What are some of your least useable picks?

[flaggerphil]

I bought some felt picks to play my ukulele and they're absolutely unusable.

[TDavis]

I bought some carved wood pics a year or so ago because they sounded like they’d be cool. They are basically unusable. I also bought some pics a few years ago that have a rubber “gripper” covering the upper bout of the pick. They’re even worse.

I’ve come down to some plain old nylon Jim Dunlop picks that are consistently good...and one Blue Chip pick that is amazing, but is wasted on a player of my lower ability.

[caperrob]

Originally Posted by Ozarkpicker

I bought some carved wood pics a year or so ago because they sounded like they’d be cool. They are basically unusable. I also bought some pics a few years ago that have a rubber “gripper” covering the upper bout of the pick. They’re even worse.

I’ve come down to some plain old Jim Dunlop picks that are consistently good...and one Blue Chip pick that is amazing, but is wasted on a player of my lower ability.

I am glad I read this reply as I almost ordered some Fender Mojo's last night. I had a few beers though and ordered some pickboys that I definitely do not need

[Robin, Wales]

These 3 are my least favourite:

Dunlop "Americana": Way, way too much pick noise. It clicks and clatters all over the shop.

John Pearce Fast Turtle: Lovely casein material, awful shape. I'm going to re-shape this one to see if adding a bevel and rounding the tip will help.

Tusq 1mm Dark Grey triangle: Awful, scratchy sound; tone too bright (despite this supposing to be the mellow version). Destined for the bin.

[ApolloPicks]

I agree that the John Pearse Fast Turtle picks have an odd shape. Lovely material, but a bit strange to use. That would be toward the top of my list of unusable picks, based on shape alone. They do sound nice though

[Dru Edwards]

MC1, I like your Canada Flag picks. I'm guessing I wouldn't enjoy playing that "storm trooper" pick (pick on the far left).

My least useable picks now are the sub .60 mm picks.

[sloar]

My daughter has a First Act pick that about the size of my hand.

[FrankHudson]

I'm nutty about picks. I have a lot of them, tried a lot of them. Use a bunch of them. Some picks types I've only used a few times, but I like what they did that day on that instrument, for that aim.

One pick I've tried and can't find a use for: the Dunlop Big Stubby. Conceptually it might work: the dimple should help grip. I'm not adverse to thicker picks. It may be the material. It just never sounds good to me, and I've even had it rotate when trying to use it, as a single round dimple isn't enough to keep that kind of movement from occurring for me.

I've never been able to use the small, sharp teardop "Jazz picks" Hard to get a consistent non-moving grip there too. In theory the sharper point would offer an alternative sound, but the way they handle in my hand doesn't work for me.

In the OP's rogues gallery I love the rubber picks for bass. As mentioned up-thread, close to bare flesh sound without the painful blisters I get when I play too much bass without a pick.

And I was interested to see the Gibson Tri-Pick in that picture. I bought a box of them at a warehouse sale maybe 40 years ago or so. Interesting idea in that in theory you could use all three different thicknesses while playing one piece, just by rotating the tips, What also is interesting about them, and what makes them not work for a lot of people or aims is that it's made of very soft and flexible nylon type of material. Even the "heavy" is about a flexible as a yellow Tortex as I recall, and the thin is very flexy and gets more so when it warms up. But if one wants to get that thin, feathery strumming sound it can work like nobody's business.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

These 3 are my least favourite:

Dunlop "Americana": Way, way too much pick noise. It clicks and clatters all over the shop.

John Pearce Fast Turtle: Lovely casein material, awful shape. I'm going to re-shape this one to see if adding a bevel and rounding the tip will help.

Tusq 1mm Dark Grey triangle: Awful, scratchy sound; tone too bright (despite this supposing to be the mellow version). Destined for the bin.

I'm actually a little bit intrigued by the shape of that Fast Turtle, and not just because of the oxymoronic name. I wonder if the shape is suppose to give you two different picking points, of more pointy and one more round.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

I'm nutty about picks. I have a lot of them, tried a lot of them. Use a bunch of them. Some picks types I've only used a few times, but I like what they did that day on that instrument, for that aim.

