Dawg picks

[jdaly]

So yeah.... I bought some Dawg picks not too long ago. Actually, I'm really not sure why I bought them, but I did, just the same. So I'm a Grisman fan, thought they would be just awesome. Well, it turns out, I really don't like them at all. I get no sound out of them, sounds real flat and downright boring. What was I thinking? It's like the pick is too thick maybe? i don't know. Anyone else tried these picks? What should I try next?

[Ivan Kelsall]

The Golden Gate & Dawg picks are the worst i've ever used. They rob both my mandolins of tone & volume. Try as many different picks as you can,from 'dime a dozen' picks,to maybe trying out Wegen picks or even the highly acclaimed Blue Chip picks - if you can arrange a bank loan that is !.
After trying many different picks,i settled on 1.0 mm thick Wegen 'Bluegrass' picks,
Ivan

[SincereCorgi]

Man, I had the same experience, the Dawg and Golden Gates mystify me. From what I understand, Grisman is zealous about getting all the metallic treble colors out of his sound, and his pick certainly seems to do that, although I think you must need to have a really powerful right arm to get that Grisman tone out of them. Sometimes, I think it might work against him a little– I've been loving that 'Traversata' album he did ten years ago or so, but I feel like his tone feels muted and a little muddy when compared to Aonzo's (although they both certainly play great). Different strokes, I guess. My pick right now is a Bluechip Ct55, which seems to calmly rise to the occasion every time my technique improves.

[Ray(T)]

I'm sure some people get along with them fine but I had much the same experience with Dawg picks as jdaley. Having used various picks on guitar and mandolin for the last 40+ years I'm firmly of the opinion that nobody can tell you that one pick is any better than another. Its all down to the sound you want to produce set against the ease by which the pick allows you to play the instrument. There are simply too many variables for one pick to be better than any other and it depends on which instrument, which strings, how old they are and even the mood of the player. If people have been mad enough to spend $30+ on a pick they're more than likely to tell you how good it is! Personally I've gone back to using Fender heavy celluloid picks. They're cheap and you can buy them in packets of a dozen at a time.

[Paul Cowham]

I used dawg picks until recently. I really like the tone that they give but agree that other picks can help get more volume.

I did purchase a blue chip pick a few months ago and hardly used it as I prefer the tone of the dawg picks, but recently used the blue chip in an acoustic session due to the extra volume - this last few days I've persevered with the blue chip and now if I use a dawg find that it doesn't grip the strings as well and I find it difficult to use the dawg pick but I still love the fat tone that it gives.

Ray - I agree that $30+ is a lot to spend on a pick but experimenting with different picks is well worth it and $30 is a tiny fraction of the cost of a good mandolin, and also tiny compared to what a good bow will cost a fiddle player (and bows and picks fulfill essentially the same function). I'm not saying that expensive picks will necessarily be better but the pick can make a big difference to sound and playability and even if there is only a relatively small improvement that is money well spent. I agree though, that there is a risk that having spent more money on a pick that the temptation would be to assume it is better, but if approached objectively I think that $30 could easily be justified if it does yield better results.

[Malcolm G.]

Next to string types and gauges, picks make the biggest difference in volume, tone and play-ability.

And, just as there are about a zillion combinations of strings to try, so there are as many picks.

I have a large bowl that is full to overflowing with hundreds of dollars worth of guitar, mandolin and banjo picks.

I haven't slammed any of them, as I'm sure there are players that love each and every one.

All part of the game.

[bluegrasser78]

Yeh years ago I used Dawg/goldengate,,allways broke strings couldn't get no sound out of mandolin,some people my like em but hey it seems the thicker the pick the worse off you are,,,Well I was pickin with my uncle Dick Smith who knows his stuff,'And he said what pick are you using,and I show him the Dawg and he gives me his,we played for a while and it was so much better,it was just a standered medium plastic pick,I think fender,so from then on I used that type untill I found my V-Pick of choice!
Just my opinion,Bill

[JEStanek]

I like the Dawg pick but my two favorites are the ProPlec and the V Pick in the Jazz Mando format. The latter is much brighter and the former is darker and warmer. They're both good but I don't shoot for real loud. The Vpick seems louder to me.

Jamie

[AlanN]

Picks surely have come a long way. I bought the *original* David Grisman picks when they were advertised in MWN, for something like $1.25 a piece. Still have a few of the black and tortoise colored ones, maybe even a clown barf one. Feel very much like the Golden Gate in shape, thickness and material quality. I jumped on the Dawg picks when they came out, gave them a shot. Have some of all the others. Keep looking for the right one.

[Scotti Adams]

Never liked the Dawg pick for the reasons Ivan related. Im using Pro Plec teardrops...when I can get a turtle hide. Ive gave them all away.

