Monster Grips - Any users ?.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I have a right hand middle finger which 'Triggers' very badly & also a degree of Tendonitis in both hands. My right hand problems have been making juggling with a pick pretty difficult in the last several months. If the pick slips around,i can't manoeuvre it back,i have to use my left hand to do it,it's that bad.
I had a look on the I/net for ''grippy' things & found the ''Monster Grips'' stick-on pads,so i've ordered a pack which should arrive in a couple of days'
Has anybody used them at all & how good are they ?,
Ivan

[Tavy]

Not seen those, but when I was beginning to play I used something similar and they worked fairly well.

Currently using the primetone picks with the textured grip which performs a similar function.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Tavy - I use both types of Primetone pick with & without the textured grip,but both still pivot around between my fingers. Hands are pretty complex in the way they work & the Triggering Finger (swelling in the tendon),is making it difficult for the other fingers to function properly when tryng to grip a pick. For all other purposes i'm ok with it,but i am considering (at some point in time) asking my Doc.for a steroid injection to see if that will help. Unless my fingers are in a 'closed fist',the 'triggering' doesn't kick in,
Ivan

[Skip Kelley]

Ivan, I suffer from tendonitis from time to time and I use fiddle bow rosin when needed.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well,only 5 minutes after posting my last note,the 'Monsters' arrived . I put one on each of a 'printed' & a textured 1.5 mm Primetone pick & they work very well indeed !. I'd expected them to be a tad on the 'tacky /sticky' side of things but they ain't - they simply grip your skin & prevent the pick from moving around. They're fairly expensive at £6.99 UK for 16 tiny pads,but they're supposed to be very durable & easily cleaned,so i reckon they'll last a long while. They're the best practical 'thingy' i've bought in a long while. I bought them from 'Strings Direct' over here.
Skip - i'd thought of buying some powdered Rosin & having a little tin of it in each of my mandolin cases. I'm sure it would have worked very well,then i came across the Monsters,which are a bit more practical (at least for me),
Ivan

[Paul Busman]

I use a dab of crazy glue and I don't have to worry about my pick slipping for days and days...

[AlanN]

I do what Bill did - lick my fingers. But, I feel for those pickers with larger issues. Those pads look promising.

[gtani7]

Some of my bone/horn picks have this channel for the index and thumb cut in like: http://brossardpicks.com/groovy-ebony-guitar-pick/

You could try to emulate that with those grips. Also does a thumbpick sit at the wrong angle? It does for me (and very uncomfortable to boot)

[UsuallyPickin]

One of the things I like about BC picks is that they seem to be easier to hang on to. That is as long as they are clear of any facial oil. Scratch my nose or cheek with my pick holding fingers and poof and bonus in "holdability" disappears in a jiffy. The legend / use of powdered rosin involves Lester Flatt and his thumb pick. Apparently he used to wipe his thumb on a fiddle when he got the chance to. It does work as a dobro playing associate of my swears by it. R/

[lloving]

Pardon the name but the product I use is Gorilla Snot. Sorta like a mild pine sap substance. Smells like pine too. Keeps the pick in place better than any other option I have used. Thanks Deborah

[allenhopkins]

I use a dab of crazy glue and I don't have to worry about my pick slipping for days and days...

Tried it once, but severely limited my nose pickin'...

[texaspaul]

I switch between BC, Primetones and V picks. My pick of choice really depends on situation. Outdoors or on patios I use Primetones, also in dark rooms. The V picks grips well and sometimes I like them, there is some pick noise. The V-pick "Saga" is my choice for my Pava Pro and round light for J Bovier F5T.
Overall I like my BC TAD50R.

[sblock]

Huh? Why dark rooms? How does the lighting change your preferred choice of pick?

[MediumMando5722]

He probably doesn't wanna lose the BC if he drops it.

[texaspaul]

Exactly. I've lost 2 no more. Also clear V-Picks can be difficult in any light at an angle the some times can have a glare. So the blue Saga.

