Guitar Picks: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
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- čas přidán 12. 11. 2021
- Guitar players don’t give picks the credit and attention they deserve. Tonight, I make up for that.
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I just use those green .88 Dunlop picks with the turtle on them. Mostly because I value consistency with my picks but the cute turtle graphic does play a part.
🐢🐢
I own a couple metal picks, received them as gifts from friends who don't play, and I honestly kinda like the scratching sound for some heavier genres. The thing I can't stand about them, though, is how they essentially file themselves against the strings and cover your fingers in metal dust and create jagged edges that could easily cut your finger or snap your higher strings. They work much better as clothing accessories than instruments in my opinion
My mom got me one too. I don't much like it.
Yes those are great for that sound effect you can also make wicked sounds putting delay and reverb on even clean and using those type picks. Sounds haunting.
Atrocious idea. Someone just capitalized on the young bucks fuckin around with pennies for picks. Enjoy your strings.
I used to use a thicker brass pick (may have been bronze. Don’t remember), and they’re pretty sweet. Shreds your strings though.
been using Dunlop Jazz III picks with extra grip and carbon fibre reinforcement (the black ones) and my first pack of five literally took about a year for me to use up. afterwards ive ordered a 24 pack and with that math, these are going to serve me for a while. I probably don't play as much as you do, however I play almost everyday for more than 2 Hours, sometimes a lot more. Ive been very satisfied with these Picks, as they are sturdy enough for my tastes and hold up decently for everything I do.
I actually haven't tried those, might look for a pack 🤔
The carbon fiber max grip jazz iiis are my go to pick, I play tech/Melodeath and both the attack and release of it is beyond insane
Almost feels like the string actively wants to move out of the way as I'm picking
Never wears down, and plays very very VERY smooth
Been using em for around a decade now, can't ever go back ahhaha
So the black ones are carbon reinforced? Ok I got a few from a friend and wondered why they felt stiffer.
It's either these or the big stubby
The Dunlop Jazz III carbon is my pick of choice too. Been playing Jazz Dunlops III for over 20 years now.
Nice clip man. I've long been a Jazz III user, I prefer the black 'grippy' ones, I find they're a little more inflexible than the red one.
I'll have to give those a try!
Those are also my favorite picks, try em!
You may like the Dunlop Hetfield White Fangs. They're a Flow Pick (so between a Jazz and regular size) and they actually have a grip, when they launched thay only came in 1.0mm and up, but now they seem to make all thicknesses. The only issue I ran into was they wear out quickly because a Flow pick made out of Tortex.....yeah, you can figure that one out. I used those for a few years though. I switched to .88 Ernie Ball Everlasts like six months ago from the 1.0 White Fangs, and I have to say the Everlasts are now my favorite pick. They have the grip and feel of Tortex, but holy hell they aren't joking about Evelasts, i've been using the same two out of a 12 pack for six months now. They're also a bit stiffer than other picks of the same mm, i'm guessing because of whatever Ernie Ball does to make them, uh, "Ever Last".
The box the Alice pics come in is phenomenal. I like Pickboy Pos-A-Grip 1mm red acrylic pics. The Dunlop Big Stuby is a lovely thing.
Great video. As a left hander who plays right handed, I’ve found those big triangle Fender picks work really well for me. It gives the “dumb” hand more control.
have you played with a v-pick tho
HOLY CRAP I used to use 3mm big stubbies for metal guitar for awhile before I started using Jazz 3 picks. Their not bad in a pinch actually. Too much weight for building speed though. (Edit: I don't know what Jazz 3 I use off the top of my head, but they're ones that have a really rough grippy surface like sand paper. All the other ones I've tried fly out of my hand with a bit of sweat.)
Awesome video! My favorite are the Ernieball Prodigy 2.0mm picks!
Sweet video my dude 👍 very informative
Tortex Sharp (orange and yellow) ultex 88 and jazz tortex flex is my favs. Mostly use Jazz Flex .73 these days .
I have also tried so many picks since starting to play guitar (20 years ago)...but I always end up using the dunlop big stubbies (purple ones) for everything. They just feel so smooth while doing alternate picking, sweep picking, chugging... For me the most expressive and dynamic pick ever. I find the Jazz type picks too small, and other standard size picks too big, they keep on getting in the way hahahaha. The stubbies are just in between. For acoustic strumming you obviously need a more floppy pick though ;) Great video! Keep up the good content! Servus..
