Pick Life

[arneyz]

Here's a good one.

 

How long do you go before switching picks?

 

Do you wear it down until it looks like a equilateral triangle with rounded corners? Do you get a new one after the first sign of wear?

 

I know I'm the in that first category. I don't switch my pick until i can't figure out which corner is which.

[stamplicker]

Don't really use picks much, but I use to use them untill there was no real gripping surface left. (bad chewer).

[miroslav]

Until the edges start to get worn or until the tip cracks.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

With me it depends on the material of the pick.

 

I've found that some go blunt quicker than others, and that that makes the strings sound a bit dull and muffled. I'm toying with the idea of keeping them as a way of having different timbres.

[Gruupi]

Not an issue anymore since I mostly play fingerstyle

 

But seriously, I prefer a fairly new pick, I used to let it wear down but that was mostly me being cheap. I am pretty picky about the tone and feel of picks and have tested that for me at least the traditional shape Dunlop regular plastic (Delrin I think)picks sound and feel best.

[Greg B.]

I buy them by the dozen and usually pitch it when both sides start wearing down. I started using Fender Delrin picks about a year ago and they seem to last quite a bit longer than regular celluloid, but I still go thru them quite a bit. Usually wear one out everytime we practice.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

I really like these ESP picks I found a few months ago.

 

They're white (so they're easy to spot when I leave them lying around) and had this terrific rubber grip in the centre. Nicest picks ever. Unfortunately, they've all lost their edge and, because they were a promo item, the music store isn't getting anymore.

[Greg B.]

I really like these ESP picks I found a few months ago.

 

They're white (so they're easy to spot when I leave them lying around) and had this terrific rubber grip in the centre. Nicest picks ever. Unfortunately, they've all lost their edge and, because they were a promo item, the music store isn't getting anymore.

 

Try these, Vince.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Surepick-Grip-5Pack-Guitar-Picks?sku=110971

 

Hopefully they are available down your way. I've tried them, and while I couldn't get used to them, they are a really good idea.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Try these, Vince.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Surepick-Grip-5Pack-Guitar-Picks?sku=110971

 

The little swirly bits are raised (embossed), right? I've tried those. Not the same. At the moment, I'm trying to get back into Jimmy Dunlops, simply because you can ALWAYS find those.

[theTragicRich]

I usually wear them down alot before I switch... I'm just lazy like that even though I buy my picks by the box (144 in a box if I recall).

 

I use Dunlop Tortex, the orange ones (forget the gauge), but I am thinking I want to try the nylons out. I keep hearing great things about them.

[Gifthorse]

I lose them usually. You know picks are always in circulation, like lighters for you smokers.

 

You drop a pick and it somehow finds its way underneath your neighbors couch.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

I lose them usually. You know picks are always in circulation, like lighters for you smokers.

 

I used to be like that, but then I got myself a small lozenges tin to keep the picks in. I've practically stopped losing them.

[Strategery]

I use medium picks and pick with the fat end.

They don't wear out too often.

 

The damn THINS would split at the drop of a hat.

 

Haha...at first...I thought this was an Anti-abortion thread.

 

Randy

[Greg B.]

Try these, Vince.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Surepick-Grip-5Pack-Guitar-Picks?sku=110971

 

The little swirly bits are raised (embossed), right?

 

Yep, those are the ones.

 

BTW, I like your lozenge tin idea, I'll have to find one of those. I use a little plastic container that only holds about 10 or so, and it is a complete b*st*rd to get opened. Usually it pops opened like a stubborn bag of chips and there are picks everywhere. Thanks for the idea! Well, got to go now, I have to think about who I'm going to vote for on the best guitarist poll!

[smirk]

I use the fat end too, got it from Steve Morse.

 

Mine last forever I lose them before they wear out but I'm using the fattest delrin Dunlops, the 1.5s, you just can't break them.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

It is going to depend upon the kind of picks that you use. I don't like most pick, like Fenders... as the warm up they flex, and that bothers me but it lengthens the pick life. I started using Gibsons in the 80s... harder pick which does not flex, but because of that it wears down.... little black shavings all ovcer the guitars...

 

I swicthed to Tortex Gator Grips or ProGrips, but my most recent happiness comes from the Ultex picks. I like them a lot, though I'd like to see some other gauges. I got pretty used to the just under 1mm of the others, so the 1mm feels a little heavy.

