Anyone else do this to add more grip on smooth, slippery picks?
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Anyone else do this to add more grip on smooth, slippery picks?
I've done it, but frankly the better answer is Monster Grips. I don't know why I waited so long to get them. It's the answer to my problem of twisting, loose picks. You can get them at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Grips...3049218&sr=8-1
For myself, I have come to believe "slippery" picks is an issue solved by improving picking and pick/hold technique. As a rank neophyte my experience is that all playing woes will solve themselves by focusing on improving technique. That does not mean to say that sanding, hole drilling, of Gorilla Snot are not helpful - everything about playing a mandolin is individual.
Rub a little bit of violin rosin on the pick.
If you have a thick modern finish that your bridge slips around on, the same works well for that.
I love those and have them on my guitar and mandolin picks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rdeane
Rob
I do this to certain picks. Others are not as slippery to my fingers.Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveGinNJ
Believe it or not, if you peel an orange and then try grabbing your pick, you'll find that your grip will improve, and be much less slippery. Also, washing your hands makes quite a difference. There are some commercial compounds you can buy, like Gorilla Snot, that you can use to improve your grip. But the best improvement of all comes with learning better technique. My pick used to move around quite a bit in my hands. It seldom does anymore, as I got better.
Vibrating engraver on my thick picks..
But generally I take my pick into the wash room,
and wash it when I wash my hands.
It works well ..:whistling:
I sometimes cut some grooves into the surface of a pick with an X-acto knife. I cut in three directions-- horizontal, vertical, and at an angle. It will work on any kind of pick.
I have generally been using Wegen bluegrass and Dunlup Primetone grip picks which I have no problem gripping. I bought some Pro Plec picks which I liked the sound of, but they are much more slippery. I ended up scratching them with a Dremel tool using a small grinding bit. It made a major diffeernceQuote:
Originally Posted by Tim Logan
Just as an experiment I did the sanding (a small piece of slate) and exacto knife trick on 6 originally smooth Dunlop picks (1.5 mm).
I didn’t touch the tip part.
I found that the ones with just a slight, minimal amount of abrasion were the best. The heavily modified picks had a strange tendency to migrate in a certain direction which is normally ok because I can manipulate them back while playing to get them to my favourite position but with heavy treads they had a lot more inertia.
I use the Dunlop small triangle Primetone pick and drill a hole pattern like the Wegen picks.
I have found the picks with holes, scratches, or other raised features are actually harder for me control. Picks that are flat and smooth with minimal logos - like Blue Chip, TS, etc. don't move around when I play.
Ditto above. I modified picks when I was starting out, but over the years I've gotten better results by working on my picking hand technique. Paradoxically, a lighter grip seems to give much more control. Mike Marshall says one's grip should be so loose that the pick gets dropped every so often.
Sometimes it seems my skin chemistry and some picks don't play well together. Even with holes and a light grip, Wegen picks still can slip around. Same with some of the Dunlop Tortex varieties. Less so on Blue Chip or casein. For celluloid, some days it's no problem, others have to grab a Cool brand with rubberized logo to hold on.
Yes, I often change picks depending on mood and what type of sound am trying to get from which instrument.
A drop of tincture of propolis on each side of the pick makes it slightly sticky, you can then hold the plectrum as loosely as you like, and it will never slip out of your hand.
I find the highly polished picks like BC or PT to be grippier than the grippy picks.
Guess if we pick long enough we each arrive at an approach that works for us. Here's one that has served me. Take your favorite pick and super glue a strip of flooring sandpaper to one or both sides. The choice of sandpaper is the magic that makes the whole thing work. The paper is black flooring sandpaper . There are two grades available : 60 grit and 80 grit. Take your choice. It's available in most lumber yards and will wear for a very long time. Outperforming regular papers that wear out rather quickly. It provides enough grip that not much finger pressure is needed to keep the pick from slipping around. The flooring sandpaper tip comes from an old guitar builder named Overholtzer. He advised gluing a strip of the stuff to the bottom of a 12" cement float . Cuts great and makes a very handy tool around the shop.
You may or not like them but you might try V-Picks. The do get kind of sticky after you hole them for a little bit. Also Primetone makes a pick with a grippy surface that a friend likes.
Monster Grips. If applied to a clean surface, they last a long time. If they appear to lose their tackiness, wash 'em in soap and water and they're like new again. The Monster Grip will last as long as the pick (at least it's been that way for me).