Guitar picks - which are best?

I usually play with just my bare fingers when I can and use a pick when I must. I'm sick of these plastic picks. They impart their horrible plastic sound into the strumming and picking. Now I want to use something that will not impart it's own imprint on the playing, or if they do, at least they add something good to the sound. I've been thinking about bone picks and buffalo horn picks but I don't know which to try, or maybe something else altogether. I'd like some suggestions on what to try and how each particular option sounds and feels.

[bancika]

brace yourself, Blue Chip posts are coming

Bone is very very bright and (as expected) stiff. Horn is warmer sounding and stiff (won't flex) but not rock stiff like bone. I don't know if you like your pick to flex. Every material sounds different. If you like warmer sound, celluloid may be a good candidate.

Equally as important as material is the shape of the pick, thickness and how the tip is shaped and beveled. I can't tell you what's right for you. I like small and pointed picks without too much of a "speed bevel". It reduces contact with the string and speeds up picking but less energy is transferred into the string.

one of my favorites



and here's wegen pick with a bit of a speed bevel added



jazz III ultex that I modded to have the tip and bevel to my liking

[Malcolm Kindnes]

I am mostly a fingerpicker but have tried lots of different picks, including Blue Chip, and prefer Wegen above all others. However, it's such a personal thing, you really have to try a few. I find Wegen to give a warmer, fatter tone than Blue Chip, but that may not be what you want.

[Mr Bojangles]

Everyone has their own opinion on picks. I have amassed an obscene amount of picks over the years, but keep going back to celluloid extra-heavy Fenders. I particularly like the rounded triangle shape after they have worn down some, and they last forever. YMMV...

[HHP]

If you don't use a pick regularly, might be better to spend some time on technique. Wrist, hand position, grip, and stroke make a big difference in sound. So does the pick itself but it isn't a magic bullet.

[pfflyer55]

Dunlop Ultex 60ml-73ml Standard shape are my favorites. They make little noise when strumming hard and when flat picking there is no noise at all. They also stay relatively straight in your fingers so when you sweat they do not slip. I have a tendency to hold my pick loose and these do the trick. When I want a blended sound I use Dunlop nylon 60-73 ml, they have a raised grip and they sound soft for light strumming. Hope this helps.

[Big-Al]

I've tried a lot of picks, but keep coming back to Fender medium celluloid picks. I just like the way they sound and feel, but that's what I've used for 20 years or more. The only other pick I use right now is the Jim Dunlop nylon in .88mm thickness. It imparts a little less pick noise.

I strum more than I flat pick, so maybe I've got it wrong. There are a LOT of picks available, so there must be a LOT of individual preferences.

[Wolfram]

Originally Posted by Dominus Mortem

I'm sick of these plastic picks. They impart their horrible plastic sound into the strumming and picking. Now I want to use something that will not impart it's own imprint on the playing, or if they do, at least they add something good to the sound.

Well, our PRECISION : STRIKE picks are made from 1mm thick hand-polished tungsten carbide, and sound like nothing else!



The core tone is very rich and smooth - the edge is precisely radiused and polished to a microscopically smooth finish so there is almost zero string drag. There's a slight rim around the edge which, along with the near diamond hardness of the carbide, gives the pick a really strong attack (there are two versions - one with a sharper rim for more attack, optimised for driven electric guitar, and one with a smoother profile optimised for acoustic).

The flat sides have a brushed finish that gives just the right amount of friction for a secure grip. Overall they weigh 8 grams each (many times more than any plastic or other metal pick - tungsten carbide weighs twice as much as stainless steel), which gives them a real luxurious feel, great controllability and doesn't detract from the speed of the pick because of that extreme low-friction edge.


Oh, and being made from tungsten carbide, they will never, ever scratch or wear out.

Overall, I would characterise them as bringing a warmth of tone similar to fingers, with the attack adjustable with playing style from soft to metallic 'clink'. Is this the kind of tone and response you're after?

Very new product, and I had great interest at the London Acoustic Guitar Show this year.

[guitararmy]

Perhaps it's not the material but the thickness of your pick that is giving you that plastic tone.

I use either medium fender picks or heavy plastic Elderly picks and haven't noticed much of a plastic tone...

I've tried the ivory tusq picks but prefer the Fender 351's (mine are pink so I can find them when I drop them)

[KYDeadhead]

Originally Posted by bancika

brace yourself, Blue Chip posts are coming

He did ask what was best........ If the goal is lack of pick noise, I've found Blue Chips to be the absolute best. If you're looking for less expensive options, I'd recommend Dunlop Ultex, John Pearse Fast Turtle, and Dawg picks( if you don't mind them not having a point).

[dhodgeh]

I just went through about five different brands of picks, in including Dunlop Ultex, Clayton Ultem, Wegen, Blue Chips and a couple of other that I cannot recall at the moment.

My favorite of the bunch is the Dunlop Ultex (both 1.14 and 1.4), followed by the Blue Chip TD50. To my ears, and on my guitars, the Dunlops have a bit of extra crispness and clarity that I like. I also find that they have a bit less pick noise than the Blue Chip.

The Clayton and the Wegen were both way too bright for my taste.

YMMV

D

[wcap]

I've not yet tried the Blue Chip picks (or many of the others), but I'm quite fond of the Wegen bluegrass picks (the ones with the holes in them). I get a much better sound with these than with any of the less expensive options I have tried.

[AmericanEagle]

Planet Waves Surepick Grip Guitar Picks

[Pheof]

Dunlop Ultex 1mm are the best picks.

[DjFuzzyMcPickle]

I 2nd the Dunlop Ultex and gravity picks. PERSONALLY speaking I PERSONALLY find the blue chips a pile of hype and expense that just doesn't justify.

I also agree that technique, thickness etc have as much to do with 'sound' from picks as anything else. To ME after trying them, Blue chip are like buying 80$ strings...I PERSONALLY just don't get it!

Dunlop Ultex: .75-1.00 each
Gravity's best: 5.00 - 7.00 each
Blue Chips: 35.00-50.00 EACH

I still have yet to hear of any major performer, local band or any of the top local musicians / guitarists that i've known in the Twin City music scene (over 30 yrs with friends in that scene who are in some of the best local bands) who have ever believed these were worth 35+$....but I guess some on this forum 'believe' they are and can actually 'HEAR' that difference. So if you believe in the 'so it is written, so it shall be' and want to drink the kool-aid, spend away. But if it were me, I'd invest in 5-6 different wegan's, Gravity or other midlevel picks and maybe a handful of the Dunlop ultex's (personally I like the 1 mm for both flat-picking general strumming). all for the price of Blue chips cheapest....with shipping!