Plectrum/Pik Players Club

[Mister_GothFrak]

so, if I ever find myself in a situation where I once again need the sound/articulation of pick on bass, I know how to get it.

Then the question is, which pik to use in the plethora that have come out since you last used one?



Re: multi-packs
Yep. That's what I did when I got started with the Attackpik collection. For the frequency of which I use them, only a couple of each if necessary for now. They offer over a dozen with a few variations of a few general types. Each is a little better at one style over another. Lots of fun to experiment with.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Then the question is, which pik to use in the plethora that have come out since you last used one?

Oh, I have zero interest in going down that rabbit-hole! I still have the same guitar picks I used >30 years ago (plus all the free picks I get sent with every order from JustStrings.com) and those do just fine. Standard shape, normal plastic-y material, medium or heavy guage. I can't be bothered to check out some newfangled improved hi-tech pick just so I can go "dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt" on the bass! Life's too short.

 

[sovereign_510]

im not really picky (no pun intended) about my picks, the only constant being that all my picks are 2mm or more. i gave away my 1.14mm picks, they just started to collect dust after i got some thicker picks

 

[sovereign_510]

ive been trying to get a synthesizer like sound on my bass with an envelope filter and some overdrive, and i like the way the attack of the pick works for that sound ^^

 

[HelpImaRock]

im not really picky (no pun intended) about my picks, the only constant being that all my picks are 2mm or more. i gave away my 1.14mm picks, they just started to collect dust after i got some thicker picks

I tried to go back to 1.14mm at my last show. I warmed up with an Ultex and a Tortex, and immediately reverted to 2mm Ultex.

 

[sovereign_510]

I tried to go back to 1.14mm at my last show. I warmed up with an Ultex and a Tortex, and immediately reverted to 2mm Ultex.

i couldn't go back to them either, i liked the tortex material but ive found that i really like my lexan picks anyway

 

[Mister_GothFrak]

AttakPik has had some crazy sales lately. Every day I'm getting another E-mail. lol
They have some new piks, too. I ordered some. I think I have the whole collection now except maybe some really early stuff.

 

[Mister_GothFrak]

I may have gotten my local music shoppe to start carrying custom branded AttakPiks! The guys thought they were pretty cool and were just trying to figure out how to order as a store. lol

 

[Pdaddy1978]

I started right out of the gate alternating pick and finger style.
I personally like the attack from picks.
After years of using the old celluloid ones, I discovered Tortex and that was that.
Usually the blue ones..sometimes the green ones.

 

[Luckydog]

I broke my finger a year ago, and even after surgery, pinning, and PT, I havent (yet) restored the level of finger picking I was at pre-break. Getting there slowly though. Pain much less (still there), range of motion needs work. While the bones have healed (poorly I may add), Nerve, tendon and muscle damage will keep me from getting back 100%.

I never stopped gigging throughout the entire time though. I restarted my decades old pick use, and got pretty decent quickly. And the slacker middle finger (the one that broke) is now (nearly a year later) getting better. Trying to focus nearly entirely on fingerstyle again. Still have some difficulty doing octaves and rapid strokes. My fingertips for months felt as though they had exposed nerve endings, and the joints that were broken sometimes felt like there was broken glass rattling around in there. Still dealing with swelling and stiffness but less pain than first couple months.

The picks (I now use one about 2 songs per gig) that I chose to use are a mix of Fender med, heavy and extra heavy. Sometime use the orange grippy ones (Dunlop?). The positive result of my injury is it caused me to get proficient again with picks!

 

[C-60 Bass]

Been using these since the late '70s

 

[coyoteboy]

Recent convert checking in! Big tringles for me, i like the golden gate x-stiff, prinetones, and some acrylics.

 

[edmidlifecrisis]

I play with a pick when the song needs it. I did a gig last night and played about 3 or 4 songs with a pick. Usually the really fast ones. Like "I Saw Her Standing There". My pick technique could use some improvement. (well so could my fingerstyle technique!!). But I do it.

Chris Squire, Phil Lesh, and Steve Swallow knew something. Jack Casady told us in one of his classes that Swallow was a major influence on him.

 

[HelpImaRock]

I changed picks again. This time I went from Dunlop Ultex 2mm to Primetone 2mm. They sound the same but the difference in feel is significant. Given my sensory hangups, I think they're worth it.

 

[smatanovic]

I'm relatively new to the instrument (playing about 2 years) but I learned both finger and pick styles because many of the players whose music I admire (Eric Avery, Mike Starr, Krist Novoselic, Justin Chancellor, Simon Gallup, among others) play almost exclusively with a pick. I figure it would only help my overall development as a bass player.

Lately I've been a fan of the Dunlop MaxGrip line: they feel rough like a cat's tongue, and don't seem to get slippery as they wear. I'm partial to the 0.73 mm and 1.0mm.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

I played bass with a thin pick in a music shop last week, and the shop owner said it was refreshing to see someone play something different

I get it. Here's what I use.

 

[Giffro]

I generally use a thicker pick and while a lot are embossed for grip many smooth picks are not, so....for extra grip with sweaty fingers I always drill a small hole in all my picks where my finger and thumb hold the pick. This gives great grip and I havent dropped a pick in 50 years because of it.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I was frustrated by slow pace of improvement with picking until I recently discovered my bass was hung too low (around belt level). I moved the bass higher over my stomach area, with picking arm parallel to/above the strings. A magnitude of improvement was immediately there -- what a difference! I wish I had made this discovery years ago. When they say it's good to adjust your strap so the bass is in the same position whether you play it standing or seated, believe it and give it a try ASAP.

 

[Mister_GothFrak]

I was frustrated by slow pace of improvement with picking until I recently discovered my bass was hung too low (around belt level). I moved the bass higher over my stomach area, with picking arm parallel to/above the strings. A magnitude of improvement was immediately there -- what a difference! I wish I had made this discovery years ago. When they say it's good to adjust your strap so the bass is in the same position whether you play it standing or seated, believe it and give it a try ASAP.

Yeah, first few years I played I kept it pretty low. I found over the years I keep inching it higher. Give it enough time and I'll be playing at ear height!

 

[Iristone]

I only use 1mm or slightly thinner picks for pick playing. When I first went out to buy "bass picks", the shop people gave me Big Stubbies. They didn't give me the snap I was looking for, and sounded too much like sterile fingerstyle.
I used to use celluloid picks, which seemed brighter than most nylon picks. Later when Herco picks arrived in China, they quickly became my favourite. I tried them because of the Chris Squire and John Entwistle connection, and they seem to excite even more harmonics than celluloid picks.