 

I have a bunch of other picks, but those are my go-tos. I used stone picks in the 70s, but they chew up the strings, they break when you drop them, and they are real slick to start with, and it was always hard to find one thin enough. I have a stainless steel pick one of the guys from Def Leopard gave to me, but that chews up strings, too.

 

There was a time when ZZ Top used quarters flattened on the railroad tracks. Always meant to try that....

 

Bill

[The Geoff]

I'm sure I've still got 1 or 2 'well-rounded' ones I used in the 60s. I usually don't drop or loose picks, or plectrums, as we call 'em here.

 

G.

[ThisSiteSucks]

Fender Extra Heavy. Switch edges when on side gets worn and pitch pick when other side is worn. Go through a couple a month

[MILLO]

Not sure. I do file and polish them w/ nail files and buffers, so I "extend" their life. But I almost never play electric these days--mostly to teach...

[blueross]

Do you wear it down until it looks like a equilateral triangle with rounded corners?

 

I START with the equilateral triangle. I use the big Dunlop triangle picks, .73mm. I got about 400 a few years ago with my band's logo on them. It's about time to reorder, come to think of it.

 

Re the lozenge tin idea: i have a couple of Fossil watch tins that I use. One on my desk, one in my gig-bag-o-tricks, so I can always find them. The one on my desk is full of used picks that I'm always pulling and putting back, so no one pick gets used too much all at once. I toss them when they lose shape, either by warping or wearing off the tips. But the great thing about the triangles is that you have 3 tips to wear away.

[fantasticsound]

I've had my current picks for 40 years but I've only played 'em for 32... (Yes, Virginia.. I rarely use picks that aren't physically connected to my fingers. )

 

I've played all kinds of picks and, being the anti-rock guitarist (not the music, just not like most rock guitarists) I find all those picks you guys lose and rarely lose one myself.

 

I've had to use something a bit bigger than a throat lozenge tin. Actually, my favorite container for carrying a few picks (which I use occasionally for mandolin, twelve string or electric guitar) are mini Altoid's boxes. They're slightly wider than a standard pick and twice as long. The depth allows easy storage of 10 or 12 typical picks and fits easily in your pocket or case storage with your strings and winder.

 

Here's a sample of my collection...

 

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1866/p91300361lb.jpg

 

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1222/p91300304cn.jpg

 

This is a weird one I found... don't remember where, though.

 

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/8052/butterfly15rx.jpg

 

 

[Powerslave214]

That "weird" one that you found is made by a company called Butterfly Picks.

 

I got a bunch of Ultex Jazz III's a few months ago, and I don't think they're going to wear out anytime soon. Best pick I ever played with, by far. Same as the regular Jazz III's, but the material also makes for a better grip.

[The Bear Jew]

I dislike the thin picks--they just bend wayy too much, and they feel like paper in my hands.

 

I actually pick fairly hard (duh), so I like very heavy picks for both bass and guitar. I also have about a gross of heavy matte black picks with my old band logo on them. I rarely lose them, so I tend to keep them around for a long time--I have some that look like circles. I have picks sitting on most flat surfaces around my amp in the studio. Every once in a while, I'll switch over to a new one. I can pretty much use any of them--even the really worn-out ones--as long as there's a bit of edge left. I pretty much cover the entire pick with my fingers when I play, so there's only a tiny bit of pick exposed.. I just need that little "beak" of pick to stick out.

 

Luckily, I don't worry too much about transporting them around--I usually have at least one pick in my pocket, and I have a row of about 12-15 picks double-stick-taped to the front of my amp. Consequently, I'm rarely searching for a pick onstage.

[fantasticsound]

I'm sorry, Powerslave214, I should've said I found it and bought it... not on the ground. Yeah, it's a Butterfly pick and I just remembered where I bought it and why it slipped my mind. It was a tiny hole-in-the-wall guitar store that used to be right next door to my father-in-law's house. They rarely had anything of real interest but they had these weird picks.

[miroslav]

I dislike the thin picks--they just bend wayy too much, and they feel like paper in my hands.

 

I on the other hand have always been a thin pick user. I'm trying right now to get more into a medium pick.

