newbie @ pickin a'pick

[maidofclay]

I am just a few months new to playing mando, and I have tried a few different pick gauges, and find I like the lightweights and the rounded edge best. The few posts I've read about picks has me thinking I should be trying to use heavier gauge. #

What are the pros and cons of the different pick styles and wieghts available? Is it just personal preference or is there a good place to start?

[glauber]

Personal preference. Most non-Classical players use medium or hard strings, and like heavy picks (1 mm and thicker). Some Classical players and some Celtic prefer medium picks (0.75 to 1 mm). Bluegrass people like to use rounded picks and hit the strings mightly; this gives the kind of sound they like. Others like pointier picks and hitting the strings with less force. Get many different shapes and thicknesses, because your taste will probably evolve. Stay away from the expensive ones until you have a general idea of what shape you prefer.

My current favourites: Dunlop Ultex 1.14 triangle and teardrop, Dunlopp "jazz" 208 and 207, Dunlop "Gator Grip" 1.4, Dunlop "chubby" 2.0, Moshay heavy, D'Andrea ProPlec. It you have a triangular pick, you can file each point to a different roundness, and it's like having 3 idfferent picks in one.

Another thing that i found is that as i get better at playing this thing, the kind of pick becomes less of a factor. When i was starting, i had to have one specific kind of pick; now i can use a variety of picks with mostly the same results.

One very important thing: whatever pick you use, be sure you're hitting the strings at a 90 degree angle.

g

[glauber]

One more suggestion, o Maid: find a store where you can buy picks by the unit instead of dozen (unless you want to spend a lot of money). Or go to elderly.com, click on "gear", then "picks", and buy one or two of anything that looks interesting. Be prepared to spend a long time; there are zillions of picks there. Anything thinner than "medium" or .75mm is probably too thin, but you may want to try them too. They have all the ones i mentioned except for the Moshay.

[maidofclay]

Thank you for the reply. I will keep your suggestions in mind while I shop. I am an accessory hound, so buying and trying a variety of picks is something that I will truely enjoy. It is still early in my playing for developing good habits, so I will pay close attention to my pick angle.

[glauber]

Hey, i just saw this ad, from one of my favourite mandolin pushers:
Jazzmando pick sampler
I'm ordering one, just for the pick holder!

[maidofclay]

very cool...thank you...I just sent an email to order it for myself

maidofclay

[Hal Loflin]

For what it is worth...I have tried multiple picks and have settled on the Golden Gate mandolin picks. They are rounded and three sided...3 picks in one. THey provide an excellent tone and are relatively inexpensive. You can get them on eBay by typing in Golden Gate mandolin picks in the search engine.

Also, Long Hollow Leather (longhollowleather.com) makes a great pick holder comparable to the Jazzmando pick holder...They are the makers of the LHL "Softie" mandolin strap that is, IMHO, one of the best mandolin straps on the market.

[mandroid]

Thickish fender 346, big rounded triangles,and nail files and sandpaper = dawgpicks,rounded tips; and the 347 shape; large rounded teardrops i like too, but 1/2 gross minimum deal isexcessive.
there are benefits to Dunlop big stubbys, 2mm, hard polycarbonate plastic, moulded with a concave grip that almost goes thru, a little help and you can make a wee hole thru and grip it better. loose control.

[CrippleCreek]

I use basically whatever's around. I suppose I should maybe try a few nicer ones. I've tried Gibson (Hard) and Fender (Medium). I feel the very rounded edge Gibsons arent as precise.

Personal preference.

[B. T. Walker]

My favorite pick for years has been the Dunlop "Big Stubby" 2.0mm. It has a blunted "pointy" corner, but I found it easier to tremolo with one of the rounder corners on the back of the pick. Mandroid is right about the concave grip helping with control.

With all these choices, does anyone really need a tortis pick at $20.00 a pop?

[glauber]

2mm Big Stubby is my current favourite too, but i use the point.

The other picks i keep going back to are the Ultex 1.14 (i use the triangle, but i have done extensive "customization" of all3 points) and the Gator 1.14. Dunlop jazz 208 adn 207 are good too.

[jugband]

For what it is worth...I have tried multiple picks and have settled on the Golden Gate mandolin picks.

I use the Golden Gates, too.

I'm a Saga dealer, and I also stock two different shapes of Golden Gate "Mock Turtle" picks, made from horn, but I personally use the cheapest pick I carry, the Golden Gate.

I used them before I established my Saga dealership, and they were a major part in my decision to sell the Saga lines.

Of course, I sell horn picks, both rounded-triangle and triangle on Ebay, but I personally prefer the plain old plastic Golden Gate Dawg-style.

They already have the edge on them that I prefer, and they produce a very dark tone, which I prefer, especially on non-wound strings.

They are approximately 1.4mm thick, a little thicker than the horn picks.

Pick material, pick shape, and edge shape will all affect the tone that given pick produces.

Here's something interesting to try;

Hold two picks 8-10 inches above a hard surface, like a tile floor, or even concrete.

Drop them, and listen to the sound they make, while wearing your mandolin, ready to play.

Immediately pick them up, and pick some notes on the mandolin...

You'll see an interesting correlation between pick material/thickness/size and the sound it produces. That is entirely separate from edge-shape, which also affects tone.

www.elderly.com is a great place to buy a lot of different picks for comparison, like Dunlop Tortis and Clayton Ultems. That's what I did when I was first starting out.

Just be aware that they have a $5.00 minimum shipping charge.

So, you can buy a single pick for $5.00 plus the cost of the pick, or 40 picks for $5.00 plus the cost of the picks.

The one thing I'd say is not to go below 1.0mm in pick thickness.

If you're a converted guitarist, you need to get used to doing tremelos with a stiff pick, letting it flex between your thumb and forefinger, rather than depending on the flex of a thin pick to do your tremelo.

You'll get better tone and volume from a thick pick, and tremelo will be better controlled, too, though that concept may seem strange to someone used to a Fender Medium, which is about .63mm thick.

[PhilGE]

Late to join in on this one...

I've tried a wide variety of picks. Like strings, my tastes vary. But, gee, different picks sound different to me on different strings (doh!). So, it's hard for me to settle in on any one brand. I've recently enjoyed the D'Andrea Xcell in the medium and heavy thicknesses on a variety of strings. For that matter, a friend gave me a Wegen bluegrass pick that's really sweet on phosphor-bronze. However, I really enjoy Golden Gates and Dawgs on lighter sets of flat wound strings like T-I mittels or JM11's. I think I may settle on these kinds of strings for a looonnng time.

Currently, I'm very happy with the small tear drop Pro-Plec #358. I can't really hold it too hard, so my hand stays relaxed. Also, it gives a nice fat sound off the thick sides and rounded point - not at all a bluegrass sound, but one that's a bit jazzy to me and has a nice "thunk" to it. Anybody else give them a try?



-Phil