Hi,

Playing pick style on the bass with a plastic plectrum produces a plinky type sound. Can anyone recommend an alternative type of pick to make the sound more round? I know there is a rubber pick called the Wedgie but apparantly this shreds material all over the bass and isn't very good.

Cheers,

Paul.

Felt picks?

Felt and rubber both shed. Get some palm muting going, goodbye plink.

erm sorry to sound ignorant but you do know you you are describing the sound produced by fingering not picking?

That is kinda ignorant because mellow picking and fingering don't really sound very much the same, get the tone from (forgive me for not knowing the name of the track) the intro to reservoir dogs with your fingers and I'll make you a medal, no using your finger as a pick either! :p

As Spam mentioned, palm muting, or alternatively getting a bridge mute, will also help, decent technique and a thinnish nylon pick will mellow out your tone too if you don't want a muted sound.

I like the Wedgie picks.

I play flats. They don't shred badly on the smooth strings.

The older and funkier the picks get, maybe they break down and shred more, I'm not sure. I don't keep them in my sweaty old pants pocket.

I like the sound a lot. It has body and definition but no plink.

When I used picks, the Dunlop Gator Grip and Tortex picks in sizes larger than 1.0mm did the trick for not giving me that plinky plastic sound.

They cost a lot (which is why I'm not that big on them), but if you look after it, you'll probably have a pick for life. And they sound great.

You could also go really out there and get a thick lignum vitae pick- the texture of the wood gives a unique tone.

EDIT: Argh, I'm dumb. I meant New Tortis, not Tortex.

I'm a Herco heavy man myself. I am going to check out those wooden picks mentiond by SpawnofHastur.

Picking near the neck as opposed to the bridge helps mellow out the sound. Flatwound strings help also.

Try a Dunlop 477 Jazztone pick #208
Thick and stiff but not dense so it gives an in-between finger/pick sound. Not as thumpy as the Wedgie or the felt but LOT more control. I found the latter two difficult to control when digging in -- but I play finger style 98% of the time.
--c.

I use the pointy Fender plecs when I pick, I mostly play fingerstyle though

I like using a wash cloth by the bridge to get a upright bass sound.

also Carol Kaye used felt around the bridge area which worked well on countless hit songs back in the 60's and 70'.....check it out...tip 113: http://www.carolkaye.com/www/education/tips101.htm

I can't really tell how it works from the picture. Does that felt strip have tape on it or something? Why double felt muting? Where is the other part? I would like to try this since I mostly pick and only do some finger work.
G.

Check yer history and you'll see the early Fenders all had pads under the bridge covers (and more complicated constructions, like the Jazz pincers). I believe Jamerson used an old sponge under the strings (fuzzy recollection). Some older basses also had tilting pads that could be moved off the strings.

Lots of things will work. Palm muting is your most versitle option, but hardest. Just experiment with a block of foam cut to fit under the strings near the bridge. Different thicknesses and widths will produce different tensions; too tight and you change the scale length, and therefore the note and intonation. You can cut slits for the strings in a thicker block to simulate the "double felt" method. Experimentation is the key. (I hate seeing PSA tape on a bass, though...)

Big JD Stubby picks are not so plinky plonky either, I keep a couple in my case for when my ageing fingers can't keep up anymore.

Thanks DeluxeRed. I palm mute. Nice to read about her muting tricks. Not sure I would want to put tape on any of my instruments.

I can't really tell how it works from the picture. Does that felt strip have tape on it or something? Why double felt muting? Where is the other part? I would like to try this since I mostly pick and only do some finger work.
G.


not sure how the felt is done...I believe Carol used tape. Yeah I don't like tape on my bass either.

I did a couple songs in the studio recently with cloth (the cleaning cloth used to wipe down guitars) under the strings by the bridge. we got a real nice upright bass sound.

I myself prefer just palm muting where necessary and kinda like that pick sound on the strings. lots of rock bassists use picks these days. check out youtube. I was amazed at how many used picks and they are in top bands.

Picking near the neck as opposed to the bridge helps mellow out the sound.

Depends how hard you play really, if you play very close to the neck like I do then you end up getting more bottom but also more fret noise because the movement is less restricted. That only really goes for hard playing though, if you play soft playing closer to the neck will open up the bottom end a bit, I make up for the fret noise by having a higher action which also stops me from going too OTT too which is good.

Just had a look at those surf picks, pity it's illegal to ship them outside the U.S. cos I've been looking for wooden picks for ages. It's a dense wood rather then a flexible one so I probably wouldn't have liked it much anyway but would have been nice to try still.

I'm in Australia, so I can't have one, either.

Too bad, too, because when I play I use the stiffest pick possible, usually around 2-3mm thick.

It's (partially) off topic, but as a fingerstyle only player I use my nails if I ever want to emphasise a note with harder attack. I always play at the end of the neck with thumb braced on the fingerboard. From that position I can rotate my hand so that my fingers are either almost parallel to the strings (as with double bass) or perpendicular - and anywhere in between. Hence depending on the attack I want, and the speed I'm playing, I can go from soft attack with side/pad of finger to hard attack with nails.

It works for me. Personally I don't like using plectrum on bass, but if I did I guess I'd investigate hardwood picks.

I have tried so many different picks...but because I play really hard (I don't know why I do this, I guess I just get really excited) they all break/shred/fly out of my hand before I ever finish a song or two.
But as far as sound goes...the felt ones are your best bet...although they do shred all over the place.

I've never really cared for picking a bass, however for guitar the Jim Dunlop gray nylon one is king. I'll play one of those for months and months. I would recommend trying that out and seeing what happens.

Scott

Yeah the nylons have a nice give to them which will help mellow the sound if your gentle.

I prefer thick Sharkfin picks and set the tone very low in my bass. Palm muting also helps.