I would've agreed with you on the Stubbies a while back, but I'm on the jazz pick train now 😎
@@sixstringtv1 I guess it‘s all about getting used to the one that suits you best ;)
i use the purple big stubby 3mm, they’re great for thick strings(drop A)and they feel amazing on pinch harmonics, thin picks always feel weird with pinchys cuz they scrape the string
Big stubby supremacy
I got a fit for an autopsy branded pick when I bought one of their records. It’s a Dunlop jazz 3 but a little bigger. It became my favorite pick for awhile. I was pleasantly surprised. I just began using the JP jazz 3s and am enjoying them a lot.
Did you say “plectrum”? Damn… out nerded me there! lol I have a slight collection too. I’ve been reorganizing my guitar section of my home studio today and was actually planning on trying jazz picks as soon as I got everything back together tonight after binge-watching Glenn Fricker lately and hearing him mention them in one of his videos as well. I agree with others that have mentioned the lack of plectrum (I’m catching up) specific content so sure do appreciate your willingness to delve into it. I’ve been stuck on the grey Dunlop .88s for years because I play a lot of other genres and acoustic but always struggled with getting the metal harmonics I love and crave to create so figured I should change things up and finally experiment a little. All that said, I’m a recent subscriber and love your content. Thank you and keep at it!
Thanks for the sub and the feedback 😎
Your not alone, back &forth with différent compagny picks,getting différent feelings &get différent group tones,🤟
Always chasing that one that feels like youre not holding anything... I'll tell you, Swiss Picks get pretty damn close!
I used to play using a penny as a plectrum.
Brian May
I'm currently using the Fred Kelly Bumblebee Jazz thumbpick. It's great for me because I can't drop it, though it can make my thumb a bit sore after a while.
I'm waiting on a batch of the Black Mountain picks to see which of the two approaches I prefer.
I was deep into the big stubby for a while as well, even sourcing the nylon ones in the hope that they'd have less pick noise. I probably would have kept on with them if they didn't go blunt after a couple of play sessions.
For me it needs a good, pointy tip or it's just going to be really imprecise and be more prone to getting stuck. Ditto if it's not thick enough. Eventually I might even work out how to pick without catching the fleshy part around the nail of my index finger
I love pointy picks that don't wear out, that's why I stuck with Swiss picks.
I have done a bunch of experimental things with picks and I always keep circling back. The orange .60s on bass just works for me. I don't hate thicker gauges, though.
I can't say enough good things about Master 8 Jazz XL picks with the grip, they grip awesome, they don't flex, and they're big enough for any style for me.
I'll write those down for the sequel
Personally I use a bunch of different picks. My fav is a clear V-Pick for electric lead playing, and a Pro-Plec Andrea for acoustic stuff. I also use this bigass purple Tortex for big picking.
I play bass with a pick, the width and shape of the pick makes a huge difference to how you even play let alone how it sounds, even the material. I like Dunlop Tortex/Ultex at 1.14 MM. Cat's Tongue are also good.
I started with the 2mm Big Stubby; it felt so confortable, with that cavity, but as time passed I wanted to move on (also, the sound of the pick annoys me nowadays). At some point, after trying other picks, I came up with a 2mm Ultex Jazz 3, a tiny, thick, black, fat, gourgeous pick that I really miss - I lost it in my school talent show. I didn't found it again in my area, but I've found another Ultex, this time the yellow and thinner type. I liked it, but not as much as the black one. I also tried the smaller and flatter Stubby, which I really, really enjoyed until it started to "erode".
Then, I stood with a more standard form of the Jazz 3, a 1,35mm (I guess) with high relief letters (I don't know if I said it rightly, I'm not a fluent english speaker). Oh, yeah, totally flat picks very often fall from my fingers. Can't use those thinner OR larger picks, as well. It has to be rounder in the back, pointy in the tip, not too long, but also thick and grippy.
I have a JP sig nylon Jazz 3, I love it. The feel is perfect for me. Also the Ernie ball prodigy mini are pretty good
I use mostly jazz 3's, but agree that they are a slightly too flexible even for their size. If you play fast and forget to keep them in an angle, they become too floppy and you lose consistency.
I know this video is older, but it's new to me. Lol. I use the Dunlop Tortex greens and blues, and the Dunlop Jazz 3 Tortex greens and blues. I'm pretty basic.
