Picks

[NY Deadhead]

I can't believe how much a pick has over tone. I just got a tusq pick. It has made such a big difference in tone. Much brighter. I thing in just makes the notes more pronounced. Maybe not brighter, but better. I don't know if I'm explaining right. Very surprised.

[PajamasMusic]

Absolutely. Even quicker and easier than string selection, plectrum experimentation is one of the quickest ways to noodle with tone.

[woodenstrings]

Varied Picks are an Acoustic guitars Tone Control

[Dru Edwards]

Get a bunch of picks made of different materials and gauges and you'll easily hear a difference.

Where did you get the tusq pick? I've never tried one before.

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Be careful...there is no bottom to this rabbit hole!

Sincerely, a big Charmed Life Pick fan. Currently own The Blonde, a brown vespel, and a turquoise casein with grip holes. Have on order a flame and blue casein from them. I’ve put the rest of my picks away.

[Br1ck]

Originally Posted by LakewoodM32Fan

Be careful...there is no bottom to this rabbit hole!

Sincerely, a big Charmed Life Pick fan. Currently own The Blonde, a brown vespel, and a turquoise casein with grip holes. Have on order a flame and blue casein from them. I’ve put the rest of my picks away.

Truer words were never written. It starts with the reasonable Primetone, graduates to the fairly reasonable Wegens, then the fever sets in and you get into Blue Chips and Charmed Life picks. I've got another Charmed Life pick in the mail.

[sam.spoons]

Wegen Gypsy Jazz, Twins and Bluegrass picks for me, all the bases covered soundwise, they are easy to hold on to and they last forever.

[Gordon Currie]

Originally Posted by NY Deadhead

I can't believe how much a pick has over tone.

Probably more than swapping sets of strings!

Suggestion: with whatever pick you are using, experiment with spinning it around and using the 'shoulder' or the rear. You can easily get 2-3 sounds from ANY pick.

A related idea is to experiment with the ANGLE of the pick striking the strings. Once again, you can find more tonal variety without changing the pick.

There is a world of tone that can be obtained merely from grip and angle variations.

[guitararmy]

I have also been using the Tusq picks, both the white and ivory varieties.
Thel raised logo helps me hang on to them, and I like how they sound...

[Br1ck]

Anyone deciding to order a Blue Chip for the first time should order the 1R variant and get one rounded corner. It's like getting two picks in one.

I got my third Charmed Life casein pick today. The previous two were 1.2 ish, and have found homes on two of my acoustics. I felt they were too thin for mandolin so ordered a 1.4, the pick with holes drilled in it. It absolutely made the e strings on my mandolin come alive, and Scott said it was maybe the most flawless pick he's made in five years.

There are many things I like about my Blue Chips, but I've found the Charmed Life picks being played more and more. They give up something in all out power, but bring out a high frequency overtone that is not harsh, just added sparkle. So yes, it's another addiction. I spent about ten years resisting this price point, but I've caved. Wegens will always be in all my cases as backups, and the Wegen Dipper is still in heavy rotation. It is very subjective, and I believe those who have tried the pricey picks and gone back to something like a Primetone, but you can not discount them without a trial.

[sloar]

I’ve always used Fender or free picks. I just ordered a Bluechip and was really impressed.

[Frosted Gladd]

Yep. It’s a cheap way to get a range of tones out of one guitar. Vespel produces a very warm rounded and to my ears mid-thinned sound, great for strumming and keeping out the way of the vocal, whereas casein makes things jump off the fretboard. Primetone is darker than casein and nylon is darker again, but both are not as dark as vespel and have more mids

[Emil]

[rstaight]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

There is a world of tone that can be obtained merely from grip and angle variations.

Can't agree more. Doesn't work so much with a thumb pick but with a "standard" pick the dynamics you can achieve just by tightening your grip on the pick. It's fun to play around with.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

Truer words were never written. It starts with the reasonable Primetone, graduates to the fairly reasonable Wegens, then the fever sets in and you get into Blue Chips and Charmed Life picks. I've got another Charmed Life pick in the mail.

....... And then you find yourself going back down the food chain again and really loving some of the cheap mass produced picks that you missed the first time you climbed the ladder!

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

Probably more than swapping sets of strings!

Suggestion: with whatever pick you are using, experiment with spinning it around and using the 'shoulder' or the rear. You can easily get 2-3 sounds from ANY pick.

A related idea is to experiment with the ANGLE of the pick striking the strings. Once again, you can find more tonal variety without changing the pick.

There is a world of tone that can be obtained merely from grip and angle variations.

Very true. A pick in one player's hands will sound different to the same pick in another's.

The better the control that I'm getting, the more variety I get from any particular pick.