What is your #1 pick for strumming?

[Mezner]

I am really loving my Dunlop Primetone 0.73 smooth picks. Great for individual notes and strumming. Also quite enjoying my Herco "Holy Grail" flex 75s as well.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Boozehound

Dunlop Primetone .88 for me.

I like these, as well, but the D’Andrea medium-heavies are my top choice.


whm

[kizz]

I like the Dunlop primetone 1.0 grip.

[Mr Bill]

I've used nothing but Fender Mediums since the 70s - not for any particular reason other than I like them. Electric/acoustic/bass.

We had a band in the 70s that played clubs. The other guitarist and I bought a gross of Wabash Blues light picks, then used them with my Les Paul and his Telecaster. After about two years of playing, we had broken every one of them. We may have had heavy hands.

Although I may have the last one tucked in a guitar case somewhere. Surely we couldn't have broken all 144 of them.

[JayBee1404]

#1 is a BlueChip TD35. If unavailable, a Jim Dunlop Nylon Standard 1mm works fine. I like a bit of ‘warmth’ or ‘body’ in my tone when strumming, anything thinner than these sounds too ‘gutless’ to my ears, and celluloid is too ‘scratchy’.

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.

[Robin, Wales]

Ok. This is a really annoying thread for us pick geeks. In 15 of the answers so far posted it is not possible to identify the exact pick that the author is talking about. Ggggrrrrr....

For example, there are many different shapes of Primetone, Tortex, ProPlek, Gibson in all the thicknesses. And the shape has a huge impact on tone and playability. It is like saying that I play a Martin 18 series guitar but not saying if it's a D, 000, 00, 0 size. Most guitar picks shapes relate to the D'Andrea number system from the 1920s (351, 346 etc) Where they don't, manufacturers will use a specific name for that shape (such as Small Triangle).

So please give more detail so others, well me particularly, doesn't have to guess. I am really interested in what folks use to develop "their" tone. And the choice of pick is fundamental to the timbre folks produce.

[packmule]

Blue Chip TD35, though I've also been enjoying a 1.0mm Wegen Dipper that I rediscovered in a box of old picks, it's a little brighter than the BC pick.

[SpruceTop]

Guitar Moose .80 mm and Charmed Life Vespel .030"

[kizz]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Ok. This is a really annoying thread for us pick geeks. In 15 of the answers so far posted it is not possible to identify the exact pick that the author is talking about. Ggggrrrrr....

For example, there are many different shapes of Primetone, Tortex, ProPlek, Gibson in all the thicknesses. And the shape has a huge impact on tone and playability. It is like saying that I play a Martin 18 series guitar but not saying if it's a D, 000, 00, 0 size. Most guitar picks shapes relate to the D'Andrea number system from the 1920s (351, 346 etc) Where they don't, manufacturers will use a specific name for that shape (such as Small Triangle).

So please give more detail so others, well me particularly, doesn't have to guess. I am really interested in what folks use to develop "their" tone. And the choice of pick is fundamental to the timbre folks produce.

Two guitarists with the same model, pick/shape, strings, sitting in the same room playing the same tune, will have different technique and will sound different, so in the end the details really doesn´t matter do they ? It´s not the tool, it´s how we use it....

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by kizz

Two guitarists with the same model, pick/shape, strings, sitting in the same room playing the same tune, will have different technique and will sound different, so in the end the details really doesn´t matter do they ? It´s not the tool, it´s how we use it....

I think it does matter because every single pick I play sounds and plays differently. If I pick up my Dunlop Jazztone 207 I have a very different experience while playing than if I use a Fender celluloid 351 in medium gauge. My guitar sounds very different and the physicality of my playing changes.

I accept that you will sound very different to me if you were playing those two picks on the same guitar I was using. However, that doesn't change the fact that different picks sound and play differently in a player's hands.

These pick threads are not about finding the best pick for everyone (or we would all be using the same pick!) but about the choices that work for individuals. And what they do is give some ideas to other players of picks they may try. I come across a new pick to try out pretty much every time we have a pick thread on AGF.

[AndrewG]

TUSQ 1.00, 'bright' for dreads and 0.88 for concert and parlours.https://graphtech.com/pages/tusq-picks

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

TUSQ 1.00, 'bright' for dreads and 0.88 for concert and parlours.https://graphtech.com/pages/tusq-picks

Andrew, I find those Tusq picks really scratchy on the wound strings. I have the "deep" BA 1.00 large triangle with one rounded corner. It could be my natural angle of attack? What shape are you using in the "bright"?

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Ok. This is a really annoying thread for us pick geeks. In 15 of the answers so far posted it is not possible to identify the exact pick that the author is talking about. Ggggrrrrr....

For example, there are many different shapes of Primetone, Tortex, ProPlek, Gibson in all the thicknesses. And the shape has a huge impact on tone and playability. It is like saying that I play a Martin 18 series guitar but not saying if it's a D, 000, 00, 0 size. Most guitar picks shapes relate to the D'Andrea number system from the 1920s (351, 346 etc) Where they don't, manufacturers will use a specific name for that shape (such as Small Triangle).

So please give more detail so others, well me particularly, doesn't have to guess. I am really interested in what folks use to develop "their" tone. And the choice of pick is fundamental to the timbre folks produce.

Hi Robin, I think that the term "strumming" has skewed this thread a little as you will see that thus far most responses have shown a preference for very thin picks which are easy to use for basic strumming.

I have observed that as folk develop their styles, they tend to go for heavier and more precises picks.

FWIW, I regard picks of less that 1 m/m as light and picks 2 m/m and over as heavy. This is most certainly NOT reflected by the vague descriptions of many high volume pick brands.

I have long ago settled on two pick brands and equipped every pick box with them:
Blue Chip TAD (346 - large triangles) TAD 40 (1 m/m, TAD50 (1.25 m/m) and TAD60 (1.5 m/m)
Wegen TF120 (1.2 m/m) and TF140 (1.4 m/m)

Essentially for 000 and smaller guitars with light gauge strings - TAD 40. and for dreads, resos etc., with medium strings, - TAD 50 and my jumbo, with my RS Jumbo TAD60. Mandolin - TAD 50 3r.
My 12 strings seem to respond better to the Wegens.

I also have some well polished and beveled buffalo horn and some original TS picks of similar widths. in some pick boxes. Frankly I prefer the BCs.

I've made at least two YT videos about picks in the past and recently did a short (sigh of relief) video mainly for my own benefit comparing just the BC picks on two rather different flat tops.

I've just uploaded it as it might (possibly) be of interest to to others)



https://youtu.be/_-gP124rBGI

[rstaight]

For me it depends on the sound I feel good with that day. It may be the old standby Fender medium or Dunlop Tortex, the green ones, or Dunlop nylon anywhere from .7mm to 1mm.

But when I am using nylon it is usually Black Mountain thumb picks. Either medium or heavy.

But most of the time for strumming I don't use a pick. It's my finger nails on the down beat and my thumb nail on the up beat.

As you can see, no particular preference.

[Robin, Wales]

Great video Andy!

I still think that Vespel is too even across the strings when strumming (no scoop) and a bit "plastic" in tone. I like a bit more of a skim rather than a shout off the mids and trebles when strumming. BC picks are darn easy to use though, and great for individual note picking - it's just the strumming that they mess up - way too LOUD compared to the bass strike in boom/chuck. At least they are in my hands!

If that maple Waterloo ever needs a new home, you let me know.