thrashing the pick

  • Thread starter Thread starter Montra
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You guys are breaking "medium" picks? Are you kidding me? How long are you using them for before they break? Damn, and I thought I played hard. I've never had one break. They wear out and look all deformed, but then I only use the same pick for about a month or so. Buy a gross of mediums and just change them when they go!

I use the standard Fender "mediums". I tried the tortex a long time ago and hated the way they change their shape. The tortex is too soft a material and it changes into the shape of your finger. I hate that.
 
I think our tastes evolve - when I first started playing (1970! What happened?) I used Fender thin picks almost exclusively, and they always broke. I had tried mediums, heavy, and so forth. I kept on trying the newest gadgets, like variable gage picks, but they never clicked with me. Then I seemed to be using Fender mediums all the time, for years.

Now I play a lot more fingerstyle (no picks whatever), bluegrass and swing runs than I used to. When I do use a pick, it is likely to be a Fender heavy, because they are consistent, controllable and quiet. I have never broken one, although they can get a ragged edge in one evening, so I've always got a pocketful. I've stopped looking at the new stuff.
 
I used to go through Fender mediums fast because they would crack. I switched to Dunlop Gel picks-Medium, the purple ones, and they never seem to wear out. I've been using the same two picks for my electrics and acoustic for over a year and they still seem brand new. I've got bags of them....a lifetime supply.
 
hey guys, yeah umm it says 1.44mm on my pick, i guess that would be a fender heavy or extra heavy, the metal picks are kewl, but i do know that most of the metal
picks suck, i mean that, there were only a few good metal picks put out about 15 years ago (george lynch back for the attack album by dokken...listen to mr scary or sleepless nights if you want to hear that pick sound), now, even back then it seems as though some company started on the band wagon and took over the market, and personally i thought they were crude. i'll give some extra heavy thought to the tortex..as mentioned. wide awake, does the dunlope gel picks kinda slippery feeling?, i think that i remember that,,,,i would rather have more of the torex feel but have the lasting ability of he dunlop picks u use. ahhh the quest is on!!! to a couple of other posts up there....i am just wearing out the point of my picks really fast, not actually breaking them, i do hit really hard (when needed for dynamics) and i guess that wears the point out really fast, gotta have dynamics right!!!! peace people
 
The Dunlop Gels don't slip in my hands but you would have to try them and see for yourself. The Tortex are probably less slippery....I use the Tortex .73mm (yellow) on bass guitar.

Picks are such a personal thing. I don't play very hard so what works for me might not work for someone else. I also use light gauge strings too.
 
Aluminum picks:
For a while I switched to aluminum picks. Unfortunately, those also got eaten by extensive playing. Also, they leave a thin film of aluminum filings on your fingers after playing for a while.


Steel picks:
Also used these for a bit. They are great in that they are relatively thin and extremely stiff for good accuracy. However, the steel picks chew up strings like they are a light snack.


Tortex:
Current picks. Purple or blue. Nice and stiff. Still get eaten. Good thing picks are cheap.
 
I use Fender picks, Extra Heavy, the sorta rounded / triangle shape. I bought about 40 of them years ago and have not worn through them all yet. However when I don't have a pick handy I have been known to use a quarter.

Strangely, while I use heavy picks on electric guitar, I get along fine with thin or medium picks when playing steel-string acoustic (which isn't very often). Just different style, or incompetance.
 
Back a few years ago, I found some picks made of teflon. Those things wear like iron. They are thick on one end and taper to a point. They lasted for years, but I lost them! I haven't seen any since.
 
I just buy a shitload of pics and play with a different one every day.....

They're all the same thickness... keeps from picks wearing down.

(Ever light a thin pick on fire? its pretty crazy)
 
I think I'll try Hixmix bone for my next set of picks. Hixmixes are so hard headed, I don't think picks made from Hixmix bone will ever break. :D

The reason for the 1/8" picks is a flatpicking bluegrass thing. I need a pick that doesn't flex when playing fast runs and crosspicking. It aslo important that it doesn't flex when playing chords. The next big reason is for volume. I use 13's and need a pick strong enough for strings that large-------if you have ever played against a quality banjo without any amplification you'll know what I mean. Damn loud ass banjos. Also with a thick pick, I can get a better grip and reduce pick noise. That seems like a little thing to be concerned about, but pick noise is very loud when you are crosspicking and playing runs on the wound strings.
 
I've been using Dunlop nylon picks for years - usually get the .60 and .73 mm, and have never had them wear out. I imagine I don't play as much as others might, but after many hours of playing daily, they will just get a bit ragged on the edge of the pick.


I usually go out and buy about 10 at a time - over the last 10 years or so probably have bought about 500 picks and lost them all, however, when it came time to move out of my house a year or so ago, I thought to myself I would find all these hundreds of picks I had lost and be set for a long time. I think I found ONE! - they must all end up in the same place the "other" sock goes when it gets lost in the dryer. A sort of "pick heaven" ?

- Brian
 
hey sonic misfit, i think i got some teflon pans around maybe i'll get out the pick cutter and make some lol,
yeah daddy-O i'm tryin to get the flatpicking down with steel strings i'm using 12's but think i need to go thicker because of the string breakage, i usta play all the widdle widdle stuff like wingy malmsteen, was real good at playing electric style, but sucked when i did my first country duo.....i still suck but.....i'm always over playing so i can get a good connection with string and pick, it helps with my synchronization and dynamics (when i lighten up) i want that whole wolf note sound, that open string sound when i'm not playing an open string...u know what i mean, that's where the pick wearing out real fast comes into play..maybe it's a simple as like others up there are saying,,,,,picks r cheap and just have tons of em!!!!! anyways, peace people.
 
wah...?

...I can't imagine using anything but medium picks...how could a HEAVY be too thin?...how do you guy's play your guitars?? and hoof and turtle picks? bah! I had no idea...::puzzled:: I've NEVER had a pick break on me in my entire life...and I play heavily and aggressivly at times...i've DROPPED them before, but they've never BROKEN...I had no CLUE these kind of problems even exsisted...I have to go sit down now...
 
Man, ya just gotta join the bleeding fingers club. I tell ya...:D
 
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