What's the story with Wegen picks?

[zoopeda]

Help me understand the niche or value of Wegen picks. Specifically, I picked up the 1.4mm bluegrass Wegen the other day, and I'm just not getting it. I'm comparing to Dunlop Primetone and BlueChip picks, which are beautifully sculpted and rich in tone. The BlueChips are particularly perfect--from sculpture, to hand feel, to grippiness, to rich tone with minimal pick noise. These Wegens just seem really cheap and rough (even compared to the cheaper PrimeTones) with much more pick noise and a thinner sound. They do give a nice blended strumming sound, but I get that with thinner Primetones as well.

But they're so praised everywhere. So please. I've bought 4 of the Wegens and want to make good use of them. Help me understand their best applications. Thank you!

(In case it's relevant, I play a 12-fret Martin D-18--all kinds of musical styles.)

[sabatini]

Why waste effort understanding a pick? If you like something else better, use it.

[buddyhu]

Like you, I don’t much like Wegens. But I know Wegens have their fans...and some of those fans are experienced, discerning players.

[frankmcr]

I'm a fan.

You're not.

That's cool.

No explanations needed.

[zoopeda]

I'm not wanting to bash them. I'm wanting to understand how people use and like them. I WANT to appreciate this as a new tool in the box. And they're WAY cheaper than BCs. For those who like them, what kind of music do you play? What guitar? What style? What strings? What's the big benefit? (This is a GENUINE interest of mine. NOT wanting to stir trouble.).

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by sabatini

Why waste effort understanding a pick? If you like something else better, use it.

Because BCs are a zillion dollars a pick..

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by buddyhu

Like you, I don’t much like Wegens. But I know Wegens have their fans...and some of those fans are experienced, discerning players.

Yes. I hope these folks come out of the woodwork to explain.

[Tnfiddler]

My Wegen 1.20 Bluegrass picks give my Bourgeois a sound and volume that my BC TD50 doesn’t. I blind tested it with my band members and between the 2 picks and a Primetome 1.4 Small triangle, they said the Wegen was the loudest and best sounding of the 3 EVERY time! If you don’t like them, I’ll be glad to take them!!��. I play Bluegrass and my Bourgeois is an Adi/mahogany combo. I usually have GHS Signature series bronze mediums but right now it’s got XT mediums on it.

[martingitdave]

There is a tone difference with the material and thickness of the Wegen bluegrass picks. Each material and shape has its own sound. It’s amazing how much difference plectrums make.

Wegen is one of my favorites because:

Weight is light.
Holes in the pick make them easy to hold and not drop.
Tone is dark-ish on some guitars.
Volume is excellent.
Bass is excellent.

I like BC picks too because:

Material feels great
Add some highs without being shrill
Tone is almost a little scooped.
Volume is great.
Bass is great.

Even though my BC picks cost the most and feel great, I tend to reach for the Wegen first. I also like a bunch of other materials and switch it up for fun and depending on what I’m playing. I also like simple 351 Fender Medium to X-Heavy Celluloid. They seem to sound best for rock/folk rock.

[zoopeda]

Thank you, Dave and others.

The more I play the Wegen, I think I can see a use for it. It does have more pick noise and a slightly brighter tone than my BC and thicker Primetones, but that gives the notes a brighter, more jangly quality that seems to really shine when strumming sing-along type songs (I'm thinking Tom Petty or George Harrison or so). Interesting you found the Wegens dark. So far, I find them brighter, but, again, they're probably the thinnest pick I regularly use.

[Goodallboy]

I've bought them and found them undesirable for my music.

I appreciate the OP for asking about something I'd been curious about. With picks there's no better or worse, just a lot of tools that all get the same job done.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Zoo, Dave's got it about right. There are literally hundreds of different pick materials out there, and strange as it may seem they all have their own tonal characteristics.

The Wegens are considered by most players, including myself, an excellent value in a quality plectrum. They are machined from solid stock, not injection-molded, which gives the material extra mechanical strength.

Everyone has their faves. If you got four, you're likely playing the Bluegrasser teardrops. I like 'em. YMMV.

For a real treat, try an inexpensive casein pick, like the John Pearse models.

sm

[Glennwillow]

I have some Wegen Bluegrass 1.4mm flat picks. In fact, I just used one on a Mandocaster-12 solo on one of my recordings that I have not posted yet.

I use other picks more than I use the Wegen, because more often than not I am looking for more of a rounded sound with reduced trebles in my flat picked sound. The Wegen Bluegrass 1.4mm is to my ears a little brighter than I prefer.

But it depends on the sound you want. I like the holes in the Wegen pick, as Dave mentioned.

I bought the Wegen picks after I had after a conversation with Tommy Emmanuel back in 2007 at a workshop. He was using Wegen picks at the time -- I'm not sure what he is using now -- and this was my introduction to heavier picks to get better flat picked tone. My tone did improve with the Wegen, but I have discovered other flat picks since then, including many of Scott's Charmed Life Picks, that I think improve on that original Wegen tone.

It's all about what you like, particularly in your flat picked tone.

- Glenn

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Zoo, Dave's got it about right. There are literally hundreds of different pick materials out there, and strange as it may seem they all have their own tonal characteristics.



The Wegens are considered by most players, including myself, an excellent value in a quality plectrum. They are machined from solid stock, not injection-molded, which gives the material extra mechanical strength.



Everyone has their faves. If you got four, you're likely playing the Bluegrasser teardrops. I like 'em. YMMV.



For a real treat, try an inexpensive casein pick, like the John Pearse models.



sm

I’m also fond of the JP “fast turtle” picks, if only for the name alone. :-)

[Dog Shape Cloud]

I've been using 1.0 mm Primetone standards for a while now and recently tried switching to Wegen bluegrass 1.0 mm.

The Wegen is uglier, rougher-looking, feels flimsier at an equal thickness (I should have gone with a 1.4 mm), and I don't like the grip holes.

But it sounds better on everything but slow single-note runs. Seems warmer and more transparent. Recorded on a halfway decent condenser, went back and forth, and the difference is pretty marked. I'm going to stick with them for now despite disliking the aesthetic.