How Thick's Your Pick

[Tone2TheBone]

Wow, I am blown away by the rampant use of "thick picks"!

My instructor has told me previously, "the thicker the better" and I have tended to disagree (mostly out of ignorance). My experimentation with pick thicknesses since picking up the guitar in January of this year are leading me to wander which pick is best for my current scenario. My lone axe at this point is a steel string acoustic and it SEEMS that the thicker picks produce a duller sound. Is this correct? Having said that the thinner picks I've tried .73 and under seem "floppy" though very quick on the attack.

Thanks for the interesting thread though guys!: Always great to come here and read of new ideas, theories & experiences.

I prefer medium thickness to heavy thickness for acoustic playing and you can alter the brighter tones from the guitar by playing on the fat flatter end of the pick instead of the pointy end. Fat flatter end perpendicular to the strings when strummed make the guitar's brightness come through with shimmer.

[birv2]

I just bought a couple sets of the Dunlop ultex, mainly because of recommendations here. I have been using Fender medium celluloids (triangle shape, both tortoise and white, and has anybody else noticed that the tortoise and white produce slightly different tones?). I also use the Dunlop 2.0 stubbies from time to time.

Anyway, I got a set of the ultex .73's and a set of the 1.0's. So far I like them a lot and will take them to the jam tomorrow night to test them out live. They both give a nice crisp response, with the 1's giving a bit more bass.

I haven't taken the plunge to V-picks, mainly because of the price but also that clear thing makes me positive I will lose them!

[Carlström]

I use 1mm GrippX-XB delrin picks from Intunegp.com for electric guitar and bass (!!!), yes i know i'm very odd using so thin picks for bass but i like the sound it gives and also how i feel the strings better through the pick (of course i play fingerstyle bass alot aswell). Same thing goes for electric really, i dont like thicker than 1mm because it makes me feel disconnected from the strings when i hit them. For acoustic i use .73 mm, same type of pick.

[bigG]

This may be interesting (or dumb on my part), but I've never bought a pick - ever. I'm from the old school when guitar shops had bowls of free picks sitting on the counter! When I got back into playing guitar seriously about 2 1/2 years ago, I was amazed that free picks were no longer the norm!

I've just always used "mediums" by whoever makes 'em. When I buy a guitar or a piece of gear locally, I'm always offered a few free picks, and asked what thickness. Mediums, says I, and I get 4 or 5 given to me.

I have tried thins - don't like 'em. Thicks either.

That's my story, but then again I'm an old fart, and paying for picks seems outrageous to me!

[P.J.]

I like the green and purple Clayton tortex picks and the 1.52 mm Clayton acetyl picks. The tortex have some snap to them and the acetyls are very round and full sounding.

=-) PJ

[pes_laul]

I use the green dunlop tortex (88. mm I think) I want to try a V pick but cant get one Because I cant order stuff off internet (Im just a kid)

[stiggowitz]

Been playing dunlop 207's and love
the way they roll off the strings.
s.

[sunvalleylaw]

How thick is my pick? Sometimes mine feels as:



Sorry, late night free associational thought humour.

[ibanezjunkie]

1.14mm for pinch harmonics and solos.

yeeeahhs.

[Rampant]

Hey guys

Fairly new to guitaring, and have tried a fair few different picks, but nothing thicker than 1.0mm. So far I prefer Dunlop Gator Grips either .58 or .71mm.
(My electric is on 10s, and my acoustic is on 11s, if that detail matters?!)

Cheerz

Mark H

[ibanezjunkie]

just as a comparison...

i used to cheat with tremolo picking and use dunlop USA 0.38mm picks (the sub-paper-thin white ones, with i still use for some strummy/chordy stuff)

now ive evolved into using much larger picks (1.14mm-2.4mm) to get some real nice twang and some real nice pinch harmonics.

:

[ShootTheGlass]

I was persuaded by my guitar teacher to persist with the small jazz 3 Dunlops. At first I found them hard to use, as I tend to dig into the strings pretty hard. But Im so used to them now that any "normal" pick feels too weird.

[M29]

The old Fender mediums

M29

[ragnarpk]

dunlop 0.88mm. green. its the only way to go.

except sometimes for bass i use an enormous 3mm one. because i'm that cool.

[WhatsGoodDee]

I usually use a Dunlop 1mm Blue for my guitar and bass but now have been starting to use a Dunlop .73 Yellow for my acoustic. Dunlop .88 Green for my electric and just using the 1mm Blue's for my bass.

[TS808]

I recently tried something a little different...I was using Clayton acetyl picks .80 and found them to be very bright sounding, so matter how I eq'd my amp. I went to a slightly thicker Fender Heavy pick and the tonal difference was VERY noticeable...no more of those super bright highs....more mellow. It's taking some getting used to using a thicker pick, but I prefer the tones I get with the Fender Heavy.