 

For a lot of up/down picking technique...I just find the thin picks more useable, as I do not need to loosen the grip on the pick to get have that quick/flowing up/down motion. Especially for strumming chords.

With the heavier picks...I find you have to let the pick float a little more in-between your fingersbut then you dont have a sure grip on it.

When I need some firmness out of a thin pick...I just bend it a bit by pressing on it with my thumb and pushing it down between my index and middle finger.

And/or I will choke up on itor sometimes tilt it on its edge if I want more string harmonicsetc.

I can just get a lot more versatility out of a thin pick than a medium/thick one.

 

These days I'm mostly using the Clayton picks...and their Ultem Gold is my favorite pick. In a .46mm it's actually heavier than say a Fender thin. It's more of a light-medium.

I've been trying the Ultem Gold .56mm which is a nice, medium pick, and I think that's about as thick as I will ever go. The thicker .56mm gets a slightly different tone out of the strings.

 

I've tried those 1.0mm and heavier picks that some guys use, and I just can't get the feel for them...just way to stiff for my taste.

[The Bear Jew]

I dislike the thin picks--they just bend wayy too much, and they feel like paper in my hands.

 

I on the other hand have always been a thin pick user. I'm trying right now to get more into a medium pick.

 

For a lot of up/down picking technique...I just find the thin picks more useable, as I do not need to loosen the grip on the pick to get have that quick/flowing up/down motion. Especially for strumming chords.

With the heavier picks...I find you have to let the pick float a little more in-between your fingersbut then you dont have a sure grip on it.

When I need some firmness out of a thin pick...I just bend it a bit by pressing on it with my thumb and pushing it down between my index and middle finger.

And/or I will choke up on itor sometimes tilt it on its edge if I want more string harmonicsetc.

I can just get a lot more versatility out of a thin pick than a medium/thick one.

 

These days I'm mostly using the Clayton picks...and their Ultem Gold is my favorite pick. In a .46mm it's actually heavier than say a Fender thin. It's more of a light-medium.

I've been trying the Ultem Gold .56mm which is a nice, medium pick, and I think that's about as thick as I will ever go. The thicker .56mm gets a slightly different tone out of the strings.

 

I've tried those 1.0mm and heavier picks that some guys use...and I just can't get the feel for them...just way too stiff for my taste.

 

I get what you're saying here... The guys in my old band really loved thin picks because they played using many of the techniques you describe. They also didn't hit the strings very hard, for the most part. I'd grab one of their picks and feel like there was nothing in my hand.

 

I think part of the reason I prefer the heavy picks is because I really don't do any of the things you describe--I'm not much of a strummer. I rarely play full-neck chords. If I hit the strings hard (as I am wont to do) with thin picks, they just bend, and I find I have to think too much about playing rather than just simply playing.

 

I guess what I am saying is that, for some folks, there's a need for the pick to be like a Swiss Army knife, but, for me, I just need it to be a ball-peen hammer.

[Trucks]

1mm picks and above always felt better to me personally..

 

And to the original question.. I use my pick until I lose it.

 

Last time I bought picks I bought 30 of 'em.... I have about 3 to hand and 27 distributed about my house and work.. Possibly some also in the washing machine, I havent checked the filter in a while.

[miroslav]

If I hit the strings hard (as I am wont to do) with thin picks, they just bend, and I find I have to think too much about playing rather than just simply playing.

 

I guess what I am saying is that, for some folks, there's a need for the pick to be like a Swiss Army knife, but, for me, I just need it to be a ball-peen hammer.

 

Yeah...the one downside of thin picks is that they WILL crack at some point...even the Clayton Ultem Gold (which is supposed to be one of the more indestructible pick materials).

 

And that's another reason why I DO eventually use up my picks...whereas the guys with the thicker picks will have them last almost forever! :grin:

 

Since you like to hit the strings hard with a thick pick...do you find yourslef breaking strings ever when you do that?

[arneyz]

 

Haha...at first...I thought this was an Anti-abortion thread.

 

Randy

 

Haha I noticed that right after I posted the thread but decided to keep it hoping more people would check it out.

[Megiliel]

Neil- cool pic!

Everybody laughs at me 'cause I play with thumb picks. I had one for like a year before I finally retired it, but honestly, I don't remember why.

As far as normal picks go... well, after I broke one on the last chord of a song, I gave up on 'em.