[DHopkins]

I use the Monster Grips and I love 'em. They seem to last forever. When they lose their stickiness, I wash the pick with a little soap and water. After you dry 'em, it's like it's brand new. I only have to wash 'em every couple of weeks or so.

Someone mentioned Gorilla Snot. That worked for me but it left a lot of crud on my fingers and I quit using it. It washes off easily but it looks terrible until you do. If that's the stuff you prefer, go to the bowling alley and get the sticky stuff they use. It's about the same thing and it's about 1/3 the price.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Thanks for the info. David. I got the impression that they'll last a long time with just a bit of frequent cleaning,they're NOT impervious to finger oils / sweat. I'll either use the Isopropyl Alcohol that i use for de-greasing /cleaning,or one of the facial wipes that i keep handy for wiping my picks & fingers. A very good product (IMHO),
Ivan

[DHopkins]

I keep a couple of alcohol wipes in the case just for that reason, Ivan. It works well.

If you happen to use a pick that is beveled on one side or the other of the point, it will still eventually turn in your fingers, although it takes a while, much longer than without the grip.

[lloving]

I use the Monster Grips and I love 'em. They seem to last forever. When they lose their stickiness, I wash the pick with a little soap and water. After you dry 'em, it's like it's brand new. I only have to wash 'em every couple of weeks or so.

Someone mentioned Gorilla Snot. That worked for me but it left a lot of crud on my fingers and I quit using it. It washes off easily but it looks terrible until you do. If that's the stuff you prefer, go to the bowling alley and get the sticky stuff they use. It's about the same thing and it's about 1/3 the price.

"Just a little dab will do ya"

[Ron McMillan]

I like the sound of these Monster Grip things. I might just have to give them a try.

[Willie Poole]

Have some round picks made and it don`t make any difference if they turn in your fingers.....I have rounded one Prime tone pick and use it quite a bit depending on which mandolin I am using at the time...The material that the Monster Grips appear to be made out of is the same as what is used for shelf linings, those pads that keep things from sliding around on shelves so I guess a person could cut a few from one of those and save a few coins...I`m not cheap, just frugal and poor...

Willie

[LillianBelle]

$8.99 + $.50 shipping on Amazon. Cheap enough to be worth a try. My favorite pick on the Eastman 604 is a Jim Dunlop Americana or the clear red V-pick and on the F4 is a grey .88mm Dunlop nylon Max Grip that I take out to the belt sander and round off and then use fine sandpaper to bevel.

[mandolinstew]

Les Paul used to glue little pieces of sandpaper to his pick.

[DHopkins]

Have some round picks made and it don`t make any difference if they turn in your fingers.....I have rounded one Prime tone pick and use it quite a bit depending on which mandolin I am using at the time...The material that the Monster Grips appear to be made out of is the same as what is used for shelf linings, those pads that keep things from sliding around on shelves so I guess a person could cut a few from one of those and save a few coins...I`m not cheap, just frugal and poor...

Willie

It's not quite the same stuff as the shelf linings. It's thinner and has a textured surface. Believe me, I can appreciate frugality but I haven't dropped a pick since I started using them probably a year or so ago. Dropping a pick on stage is embarrassing, especially if you're the loudest thing on stage at that moment.

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Monster Grips except as a customer.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Willie - It's nothing like the shelf lining stuff. It's incredibly thin with a very fine 'hexaganol' texture (the little bumps are hexagonal).
They grip very well indeed,far better than i thought they would do. I have some Triangular shaped 1.5mm Primetones on the way to me as well. The reasoning behind those is that a 'larger area in contact with my fingers' would help prevent 'pick slip' anyway.
I ordered those before finding the 'Monsters'. So,hopefully the combo.of the new picks & the 'Monsters' will work even better than with the teardrop shaped PT's that i use now - we'll see !.
I had thought of using very fine sandpaper or 'wet & dry' paper,but as both use an adhesive to hold the abrasive,i thought that over time,the stuff could get a bit tacky in a way that wouldn't be too good,
Ivan