How do you use such thick picks?

[skimballc]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

I'll repeat something I believe I said earlier in this thread.

Dunlop will send you FREE PICKS direct from the factory, any model you want, including Primetones. All you have to do is call. The last person on AGF who did this got more than twenty picks. They even pay the freight!

Nice folks. Great products. Check it out!

Phone: (707) 745-2722

Try the Ultexes. Great picks. (Suggestion: Know what you want before you call, so you don't hem-and-haw on the phone with them.)

Hope this helps everyone here.

scott memmer

They seem to have a tighter policy, or maybe I didn't butter them up enough, but I was just sent 3 picks from them- 2 thumbpicks for steel guitar and a Primetone. I was told that they couldn't send both and Ultex and a Primetone, either or due to limited supplies. It's very generous of them regardless.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by skimballc

They seem to have a tighter policy, or maybe I didn't butter them up enough, but I was just sent 3 picks from them- 2 thumbpicks for steel guitar and a Primetone. I was told that they couldn't send both and Ultex and a Primetone, either or due to limited supplies. It's very generous of them regardless.

Thanks for the update. I've heard from a few folks recently that they indeed have cut back the program. Still, as you say, It's pretty darn generous. Maybe they saw my post(s) and are receiving too many dang requests lol.

I always feel a phone call is better than an email (to schmooze them and, as you say, "butter them up.") Still, as the younger members would say, "It's all good."

memmer

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by skimballc

They seem to have a tighter policy, or maybe I didn't butter them up enough, but I was just sent 3 picks from them- 2 thumbpicks for steel guitar and a Primetone. I was told that they couldn't send both and Ultex and a Primetone, either or due to limited supplies. It's very generous of them regardless.

That's interesting... they sent me probably at least 15 maybe 4-6 weeks ago. The lady was very polite, talked to me for a long time... very generous indeed!

[troystory92]

I was a Medium pick guy for a long time.

But when I play live, I strum really hard. The mediums would bend and sometimes break.


So I switched to heavy and I like the feel and sound more than I do with a medium or thinner pick.

[Shadowfox]

So after you guys persuaded me, I went and grabbed the Ultex 1.14mm. I also have had some really good tone with the Gator Grip 1.0. So now might get a pack of the gators to A/B.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by s2y

My main acoustic pick is this John Pearse dimpled bone pickup. It's really dang thick, but has a nice dimple in the center, which makes it about like holding a normal thickness pick. Love the sound.

I haven't tried the bone picks yet, but my favorite picks now are the dimpled John Pearse casein tort picks. HHP posted how to speed bevel a pick and I'm learning the nuances of doing so with many of my picks. The bevel really adds character to the fronts of the notes yet they retain the warmth of a the casein.

Originally Posted by tippy5

If you are playing a propelling (sorry i didn't go to Julliard) rhythm guitar with a fast tempo you don't want a thick pick. You want to use the flex of the pick in step with the cadence of the song.

Listen to WE Can Work it Out. Would you want a Wegen or a BC for that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nP-3qEz83Y or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJJ1NHY5o1Y

The more wrist you use the less you want a thick pick.

That being said I play so much thick pick this year that I can see it almost working.

Strumming quickly with a thick pick involves letting the pick pivot a bit , so not gripping it so hard. Also I will increase the angle to the strings so as to not kill off the shimmer on the downstroke. But yes, I use thin picks sometimes too, not necessarily to increase the speed I'm able to strum but the thinner pick gives that "playing card in bicycle spokes" effect adding a crisp attach sound and transparent chord tones. When I go on a gig I useally have 3 or 4 picks laid out and will choose the proper "tool" for the specific job.

[Johnny.guitar]

I've been experimenting with picks for a while tying to find something that can do it all....
On a whim I ordered a V Picks "snake" It's a 4.5 mm pick.
Thickest thing I've ever tried and surprisingly versatile,
It's very comfortable to hold
I can strum fast and hard as in Mumford & Sons and it just glides.
Picking solo runs is articulate and the tone blends really well for hybrid picking. In fact it's the best "pick" I've found for hybrid picking.
So. ..... it's not cheap although at 10$ it's not expensive compared to some. It's changed my playing for the better. I would definitely recommend trying a crazy thick pick!

[Archsas]

Recently, I got a blue Herdim pick to try out, and I've been enjoying it. I like the feel and warmth of thicker picks, but don't like the loss of brightness that can come with them, so I usually play .88 Tortex. The Herdims have a very interesting feel to them because they're thick (1.14mm), but are made of a softer nylon than most other manufactures seem to use, which gives them some flex. Because of that, they have many of the qualities I like about thicker picks, while still retaining most of the brightness of thinner picks. To me, it seems like an even better solution to the thin vs. thick pick dilemma than using a medium size like an .88 or .73.

