Pick noise on professional recordings

[TonyP]

I think as others, he has very sensitive hearing, and is very picky about what he hears.

I've also read over and over again where somebody decides to "fix" something in a recording, and re do it and, the feel is just not there. So they have left in clams that maybe somebody else wouldn't have.

I have to say I'm not a fan of pick click on my own mando, my florida has been scooped for decades now. Actually after I noticed JR had black electrical tape on his florida back in the late 80's is when I decided to have that done. Guess that's one way of getting around modifying a real Loar. Don't know if he still does that.

[Ben Milne]

Just wondering if this FB extension issue might be a result of the modern "plays like butter" obession with regard to action and setup.
I know people such as Mr Bush probably play stylistically different than in Mr Loar's day, but mandolins are still musical instruments and the method of playing can't be that different (step one - left hand fret. step two - right hand pick/strum).

Any thoughts or insights into the action of a modern setup compared to how an F5 would have left the Gibson Shop in the 20s?

[mritter]

I saw a show with Matt Flinner quite a few years ago where he had the extension on his Gilchrist wrapped in green or blue tape of some sort. It worked.

Matt is one of my favorites! I hear click in some of his recordings. It's not overly intrusive.

[Jeffff]

If you had a Loar, wouldn't it be possible to remove the fret board intact and replace it with one without the extension?

[OldSausage]

Yeah, pick click is fine. Jackhammers is too much, but a bit of pick click I can live with.

[onassis]

The original fretboards of Loars are often removed and altered boards (radius, scooped ext., etc.) installed. Easy enough to put the original back for re-sale. IIRC, Mike Marshall had a wider board with a scooped extension put on his. Of course, he also removed the Virzi from his with a screwdriver!

[Jeffff]

That's good to know. But "what to do about the florida on my Loar" is not the kind of thing that keeps me up at night.

[Steve Davis]

Clicky Ricky. (But still wish I could play as well.)

[J.Albert]

"That's good to know. But "what to do about the florida on my Loar" is not the kind of thing that keeps me up at night."

Something tells me it didn't worry Mr. Monroe, either!
Not in all his years!

- John

[woodwizard]

To Folderpath...Don't think so. Shoot I'm a year older than him. So he's a youngster Personally I have no problem listenting to recordings of very great pickers like Skaggs with the pick noise and all. As a matter of fact I have no problem hearing finger string squeak across the fretboard either. It makes me feel like I'm very cose to the playing I guess.

[foldedpath]

@ woodwizard, yeah you're probably right, I was just throwing it out there.

As for finger squeak, I like hearing a little of that in a recording. Not just fretted instruments, but also things like upright bass. It lets you know there's a human being behind the sound.

Pick click I'm not such a fan of, personally. When I got my one good mandolin I made sure it had a non-Florida fingerboard. It's actually stopped me from considering a few vintage mandolins over the years (nice old A4's and F4's), where I would have had to deal with it.

[extremescene]

Ricky uses 16 track analog tape at his studio so digital isnt contributing to any click noise.

[Psyberbilly]

Ricky uses 16 track analog tape at his studio so digital isnt contributing to any click noise.

I had no doubt that someone here at the Cafe would have some info on this , thanks !

[grassrootphilosopher]

Everybody picks on Ricky Skaggs. But just listen to David Grisman´s Tone Poems I (Example: Morning Sun). He does some pick click also. But what the heck. That´s the way it is played.

Nobody gets worked up about flat pick noises, fingerpick noise breathing sounds on vocals etc. It´s all there and you can hear it on quite some of the more modern recordings. It´s part of the making process.

[mnosretep]

I'm no Ricky Skaggs, but I find myself "clicking" frequently, and in my opinion, not annoyingly. When I play, the heel of my palm is gently resting on the strings just behind the bridge which places the pick over the fingerboard extension. I have tried moving my right hand a bit further back to reduce or eliminate the pick click, but the slope of the strings negatively impacts the relationship of my fingers holding the pick, pick angle, attack, speed, etc...

[KirkwoodCowboy]

One mans' noise is another mans' music.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

In my case, it does make a difference how high my string action is - above the extension, that is. With a little higher action, I hardly ever touch the extension. As a side effect, the e-strings on my DMM sound a bit better. Also, a thinner and harder pick, such as Blue chip or real tortoise, tend to make a higher pitched noise that I don't find so annoying.
Monroe had a high action throughout most of his career (certainly partly due to the odd neck set of his Loar after an accident at some point) and hence not much audible pick noise on the extension. I wonder if it's for that reason that I still listen to his recordings so often.
Yours, Hendrik

[grassrootphilosopher]

Hendrik,

handposition on Monroe tunes is crucial. That´s why you talked about the action (at the Florida). There won´t be any click on "Bluegrass Stomp" and like tunes, because the picking hand is between the bridge and the Florida. That´s partly why I wonder about the fuss that is being made about pick click. So many factors play a role when it comes to click or not to click. Click can be noticable when the recording setup picks up the fly on the wall (mainly due to modern recording equipment and ideas). Different recording setups may supress click. Also setup and technique causes click or not. Tremolo over the extension leads to click sometime (hence the Grisman referrence). I think that there are other things to worry about than click.