Wooden pick question

[chetorch]

I currently play my bass wit a Clayton Acetal 1.26mm pick to get a bright "punkish"/"growly" sound. I really like the tone picks give, but I have been considering what pick could give me a warmer tone, as in not so "bright".

I don't think I'll try felt picks, haven't read much good things about them.

I have been looking into these wood picks:

wood pick Search | Musician's Friend

thanks for any input.

[GrantStuff]

I've never tried em, but then again I don't use picks much on bass.
It seems to me these would reduce the life of your strings, more than a regular pick, but I'm just speculating.

[knucklehead G]

Its a bit simpler, more like hard picks / soft pics. This isn't the fretboard you're dealing with.

You might try these, I've heard you can get that fingerstyle warmth from them:
DAddarioPlanet Waves » Instrument Accessories > Picks » Adjustable Insert Pick

[makkE]

I tried one of my gitarrist's cocnut picks lately. Intresting sound, a bit warmer, with a diffrent attack.

[BassMan4Him]

Wooden picks make a huge difference on acoustic guitar, but I'm not sure on bass.. ^^^ It does add warmth though..

[PSPookie]

I've gotten a few from here: SURFPICK premium handmade exotic wooden guitar picks - best pick for recording or performing on acoustic or electric - custom made rare wood lignum vitae. Cool. Surf Pick.

Yeah, they're pricey but in 4 years I've only gone through 3 picks (wore them out). They're definitely warmer sounding than a plastic pick; more like fingers but with a faster attack.

Rubber picks move you even farther in that direction.

[chetorch]

Originally Posted by PSPookie

I've gotten a few from here: SURFPICK premium handmade exotic wooden guitar picks - best pick for recording or performing on acoustic or electric - custom made rare wood lignum vitae. Cool. Surf Pick.

Yeah, they're pricey but in 4 years I've only gone through 3 picks (wore them out). They're definitely warmer sounding than a plastic pick; more like fingers but with a faster attack.

Rubber picks move you even farther in that direction.

yeah that sounds like what i need, a warm sound with a fast attack. i'll give these wood picks a shot and eventually try some rubbers (lol)

thanks for the input everyone!

[makkE]

I just broke a piece of coconut shell and tried it out. Compared to a plastic pick, it adds a lot of sandy, prominent attack, rather harsher than plastic. But coconut is a very dense, hard material. I'll shape me a pick out of it, but it will take a lot of work...
I like it though, but it's the opposite of what OP was looking for. I bet that wood picks have a wide range of sound, depending on the kind of wood.

Besides, I remember trying a hard leather pick once, it was very mellow sounding.

[chetorch]

well I wanna try as many as I can! for now I got the Clayton Blond wood 3 pack.

[chetorch]

well, I had rehearsal this weekend and tried the wood pick out and it was just the sound I needed! not to clanky like the regular picks but still retain a bright attack and sound more mellow.

also used them on a buddy's acoustic and really dig the tone!

[bassnat]

Try a hard felt pick.

[JehuJava]

I've tried the hard felt pick and the thickness messed with my muscle memory...kinda like playing finger style with swollen fingers. I wasn't all that impressed with the sound either. Just my opinion.

[john grey]

Wood and felt picks were used a lot to defeat string "scrape" noise also. They work well for that if the attack with a harder pick is at an angle & the string noise (from round-wounds) is too obvious.
I have used a Popsicle stick broken at about 2". I saw this guy playing at a open concert and I was pretty young....he was a middle-aged guy at that time (about 25yrs ago) & told me that was one way folks experimented on gut string without hurting [the strings on an upright].
In the opposite context some folks use a nickel (or a Peso) because nickle has a clean sound on a magnetic pickup quite different than ferric metal or totally non-ferric types.

[Fishbrain]

I always thought a wooden pick wooden work?

Ba dum!!

[Kawai-chang]

^^^NYUCK, NYUCK