Finger Picks

[MotorcycleMama]

I tried Alaska piks and didn't like them at all. I found them to be highly uncomfortable to wear. I have a set of Guptill ProPiks and I like them a lot. Go to www.guptillmusic.com to check them out. They feel like a more natural extension of my fingers than the banjo type picks. Because they don't stick out, you are able to strum effectively without getting the pick caught in the strings. I use the ones with the split wrap.

I like Fred Kelly Slick Picks for my thumb pick. The Fred Kelly Speed Pick is worth checking out too. Go to www.fredkellyspicks.com to check these out. It would be better if you could find a store that carries these picks to try them out because you have to order alot from Fred's website.

[Verisoph]

I tried Alaska Picks and they hurt like the dickens - maybe I just didn't use them properly. But ever since I discovered acrylics, broken and worn-down fingernails have ceased to be a problem. The glue-on tips are a little too thick for my tastes, and the bottom of the tips tend to hang up on the strings when strumming or doing rasgueados. So, I go to a hair salon (one that also does nails) where they put these forms that are much like an Alaska Pick onto my fingers and then apply an acrylic paste over my entire nail and out onto a form. In a couple of minutes, the paste dries, the forms are removed, and I've got long, strong nails! Most places charge two buck a nail, and they're usually good for at least a month.

[Timothy Lawler]

I use aLaska Piks sometimes. Despite hating their product's spelling, I love the picks. I have to fit them though and do it in three aspects... diameter, tip thickness, and tip shape. Diameter is what affects comfort... it's easily adjusted with hot water. I boil a pot of water, insert the pik for 5 seconds, and shape it to the diameter I want. I use a tapered wooden dowel I made with pencil marks on it at spots that match my index and middle finger thicknesses. Just slip the pick onto the dowel to the right spot, put it in the water, take it out and hold it straight on the dowel as it cools. If it's crooked at all when it cools, just do it again. Works great.

Tim

[ParleyDee]

I don't use finger picks but recently decided that as a back-up measure I'd better learn to use a thumbpick of some kind, as my thumbnail is the most damage-prone. I'd tried thumbpicks in the past and hated them all - couldn't get one small enough and the tangs were always way too long - but I recently discovered the metal and plastic ProPik, which comes in a size small enough for me, and surprisingly I was comfortable using it pretty much straightaway.

[Fngrstyl]

Originally Posted by jkillips

I chew my nails, which is a terrible habit, but while I continue my years-long struggle against that, I need to find another way to play.
Thanks,
Jason

I chewed mine for my whole life, until I got into Fingerstyle.. I used picks too, for awhile.. If you love your music enough... you can stop!!!

[Sugarlander]

Originally Posted by Timothy Lawler

I use aLaska Piks sometimes. Despite hating their product's spelling, I love the picks. I have to fit them though and do it in three aspects... diameter, tip thickness, and tip shape. Diameter is what affects comfort... it's easily adjusted with hot water. I boil a pot of water, insert the pik for 5 seconds, and shape it to the diameter I want. I use a tapered wooden dowel I made with pencil marks on it at spots that match my index and middle finger thicknesses. Just slip the pick onto the dowel to the right spot, put it in the water, take it out and hold it straight on the dowel as it cools. If it's crooked at all when it cools, just do it again. Works great.

Tim

Great idea Tim. Also, I found it more comfortable to round off the sharp edges that wrap around the finger and the sharp edge that goes under the finger nail. Clippers, file and emery sandpaper are tools that help not only get them to the correct playing length, but also get them comfortable.

My guess is that doing any molding or smoothing to customize them for themselves.