What Pick Should I Use

This is my main pick for both guitar and bass I've been playing guitar for 35 years too! I've also been playing bass for the last 10 years.


The only time I change from that one is when I'm going for a gentler attack or emulating finger picking. Then I'll switch to felt or stone plectrums.

 

Right now, I'm really liking Morgan Picks from Denmark. I was using V-Picks and Gravity Picks for a few years

 

When I need to use a pick I play Fender 351 medium celluloid picks. I use one of the two blunt ends on top of the pick, which gives me greater control and unlike the sharp end doesn't dig into the string. It also gives me a better, more secure grip.

 

This is the exact reason I use nothing lighter than a Fender heavy, and I prefer even heavier. My picks since a few years ago are all 1.5 mm, which isn't the thickest but they aren't thin. You make the pick do the work of striking the string when you use heavies, not your hand, and thinner picks make your hand do most of the work and it causes pain. Our strings are a lot heavier than guitar strings, so guitarists get away with a lot more than we can.

Carol Kaye has a whole lot of info about safe pick usage and discusses pick stiffness at length on her website, and I'm living proof it works. Before age 40, I could go all night with a pick, never had a problem no matter how bad my technique got trying to look cool. After I hit 40, I thought I was going to have to quit using a pick because of the pain, but I found her info and really learned her method, and I did everything she said to do by the letter and still do, although thanks to using lighter gauge strings with low tension, I don't have to pick as close to the neck as she recommends. And I'm still using a pick with no pain at age 57, and any time I deviate from it, the pain starts up within seconds.

So I highly recommend learning her method if you want to avoid pain. There's info about it on here you can find with a search, plus you can go to carolkaye.com and her Facebook page and get more info. You're a prime candidate for the very things she talks about happening to bass players who use a pick with unsafe technique.

 

Moshay

 

Carol Kaye also has her own picks. I really like them- they don’t slip (for me) and I like the shape, weight etc. Of course she uses only flatwounds. Roundwounds chew up her picks more quickly and there is more string noise.

I agree with above that working on picking technique (especially as distinct from guitar) is a good idea. Good luck!

 

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/acc...8368423-sku^[email protected]^PLA

 

I use V-Picks Tradition Lite 1.5mm, haven't dropped a pick since I started using them!

 

75mm or even 60mm picks shouldn't flex (though I do wonder how you are able to play with such thick picks), not even a 0.75mm should flex that much really, you are probably holding it between your fingers too far from the tip of it, which will make you have less control over your picking no matter what thickness you use.

 

Very well, thanks

 

I like Fender Clears - 351 shape
Always used Fender celuloid picks
The clears (used to be called California) aren't to bright and closer to a finger sound without massive EQ changes
Who knew the pick material would make such a huge difference; I was using heavies but just tried a medium; jury is still out

 

Yep, makes a difference. Try a metal pick vs a felt pick

 

I have tried felt but the thing was so clumsy and thick; I tried a quarter once ad didn't like the sound.
I was just suprised between the differences of plastic.
Delrin, celluloid, I'm guessing the clears are acrylic or polycarbonate, Tortex, etc. all pretty different.

Hey Jimmy, was the Carol Kaye info on the net or in a book?

 

When I found it, it was scattered around on her "Tips" page on carolkaye.com . I did my best to organize it for here but I missed a few things and wasn't able to edit my original post, and I don't care enough to do it again

 

Do you think your original post is still on this board?