An interesting pick idea

[lukmanohnz]

A cafe member advertised a free giveaway of some 2mm thick JB picks in the classifieds to the first to respond. I was lucky enough to snag them. My son loves small, thick picks (he often uses Dunlop Big Stubby picks like the one in the photo) and I think he'll really like these. I do too, but as the 'seller' noted, they are very small. I experimented with resizing these picks by epoxying one into some thin maple I had in my garage. First I drilled a large hole near the edge of the board, then used a Dremel and sandpaper to size the hole so the pick fit just right. I covered the pick surfaces with masking tape, leaving the edges exposed, and bonded the pick in place with very strong epoxy, using wax paper, some wood scraps, and a clamp to hold it in place while the assembly cured overnight. Using a ProPlec 346 as a guide, a band saw, Dremel, and several grades of sandpaper and polishing cloths produced the end result pictured below. I beveled and rounded the edges of the wooden surround, added a speed bevel to the pick tip, and I am quite happy with the end result. I wonder if this thickness of pick is available directly from JB in the large triangle size. Would have saved me some time. I have a slab of highly figured maple out in the garage as well. I plan to cut off a small piece and plane it down so I can repeat this process on another one of these JBs. Maybe I'll put a sunburst finish on that one... Go ahead - call me crazy. :grin:

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98184

[helric]

Wow, nice job !!! And does the pick sounds a different way now ? :)

[Mike Bunting]

What is the purpose of this?

[CES]

What is the purpose of this?

I can only guess that this process gives him a larger surface area to grip while maintaining the tone of the JB, which I infer that he likes...but this is mere speculation :mandosmiley:

Looks cool, though I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I don't have the curiosity or patience to do this! Neat solution to the proposed problem, but I'll just keep picking my Wegens...

[lukmanohnz]

Thanks, helric. The tone is brighter than the unmodified pick - I expect this is a result of the speed bevel.

Mike - my goal was to get the stiffness and attack of the small JB pick in a size that was more comfortable and stable in my fingers. The large size Dunlop Americana picks are the closest I have to the end result of my tinkering, but as much as I like the feel of those picks, the material Dunlop uses is harder than that of the celluloid that JB uses for his picks, and I prefer the more 'hollow' tone that the JB produces.

CES - your speculation is right on target. Glad you are happy with your Wegens. This was probably a total of 2 - 3 hours of effort. But I am happy enough with the end result to try it again!

[Charles E.]

I like it, heck I just like messing with picks to make them suit me. Great job.

[CES]

Thanks, helric. The tone is brighter than the unmodified pick - I expect this is a result of the speed bevel.

Mike - my goal was to get the stiffness and attack of the small JB pick in a size that was more comfortable and stable in my fingers. The large size Dunlop Americana picks are the closest I have to the end result of my tinkering, but as much as I like the feel of those picks, the material Dunlop uses is harder than that of the celluloid that JB uses for his picks, and I prefer the more 'hollow' tone that the JB produces.

CES - your speculation is right on target. Glad you are happy with your Wegens. This was probably a total of 2 - 3 hours of effort. But I am happy enough with the end result to try it again!

I think it was cool idea, and that maple looks awesome! Yeah, I do like my tf 140s for mando, and 120s for guitar and OM, but I also like Fender Heavy, Pro Plec 1.5 mm, and Ultex picks, too. Trying new picks is a cheap way for me to break out of ruts, but the Wegens are my go tos. Haven't tried a JB yet, but will check them out at some point. The only pick I've tried that I just felt like I had to work too hard to get tone out of was the Dawg shaped Golden Gate...though I haven't reshaped it yet...

[lukmanohnz]

I think it was cool idea, and that maple looks awesome! Yeah, I do like my tf 140s for mando, and 120s for guitar and OM, but I also like Fender Heavy, Pro Plec 1.5 mm, and Ultex picks, too. Trying new picks is a cheap way for me to break out of ruts, but the Wegens are my go tos. Haven't tried a JB yet, but will check them out at some point. The only pick I've tried that I just felt like I had to work too hard to get tone out of was the Dawg shaped Golden Gate...though I haven't reshaped it yet...
You might also like the JazzMando V-pick (my current favorite - NFI, YMMV). Gravity Picks also have some interesting offerings. Both of these are acrylic. Many complain about pick noise with acrylics, but I don't notice it in my playing.