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Bass pick different than guitar pick?
- Thread starter sedan_dad
- Start date
My friend says, usually guitar picks are thinner but it's YMMV.
I use a medium guitar pick for both.
I use a medium guitar pick for both.
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I’ve always used the Dunlop jazz iii’s with the grip for both bass and guitar. They probably work better on bass tonally, but I like them in any case.
Not really "different" but you need to pick one that suits the tone you're looking for and your playing style.
I say YES 
When I was starting out, this was considered a "bass pick":
( and once I spent a whole week playing with a felt pick after an afternoon of over-enthusiastic jamming left me with 'blisters on my fingers!!!' ...)
When I was starting out, this was considered a "bass pick":
( and once I spent a whole week playing with a felt pick after an afternoon of over-enthusiastic jamming left me with 'blisters on my fingers!!!' ...)
I played guitar for years and have recently picked up bass. My preconception was that bass picks need to be stiff, so I bought a bunch, and I struggled. Turns out I can play better using the thinner guitar picks I have always used for guitar. It sounds fine too.
YMMV of course.
YMMV of course.
JeezyMcNuggles
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- Feb 23, 2018
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There is no such thing as a bass pick. But, anything under .88mm is too thin to play bass with. It folds, flops, and gives you a really thin tone.
When I was starting out, this was considered a "bass pick":
( and once I spent a whole week playing with a felt pick after an afternoon of over-enthusiastic jamming left me with 'blisters on my fingers!!!' ...)
I used those for years before I finally broke down and learned to play with my fingers. Yup...blisters occurred...
I disagree. This may be true for you, but not me. Personally I use Dunlop Tortex .73mm.
Picks are picks, just depends on your taste and playing style. I prefer about 1 mm for both.
I respectfully disagree. I played for over 20 years using Herco 50's @ .65mm. Now I fingerpick about 80% of the time, but it's still .65mm for me when using a pick.
I remember the felt picks, and then I also remember people talking about the felt bass picks turning to dust by the end of the gig.
I use the same pick for guitar and bass. I think it is all marketing. I have used the yellow and green tortex to great effect. Does anyone else like the way the tortex picks feel when they are new and kind of “dusty” feeling?
Side note: has anyone ever had an audience member hand you a guitar pick that has fallen on the floor but it is not yours? I mean I get it that in the middle of the song, and you don’t have an extra handy and you have dropped yours(even though most bass players could finish the tune without the pick) then it might be nice, but seriously.
I use the same pick for guitar and bass. I think it is all marketing. I have used the yellow and green tortex to great effect. Does anyone else like the way the tortex picks feel when they are new and kind of “dusty” feeling?
Side note: has anyone ever had an audience member hand you a guitar pick that has fallen on the floor but it is not yours? I mean I get it that in the middle of the song, and you don’t have an extra handy and you have dropped yours(even though most bass players could finish the tune without the pick) then it might be nice, but seriously.
Nope.
When I started to learn pick style I went for a thick (3mm) glassy pick. Actually I tried different kinds with different thicknesses and I remember that 1mm nylon pick was the worst. Recently after almost 9 months of development and improving my pick style technique I went back to 1mm nylon! so the answer is a NO.
When I started to learn pick style I went for a thick (3mm) glassy pick. Actually I tried different kinds with different thicknesses and I remember that 1mm nylon pick was the worst. Recently after almost 9 months of development and improving my pick style technique I went back to 1mm nylon!
so the answer is a NO.I'm sure Monster will sell you one
There are picks designed/intended for bass, like the felt ones above, or the rubber one in my collection. But a pick is a pick, and bass strings just need thicker/stiffer picks.
OTOH, for about 20 years I played guitar with a pick ground down from a 2mm metal-file; that thing was fantastic, even if it was hell on the strings. I'd still use it if it hadn't disappeared when I moved here.
I still use pretty heavy picks on guitar, which also work fine on bass.
So, just like everything else in this game: the right one is the one that works for you.
There are picks designed/intended for bass, like the felt ones above, or the rubber one in my collection. But a pick is a pick, and bass strings just need thicker/stiffer picks.
OTOH, for about 20 years I played guitar with a pick ground down from a 2mm metal-file; that thing was fantastic, even if it was hell on the strings. I'd still use it if it hadn't disappeared when I moved here.
I still use pretty heavy picks on guitar, which also work fine on bass.
So, just like everything else in this game: the right one is the one that works for you.
Or Kim Gordon wearing a groove into hers, by the end of a Sonic Youth set. As in, she'd cut most of the way through it with the strings.
Personally I use very heavy picks for guitar, so I use the same picks for bass.
I don’t use picks much, but for bass I prefer a larger rounded triangular shape that is thick and has tapered edges so they slide off the string smoothly. I make my own from bone/tusk and buffalo horn, which I sometimes dye with the juice of berries and vegetables from my garden. Here are some of both the large and traditional size picks I’ve made recently.
Long ago there was a perception (if only in my own mind) that these oversized triangular picks with the pointy corners were "bass picks":
….while the smaller, more rounded teardrop shaped things were "guitar picks":
But now I use these for anything that requires a pick - acoustic guitar, electric guitar or bass - but I hold them sideways, and pick with the more rounded corners at the top:
It really just depends on what you find comfortable and fitting for your style of playing.
….while the smaller, more rounded teardrop shaped things were "guitar picks":
But now I use these for anything that requires a pick - acoustic guitar, electric guitar or bass - but I hold them sideways, and pick with the more rounded corners at the top:
It really just depends on what you find comfortable and fitting for your style of playing.
I'm so badass, I also use the 2mm Big Stubbies on guitar. Show those puny guitar strings who's boss, that's what. Can't handle THE PICK.
I use a pick thats at least 2.0mm and no more than 3.5mm on bass. But on guitar i pretty much use the same thing so....No, its the same shape, plastic, and most of the time, same pick.
