What's your favorite pick?

[LeDave]

Another member sent me this and it's easily my favorite pick by far. I've used Fender Light and Fender Medium before this

[Silly Moustache]

Hi Dave, go to the first page and look for "search". Open that up and do a search for "pick"

Read hrough some not so old threads about picks, and I think you'll see the majority view.

[min7b5]

I've only used basically just one pick for probably the last decade. It's an old tortoise shell pick I was gifted. In our house it's just known as "the pick," and the kids grew up knowing not to touch it... It lives in a little box on my desk.

[aeisen93]

Fender 351 Shape Celluloid Heavy

Edit: I just now ordered extra heavy because I'm curious how they compare to the "heavy".

[Rev Roy]

The consensus on AGF will be for heavy picks like you have in your photo. That’s because this place is primarily frequented by longtime, talented, skilled players many of whom are pros or at least gig occasionally. But if you ask for a wider consensus of the guitar world I suspect Fender Mediums are the most popular picks on the planet.

Me? I’m a hobbyist hack and AGF heretic who uses...wait for it - a light celluloid pick. Shocking, I know, but it works for me. I play a mix of strumming and picking. I back off on the pick a bit to get flex for strumming and choke up on it a bit when I want control for picking. Like I say, works for me. Hope you enjoy your pick-selecting journey as you learn what works for you.

[Wade Hampton]

I’m an anomaly on this forum in that I use and prefer medium-heavy .84mm celluloid picks. D’Andrea is the only company still manufacturing them that I’m aware of, but I still have a few Jim Dunlap celluloid medium-heavies left over from the 1980’s, when Dunlap was making them, too.

In terms of how I play, I’m essentially a rhythm guitarist with a few lead lines and bass runs here and there. I usually play more melodically on the other instruments I play, but on all of them I need enough pick stiffness to get good tone on the lead parts but enough flexibility to be able to lock into a good steady rhythm part.

Which is why the medium-heavy picks work for me: they can handle all of the above.

Rev Roy just mentioned how he uses the grip of his picking hand to vary the tone he gets, and I do the same thing. Where the pick gets gripped and how tightly the pick gets gripped can change the tone colors and textures of the sound by quite a bit. I also vary which end of the pick I use, using the pointed end most of the time on guitar and mountain dulcimer but occasionally using one of the blunt corners to get a deeper tone.

On mandolin it’s the reverse: I use the blunt corners probably 95% of the time and turning the pick around and using the point only once in a blue moon.

Of the more modern plastics in use for picks, the only one I care for is the Vespel used for Blue Chip picks. The Blue Chips are considerably more expensive than celluloid picks but also considerably more durable.

The Blue Chip TD-35 has a similar, minimal flex to it that mimics the flex characteristics of the medium-heavy celluloid picks that I’ve been using for the past forty years. The two different materials are not identical in terms of how they feel in my picking hand when I use them, but close enough that I can use both.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Brucebubs]

[D-utim]

Fender 351M.

[Social Exodus]

Easily my Charmed Life Casein. I only wish it were a little thicker than .95mm

But I also like and use depending on what I am after:
[*]Gravity Acrylics (many shapes)[*]Blue Chip TAD 60[*]Dunlop 251 Ultex (Primetone)[*]Fender 351 celluloid[/LIST]

[mmasters]

Tried most all of them... like the Fender 346 Extra Heavy Celluloid picks, they are like 35 cents a piece and can last up to a year. Size, feel, grip and tone are great! You can get a lifetime supply for like 25 bucks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L8KEN8/

[jaymarsch]

I like the Charmed Life and Red Bear casein picks. I also have a Blue Chip and like it as well but the tone and feel of the casein picks are what I like the best.

Best,
Jayne

[Dlw19]

BlueChip TAD40 for me, I really like the big triangle shape.

Those Primetones are great as well.

[Yale C]

You can’t make me choose one! I like most:

-blue chip TP 48
-blue chip stp 48
-charmed life 1.5 flame tri
-wegen cf140
-clown barf 1.3 triangle (golden gate)

[Everton FC]

The picks I'm using most, at the moment:

CT (Cat Tongue) Picks - .73mm - 1.30mm, but mainly the .73 and 1mm
Jim Dunlop Big Stubby 1mm (love these)
Dava Nylon "Control"
Dava Nylon "Grip Tips"
Dunlop Tortex Triangular - .60mm - .73mm

[jseth]

Blue Chip TP-1R 40... with the bevels cut on both points, extending slightly down the side edge...

Started out with Fender Lights, back in the late 50's when they were tortoise shell... I used to break those all the time! Thin tortoise shell picks were no bargain...

Then went to Fender mediums for what seemed like forever; never knew a "number" for them until this Forum!

Sometime in the earlier 70's, Fender "changed something" in their medium flatpicks, so I started using Tortex mediums for a while.

Graduated to heavier picks in the late 70's; bought a half-gross of Gibson heavy (medium teardrop shape) black picks in the late 80's, and still have a dozen or so of those left.

Again, thanks to this Forum and some disposable income, 9 years ago I bought a Blue Chip TP-1R 40... still have it, although I've sent it back to Blue Chip four or five times to have that bevel re-cut (they don't charge for that). The thing just seems to wear like steel; it holds a smooth edge (a pet peeve) which I find absolutely necessary for acoustic guitar tone - I can't deal with any sort of "scratchy" sounds from my guitars!

On electrics, I'll use the Blue Chip... but I've used a US Quarter before and pretty much anything else on the electric! Scratchy and gritty works well for blues and rock stuff...

For cost-effectiveness, I'd say The Dunlop Ultex 1.14 in the medium triangle shape. They last a long time and sound very good, although the little buggers want to slip all over the place in my fingers!

As several players have said, I've found that I can vary the tone and volume a lot by the grip pressure I use; also, how much of the tip of the pick I have exposed - less tip = fatter tone and more volume...