V picks

[lyric_girl]

Have read, can't remember where, that these pics are the ultimate in mandolin playing? Comments, thoughts?

As an acoustic guitarist, I play with Fender mediums. Can somebody guide me in the direction of what would work on a mando, other than trying many?

Many thanks as always,

Lynda

[man dough nollij]

Here's three pages of posts on 'em. Never tried on yet, myself.

[Celtic Saguaro]

The Fender Heavy is a good place to start, inexpensive and good tone on most mandolins.

[CES]

I'll second Celtic Saguaro's vote, also, but haven't played with any high dollar picks yet...

[TheMandoShop]

The Wegen Triangle with holes is my favorite! #It is 1.4 mm thick, hand made of Kevlar by Michael Wegen in the Netherlands. #The Kevlar is light and dense. #I find the pick makes a notibly better sound and the holes help me hang on to the pick. #I sell them at The Mando Shop. #I also sell Wegen's bluegrass pick which is also made of Kevlar and 1.4 mm thick but a smaller teardrop shape. #It also has holes for a nice grip. #Many perfer the smaller bluegrass pick for guitar and I like the bigger triangle one for mandolin. #Email me at kyle@themandoshop.com if you would like to purchase one to try.

Regards,
Kyle

[Mike Bunting]

I'm a fan of the Bluechip picks. I've used nothing else since I got some.

[Chris Biorkman]

I love the Blue Chip too.

[Mike Snyder]

Different mandolins seem to prefer different picks, much the same as strings. Mine prefers a Dunlop Jazztone 207, although I confess that I have not tried the expensive picks. At 35 cents apiece for the Dunlop, I'm gonna leave the high dollar picks to the high dollar pickers.

[TheMandoShop]

Wow! I just checked out the Blue Chip picks on-line. #$35 for a Blue Chip pick. #And I thought the Wegen picks were expensive at $7.50. #I'm going to have to try one and compare.

[Chris Biorkman]

Wow! I just checked out the Blue Chip picks on-line. #$35 for a Blue Chip pick. #And I thought the Wegen picks were expensive at $7.50. #I'm going to have to try one and compare.

They really are worth it, IMO. I used to play Wegen, and I was skeptical that the Blue Chip was worth the price, but I'm sold. I love it.

[MikeEdgerton]

To actually answer your question about V-Picks. They are a heavy pick that does a decent job at a decent price. The only problem I see with them is that they are clear and hard to see when dropped in a dark place like a bar but then again a tortoise colored pick would be hard to spot as well. Some others felt a bit of chatter when using them, I never noticed that. I wouldn't call them the end all be all but they are very acceptable. What you settle on as your personal choice might not be what works for anyone else. Try one and see how you like it.

[Mandobar]

i like the wegens, but they are harder to get as he has stopped using a US distributor and dealers now need to go direct to him. i just got some V-picks. i like them. trying now to decide which ones i like best out of the sampler.

[TheMandoShop]

i like the wegens, but they are harder to get as he has stopped using a US distributor and dealers now need to go direct to him. #i just got some V-picks. #i like them. #trying now to decide which ones i like best out of the sampler.

I am a US dealer of Wegen picks. I only carry 2 styles in 2 colors targeted at mandolin and guitar players, the large triangle with holes, 1.4 mm thick in black or white, and the Wegen bluegrass pick, the smaller teardrop shape with holes, 1.4 mm thick in black or white. Generally the large triangle with holes is preferred by mandolin players and the teardrop shape with holes is preferred by guitar players but there are some where the reverse is true. My favorite is the large triangle with holes. You may order them by emailing me at kyle@themandoshop.com and I will mail them to you.

Kyle

[RI-Grass]

I just got a "Large Pointed" V-Pick today and I am very impressed. I love the Redbear xh, but at $35 a shot, it's a little tough to seed my cases and pockets with them. At $4, the V-pick could be the answer. I recently also tried the new Dunlop Primetone picks, and they had good tone and attack, but they wear out against the mando strings, leaving the edge rough which slows me down. If the V-Pick has any longevity to it, it'll be a keeper. I'll post in a few days with the results.

