Picks

[Bob DeVellis]

I've zeroed in on the Ultex 1mm pick. It glides nicely over the strings when polished (either intentionally or just by use), I hear the string instead of the pick, the tone has the right balance of brightness and "smokiness," the thickness feels comfortable in my hand, with a bit of moisture applied it stays positioned nicely, and the point is just about what I like for sound and playing feel. I suggest that people who haven't yet developed a pick preference develop a list of criteria they like in a pick (either mine or a completely new set) and consider which picks give them the best trade-off. It may or may not be anything like what I prefer.

I used to get an uncomfortable feeling that there was a perfect pick out there that I hadn't discovered. The Ultex isn't a perfect pick but it feels good and sounds good to me and I've decided not to sweat finding the holy grail. At the same time, if I don't have one, I can use pretty much whatever is at hand and not feel too awkward. Like Eugene, I find the Dawg-style picks the least satisfactory, but then I don't chop chords.

[Paul Hostetter]

Make your own from scratch, or rework other picks. It is not rocket science. It's actually fun.

Fat picks may be the flavor of the month, but they're not for everyone. Here's my pick page.

[Randy King]

I'm trying genuine tortis, so far I like them, however they are stiff, but I'm adapting. no pick slap![QUOTE]
If it ain't Blurgrass, Is it really music!

[Wolfmanbob]

I still like the old grisman picks the best.

[Paul Hostetter]

Various blocks of plastic can vary a bit, but the "old Grisman" picks (as above) are made by the same people who make the Golden Gate picks, jobbed by Pickboy. Same picks, different stamp. How much ya wanta pay?

[Wolfmanbob]

The one depicted is not even an old "grisman" pick. This is the newer generation. The original ones said "grisman", not "dawg". While they may all have been manufactured by the same company, the original ones feel different. Maybe the material, maybe the finish, I don't really know why. I just know I feel the difference. The cost is not an issue as I've been using the same one for years and I still have a few more in my case. I seldom lose them. I think I have a lifetime supply. At any rate, the tone comes from the player more than the pick.

[powermanj]

More often than not, I use the Golden Gate picks for bluegrass. #I have the "Dawg" picks but, to me anyway, they don't have the same "feel". #I like the heavier jazz-type picks for playing Celtic stuff.

[DryBones]

My Favorite Pick! #

[Jim Broyles]

Jason, Is that either a Clayton Ultem or a Dunlop Ultex with FOTW's loggo imprinted?

[DryBones]

naw, its just a cheapo nylon 3 pointer they sent along with my first mando back before I knew better. I got a bunch of them...want to buy a few?

[Paul Hostetter]

RB, if you look a little farther up the page you'll see one of the old ones. I thought I'd made the provenance of the variants pretty clear.



I got a box of these many years ago, from Saga. David made off with most of them himself, as it was an odd batch in a different color he hadn't seen.

[Wolfmanbob]

Very interesting, Paul. Thanks for the pics. Pick use is very personal and has a lot to do with feel. Sometimes I use a Wrgen pick in a grisman shape that has micro groves and a very nice bevel. It's especially good in the summer when you're perspiring. I was also curious about the "tortis" picks advertised on the net, made of some kind of natural compound. Has anyone used them?

[skippy]

Not to be the guy who plays something just cause Thile plays it... so I tried these Wegen picks cause Thile plays them.

Well, not really. I was using a pick of, say a nebulaous organic nature and liked it a lot, but it kept flying out of my hands. (terrible sweater). At the first symposium, the big thing was Wegen cause that's what Thile played. I didn't go that route cause I hate being the bandwagon type. So instead, I drilled holes in my, um, unamed organic material and it helped.. A LOT! This was fine and dandy until I noticed the edge kept changing. i.e. it wore pretty heaviliy. This ticked me off cause I like a certain point, little bevel, but I want it to stay the same. That's when a master class with Chris jumped into my head. He said he loved the sound of the Wegens, and he didn't have to replace it after every show. (What type of mando monster replaces a pick after every show?) That told me that it would keep it's edge better for an ametuer like myself. So I decided to try it.

