slippery pick

[Evan]

my hands get slippery when i play bass. (for long periods) what are some ideas to keep the pic from slipping out of my hands. i also was at a store and saw this bottle of "gorilla snot" for picks. i guess its for anti-slip. have some ideas please share

[Mudfuzz]

Take something sharp and scratch big Xs on both sides.

[Mike Money]

Jim Dunlop makes pics with a textured top... work great.

[nicoli]

The guitarist in my band actually takes a grinding drill bit to his and makes indents in them to grab onto. Of course he uses stubbies, so if you're not using thick picks this may not work.

[nashvillebill]

I use the Tortex picks, they are not as slick as regular picks.

[DougP]

i second the suggestion for Tortex. but there are lots of textured picks made nowadays.

[Boplicity]

I did both, dig grooves in picks in an X pattern and I used textured picks in the heaviest grade. Gator Grip are my favorites. The texture wears off, though, if your fingers sweat alot, as mine do. So I went through a lot of picks, because they would soften up, lose their texture and bend after a couple hours of rehearsal or a gig.

My band tuned down so we were using very heavy guage strings and that demanded heavy picks. I think you can get a better grip on the heaviest guage picks and they are easier to scratch lines in.

There is another solution. Don't use a pick. Use fingerstyle picking, but you may not feel fingerstyle is appropriate to your style of music.

[Adam Barkley]

Wrist Band?

[Evan]

hmm. i heard the hole punching the pic in the middle can work? and yea i use to play with fingers till i cut my finger on a nail and moved onto a pic and havnt left. even though i like fingers i still dig the pick

[Nick man]

I use a metal file to make deep X's into the gripping area of the pick and them make shallower grooves across the pick's width.

Thats often still not enough so I also carry banjo thumb picks which wrap around your thumb to stay in place. Those also have the advantage of allowing easy switching between finger and pick styles mid song.

One warning, if your pick style is so agressive that not even heavy carving into your picks will keep them in your hand, then its so agressive that thumb picks will probably give you painful blisters.

My thumb is still hurting from last thursday's gig.

[dedmyers]

Gorilla Snot

[Evan]

Originally Posted by dedmyers

Gorilla Snot

i am gonna buy that next week. the hole punch the pic works pretty well for me it feels good also. i just havnt sweated yet whiile playing since i holepunched it so i dont know if itll hold.

[The Golden Boy]

I use the Herco Flex .75mm nylon picks. I seem to like these the best. The "grip" design on them is more "grabby" than the similar Dunlop picks (they're made by Dunlop as well). The down side is that they don't seem to be as consistent as the Dunlop picks, I've found there are stiffer ones than others the same gauge. It's no big deal, I prefer the "bendier" ones for guitar anyway. After using them for a few years I found out these are/were the picks of choice for both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.

Action Kung Fu Grip:

[dedmyers]

Originally Posted by Evan

i am gonna buy that next week.

One word of caution -- A little goes a long way.
I also use the tortex picks(purple) - Im also starting to like those with the holes punched in them as well

[Nick man]

Also keep in mind that with Gorilla Snot you shouldnt expect to play anything fingerstyle untill you wash it off.

[suicas]

Had the same problem, scratching both sides of the pick with sandpaper did the trick.

[Mon Rominee]

Wow. Sounds like alot of labor put into an item tha costs you 20 cents.

What is this, "Pimp my Pick"?

Seriously, I use them Hercos as well as .88 Dunlop nylons. I sweat like a feind sometimes, but never enough in one song that I lose that much of a grip...

Between songs wipe your fingers on the side of your shirt to dry them. Takes half a second...more than enough time for your singer to blather about something rockin.

[spudmaster34]

i was just reading/responding to pretty much the same thing in a different forum that i now cant find, some of them suggested heating a fork and melting craters into the pick... i dont know about that though

[Eric Grossman]

Honestly, just use the tortex picks by Dunlop. I play for a living, and I sweat often during a concert. You won't lose your grip with them. I promise.
All of these pick modification ideas, seem like a lot of work for nothing. Trust me and those that suggested the same.

[bassistjo]

just use your fingers you don't have to worry about them slipping off