These Herdims are mostly known because The Edge uses them, and they usually only seem to be on the radar of people who want to use the textured part to get the same chimey sound he does, but they're good for more than that. I expect some people wouldn't appreciate the flex they have (especially people who play thicker picks because they want no flex), but it works for me. When playing acoustic, I almost always use my fingers and tend to dislike how picks sound; so far, the Herdims have been the closest picks I've come across to the feel and sound of using my fingers.

[rlb9682]

Originally Posted by Mick's Goat Whiskey Picks

It can feel awkward at first but as soon as the light comes on you'll kick yourself for not switching to a thick pick sooner. You're likely used to keeping a firm grip on the thin pick and allowing the pick to flex on the strings so if you hold a thick pick the same way it's going to feel really stiff against the strings. The problem with this approach is that you have no control over how or when the pick flexes. With a thick pick, you relax your grip (it's not going to fall out, I promise) and let the pick flex in your fingers. You'll naturally start letting the pick move more when you need an airy sound and you'll grip more firmly when you need more bite. But the kicker is when you control the amount of flex with your fingers, the more control you have over your tone. It's be a light coming on experience like you got when you learned to palm dampen the strings and realized all the possibilities there.

I would have scoffed at this even a couple of weeks ago but since reading this post I thought "why not?" and have been trying a 2.0mm pick and at first I was not impressed but as you describe, the light came on and now I prefer the 2.0 over the 1.0mm that I've always preferred.

The thicker pick just seems to let me move along flatpicking quicker and more accurately. Even my wife noticed the first time she heard me flatpicking with the 2.0mm and she almost never listens to me play most times.

Anyway, I find that I don't have to hold the pick as tightly and use the flex, now I just use a light but firm grip and it's much easier on the picking hand for longer sessions.

Consider me convinced!

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Kerbie

That's interesting... they sent me probably at least 15 maybe 4-6 weeks ago. The lady was very polite, talked to me for a long time... very generous indeed!

I remember saying that, Kerbie, and that has always been my experience as well. I think I may have figured it out. Do NOT call the customer service 800 number. Those folks are most likely trained to be a little less generous with the samples. Instead, you want to call the general corporate number, then zero out or whatever to get a general operator. I was surprised, by each time I've done this the person on the phone right there said, "What do you want?" and immediately wrote down my request.

Do NOT call the customer service line. Instead, here is their direct corporate number:

Dunlop Corporate Phone: (707) 745-2722

Someone please report back.

good luck,
scott memmer

[Erik T]

Using any pick well demands control. Recently I've been to a few picking workshops. A bluegrass picker touted the benefits of a thick pick and the rest stroke when doing bass runs. A Gypsy jazz picker touted thick picks and the rest stroke when sweeping an arpeggio.

DADGAD players often like a lighter pick (Dunlop orange tortex is commonly used). I think they like what I call the "card-on-spokes" sound--the click that comes from the thwack of a pick bending as it goes through the strings then snapping onto the next string. A hard pick does not make this sound.

So much of pick choice, as pointed out by people talking about thick wood, or thick stone, or Wegen picks (my preference), or Blue Chip picks, depends on the sound you want to get with a pick. Get lots and really listen to the sound your guitar makes. They make a huge difference!

There is a very interesting pick out there called the Stylus Pick. It's a practice pick. The tip is a small cone. It trains one to not put the pick deep into the strings, but just use the tip. This can help develop control for speed no matter what pick you use for performance. You can see it here:

http://www.styluspick.com/

I have no connection to them other than I purchase them and use them for practice and have noticed the a difference in my ability to control those micro-movements.

[StevenL]

Originally Posted by s2y

My main acoustic pick is this John Pearse dimpled bone pickup. It's really dang thick, but has a nice dimple in the center, which makes it about like holding a normal thickness pick. Love the sound.

I got 3 of these in the Pearse Handful o Picks thing. Camel bone. I love the way they feel with the thumb dimple. One also has a groove on the other side which is pretty cool once you get used to it. These have a slight 'squeak' on the attack especially after they get warm (or mine do anyway). It's not a sound that I want in general but they are a great color in the sound palette. I grab one frequently just for that sound.

[Charmed Life Picks]

StevenL, interesting review. Will have to try some one these, thanks,

scott

[AndrewG]

I have dozens of picks and the fattest I have is a 2.00mm. It sounds great with a Telecaster and really smooths out the tone, but my acoustic guitars just sound dull, muted and uninspiring with it. I like a bright, snappy tone (absolutely hate Monel and those awful, dead 'retro' strings), and have no problem flatpicking accurately and fast with .88 Tortex, .96 Alice-brand equilateral triangle cellulose, and even .73 Tortex works fine. It's all about control, folks.

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

Nine times out of ten, anyone I've encountered having trouble with a thick pick has far too much of the pick extending past their finger/thumb. There should be no more than 1/8" of the pick exposed. Otherwise, it's like you said...hitting a clothes line with a plank.

I use a 1.5mm pick at minimum and usually much closer to 2.0mm. I like the darker tone and the control.

This is what I say to those having trouble using my preferred very light picks also. (Less tip equals more control irrespective).