I love it. I got the triangle guitar pic, the 1.2 mm thick one and it's great. The holes help stability and I have had it now over 2 months and there is no noticible wear on it. The Bevel is really nice for both fast picking AND tremelo.

Lord help me, I just jumped on the bandwagon.

[siren_20]

I will say this about the Wegens... they absolutely force you to have better right-hand technique. I wasn't really big on their sound when I first tried them, but as my technique has improved, they sound better to me for some reason.
And you're right, they do last forever. I'm using the same one going on two years now... lucky I haven't lost it yet!

[LBMando]

I heard that there was a person or company that makes genuine tortoise shell picks out of old lamp shades and other items...Is this an urban legend? How can I find a genuine TS pick w/o killing a tortoise in the present (I know the lampshade guy's picks are dead turles too, but my conscious is a little better with that situation {;-(...

[cooper4205]

i found some awesome picks today but i don't know who makes them. they look like fender picks, but are thick (.96-1.14 maybe)and a synthetic tortise shell. they have a cork ring on the bottom side so they don't move around on ya. does anyone who makes these

[Hal Loflin]

I started out with Golden Gate picks only because the person I was taking lessons from gave me one. I later tried the Dawg picks and liked the size better than the GG. I then bought some of the large tri corner Proplec after reading about them on the Cafe. I loved the sound but did not like the size and sharp corners. So...I laid a Dawg pick on them and marked the size, cut them down and then sanded the edges and they work great. I also did it to a Dunlop tri corner as well.

[dang]

Hey smyrnagc, I do the same thing with my dunlop tricorners (here, 1/2 way down on the 2nd page)but had not thought of shaping the proplec....maybe that will get me to use them more!

[Michael H Geimer]

I have one of the 'old' David Grisman picks. It is not pictured anywhere above. I bought it new back around '92.

It is a golden, swirly brown rounded triangle similiar to, but different than the Golden Gate shown above, and with the 'David Grisman' signature stamp like the 'Clown Barf' version.

I bought it long ago, long before I played mandolin. I bought it becuse even as a guitarist, I couldn't really hold onto a typical teardrop pick, too small. Plus, I liked the mellow, fat tone of the really thick Grisman pick.

Order of preferences:
#1 = The One True Pick (OTP)
#2 = Tortis, w/ pointed speed bevel, sanded down a bit by hand.
#3 = Wegen M150 (these get used often)
#4 = Cow Horn sanded and beveled to taste.
#5 = Dunlop Unlex 1.14 Large Tri sanded down.
#6 = Clayton Ultem 1.14 Large Tri sanded down.
#7 = Dawg ... which I don't even really use anymore.

- Benig

[Michael H Geimer]

" How can I find a genuine TS pick w/o killing a tortoise in the present ... "

I'm not sure you can. There is a lot of truth to the idea that demand of any sort (new or vintage) increases the attraction to poach, kill, and further threaten the species.

I'm being a bit hypocritical, since the OTP (One True Pick) is certainly the best sound I've ever heard from a plectrum, and "yes" there are people making these out of recovered, vintage material ... that is where I was told mine came from (an old pickguard), and I trust the source completely.

I did not seek out the OTP. It was a random gift, and I am happy to have it, but should it get lost or damaged ... I do not think I would go in search of a replacement.

Should you choose to go shopping for one, festivals are a common place to find those who traffic in the stuff.

- Benig

[Sarge]

I started using a large dunlop jazzpick recently, switching over from a Dawg pick. It has a point....but very rounded.

[Wolfmanbob]

Benignus, Which pick are you referring to as the OTP?

[AlanN]

Sarge, that is one 'manly' pick. It's like playing with a coffee table.

[mythicfish]

I tried the 207 and found it noisy, even when polished.
The Proplecs that Ted E. sells are OK. You can round the business end, re-bevel & re-polish
I make my own from 1.5 mm Lexan and use Soft-Scrub to polish the bevel.

Curt

[John Rosett]

paul-
that clown barf grisman pick is the coolest! i've been a big fan of the white grisman/saga picks for years-mostly because they're easy to find if you drop them. after saga discontinued the white ones, i would search every music store i happened across, and i think i now have a lifetime supply. you don't have an extra one of those you want to trade for something, do you?