Picks and Bevels

[AHill]

These are questions totally out of ignorance. I've never used a bevel on my picks. Never even heard of a speed bevel until joining this forum.

So, for those who play with a speed bevel, should the bevel be on the top (toward the low E) or bottom (high E) when playing?

Is the bevel on both sides of the pick like a knife edge or is it just on one side?

Is your pick contacting the strings along the bevel or at the point of the pick?

I use a triangular pick and I have always tried to contact the string at the apex of the pick.

[HHP]

Both sides are beveled. First, you bevel the edge of the pick that will contact the string on a downstroke. Then, you do the same to the edge that will strike a string first on an upstroke.

When finished, it should look like this in cross section



The edge should be more like a chisel blade than a knife. Finished, it looks like this

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, I've written loads on this rtecently because, like you the geometry of the picks I used didn't enter my repretty little head until , well ntil I discvered Blue Chps a few years ago.

Before that I used Martin Naturaltone No.4 351 style (teardrop) picks, (1.12m/m) and that was all I knew.

Then I started meeting lots of British and American bluegrassers who had been given BC picks on condition that they mentioned them on their websites.

I got a used one (ebay?) a TAD 346 style triangle, and saw it had bevels. I liked it, and I liked the large triangle shape.
I bought every triangle pick I could find to prove to myself that BC were a con.

I gave up and bought BC picks for all my instruments, but I also bought Wegen TF120s and 140s, which I also like and prefer on some guitars.

Only recently did I realise that some picks came with bevels and some didn't and that I could add a bevel to the unfinished products like Dunlop Tortex and Ultex picks.

Doing the work to finish them was tiresome but rewarding and I discovered that a poor pick (if over 1 m/m - you need the mass) could be made into a good one.

Note: with a 351 style there are SIX bevels to be cut ! - but it is generally worth it.

These are "purple Tortex - I hope you can see tat the bevels look like another triangle overlaid on the original shape.

The bevels add speed, smoothness - and clean attack - you hear the string - not the pick.

[HHP]

If you want to try this out, but not go to the trouble of making your own, you can buy Dunlop Primetone picks in a variety of shapes and thicknesses with the bevel already there. They run about $6 for a pick of three and are widely available.

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, yes, I know of Dunlop Primetones and, of course, I bought both types when they first came out - the dark brown ones were obviously a response to BCs.

The amber ones have a raised pattern which is good for grip, and the solid brown ones are, I think, harder material (one shattered when I tried to drill a hole in the centre).

Yes, they are finished. Yes the bevels are where they should be. They work.
I find the initial attack a little "clacky" but I have one as a spare in each pick box.

I'm on a mission, to explore this bevelling business, I realise that if I ever get my voice back, and back in front of an audience again, they'll never care nor hear the difference in my playing or my sound due to picks!

I've been pretty much house-bound since I finished my treatment in May - bored crazy even when the meds work, and this is something to explore.

Under normal circumstances, I'd be out playing, rehearsing, working on my fruit and vegetable plots, and enjoying summer pursuits with my long suffering wife - but I'm here, with drug and feeding regimens every two hours.

I'm waiting for a call from the hospital right now to confirm that I can go in for my "results" tomorrow.

[SprintBob]

Wishing the best for you SM. Your posts are always insightful.

[rokdog49]

One can also exaggerate the bevel as I have done here.
I found that for myself, they work even better.

[Goat Mick]

If you want to really experience the tonal effect of a bevel go buy a D'Andrea ProPlec triangle pick (very inexpensive and a different celluloid than other picks). Then take your wife's (or girlfriend's or mistress' or whatever you have's) emery board that she uses on her nails and sand a quick bevel on just one point. You'll need to bevel the side that strikes the strings on the down stroke and then the side that strikes the strings on the upstroke. Now play the unbeveled point a bit and it should sound really mellow and dull. Turn the pick to the beveled point and you'll hear a dramatic difference in tone. The beveled point will sound crisp and bright. Then you gotta decide which tone is best matched for your playing style.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Mick's Goat Whiskey Picks

If you want to really experience the tonal effect of a bevel go buy a D'Andrea ProPlec triangle pick (very inexpensive and a different celluloid than other picks). Then take your wife's (or girlfriend's or mistress' or whatever you have's) emery board that she uses on her nails and sand a quick bevel on just one point. You'll need to bevel the side that strikes the strings on the down stroke and then the side that strikes the strings on the upstroke. Now play the unbeveled point a bit and it should sound really mellow and dull. Turn the pick to the beveled point and you'll hear a dramatic difference in tone. The beveled point will sound crisp and bright. Then you gotta decide which tone is best matched for your playing style.

Furthermore, let's say you like the tone and feel of a certain pick but you are thinking, "maybe just a tad brighter" would make me happier, you can try that.

[JTFoote]

I'm a big fan of beveling. It can make an average pick sound much better, and good pick sound great. At least it does for me ... YMMV. It also makes a real difference in speed and accuracy, in additional to the sharper changes in tonal flavors that are available when deliberately varying the angle of the attack through the strings. Match this with a material that has a good balance and an appealing sound against the strings, and you're in like Flynn. IMHO.

... JT

[Lee Callicutt]

I enjoy a speed beveled heavy pick as much as anyone, I suppose, but I wouldn't discount a nicely round beveled pick of 1.14 to 1.20 thickness either.

[dankayaker]

Originally Posted by HHP

If you want to try this out, but not go to the trouble of making your own, you can buy Dunlop Primetone picks in a variety of shapes and thicknesses with the bevel already there. They run about $6 for a pick of three and are widely available.

I love the tone of these picks. Ordered a bunch of the brown (smooth) 3.0 thickness and am now using an emory board to make the bevel more seamless. More like a Wegan Gypsy Jazz.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Mick's Goat Whiskey Picks

If you want to really experience the tonal effect of a bevel go buy a D'Andrea ProPlec triangle pick (very inexpensive and a different celluloid than other picks). Then take your wife's (or girlfriend's or mistress' or whatever you have's) emery board that she uses on her nails and sand a quick bevel on just one point. You'll need to bevel the side that strikes the strings on the down stroke and then the side that strikes the strings on the upstroke. Now play the unbeveled point a bit and it should sound really mellow and dull. Turn the pick to the beveled point and you'll hear a dramatic difference in tone. The beveled point will sound crisp and bright. Then you gotta decide which tone is best matched for your playing style.

Had a go at D'andrea Proplec 1.5 m/m and it worked out OK. Tried another one this morning using a Dremel with a sanding disc ....the pick edge melted!

Went online to get some more - NONE available in the UK right now.

[lowrider]

What would you say is the minimum thickness for a pick before you want to bevel it?

[rokdog49]

Speaking only for me, no less than .80 bare minimum.