Thick Inflexible Picks.That's the way.

[Watchootognbout]

I have never been a real pick user.
I've tried many times in the past.With regular guitar picks.
I could never really get the hang of it.
The pick angle needs to be just so.
It seems to hang up on the string.

So I've been trying out SikPiks and a new Agate 3.8 mm pick.

The thing about the SikPik is that it has a twist.So the pick hits the string at an angle and slips over the string effortlessly.
That makes sixteenth note playing quite a bit quicker.
It doesn't flex much.
To me at least.

The Agate pick is completely inflexible.
Of course.
It's silica.And it won't break.
Not easily anyway.
And I don't need to twist the pick because of the thickness!
There's a bevel.

The downside is that Agate picks are a bit pricy for one pick.
$16.00 - $18.00 But I don't need to buy a bunch.So.....

All the pick motion energy is transferred to the string.
It would also seem that because there is no flexing that there is no delay of energy transfer.
It slips over the string.Moving the string only.I like.

So I seem to be in the camp of hard thick picks.

What do you think?

 

[moody]

I went from fingerstyle to pick due to wrist issues.

I need a think heavy pick that I can keep a good grip on. I ended up eventually on dunlop big stubbies and they do the job. I am not an incredibly fast player though.

 

[tedious1]

You might want to take a look at Dava picks, particularly any of their 'control grip' picks. Where you grip the pick affects how rigid it is in use.

 

[fearceol]

The thing about the SikPik is that it has a twist.So the pick hit the string at an angle and slips over the string.
.

I am not an expert on picks or picking, but would this not have an effect on playing upstrokes ?

 

[Watchootognbout]

I am not an expert on picks or picking, but would this not have an effect on playing upstrokes ?

No.You get the same feel as downstrokes.This pick is excellent for fast alternate picking.

 

[NoiseNinja]

I use classical guitar style fingering technique, but when that don't cut I use a Jim Dunlop Nylon 0.73 MM pick.

It has just the right feel for me.

I don't quite understand people who uses really thick and hard picks.

 

[loveandbass]

i use 2mm dunlop gator picks or occasionally i use 2mm adamas graphite picks though its not really necessary and sounds silly to admit

 

[Watchootognbout]

I don't quite understand people who uses really thick and hard picks.

It's easy to understand.
You said it yourself.
"It has just the right feel for me"

 

[JimmyM]

I don't quite understand people who uses really thick and hard picks.

You don't have to But since you asked...

Thick and hard picks take the strain off your hand to do the work of making sound. Anything that flops causes me to work twice as hard to get the same amount of volume, and when my hand is working like that, pain is not far behind.

 

[BazzTard]

i use 2mm dunlop gator picks or occasionally i use 2mm adamas graphite picks though its not really necessary and sounds silly to admit

+1 for 2mm Dunlop Gators

 

[JustForSport]

i use 2mm dunlop gator picks or occasionally i use 2mm adamas graphite picks though its not really necessary and sounds silly to admit

+1- "i use 2mm adamas graphite picks"- they are very rigid, easy to keep a grip with since they are flat (not glossy) finish with writing texture, and using the more rounded corners helps eliminate that 'plastic clicking' sound a lot of picks generate.

 

[TheRealSouthner]

I use dunlop 3mm big stubby for guitar, and also for bass before I switched to fingers

 

[lpbfender]

Picks are a super personal preference thing. I use a 2mm Dunlop that's not glossy and stays with me when I sweat. For faster passages like Genesis' "Watcher of the Skies", I like an old school Fender medium tortoise cause they need to bend. I'll never forget hearing jazz guitar great Pat Metheny answer a question as to why he used such a small pick at a master class I attended. His reply, "the music store near where I grew up only sold these small banjo picks."

 

[Bass Growler]

I always use Dunlop nylon 1mm picks.
The nylon takes away some of the edginess that comes with tortex, it mellows it out a little.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Three more Agate picks are on the way.This one.
This one.
And just one from this group.Not all seven.

 

[zontar]

The Agate pick is completely inflexible.
Of course.
It's silica.And it won't break.
Not easily anyway.

I've owned several agate picks over the years (And other polished stone picks.)
I like them, a lot--I still use them on guitar sometimes.

You might not break they by picking-but if you drop them on a hard surface--they can break--It's happened to me, and I've seen it happen others.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I've owned several agate picks over the years (And other polished stone picks.)
I like them, a lot--I still use them on guitar sometimes.

You might not break they by picking-but if you drop them on a hard surface--they can break--It's happened to me, and I've seen it happen others.

Yes.And coupled with the fact that they are a bit pricey.
You wouldn't want to buy a whole lot of them.

 

[Watchootognbout]

OK.I have all five Agate picks.
Five different thicknesses.
I find that I favor the thickest of them all.

The thicknesses.
.178
.123
.118
.071
.057 I find that the thinner ones feel/respond the same as a thin plastic pick.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I use dunlop 3mm big stubby for guitar, and also for bass before I switched to fingers

I'm going to give those a try next.
They seem to be almost as thick as my thickest agate pick.But not so expensive.
I've also heard that they don't have much attack noise on the strings.

 

[20db pad]