Picks

**JeffD** · Oct-25-2015, 5:22pm

Originally Posted by JeffD

I just ordered some Pickboys, again, to see what all the buzz is about.

OK so let me report.

I have tried them on every mandolin I play and what I have discovered is interesting. Certain mandolins it sounds amazing, like bringing out a whole new dimension of sparkle. On other mandolins it sounds tinny and thin.

I was thinking that the mandolins that sound good with my 1.4mm Primetone would sound bad with the Pickboy, and vv - the idea that maybe some mandolins are optimized for a heavy pick and some for a lighter pick. But that is not how things turned out. Those mandolins that sound the best with the Primetone, sound the best with the Pickboy. My Stiver, for example, is a real bluegrasser. Loud and full across the range. With the Pickboy it gives up some of its lows but it shimmers and sparkles in the high notes.

The instruments that the Pickboy rendered kind of tinny and thin are not star perfromers with the Primetone either.

At first I thought the Pickboy played a little faster, and maybe a little sloppier, but that is just me getting used to the new shape.

I was surprised. I never would have thought I would want a pick under 1 mm with a point.

I would like a Pickboy just a little bit stiffer, because it is hard to get used to. But the combination of thinner pick and pointed business end - it does bring out something different in the instrument. And to the extent that it is what you want, (I work on my Vivaldi with it), the Pickboy does a good job.

**JeffD** · Oct-25-2015, 6:52pm

So in playing each for a long time and then switching to the other: you really notice what the other one lacks. The Pickboy lacks that creamy thick bluegrassy tone that the BC and the Primetones give. The Primetone and BC lack the scintillating high end, sparkling like Christmas bells or the soprano section in a great acapella choral performance.

I don't think one pick could be made that gives both - and that's fine, because when I want one I generally don't want the other. I am surprised though that one mandolin can deliver both, depending on the pick. Wow wow and wow.

I am a convert. At least in the sense that my arsenal is more diverse. I can do more than I could before.

**Ken_P** · Oct-25-2015, 9:34pm

I tried out the Wolle picks a few years ago and I haven't looked back. Once you get the shape of the point right (it took me a few tries), you get a very rich but incredibly crisp and crystal clear sound that's great, especially for multi voice work. I tried out all three versions and I eventually settled on the blue, which I think is the medium in terms of hardness. The only problem is you have to import them from Germany because nobody sells them on this side of the Atlantic.

**Bob A** · Oct-26-2015, 12:38pm

One of the great things about mandolins is the fact that picks are so important a variable, combined with the fact that they are for the most part inexpensive.

I have a ridiculous pile of picks, and on occasion will go through the boxes trying to find the perfect pick for a given mandolin. (This is complicated by the fact that I have too many mandolins.) It's a pleasant way to spend an hour, an afternoon, or a life.

There's no point in pointing out a favorite; eventually one either finds one that works, or settles for the best so far, or has some aspect of Real Life distract one from the search.