The pretend pick. I squish my index and thumb together like I'm holding a pick and use my finger nubs... maybe a little finger nail when I'm on the downstroke. Been doing it for years.
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Just a curious question. What picks do you use?
- Thread starter Cole Allar
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- baby pick picks preferences
Even though I'm new to bass I had some guitar experience a while ago. Didn't get any good back then but developed some habits and preferences.
I use regular shaped 1mm picks. Most of them are approximately similar so I'm not stuck to a particular brand. That's pretty convinient because I can easily find what I need in almost every music store.
Once I bought a bunch of picks like that without even testing them and that was a mistake. They happened to be very nice on touch but sounded too ringy and scratchy for my taste. That were Claytons. I remembered that I had a similar feeling from some of my old triangle guitar picks. After some research I found one of them and figured out that it also was a Clayton.
Are Clayton picks made of some special kind of plastic different from most of others? They feel and sound so much different despite the similar shape, thickness and even flexibility.
I use regular shaped 1mm picks. Most of them are approximately similar so I'm not stuck to a particular brand. That's pretty convinient because I can easily find what I need in almost every music store.
Once I bought a bunch of picks like that without even testing them and that was a mistake. They happened to be very nice on touch but sounded too ringy and scratchy for my taste. That were Claytons. I remembered that I had a similar feeling from some of my old triangle guitar picks. After some research I found one of them and figured out that it also was a Clayton.
Are Clayton picks made of some special kind of plastic different from most of others? They feel and sound so much different despite the similar shape, thickness and even flexibility.
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I use whatever other guitar/bass players leave in the backstage room after a show.
I've only bought 1 pick in my life.
I've only bought 1 pick in my life.
The soft rubber or the medium one?
Because I've been using the hard rubber, same one for the past year with no dust whatsoever.
I use the hard 5.0mm one. They last forever. Thumb indentation is great...have yet to drop a pick.
Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm. Started out on Gibson heavies but they used to get notched to bits very quickly.
I'm mostly a finger person, but I practice/train with a pick so that I'm proficient with it. Plus, I can get sounds with a pick that I can't get with fingers.
Being that I'm also a guitar player, I've been using my worn Dava Control Picks for bass when the tip is worn down. Has good texturing. but if does become a little "floppy" (a term I learned from this thread) because of how it's made:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I just ordered a set of Dunlop Triangle Picks to arrive next week, and I'll give them a shot. Like with guitar, the easiest way to change your tone is to change picks, and luckily, picks are relatively inexpensive. With the Dava picks, I get them in boxes of 75 as I go through a lot of them, and the per piece price goes down in that quantity. I love this pick for guitar, but I'm not sold on it for bass (but I have a lot of them that are in my "dead pick" can).
Rob
Being that I'm also a guitar player, I've been using my worn Dava Control Picks for bass when the tip is worn down. Has good texturing. but if does become a little "floppy" (a term I learned from this thread) because of how it's made:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I just ordered a set of Dunlop Triangle Picks to arrive next week, and I'll give them a shot. Like with guitar, the easiest way to change your tone is to change picks, and luckily, picks are relatively inexpensive. With the Dava picks, I get them in boxes of 75 as I go through a lot of them, and the per piece price goes down in that quantity. I love this pick for guitar, but I'm not sold on it for bass (but I have a lot of them that are in my "dead pick" can).
Rob
Yellow Dunlop tortext, standard shape. Played on the rounded edge a la Bobby Vega. Other picks for guitar work, but I have an insane amount of the yellow Dunlops so I use them predominantly.
Also Dean Ween uses them...
Also Dean Ween uses them...
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
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My New Year's resolution for 2016 is going to be: Learn to use a pick on bass, at least for a couple tunes. I started on upright, so fingerstyle is the most natural, but I can also flatpick a guitar, so it shouldn't be impossible.
I happened to notice this Summer, John McVie switches seamlessly between them.
I happened to notice this Summer, John McVie switches seamlessly between them.
95% fingers, but when I do pick:
Rock - generic plastic thingie, somewhere in the 0.8 to 1mm range. Basically never use this anymore.
Rock wit' 'tude - downstrokes, string noise and fuzz needs big plastic - Dunlop gator 2mm
Jazz stylin' - Dunlop stubby (the guitar version, not the big stubby) 1mm or 3mm depending on how attacky I'm feeling. This is just for soloing/piccolo, never for bass lines.
Only downside of the stubbies is the 1mm are clear hard plastic - almost impossible to see if you drop them, like looking for a contact lens. Despite this, I virtually never lose a pick, so although I think they've now changed the colours I still have four of the clear ones left.
Rock - generic plastic thingie, somewhere in the 0.8 to 1mm range. Basically never use this anymore.
Rock wit' 'tude - downstrokes, string noise and fuzz needs big plastic - Dunlop gator 2mm
Jazz stylin' - Dunlop stubby (the guitar version, not the big stubby) 1mm or 3mm depending on how attacky I'm feeling. This is just for soloing/piccolo, never for bass lines.
Only downside of the stubbies is the 1mm are clear hard plastic - almost impossible to see if you drop them, like looking for a contact lens. Despite this, I virtually never lose a pick, so although I think they've now changed the colours I still have four of the clear ones left.
I used to finger pluck only.
I couldn't use a pick.They would always catch on the strings.
Especially while doing alternate picking sixteenth notes.
Until I discovered thick 5mm agate stone picks.
And the 3mm Big Stubby.
And a SikPik sample pack.They're twisted.
I couldn't use a pick.They would always catch on the strings.
Especially while doing alternate picking sixteenth notes.
Until I discovered thick 5mm agate stone picks.
And the 3mm Big Stubby.
And a SikPik sample pack.They're twisted.
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