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  #1  
Old 04-26-2004, 12:13 PM
shane shane is offline
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Default "A light pick wont get you anywhere"

thats what someone said to me earlier... i dont quite understand. people already think of me as a very good guitarist, and while im nothing incredible, i dont think that pick gauge has anything to do with how good you are. if you can handle it what does it matter?
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Old 04-26-2004, 12:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shane
thats what someone said to me earlier... i dont quite understand. people already think of me as a very good guitarist, and while im nothing incredible, i dont think that pick gauge has anything to do with how good you are. if you can handle it what does it matter?

I don't know what he means by it, by I find that a light gauge pick doesn't give me as good of a tone as a heavier one. With a lighter pick, I hear more of the "friction" between the pick and strings, and less of the actual string tone. The light pick doesn't make the string vibrate as much, so you don't get a full tone. Could be just me though. Others might sound better with light ones. I don't know.
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Old 04-26-2004, 12:25 PM
patriot patriot is offline
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You should use what feels comfortable to you. A thinner pick will have a brighter sound when plucking the strings. I use a thinner pick when I want to get that jangly sound from my acoustic. Otherwise, I always use a heavy dunlop pick. Small, and looks like an eyedrop or something like that. Alledged to be better for speed picking although I don't have much chops in that area myself and easier for me to hold onto without the pick spinning sideways in my hand as I am playing. Boy do I need to work on my technique or what?
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Old 04-26-2004, 12:27 PM
JedimasterPaul JedimasterPaul is offline
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I use a lighter pick when I'm playing chord, at church for example. It gives me a brighter sound that cuts through.

When I'm flatpicking (which is admittedly not very often) I use a heavy pick.
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Old 04-26-2004, 12:29 PM
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Well, whoever, "someone" is, it doesn't sound like they were being critical of your skills as a guitarist. It sounds like they were suggesting you would find increased potential for further success by pulling a different tool (i.e., medium or heavy pick instead of a thin pick) out of the toolbox.

My experiences with thin picks are similar to ELK's. When I use a thin pick, whether for picking or strumming, the transient (that percussive sound when the pick first hits the string) seems more pronounced in relation to the ringing that follows.

With medium picks, the volume of the transients seems more appropriate in comparison to the volume of the ringing.

For me, the tone I get with medium picks is much more preferable to the tone I get with thin picks.

There's nothing wrong with preferring thin picks. But if you haven't tried other sized picks in a while, give it a try just to hear and feel what the differences are. The more tools in your toolbox that you're skilled at using, the better musician you'll become.
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Old 04-26-2004, 12:34 PM
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I used light and medium picks for a long time, then a friend talked me into trying a Heavy -- I've never gone back... I heartily recommend trying the heavier gauge picks -- I was pleasantly surprised by them.
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Old 04-26-2004, 12:43 PM
thisisbrianly thisisbrianly is offline
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I personally won't play with anything but light gauge picks...I just love the definition they give and I am willing to sacrifice some volume for it...
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Old 04-26-2004, 12:43 PM
nate nate is offline
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I have almost always (8 years of playing) used a light gauge pick because of aggressive or "percussive" strumming.
Last week, however, a friend handed me a THICK pick and I used it for a couple songs that I do a lot of flatpicking on. WOW the tone was monstrous compared to what I usually get from my thinny. Now, I won't be using the BIG pick for every song. Some songs I need the thin one for fast and aggressive strumming (the thick pick would probably break more than one string) but I have been introduced to a whole new sound.

What thicknesses would flatpickers recommend?
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Old 04-26-2004, 01:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nate

What thicknesses would flatpickers recommend?
I use either the old, reliable Fender Medium or the Dunlop Tortex that is just a little heavier than the Fender (I don't remember the number in mm.)
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Old 04-26-2004, 05:23 PM
Pipsqueak Pipsqueak is offline
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Personally I don't like the "slap" of the pick when they hit the strings.

I end up using a .60 Ultex 99.9% of the time.
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Old 04-26-2004, 05:38 PM
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I think you can drive yourself insane chasing whatever everyone else is doing... there are just too many variables in attack and style to generalize what "is good" and "what isn't." Whatever you are comfortable with and gives you the tone you're after is the best pick/string/action for you.

FWIW: I use Dunlop .50mm, but I choke down on them and pick with the rounded shoulder rather than the pointed tip. That's what I like, but it might not be for everyone. Ain't it great to have choices?
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Old 04-26-2004, 07:33 PM
meridian meridian is offline
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Depends on the guitar and the tone I am after.

I always used medium picks until I tried heavy picks with my Taylors and liked that. I recently bought a couple of light picks and while they have their use, it just confirmed my feeling that medium picks are best for me.
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Old 04-26-2004, 08:35 PM
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i use the red tortex. i think its .50, its pretty thin for sure.
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  #14  
Old 04-27-2004, 09:42 AM
beach bob beach bob is offline
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Green Dunlops for me (I think that's like .88 or .92), or even the purple ones that are even thicker. I never liked that clicky sound you get from a thin pick, & mediums still seem too floppy to me. Acourse I'm all about volume or actually it would be more accurate to say efficiency. I just find I get more sound for the stroke (pardon the expression) w/ a heavier pick. Not often will I be playing strictly a strum; I'll try to do coloration w/ picking around the chords in support of the tune, so the thicker pick seems better for this. & I also use the round shoulder part like Randal does; somtimes I'll choke down on the shoulder so I'm hitting the strings w/ both the fingers and a bit of the pick, if I need a softer strum sound. Probably just another bad habit of the self taught
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Old 04-27-2004, 10:06 AM
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As others have said, it depends entirely on your style and the kind of music you're playing. I can see how a heavy pick is good for flatpicking, but for strumming I always go with a light one because I don't want to overpower the lead. I also like the increased flexibility I get with a light pick. My main pick is a Dunlop Nylon .060 (light gray) but I'll go a little heavier if I need more volume and/or a fatter tone.
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