[wreded]

i've used the original Dawg picks on my mandolins for years and get the sound i like from both my Flatirons with F-holes. Dawgs don't seem to work as well on my Eastman oval-hole, it seems to "skip" across the strings without eliciting much (any!) sound at all. Same thing with my mandocello. i don't quite get it as i use the same strings on all my mandos so, all things being equal, the picks should work as well. i've taken to using the shoulder of Fender 351s (the standard triangle ones) on my oval-hole and mandocello. They get some sound out but not quite what i expected. Though a really good pick would probably solve my sound issue, i've got a family to support; 4 mandolins, mandocello, banjo, 3 guitars, and a bass that all require strings and a squeeze box that needs some work.

[SternART]

I prefer the Dawg's to the Golden Gates. As I recall the Dawg picks are made by D'Andrea.

[TonyP]

I have tried everything, and always come back to Dawg's. Especially the new ones. Since he was my original mando hero, I figured why not use his pick?
Everything else sounds tinny and noisy to my ear. go figgur.

[pager]

Dawg picks look cool. But I hate them for playing. Kind of of like trying to use a silver dollar. Maybe I should turn it into a necklace. As far as playing, the Dawg is a dog in my opinion.

Jillian

[Perry Babasin]

There are two kinds of Dawg picks in this world. The old - more rounded variety and the newer slightly pointier ones that you can buy directly from Grisman's page. I love the newer ones. When I first started playing mandolin I was looking for the sweet subtle tone voice that David manages to coax out of every mandolin he plays. For me personally, I'm not particularly worried about brassy loudness for loudness sake, but then I don't play bluegrass. More folk, rock, blues, jazz & traditional. I think it kind of depends on what style of music you play. If I'm not loud enough, I just say "hey sound guy, turn me up in the mix!"

[Perry]

I prefer a ProPlec to a Dawg...still I think both of them sound very warm and smooth in the driver's seat but lose a little clarity and projection out in the real world. Both of them get very scratchy sounding very quickly when I use them.

For maintenance free care, clarity, projection and "almost" warm enough the Blue Chips do it for me. I just ordered a rounded edge TPR60 which I hope is my holy grail...hoping it's a little warmer then a TAD 1R 50

[MikeEdgerton]

I have no problem with the Dawg's, early or late, or the Golden Gates. I switch back and forth between them and some others that shall not be discussed.

[mandobassman]

There are two kinds of Dawg picks in this world. The old - more rounded variety and the newer slightly pointier ones that you can buy directly from Grisman's page.

I was reading through this thread and was going to comment on this very thing when I saw this reply. Throughout this entire thread no one mentioned whether they were using the older Dawg picks or the newer Dawg picks, as there is a big difference. A friend loaned me a couple of his original Dawg picks and a Golden Gate as well. I hated them. I felt like I couldn't get any distinctive note from the strings. It felt like I was playing with a penny. The newer Dawg picks have a much more distinctive point. It is still pretty rounded but much pointier than its predecessor. I am using a Blue Chip XR60, which is almost exactly the same size and shape as the new Dawg pick and I really like it. It doesn't provide a ton of volume, so when I need a little extra I'll pull out my Wegen TF-140, but I still prefer the tone from the BC. I think it's the Dawg-like shape that I like.

[ColdBeerGoCubs]

I had the same experience with the Dawg II's. On my Breedlove Oval with FW-74's and the stock J74's I just couldn't get any volume out of it with the Dawg II's. With the Ultex it was completely different. I tried to like the Dawg's but they just haven't worked on any mando/string combination I've owned yet. The Tone with the Dawgs has been darker on every mando, just something about it hasn't worked with any of them.

[tkdboyd]

It is only pointer because you are holding it wrong...
;-)

I like my Dawg picks, but just as with strings, musical styles, oval vs. ff, instruments (sort of like cheese, fruit, type of meat, and wine combinations) there are different combinations that work for some and not others.

[Santiago]

If Mr. Grisman can get tone and volume with these, he's ever better than we thought!

[QCS]

I liked them just fine, nice fat tone. Two things though, better tone is achieved if held a a slight angle to the strings. A flat attack on the strings results in muted tone and volume. Also, it helps to dress the edges with cardboard and then paper. Good disposable pick for jams and festivals. Prefer Wegen -1.4 Mando picks these days for around the house use though. Can't beat them and the white color makes it easy to spot them on the floor.

[dustyamps]

I use Dawg picks as I like the thickness and feel. I trim the sides off the stock size picks in various degrees to improve the volume... different picks for different voices. The third pick here has a special ring to it and gets played alot. I use the stock size pick mostly on my old Gibson A.

[Perry]

If Mr. Grisman can get tone and volume with these, he's ever better than we thought!

I think the Dawg puts on a brand new set of strings for every show; I wonder if the dark sound of the Dawg pick tames the metallic sound of the brand new strings?

[Malcolm G.]

I have no problem with the Dawg's, early or late, or the Golden Gates. I switch back and forth between them and some others that shall not be discussed.

Aw, come on Mike, let's go for another record!