Pick Thickness

[Tiboy]

Once I tried 1.5 V-Picks I was sold. I use them exclusively now.

 

[blacai]

I use almost exclusively the typical yellow tortex 0.73... but it also depends on the guitar I am using.

If you have thick gauges and you use also thick picks, it may not work as expected.

I tried these timbertones this year and they looked very comfortable, but the more I play, the more I hate them. So I just stopped using them.

 

[RyanThompsonGuitarist]

I use 1.00 for Electric, and 0.71 for acoustic.

 

[Tazz3]

People learning guiatr should start with a think pick

 

[revtime]

People learning guiatr should start with a think pick

I think I am going to use the best pick for me.

 

[Shortscale]

Think before you pick.

 

[MrGansburg]

... and I hate that clicky pick noise playing rhythm

Agree with the above. I've used Jazztone 208s (they're 2mm thick I believe) for ages now and can't fault them

 

[revtime]

I am lovin the 3 mm Gravity Classic pointed.

 

[Quill]

Think before you pick.

I once had a big tear-drop shaped stone pick called a "Min'd" pick. Anyone remember those? It was just the right shape and weight. This was in the mid-eighties. Carried it everywhere for years and years until finally I dropped it onto a sidewalk. Still have the pieces.

 

[parts]

Received the 1.5 V-Picks yesterday. I only had about 30 minutes playing time..so initial thoughts here.
..did comparisons with several of my old favorites.
I use a lot of different picks and angles and attack..and it's automatic during soloing that I know what edges I WANT..never think of it..just happens.

Some folks are always adjusting knobs..I never do..or rarely. I use all pick attack..muting and varied edges mostly.

The V-Picks are very good for some things so far....but for the varied things I do all I can say is right now I prefer brass for attack. Dunlop or Herco .88 for a little less grit..ebony for a jazzier groove. Agates for Acoustic and some things on the 65 ES175.. The brass and silver do take a toll on the strings though..

I still rough up the rounded edges on the .88s and use that.. turning the pick during solos to get the attack and grit to alter and fit what I am feeling. I bend the brass and silver picks so they are slightly cupped so I can get more bite on up stoke..

The V Picks feel a lot like my agates but I think I may adapt to them.. They are very smooth and controllable. They do not attack like the brittle .88s..nor bite and scream like the brass or silver picks.
Maybe a little less emotional to me..so..

Now am going to rough one (low E string grinding) rounded edge serrated and maybe alter the edge on the V..so I have three distinct edges like I do on the .88s..
I want to like these more..and need some time with them to see where they fit in what I want..

Small sample and can't wait to get into these a bit..

Hopefully after my wrist surgery I can not be as limited as I feel at times.. They stay planted..but I really never had a problem dropping picks even with all the movement and rotating..

 

[Falconbill]

I'm a V-Pick picker. I went through a lot of picks and one day ordered their sampler package a few years ago and settled on their Lite Tradition. About the same shape as the typical Fender Heavy but a little thicker (1.0) and beveled edges. I can easily slip it between my fingers for finger style and back for picking or hybrid picking. And unlike some pointier shredder style picks, I can skip over strings easier.

It's all personal preference, but the V-pick sampler (I think they call them starter kits now) is a good place to start.

 

[parts]

Spent an hour or so with the V Pick I grooved on one rounded corner..getting to like the feel more.

I seem to speed a little too much..but some of that is just exploring with the new pick.
More bite with the lightly serrated edge..

 

[parts]

Ok..Stopped the experiment with the V Picks.. I play quicker but lost all the feeling. I think the extra thickness takes away some of the touch/feel that makes me WANT to play..

Tonight it was strictly Dunlop .88s..and the feel was back. I tried the V Picks after an hour regaining things with the Dunlop..and sterile but faster.

I don't feel the strings with my right hand with the V Pick. Never noticed that visceral sensation as much as when I was gone. I rarely use Agates or thick picks even on the Acoustic..

I felt I lost the feeling in my playing..and lost some of the joy..
Very interesting what a small change does.. I feel the pick on the strings and need the feedback. I rotate and change angles a lot and the V Pick is just too thick perhaps for me..

So for electric it will be Dunlop or Herco about .88 or Brass..Copper thin..

Maybe every now and then try the V Pick..maybe it was just lost desire from all the holiday stuff..?

 

[Quill]

No, you are probably right - it's good to pay attention to the fine details, really try to notice the "feel" whatever it might be, even if it's hard to explain. I need to feel the strings, too, but for me, a certain thickness helps me with that but the material is almost more important. The right pick feels to me - eee, brace yourself for a creepy description that you didn't ask for and maybe don't want - like an extension of the finger bones, a part of the skeleton. I actually have some bone picks but don't care for them - horn is much better. But the right plastic can be great. I had the same reservation about the V-picks when I had a chance to actually touch one - I didn't feel it would be the right material for me, even though many others sound amazing with them.

Also, too much point on the tip doesn't work for some players, definitely not me - and the one V-pick I looked at (I know they make dozens of different shapes) was very pointed. I seem to need a more rounded tip with a right-handed bevel.

Not even trying to give advice, probably can't pick even half as fast as anyone here

 

[flannelflag]

I've found it comfortable to use as thin a pick as possible. My "trick" is for a softer sound, when strumming, I grip it further back, allowing a little more flex and to pick leads, I kinda choke up on it nearer the tip, lessening its tendency to flex and "stiffening" the feel. Really though, I think it's whatever's comfortable for you, personally.

 

[Codeseven]

This thread has turned way more interesting than I first thought it would be, thanks. I was half expecting 'just use anything, it doesn't matter', and maybe that's how it works for some folks. But I always gravitate towards the same couple of picks, apparently for good reasons

 

[flannelflag]

Ayup. Got a pint glass BRIMMING with all different sizes and shapes and still, I use the same old Dunlop .46mm that I've managed to not lose for at least 5 years. Another bonus with a soft pick is I rarely break a string compared to a lot of guys I know.

 

[joba]

The more I practice the better these pics sound.....

 

[jack94]

I like the black Dunlop Jazz III's, not sure what thickness they are. I like that they're a pretty small pick not too thick they don't flex much which i like for palm muting and tremolo picking

 

[jerryo]

1.0 mm Pickboy Meta Carbonate