Types of Picks

[J the TyranT]

I use Dunlop Cell's. X-H. The clear yellow ones. The super slick plastic actually gives a tad bit less friction along your strings. Slight difference in tone...

I've grown accustomed to them, although I do have the Stubbies around also.

 

[Sex Machine]

the jazz III's are too short for me, i have very large hands and need a bit more room than the jazz offers.

so i use clayton 1.52 mm teardrops. best picks everrr

 

[Slavematic Sound]

Never really mattered to me, i just use anything from .65 to 1.25 thats new. I break picks like a dog sheds fur, then go to the music store and buy a shit load of different picks. Normally i pick a favorite or 2 from the 20-30 picks i buy and save those for last. Buying picks is too fun to only pick one pick. My thumb pick is 2.0 and it stays there.

 

[WarHead]

I use dunlop 1.5 mm, the purple ones, and i love them. Generally i hear that thicker picks are for more precision and solos, whereas thinner picks are better for strumming techniques, but yeah, go for whatever is most comfortable for you.

I cant find those!!! they are infact perfect...all i can get are the jazz IIIs...the black ones.

I know that dallas from nile uses the dulop extra sharp picks, but they are very hard to get used to.

 

[darkladykleio]

I have answered similar posts to this many times, but I'll add my feedback. I am 100% oldschool when it comes to picks. I use the standard teardrop shaped Fender heavies (occasionally mediums for some stuff) and always in white color. If you lay a tortoise shell colored pick on your amp, it's hard to see. White is easy to see whether you are practicing or under stage lighting and the "basic" shape works for me. I can maneuver it quickly and accurately when going to and from two-habd technique and if I screw up on the placement, I can play with any part of the pick without screwing up.
I think the only problem with that style of pick is that the plastic itself has a vwery slick surface. If your hands/fingers sweat a lot, it could give you problems. I have tried all of those fancy picks and they have all ended up in the garbage. You can often find a music store brand made of the same material and thickness as well and get them dirt cheap.
Bryant

I don't play the guitar in order to give a good piece of advice when it comes to picks (if you want to buy any violin chords, I recommend Pirastro!!), but I was in Uli Jon Roth's concert in Athens this year and I know the guy who caught the pick Uli threw to the crowd after the show. He showed it to me and the "holy pick" was a big white teardrop shaped Fender. If Uli uses them they must be good!

 

[sonofhendrix13]

i use thin fender picks. Im not really picky tho, i can use anything.

 

[Hexer]

I use those really small Fender teardrops (medium)
I tried the small Catfish-picks, too, but I like my picks more pointy

most people don't get how I can play with such small picks.....

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

Since this summer I've been using the gray Dunlop USA 1.5mm picks I ordered from musicians friend. I love them, they're great, but I haven't really tried much. I've just moved up in thickness from a low thickness to the 1.5's.

 

[Elhan's Accolade]

I use tortex 1.14s.The purple ones.

 

[Loner]

I use Dunlop Gator Grip 1.5mm picks.

 

[AARRGGHHH]

I normally use the small 2mm purple stubby picks. Although im using 3mm at the moment as all of my 2mm ones that are still descent have disappeared somewhere.

Having played these small picks for a few years now I can't get used to normal sized picks. They feel really huge. I only use a tiny bit of the pick for fast stuff so I tend to have a massive amount of the pick sticking up, it just feels wrong.

My main gripe with them is the colour. Being transparent dark-purple they are a complete bastard to find on a stage floor. That said I don't often drop picks. The only time I have dropped one on stage in the last 6 months or so was a couple of weeks ago. I was a little drunk as well, and I struck a big chord and the pick flew out of my hand. I normally have spares of everything with me, including spare picks in my shirt pocket, but I forgot this time so I played about half of the rest of the song with my fingers. Then I had a quick look around on the floor to try and find the damn pick, was nowhere to be seen. But I did spot something on the floor. So I made my way over to the other side of the stage and picked up what turned out to be a great big fucking metal O-ring. It must have been about 10-12mm thick, and a couple of inches across. So I then played the rest of the song, solo included, with this O-ring. It's not very easy doing fast picking and sweep picking with something like that.

Afterwards when I told the rest of the band about this, and showed them the O-ring, they said they couldn't tell. They had a good laugh about it though.

Great picks, but I wish they did them in white or neon pink or something.

 

[drowssap]

I use the same. I've had the same one for about 2 years. It's getting a little round, but I get attatched to them and I can't bring myself to throw them out.

 

[Rofocale]

Jaz III's took a little getting used to but I won't go back now!

Great for shred, sonata arctica style runs, not so much for chugging though although it's a acceptable loss considering the benefits.

 

[Kenneth R.]

i use this fat little jazz pick, and whatever else i can find.

 

[plfffffft]

Dunlop Gels, Extra Heavy

 

[Bryant]

I don't play the guitar in order to give a good piece of advice when it comes to picks (if you want to buy any violin chords, I recommend Pirastro!!), but I was in Uli Jon Roth's concert in Athens this year and I know the guy who caught the pick Uli threw to the crowd after the show. He showed it to me and the "holy pick" was a big white teardrop shaped Fender. If Uli uses them they must be good!

Ha ha ha nice story. I personally think a pick is nothing more than personal preference not unlike guitars, amps, or favorite vegetable, but I think some of these newer pick styles look like they come off a set of Star Trek and are uncomfortable as hell. I just don't want the basic "guitar pick" to be lost in the shuffle. High-tech is great, but I don't know about pick design....


Bryant

 

[Class of '85]

Dunlop Delrin 500 in 1.5mm, I will never use any other pick again. These are very well suited for high-speed technique.

 

[Bryant]

One other thing I didn't mention was the reason for the color white. Under stage lighting they show up great. If you lose one not near your mic stand you can see it to pick it up and not fuck up too bad.
In practice situations, if you are drinking a couple of beers and lay a dark colored pick on your amp, and forget where you laid it, it is hard to see. Those white picks are easy to see on top of a typical black colored head or cabinet.


bryant

 

[Dead Winter]

I use Dunlop red and greens, more commonly known as .80mm and .88mm. I think I'll try the 1mm though, because I mainly do a lot of speed picking, and I'm curious to see how it functions.

 

[the alumnus]

just started using dava picks, switched over from dunlop tortex 1.mm. so far i like the regular dava control picks best. we'll see, i got a variety pack. a little better than the regular, i like the grip and i think the flexible will be good for rythms, speed picking and such. we'll see.