Pick longevity?

[rllink]

After a few years trying out picks and never playing one long enough to wear the printing off one, I settled on just the regular Fender Celluloid Heavy 351 shape. I like the red ones but that has nothing to do with the question. I play my guitar an hour to an hour and a half every day with very few exceptions. Sometimes twice a day if I'm really bored with nothing else to do. I've been using the same two picks since May. Do they ever wear out? I grabbed a brand new one today just to see. It sounded the same to me as the old one I've been playing. These picks are five bucks a dozen and I have two dozen of them. Is this going to be a lifetimes supply? Is there something I'm not doing right?

[Wade Hampton]

You get greater longevity out of celluloid picks than I do. You must be doing something right.


whm

[Robin, Wales]

I very much doubt that you are doing anything wrong. Pick wear will differ from player to player as we all have slightly different grips, attack angles and stroke paths across the strings. With is also why we all sound slightly unique, even when using the same picks.

Perhaps you have quite a flat angle of strike? And so naturally produce less pick wear on your celluloid picks than a player whose strikes more with the pick edge.

[Mr Bojangles]

I used to break a couple of celluloid picks weekly back when I was using Fender thins. Now I prefer Fender x-heavy picks, and have yet to wear one out after years of use.

[rampix]

The most I've ever seen on my picks is I've worn the logo and size letters off my Fender Heavies. Don't think I've ever worn one out.

Now Ritchie Havens may have...

[lowrider]

I like medium celluloid picks. I get the really large triangles and reshape them so I have three points that are just like a teardrop shape.

I get great grip with the large triangles, but for me, they wear pretty quickly.

[CityPickn]

For electric I've worn out the edge on Dunlop 1mm. I have a really slanted attack though. Acoustic I've used a Bluechip TP48 for over a year and besides some surface scratches there is no damage.

[Glennwillow]

My picks seem to last forever, but I may not use them enough to break them or wear them out. A few have broken over the years, but not very many.

- Glenn

[KenL]

I once got 20 years out of three green Mel Bay picks.

When my dog chewed up the last one, I switched to the red ones.

[mr. beaumont]

I don't think I've ever held on to a pick long enough to wear it out.

Whoever owns my house after I'm gone will likely find hundreds, somewhere.

[Deliberate1]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I don't think I've ever held on to a pick long enough to wear it out.

Whoever owns my house after I'm gone will likely find hundreds, somewhere.

Yep, pretty much sums it up for me.

David

[FrankHudson]

In my youth I'd break thinner Fender style 351 celluloid picks occasionally and I would definitely get noticeable wear on the edges. But I had a heavy attack and certainly used edges when picking.

Sometimes the edge wear would in effect be a "speed bevel," but because that pick material is fairly soft they degraded from that to just worn out. Around the turn of the century I started using Ultem/Ultex more and more and those never wore out or broke for me. Similar story with Tortex. Now I've moved on to adding casein and some other pick materials, and so far wear isn't a factor.

So, now it's careless loss or misplacement that decreases my pick supply.

[rmp]

I don't think they wear out. Unless you're doing the Pick Slide on the edge of the pick running down the string thing like shredders love to do.


The only really problem I have is when they go thru the wash and wind up coming out of the dryer a little warped. 1st world problem for sure.

[rstaight]

I use a variety of picks. They are all 351 style stating with the good old Fender Medium celluloid standby. Dunlop Tortex, and nylon. As well has nylon thumb picks.

I don't ever remember wearing one out. Lost plenty of them though.

[CityPickn]

Originally Posted by rmp

I don't think they wear out. Unless you're doing the Pick Slide on the edge of the pick running down the string thing like shredders love to do.


The only really problem I have is when they go thru the wash and wind up coming out of the dryer a little warped. 1st world problem for sure.

Well that explains why I get little ridges on my electric picks. All I play is Van Halen. I also tend to hop around while I'm playing and knock the picks taped to the guitar body off.