Sal

[JeffD]

somebody guide me in the direction of what would work on a mando, other than trying many?

Many thanks as always,

Lynda

I think the only generality is that mandolin players tend to like heavier picks than do guitar players. More specific than that would depend on the mandolin, the pick feel in your hand, and on the sound you wish to get.

On my Gibson A2 I like the Wegen TF140 for playing with others in a jam or concert, and the Red Bear Tortis heavy w/bevel for playing in more intimate settings or by myself.

On my bowlbacks I tend to prefer the regular Fender heavy picks.

I have a Weber Aspen that is very sensitive to the age of the strings. If I have just changed strings, I like the Red Bear picks for shaving some of the brassyness off the sound, until the strings have "settled in" a bit, at which point the Wegen is my go to pick. On old strings that are on the decline, when I don't have time to change them, I use a Gibson heavy pick to bring out a little more life. Eventually give up and change the strings.

I haven't used a Blue Chip yet, or a V pick, but they are well recommended, and probably have their place.

I might suggest just going to an inexpensive heavy, like a Fender heavy, to get a baseline. Once you are comfortable, by all means try them all out and see what you like.

[Amandalyn]

Fender Xtra Heavy was my stand by for many years- added depth of tone, and oce you try a heavier guage and get used to it, you won't go back( and not pricey) I've tryed the V-picks- too clicky sounding. The Blue Chip is awesome-just got a tri corner #60- not cheap tho! Us females don't play as hard as guys, so the heavier picks do help cut through in a jam.
Teri

[Steve Williams]

I recently started using one of "Large Rounded" V-Picks and am very pleased with it. I'm using it on both of my mandolins (A-9 and A-Jr) and it works well for me with both, something that has never happened in the past... for some reason I always ended up with different picks with those two instruments. I really like the sound that I'm getting out of both instruments with this pick, and I really like it on fast triplets and extended tremolos.

I have never tried a Wegen, Blue Chip, or Red Bear pick, so I don't know how the V-Pick would compare. I have alternated for years between genuine tortoise, Fender Extra Heavy White 346's, and Pro-Plec Jazzmando picks, and it appears at this point that the V-Pick, at least for me, combines the best of all three for my purposes.

On a side note, my wife/guitar player has switched from a Herco Heavy nylon pick to the "Thin Pointed" V-Pick on her J-30 and absolutely loves it. Lots better tone and more volume with less effort. She also feels that her grip is as solid with the V-Pick as it was with the Herco, which she always liked because of the grip texture.

The folks at V-Pick were wonderful to deal with and very helpful. YMMV, but these picks surprised and pleased us.

Steve Williams
#

[TheMandoShop]

As I said before, my favorite pick is the Wegen TF140, large triangle with holes. #I had given up on the Wegen M150 mandolin pick because it was more difficult for me to grip but I liked that is was a bit thicker and more rounded. #I spoke with Michel Wegen and he has accepted my order for the M150 and will add holes to it for a better grip so I will be adding that to the picks available from The Mando Shop. #When I get one in my hands I'll let you know how it turns out.

Kyle

[KanMando]

The only problem I see with them is that they are clear and hard to see when dropped in a dark place like a bar but then again a tortoise colored pick would be hard to spot as well.

Mike: I agree. They're hard to find even in a fairly well-lit room. I dropped one on the hardwood floor in my office four days ago and still haven't found it.

I've been using the large rounded V-pick for a couple months now. I'll occasionally go back to one of the picks I was using before (Dawg, Golden Gate, Ultex 1.14), but it's not long before I grab the V again. It has become my favorite.

