Another pick thread

[Seashore]

I'm moving away from Tortex after preferring the orange and yellow standards for a long time. The biggest new issue for me is grip. Since moving up to VT, my skin gets incredibly dry during the winter and my customary picks just slip right out of my fingers. But I'm also not loving the standard shape as much as I used to, and I have to file a new point on my Tortex picks once or twice a practice session.

Securb gave me a Gravity acrylic pick the last time we met up, one of the thin ones (.90mm). It's awesome. It's got a little bit of raised texture that makes it much easier for me to hang on to and control, the tip is a great shape, and the wear resistance is much better than Tortex. I also find that it comes off the strings more easily, so playing fast stuff takes less effort. I was winning all around. Unfortunately I snapped it in half after a couple weeks. I ordered a few of the same off Sweetwater, so I'm set for a little while (and I love playing with them), but I would like something wear-resistant that I can hammer on without it snapping on me.

I have tried Ultex, Clayton's acetal and Ultem picks, nylon, celluloid, even metal, and I've always gone back to Tortex in the past. Has anybody tried the Gravity Gold material, Dunlop Primetone, the Bluechips, or... something else?

 

[ErikH]

Have you tried the star picks? Standard shape, tortex material with a star hole in them. I have a handful of 1.0mm and love them. If you're wanting a different shape with some grip, check out the Dunlop Jazz picks.

 

[Seashore]

Thank you, it's been a long time since I tried the star grips. I might find them more useful now. I drilled some 3/32 holes in a regular Tortex and it was certainly better than nothing.

I am interested in hearing more about these indestructible space age thermoplastics, if anybody's tried them, for the sake of not having to file my points down every 2-3 hours of playing time.

 

[Seashore]

Anybody tried polycarbonate?

 

[Securb]

Unfortunately I snapped it in half after a couple weeks.

OOF! I never had one snap but I use the 4.0s. Move up to 2.0 and see how you like those. It only takes a while to get used to the thickness. And next time you order go directly to Gravity Picks, they throw in freebie picks some times. The one I gave you was a freebie. Glad you liked it.

 

[Mincer]

I don't like to get used to a pick that is either difficult to find or expensive. I tend to lose them pretty regularly...so what I wind up using is a tortex or gator grip 1.1mm Jazz shape. I get them custom made and buy in bulk.

 

[80's_Metal]

I bounce back and forth between the max grip , and the max grip carbon jazz 3 picks.
After my thumb surgeries it has been difficult to grip picks.
I find these to be very consistent and sound better than tortex.

Just post surgery I couldn't hold thin picks and I had some luck with the Acoustik Attak STEALTH.

 

[Chistopher]

I'll use just about anything these days. I got a pick punch a while back, so I've learned to make do with nothing more than a cut up gift card.

 

[Seashore]

I bounce back and forth between the max grip , and the max grip carbon jazz 3 picks.
After my thumb surgeries it has been difficult to grip picks.
I find these to be very consistent and sound better than tortex.

Just post surgery I couldn't hold thin picks and I had some luck with the Acoustik Attak STEALTH.

How are the carbon picks as far as wear resistance? I do a lot of tremolo picking and nylon just doesn't hold up for me.

 

[80's_Metal]

How are the carbon picks as far as wear resistance? I do a lot of tremolo picking and nylon just doesn't hold up for me.

In my experience they hold up better than nylon

 

[weepingminotaur]

I use the max grip carbon fiber picks for metal and they hold up very well. They're my go-to pick now unless I'm playing funk, which needs a different kind of pick.

 

[Seashore]

I don't like to get used to a pick that is either difficult to find or expensive. I tend to lose them pretty regularly...so what I wind up using is a tortex or gator grip 1.1mm Jazz shape. I get them custom made and buy in bulk.

I usually keep track of stuff pretty well, so if something is going to work better for me I don't mind spending a few extra bucks. The Bluechip prices seem crazy, and I don't have that kind of money to drop on a regular supply of picks, but I'm still curious enough about them to maybe try once as a splurge.

I would have probably been fine with Tortex for the rest of my life if we hadn't moved to a place where it's below freezing and 25% humidity for half the year. The side of the index finger on my fretting hand splits from the pressure when it's too dry, and my knuckles are constantly cracking open a little. Kinda nuts. I like it cold and dry, but that part of it sucks.

 

[ICTGoober]

I switched to Cat Tongue picks years ago (.88mm) when my arthritis affected my grip. Once I pick these up, it's darn near impossible to drop. In fact, if I pick them up in the wrong position, I have to throw them down before picking it up again correctly.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

In my experience they hold up better than nylon

How are the carbon picks as far as wear resistance? I do a lot of tremolo picking and nylon just doesn't hold up for me.

​I personally don't find they wear faster or slower than nylon. More or less the same, and if there's a difference, it's like 5% at most. I used to use them, but the ones that are more wear-resistant I found were the Eric Johnson ones which supposedly are based on the old material they were made out of before.

I'm used to the Jazz III shape, but I've never liked the tone of any of the standard ones, personally. But the max grip versions are definitely grippier than anything else I've tried.

 

[GuitarStv]

I really like the grip on those cat's tongue picks, but much prefer the Jazz III size/shape. The max grip is the closest that Jazz IIIs seem to get.

 

[FuseG4]

I like the v picks fusion, they are acrylic? They last a long time and they have a bright strong tone and I can grip them well, I have sweaty hands

I like Dunlop delrin picks too they have a fast release from the string but not as much chirpy attack as the v picks I use

 

[solspirit]

I don't like to get used to a pick that is either difficult to find or expensive. I tend to lose them pretty regularly...so what I wind up using is a tortex or gator grip 1.1mm Jazz shape. I get them custom made and buy in bulk.

Very cool, send me a few for my pick collection. . ...



Please

 

[GuitarStv]

Very cool, send me a few for my pick collection. . ...



Please

Never play with a pick that's expensive or hard to get ahold of. If you don't like it, it was a waste. If you do like it, then it's a PITA and expensive to keep using.

 

[Securb]

If you do like it, then it's a PITA and expensive to keep using.

I think the investment in better picks is worth it. When you add up the $3 or $4 you spend on picks with each store visit, in some cases, it is better to buy a couple of high-end picks. My Gravity Picks last for months, if not years. Some of my Brossard Picks are over 20 years old.

 

[Seashore]

Never play with a pick that's expensive or hard to get ahold of. If you don't like it, it was a waste. If you do like it, then it's a PITA and expensive to keep using.

Disagree. I'm not dying to spend extra money but some things are worth it. The Gravity pick I really enjoyed costs something like 3 or 4 bucks. Sure it's a lot more than a Tortex, but it's still only a few bucks. Aside from how it broke, it was better in every way - sound, feel, ease of use. Even if I snapped them every two weeks, I'd still be spending less than the price of a Netflix subscription.

Edit - Securb makes the same point quicker.