Coin Picks

[Zoshquin]

here's a 100yen coin..

 

[teeloh]

I take euro coins, and panel-beat them into a plectrum-like shape.

It is illegal to use Australian coins (within Aust) for any other purpose than currency; but our 20c is similar to the US quarter, and would probably be ideal.

I have experimented with New Zealand coins, but they have recently changed their currency (it used to be identical to Aust, and produced/ minted in Aust). It is a little expensive and time consuming to panel-beat 40 NZ $1 coins into shape. That said, they are the right size and shape.

t

 

[lowe]

Ha, thanks I have no idea where I found it, but I knew as soon as I had found it that it was going to be my avatar.

im prettty sure its the goo goo dolls playing somewhere on mtv. like the video music awards or something

 

[pawpek]

I have been using a 1948 british sixpence for some years, I have a few different years some are heavier, some are lighter, but the '48 is just "right" somehow. I got into using them because I am a big fan of Brian May, and the funny thing is I went to play one of his Guild copy's in '94 and the shop wouldn't let me use it. Never had a problem with string breakages either!

 

[twst1up]

BOO!!!!!!

my wife got me 2 picks fashioned from the state quarters...from ebay i think. I really dig them, i really really do. I was always able to use a quarter a liked them, the ridge is can be a problem tho.

But the quarter pics are are little too small. What are some bigger coins that i might like better. Only thing i can think of is a kennedy dollar, or maybe an IKE. Anyone knowledgable about world coins that may be just as big or bigger?

 

[Midnight Blues]

Brian May uses a sixpence...

I have one of his. Saw them back in the '70s. He dropped one (at least one anyway) on stage. Gave one of the Roadies a dollar for it.

Riv,

I know this is an old Thread (just seeing it now), but it's likely the Copper.

 

[ledzepp2122]

I'll use any coin if I don't have my pick handy.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I don't like the feel.

 

[River]

The verdict on my end, lo these many years later, is that I can't hold onto them using the strumming technique I've developed. And when you let go of a big metal pick while doing one of those strum-as-fast-and-hard-as-you-can endings, you might put somebody's eye out.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Yeah, what puts me off is that the edge gets real grabby under my strumming if it's serrated, and with my picking, a smooth edge ends up sounding very "brushy" as it slides over the string.

A standard pick shape in Tortex or Ultex gives me an ideal middle ground.

 

[River]

Yeah, what puts me off is that the edge gets real grabby under my strumming if it's serrated, and with my picking, a smooth edge ends up sounding very "brushy" as it slodes over the string.

A standard pick shape in Tortex or Ultex gives me an ideal middle ground.

I've settled on a Dunlop Nylon .46. They make so much noise that when I took only my little Greta with no extension cab to rehearsal yesterday, the pick sound was as loud as what was coming out of the amp when playing clean (a Greta with no cab has no headroom). But they're "me".

 

[hogdaddy]

Here's a steel pick from Def Leppards' Vivian Campbell next to a pick by Slash . (Both have some wear from actual use in concert)

I just might try out the steel pick just to see how it sounds.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I've settled on a Dunlop Nylon .46. They make so much noise that when I took only my little Greta with no extension cab to rehearsal yesterday, the pick sound was as loud as what was coming out of the amp when playing clean (a Greta with no cab has no headroom). But they're "me".

I love those for acoustic, in a .73 for six-string, and .60 for a 12-er. I don't get that much noise out of them, but I really like the feel they have, a great combination of flexibility for strumming and firmness for digging in on leads.

 

[Midnight Blues]

I'll use any coin if I don't have my pick handy.

I'm too much of a chicken. I'm afraid that I'll put some serious scratches in the finish.

The verdict on my end, lo these many years later, is that I can't hold onto them using the strumming technique I've developed. And when you let go of a big metal pick while doing one of those strum-as-fast-and-hard-as-you-can endings, you might put somebody's eye out.

 

[GitFiddle]

I managed to acquire a couple of the peso picks made by Stuart Brady. They are not bad but too expensive to use for gigging. I ended up using polished bone picks and love them.

 

[WhippingPost]

If I find myself in dire desire of a plectrum, I can make a coin work in a pinch. I prefer quarters, as they're easier to hold on to. However, I don't care for the sound: my pick attacks the strings at a slight angle instead of flat, causing a "brushy" sound. The only time I use them "on purpose" is at an acoustic jam with more than two instruments and no amplification, because I need the volume for lead.

For picks, I've settled on Fender Heavies (the abalone celluloid ones - flashy!) or at least a .60 Dunlop Tortex, but I can make just about anything work.

 

[Robbks]

Bread tags work well in place of light picks, just need to cut/ bite off the sharp/ pointy bits

 

[River]

Bread tags work well in place of light picks, just need to cut/ bite off the sharp/ pointy bits

Indeed. Hell, I've use matchbook covers in a pinch. Very interesting tone, really - almost like an old felt xylophone pick.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I've used a credit card in an emergency. You just have to choke up on it pretty big.

 

[Dr.Distortion]

Pesos Quarters... Love 'em.
I've got both "pick shaped" ones and regular ol' round coins.

I want to try a six pince but haven't yet.

All the coins I have are the older non lamanated ones...
The Pesos are silver the more you play them the smoother they get.
They're softer than the newer ones.