers who played with picks that look like a circle with NO points at all on the pick.

While I can tremelo with the rounded picks I just cannot play clean or fast unless I am playing a pick with some sort of point on it.

I used a standard pick with the one point and two rounded shoulders and I used the point.

The difference between a guitar pick and a mandolin pick for me is the thickness. I used medium for guitar and ex heavy for mandolin.

[mandozilla]

I've used both teardrop (?) and triangular picks for guitar but my personal preference for mandolin is for a triangular shaped pick with picking surfaces about halfway between pointy and rounded and at least 1.5 mm thick. :grin:

Rounded is better for trembling but pointy is better for machinegunning so I compromise because I play both ways. :confused:

I currently use a pick made from the material that shall remain nameless (bought legit from a music store in 1974)and about 1.5 mm . I'll use it 'till I lose it, it breaks, or it wears out. My back-up picks are Red Bears and they're pretty darn good too. :))

:mandosmiley: