Papa's guitar picks-impressed

[The dman]

I'm very suspect when it come to higher priced picks but I was given a Papa's pick to try out and my Eastman 605 has never sounded better. I've gone through over 10 different picks of various thicknesses and sizes to find what sounds and feels best and this pick is a perfect match for my Eastman. I wasn't that impressed with it on my guitar but it brings out a tone in my mando that no other pick I've tried quite does. I don't mean to sound like an advertisement because I have 0 affiliation with the company but it made that much of a difference and I did blind tests with a few people and they all agreed

The only bummer is they're $12 a piece but after using one I can never go back to what I was using

Anyone else try these?

[AlanN]

Here's mine, someone gave it to me. Good pick.

[Franc Homier Lieu]

I have 2, and I think they would be a bargain at 3 times the price. As far as tone (on my Eastman 505), the Papa's Faux Tortoise are my favourite. I don't love the shape (I prefer triangular picks), and I cannot play as fast or as clean as with my BC picks. But I agree with you about the tone. I also really like the feel of the material (casein?) in my hand.

[The dman]

I have 2, and I think they would be a bargain at 3 times the price. As far as tone (on my Eastman 505), the Papa's Faux Tortoise are my favourite. I don't love the shape (I prefer triangular picks), and I cannot play as fast or as clean as with my BC picks. But I agree with you about the tone. I also really like the feel of the material (casein?) in my hand.

I agree...It minimized the mid range honk brought out the articulation and makes the mando sound beefier...I always liked the sound of the Eastman but this was a big improvement

[jaycat]

Wow . . . I need to try one of these. That's "Papa" in my avatar!

[Tobin]

Thanks for the review. I'm always game to try a new pick, so I've ordered one. I'll add my thoughts once I've had a chance to see how it sounds.

[Rodney Riley]

Don't leave them in your pants pocket and put it thru the wash. It will warp a little in the dryer.

[The dman]

Don't leave them in your pants pocket and put it thru the wash. It will warp a little in the dryer.

Good to know. I'm used to using cheaper picks and buying them in decent quantities so this is going to take a different thinking. I figure the best thing to do is store them in my mandolin case

I assume the concave on the pic is meant for the thumb but I find it more comfortable the other way.

[shortymack]

The pick is the most underrated aspect of playing and generating tone to its potential. 12 bucks is nothing to make the whole experience more gratifying.

I just gave my luthier/mentor/friend a wegen BG 1.5 and he almost fell out of his chair when he played it on his les paul standard plus. His wife told me the next day that he wouldnt stop talking about it all night long. Quality picks really do make that much of a difference.

[Caleb]

Haven't tried a Papa's pick but it's noted now. I tend to go in seasons with picks: cheap ones will do it for me for a while, and then I'll pull out one of my nicer ones and find tone I'd not heard before. Right now I'm playing with a black Wegen that's taken my tone to the next level (along with some DR strings). But I know this, too, shall pass, and I'll be off in another direction. That's why it's nice to keep a "stash."

By the way, Altoids tins make great pick boxes. They fit in the compartment inside mando cases.

[Jim Taylor]

Stayed with a Papas pick (1.7 - they don't 'gage' them anymore) for 4 years on my Collings MF. I used the same one the whole time (kept in a pick keeper in the case pocket). I too like a triangle shape pick, which is one reason I "left" it for a BC TPR 60. I now use a TPR 50 on the mandolin. I got out my old Papa's out when I started writing this. It's not quite as smooth as the BC, but it's still very good. The only wear is the 'crackled' finish where I grip it. These are casein derived picks, and excessive moisture will affect it, but in my experience they are very stable. A very good mandolin pick, indeed. However, I never did like one for the guitar, likely due to the shape. The Papa's picks are very nearly the same size as a BC, just a tad smaller - I have never seen a triangle version, which is a shame - I think would be a great idea!

[AlanN]

Every so often, I go through the pick stash, see what I've been missing. Opened up the Altoids box and rummaged:

Gilchrist - snagged a dozen of the Golden Gate knock offs with his name on them I bought from Carter's recently - fair to midlling - a bit muffled in tone.
Purple Dunlop, the one Alan Bibey uses - good sound, bright enough, feels good in between fingers.
Dunlop Ultex 1.14 - works well, a good if-I-need-a-pick thing
Proplec triangle - good, a bit too pointy for me
Jazz Mando triangle - nice, bright tone
Dawg vintage one - thuddy
Dawg new one - thuddy
Wegen white rounded triangle - nice, a bit light weight
Papa's triangle - nice, slides off the strings well
Blue Chip - custom rounded one I had made to my fave ts spec - so-so

Closed up the Altoids box, went back to my constant fave that used to belong to Harley Allen.

[Paul Hird]

Just looked at the web site. They are now $15.00 each.

[Tobin]

I got my Papa's pick today and played with it for an hour and a half. To be honest, I don't think it will be a pick I use much, if at all. It'll go in the baggie with other picks I tried but didn't fall in love with.

It's very thick and very stiff, which is OK, and the generic bevel/rounding of the edge makes it glide off the strings nicely. The size is smaller than I like, but I can live with that too. But what I really don't like about it is the sound. The material makes a click sound that bothers me, no matter what angle I strike the strings with. It sounds like I'm playing with a piece of glass. Actually, it is similar to the super-thick V-Chip. The tone from this Papa's pick is very bright and loud. Too bright for my tastes, actually.

Where it really does well is for chop chords. It adds a real crack to a chop chord. But for melody playing, I just think it's too bright.

Just my opinion, of course. It definitely has a unique sound that can increase volume and projection over some other picks.

[Richard58]

I'd like a blue chip shaped like a golden gate, is it made?

[Charles E.]

These picks are made from casein, the same material as the John Pearse FT's...........

http://elderly.com/accessories/names...pick--PKFT.htm

The John Pearse picks are less in cost and come in different thicknesses. I really like the FT thin picks but they will warp in a humid enviornment. I can't imagine that the Papa's picks would not do the same.
That said, I will probably order one soon, along with another FT, to compare them.

[Andrew B. Carlson]

I have a Papa's in extra heavy. Something like 2.7mm. It's my favorite pick for flat picking my acoustic guitars, but I never use it on the mando. I wish it came in a TAD shape. Might be my last pick for guitar if it did. I do think though, that the thickness and bevel shape have more to do with the sound I like than the material. Perhaps a custom blue chip is in order. But then again, the Papa's is $12.

[mandobassman]

I'd like a blue chip shaped like a golden gate, is it made?

You might want to look at either the XR60

http://shop.bluechippick.net/products/XR60.html

or the SR60

http://shop.bluechippick.net/sr/

These are the two Blue Chips that are closest to the Golden Gate.

You can also email Matthew Goins and have one made to the same specs as a Golden Gate.

[mandobassman]

These picks are made from casein, the same material as the John Pearse FT's...........

http://elderly.com/accessories/names...pick--PKFT.htm

The John Pearse picks are less in cost and come in different thicknesses. I really like the FT thin picks but they will warp in a humid enviornment. I can't imagine that the Papa's picks would not do the same.
That said, I will probably order one soon, along with another FT, to compare them.

There have been several stories I have read about issues with the Casein material. This is the same material used for the Red Bear picks. They have been known to break in half, warp with moisture from you fingers and bend to the shape of your thumb if you play with a lot of pressure. This is one of the reasons I have never been interested in trying this material. I would be more willing to try one from Pearse or Pappa's because they don't take six weeks to deliver and are cheaper, if only they made them in a different shape. Both companies only make one shape. Do they not realize that every player is different and has different preferences? It's like a clothing making a style of jeans in only one size.

[Mandobart]

I like the Papas picks too. I've tried the three sizes they used to offer; I don't remember now but they were like 1.7 mm, 2.2 mm and 2.7 mm. I like the mid size the best. I have been drilling 3 1/8" holes in the center of each pick for the past few years to improve the grip (even my Bluechips). The lighter gage Papas are the only ones to ever break as a result. They are more brittle than other picks I've tried, but I do like the tone at least as well as any other pick I've tried, and better than most.

[Tobin]

I'm reviving this thread just to say that my opinion has changed somewhat on the Papa's pick I bought last year. Every so often, I go through all my picks and play with them for a few minutes, just to see if they speak to me differently. And this time, the Papa's pick did.

I think I still prefer my BC for regular "plinky plinky" melody playing. But the Papa's pick really kicks butt on chop chords and up-the-neck tremolo. As someone else said, it brings out the mid-range honk. Volume is clearly better than the BC, and the tone really gets fat. If I had to choose only one pick for everything, I'd still say the BC is more versatile. But the Papa's pick is what I'll keep close at hand when I want to play double-stop tremolo stuff. It has surprised me on that count.