What kind of pick do you use?

[telecopy]

I'm trying to work on different styles of bass playing, and I don't know how important what pick is used.

Do you play with a pick?
What kind of pick do you play with?
Benefits of playing with a pick?

I'm 15 and stupid so all opinions welcome!

Well I use both. I have been using these things called Herco thumbpicks for a while at times. I like them. You can thumbpick, hold it like a regular pick, use thumb pick and fingers or just play fingerstyle and the pick is right there. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[rafitoprtx]

I have a bag of assorted nylon picks from .88 to 1.5mm. They are cheap and good!

 

[mistergoats]

Yay! 5 year thread revival!

Hey man, they tell the noobs to do a search on discussion topics before posting. That, I did!

 

[Lizardskyball]

If I am picking I use Tortex 1mm. A dark sky blue color.

 

[mistergoats]

Other than the guy who has his bubinga picks, any of you order custom picks from anywhere?

 

[Ibycan]

Do you play with a pick?

Yes. About 90% of the time. But I make sure I play with my fingers as well. To my ears there are some songs that have to be played with a pick to get the right sound.


What kind of pick do you play with?

I use 3 kinds depending on the style. From light to heavy:
Fender Nylon Mediums
Dunlop Tortex .88 mm Green
Dunlop Tortex Jazz XL 1mm

I find that lighter picks give you more treble sound.


Benefits of playing with a pick?

To me is about attack and precision. I down pick most of the time so I can get a really sharp and heavy sound needed for metal. Not that it can't be done with fingers but playing with a pic is more natural to me. Don't neglect finger picking thought. It makes you a better well rounded bass player of you can do both proficiently.

 

[Eric66]

I normally play fingerstyle, but occasionally I play with a Dunlop Stubby Triangle 3 mm.

 

[raventepes]

I use my fingers about 90% of the time, but when use a pick, I'll use whatever random pick I have lying around the house, or fingerpicks by National or D'Andrea, depending on level of brightness I need/want.

 

[ghettoshelf]

I rarely use a pick but when I do I use a quarter.

 

[tedious1]

Pretty much exclusively a pick player. Started on guitar, and kept the pick when I moved across to bass. When I was playing guitar I used Tortex .60 (Orange) and initially retained the same pick on bass. But it didn't feel quite right, so I started going to thicker and thicker picks, eventually I was playing the purple 1.14s.

But on a lark I decided to try Dava Jazz Grip picks, specifically the red delrin ones...made quite a difference I have to say. The rubber gives me a positive gripping surface, even with sweaty hands, which has allowed me to relax my picking hand and still retain positive control over the pick. It's pretty much cut picking hand fatigue out of the equation.

I have two complaints about this pick, first the delrin tends to wear down really quickly. Second is harder to describe: the rubber at the top of the pick seems to 'come loose' and the "T" top to the pick can become exposed and dig in a little bit. It's not painful, it's just distracting. On the plus side, they tend to occur about the same time, so either is a clue it's time for a new one. Or at least they happen around the same time if you aren't in the habit of carrying your picks in your pocket...

I want to try the nylon and steel versions, and a couple of you have really got me wanting to try the steel versions...

 

[Vinny_G]

I'm 15 and stupid so all opinions welcome!

No problem, I was too.
But I suppose (I hope) you're not anymore today

I play almost 95 % with a pick, because I love old time rock and roll, prog and new AOR, with stainless steel strings, that type of sound, you know what I mean. Frankly I've tested everything that exists and I could make you a full review of each but this is not the purpose.

My preference today goes to Nylon, between .73 and 1mm by brand. The one I prefer is a Dunlop Max-Grip .88, then Dunlop standard Nylon .88, then Herco Flex .75. Why Nylon? Because they are flexible but retain their shape quickly, they are warm with a strong fundamental (IMHO), they have a quick attack but not too sharp in the highs, they are perfect for me hehe ^^

Sorry for my bad english, this is very difficult to talk about sounds in your very own language, so..

 

[DannyBob]

Dunlop tortex 1mm for me! I only use a pick for power chords, and like attack

 

[mpdd]

i so rarely pick that i can 't remember who makes them, it's 1mm white plastic three tip style with an eagle on the front

 

[Ritchie_Darling]

 

[Jay Mastro]

Back in my punk band days, before I ditched the pick, I was using Dunlop Gator Grip 1.5mms and 2.0mms

 

[JesseVMT]

Being a pick player, this is a big deal.

I've gone through dozens (if not a hundred) different picks over the years. For quite a few years I only played expensive picks ($7ish a piece.) But over the last few months I've been on a pick hunt again. Every pick style, shape, material and gauge play a big roll in the over all attack and tone. Even going from say 1mm to a 1.14mm, there is a difference.

Anyways I think I've found my new pick of choice. I've and always ignored "Tortex" picks because "everyone" issues them...

Looks like the .88 is my tone maker!

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

[Tanner5382]

Yellow .73 tortex, generally.

 

[JesseVMT]

I really like the mummy they make.

 

[BigBobbyBass]

.63 Tortex held very close to the business end.