Pursuing the Perfect Pick
by
, Aug-24-2013 at 7:12am (4319 Views)
O.K., I'll admit that if circumstances permitted, I'd be the WORST case of MAS on record! However, that matter is out of my hands. My wife suffered a stroke last weekend, (She's doing fine, now, but still a scary time), pretty much guarantees I am where I am in terms of mando acquisition for quite some time.
I have developed a fondness for pick experimentation, tho. Figure it's a quick, relatively painless way to play around with different feels and sounds. Plus, it's just fun to hear how different picks affect my playing and tone.
I recently got in 3 what I would call upper-end picks, and been comparing and contrasting them on a number of songs and styles. Here's my observations so far.
1. Wegen M150- My first pick purchase (EVER!) that cost more than about 75 cents. The size and material feels just right in my hand. Good tone overall, and with right-hand bevel, picks clean, with good tremolo. I like it a lot for an all-around pick.
2. McCray Pick (unsure of model)- 1.5 mm, general tear-drop pick shape, somewhere in between a standard guitar pick and the Wegen, size-wise. Wasn't sure about this one at first. Seemed a bit "crashy" to my ears, but with a brighter sound that somehow worked with my MM. Finally tried turning it around and using one of the rounded edges, and it really came to life for me.Less pick-click, but still a bright tone, and plenty loud.I'm using it primarily when I want a more hard-core bluegrass sound.
3.Blue Chip TPR60-This was a gift (Thanks, Kris!), and I get a chance to see what all the fuss is about. Keep in mind, I've only been playing mando about 5 months, but even in my hands, I can tell this is truly a premium piece. Feel and fit is great. Non-slip. I get a GREAT overall tone from it, and it's really accurate for me. My definite go-to for most anything now.
It really is a kick getting to mess around with these things and just try out the different sounds and textures. Just ordered a new batch of picks I've been wanting to check out, and anxious to see how they perform,too.