One pick I've tried and can't find a use for: the Dunlop Big Stubby. Conceptually it might work: the dimple should help grip. I'm not adverse to thicker picks. It may be the material. It just never sounds good to me, and I've even had it rotate when trying to use it, as a single round dimple isn't enough to keep that kind of movement from occurring for me.

I've never been able to use the small, sharp teardop "Jazz picks" Hard to get a consistent non-moving grip there too. In theory the sharper point would offer an alternative sound, but the way they handle in my hand doesn't work for me.

In the OP's rogues gallery I love the rubber picks for bass. As mentioned up-thread, close to bare flesh sound without the painful blisters I get when I play too much bass without a pick.

And I was interested to see the Gibson Tri-Pick in that picture. I bought a box of them at a warehouse sale maybe 40 years ago or so. Interesting idea in that in theory you could use all three different thicknesses while playing one piece, just by rotating the tips, What also is interesting about them, and what makes them not work for a lot of people or aims is that it's made of very soft and flexible nylon type of material. Even the "heavy" is about a flexible as a yellow Tortex as I recall, and the thin is very flexy and gets more so when it warms up. But if one wants to get that thin, feathery strumming sound it can work like nobody's business.

Something 'bout these pick names. I used to have a Big Stubby too, and I think it was the hard plastic material and sharp edge (i.e. pointed bevel) that just didn't work for me. It didn't move on me, but was just too rigid.



I really like the small, hard Jazz picks. But not the pointy ones, the more rounded ones, like below. One of my favorite, even for strumming or comping. The pointy ones almost seemed to catch on the strings, if I recall correctly.



Again, good to know about those rubber picks. I'm sure when I bought them I had no idea what they were for, I just wanted to try them.

With the Gibson triple picker I find the shape odd to hold, as I like smaller, thicker picks. And really floppy isn't so great for me.

[ApolloPicks]

Originally Posted by mc1

I'm actually a little bit intrigued by the shape of that Fast Turtle, and not just because of the oxymoronic name. I wonder if the shape is suppose to give you two different picking points, of more pointy and one more round.

I think that was the idea.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by ApolloPicks

I think that was the idea.

I kind of like it in its unsymmetrical way. Of course, I've never actually used one. What about the shape makes it unusable? Does it feel funny between the fingers?

[bufflehead]

Teardrops. Especially teardrops that were free.

[ChrisE]

Is don’t like flimsy, flexy pics.

I was playing a gig once and a young man was just standing there staring the whole time. I didn’t realize at first that we was a special needs person (my apologies if that’s not the correct term).

When I took a break, he came up to me, pulled his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a guitar pick. A flimsy, flexy little orange guitar pick.

“Here!” he said. “Let’s trade picks.”

“Sure! That would be cool; do you play?” I said as I handed him one of my picks (1.14 purple).

He said he did and I took his pick (the kind of flimsy, flexy little orange pick that I hate), thanked him, and put it in my pocket.

He looked and me; he looked at my pocket. Then he looked at me again.

“Use mine!” he said.

“What?”

“Use my pick! Use it now!”

So I used that flimsy, flexy little orange pick that I hate for the rest of the set (or at least until he left).

[mc1]

Originally Posted by ChrisE

Is don’t like flimsy, flexy pics.

I was playing a gig once and a young man was just standing there staring the whole time. I didn’t realize at first that we was a special needs person (my apologies if that’s not the correct term).

When I took a break, he came up to me, pulled his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a guitar pick. A flimsy, flexy little orange guitar pick.

“Here!” he said. “Let’s trade picks.”

“Sure! That would be cool; do you play?” I said as I handed him one of my picks (1.14 purple).

He said he did and I took his pick (the kind of flimsy, flexy little orange pick that I hate), thanked him, and put it in my pocket.

He looked and me; he looked at my pocket. Then he looked at me again.

“Use mine!” he said.

“What?”

“Use my pick! Use it now!”

So I used that flimsy, flexy little orange pick that I hate for the rest of the set (or at least until he left).

That was nice of you, both to trade and use the fflop.

Although if I'm following, I believe you promised to exclusively use the fflop for the rest of your guitar playing days.