I'd love to try a Blue Chip, but there's no way I'm going to shell out $35 without a test drive. At $4, I can live with the V. There is the "chirp" factor. It's there, no denying it, and I've tried holding the pick at different angles and using different grips, but it's always present to some degree. But the up side is the volume and tone this pick produces, as well as the easier tremolos and faster picking mentioned before. I made a test recording with the V-pick yesterday, and was surprised at how little chirping I could hear, and I was really listening for it.

So, unless Santa puts a Blue Chip in my stocking, I'll stick with the V.

Bob

[Hal Loflin]

I have been using one for a couple of months and really like the feel, grip and sound. The one I finally settled on (got the acoustic pack) is the Medium Rounded...pretty much like the Golden GAte or Dawg Pick. No chirp here with this one.

I also had a problem with finding one when I set it down on the bed. So...I used a little trick that we use in the golf business to highlight serial numbers on iron heads. You take a Sharpie and color in the etched lettering on the V pick. Let it dry for a couple of minutes and then wipe it off with alcohol.

Here is what you get:



Much easier to locate!

Also...Vinnie is a great duy to deal. Real passionate about his picks.

[DryBones]

i like the wegens, but they are harder to get as he has stopped using a US distributor and dealers now need to go direct to him. #i just got some V-picks. #i like them. #trying now to decide which ones i like best out of the sampler.

I am left handed and buy my Wegens direct from Michel's website. Plus, he will make you any size and mix and match different styles if you want in a pack.I pay through Paypal and I have the picks in my mailbox in about a week in a cool international stamped envelope. A 3 pack of the M-style picks is only $15 to your door. Why is this so hard for some people?



Wegen Picks Website

[fredfrank]

I like the Wegen CF140 for both mandolin and guitar. In fact, I've never played better with any other pick on either instrument! I had a few made with uniform edges (no speed bevel) since I don't always use the same pick angle as other players.

This model is the same as a TF140, but slightly smaller. I believe Chad at Greg Boyd's started this model.

I did try the BlueChip T60, and I liked it, but I lost it at the first festival I went to. I didn't really want to pony up another $35 to take that chance again.

[devilstone_the_bard]

I like the Wegen Triangles with holes too. Although I can attest that Vinnie is a great guy and works hard to please, I don't really like the material these picks are made of. I got the mandolin sampler, and tried all of them a few times. I also have in my case a couple RedBear, I love them for Gypsy Jazz comping. I have used Golden Gate, Dawg and most if the rest (no blue chip yet) and still reach for a Wegen 140 for mando, and Fender mediums for my Octave Mandolin.

fwiw, ymmv,

[Mark Walker]

I just got a sample V-Pick sent to me from Vinnie Smith - the same version as pictured in Hal Loflin's post, above. It is (I believe) a 1.5 mm; 'thick' from my perspective, but I'm giving it a serious tryout effort. (Anything over 1 mm to me is like trying to play with a manhole cover!)

I will say this: My Silver Angel barks regardless of the pick I use, but this V-Pick noticeably improved the volume and tone compared to a 1 mm Jim Dunlop. However there is a more noticeable 'pick click' with it as well.

I'm going to order a sampler pack from Vinnie and see if I can standardize on 'one' pick for both my mandolin and guitar efforts. (Currently I use the same Jim Dunlop 1mm picks on both guitar and mandolin.)

By the way - in the FAQ section of Vinnie's website, he says a good way to find those clear acrylic picks when you drop them on the floor is to just shine a flashlight on the floor - they sparkle and show up pretty readily. It works!

[tburcham]

The V-Picks (2 mm) are very fast, but result in an unacceptable loss of volume from good F-style mandolins (in a non-mic environment). The medium thickness is way too stiff and don't recommend them at all.

The Red Bear Medium C-style provides excellent volume and also plays fast! Both mandolin pickers in our group are using them exclusively now....and we have tried everything...with the exception of the Bluechip...I'm just placing a self-imposed $20 limit on my pick!