I was a big Jazz III guy for a while, but they don't last long enough. John Petrucci probably goes through those like butter
If you like the Tortex do yourself a favor and try their Ultex picks , sounds like a condom about the same color as a codon but the only pick that’s beat out the old standard Tortex . They seem to have a little better grip for me and I think they last longer.
@@brandonjackson5865 I will give them a try. Thanks for the tip.
I like thin white dunlops too for easy fast twingling.
Celuhosed
I tend to use 2mm picks for guitar and 3mm for bass. The 2mm feels to thin when I play bass, but I love going from palm mutes to trem picking and doing that on the Big Stubby 3mm just feels uncomfortable and I can’t pick as fast with them, which is why I designate them to bass
Used to buy handfuls of Dunlop picks. They were cheap and awesome. Idk of I ever see em anymore.
I used to keep a guitar pick on my keys.
I use a 1.5 mm John Petrucci jazz 3 on recommendation from a friend. I’ve used them exclusively for 3 years after playing on 1.5 mm flow picks. They’re the perfect size for me and honestly I lose them before I use them up.
I found the 1.5 Dunlop Ultex Flow picks about 3-4 months ago and I feel as though I'll never need anything else, except maybe some James Hetfield White Fangs, which are basically just 1.14 Ultex Flows lol
I’ve used a bunch of different stuff, but the Dunlop Ultex sharp .73s are the absolute best for me. They feel rigid and last a while, and they have a unique clacky sound. Reminds me of when I used to use a metal pick for a while.
I 2nd the V-Picks. I love the Nashville but every one I have tried has impressed me.
It's funny how people talk about pickups and tone wood but totally ignore the pick despite being one of the most sound shaping parts in guitar playing. If you use floppy picks you'll never get the attack you might want no matter the pus or amp.
Dude! I appreciate this video. I love trying different pics. I think they make a difference in tone.
I need to try a Swiss pic. I always thought they had jagged edges that would jack up my strings?
This must not be an issue.
👍
Pppplease throw that metal pick in the ocean 😆
Swiss picks are the opposite of intrusive. they feel almost like youre not holding anything, makes the guitar just an extension to your body.
(They're not paying me to say any of this but I won't say I wouldn't be down for an endorsement at some point 🤷🏻♂️😂)
@@sixstringtv1
I appreciate your honest reviews. Some guys on CZcams claim that ‘everything is awesome’ when they review gear.
That’s impossible!
Thank you. Keep up the good work. 👍
Instead of polluting the sea, you could find another purpose for it. Anything but playing guitar..
I use the black ernie ball prodigy picks in their standard shape. Its a bit bigger than a jazz 3 but still not as big as standard dunlops. It has beveled edges and pointy which i prefer. Jazz 3's are a little bit too small for my fingers. Being almost 6'4 with long alien looking fingers makes a jazz 3 just a little bit too small for me. But the ernie ball prodigy pick is just perfect.
Dunlap Jazz 3 are good depending and the John Petrucci pics are nice but if they made them thinner in the .5mm to.96mm i would enjoy those over the 1+ over i got back when i played strictly jazz and heavy mettle. Jazz pics are amazing but for traditional Jazz picking like big band using a 3+ sized pick is great for heavy 2&4 beat style chord comping. Those big picks at that point need to be custom made or bought over the internet and not found in a music store. The Dunlop gator grip pics for me have been my favorite though. The best pic is your finger though. You will never get so much versatility out of a pick that you can get out of your fingers. You can use the stubs of your fingers or the nails of your fingers and you have a lot of control expression wise just at your fingertips. When you play jazz music with your fingers there is a lot more control on your comping. Hybrid picking is the best of both worlds I'd say player wise because you can tear through and still be pretty precise. Picks are fun but they are just a combination extension of the thumb and index and so they interplay as both on the fretboard(thumb forward motion, index backward notion, simply alternate picking motion). Some players will move their thumb and index just barely to make their picking motion more natural motorly.
I use buffalo horn picks on electric. They don’t come in specific sizes, you just get a box of 15 for 10 bucks from China. I like a stiff pick for electric. I don’t like any flex and I want it to feel smooth and I like how the bone/horn picks wear down. For acoustic, I like a .73 mm so it has some flex.
Blue Chip, been using the same one for over 2 years with no sign of wear.
When I get thicker picks that I’m not totally sold on, I cut a notch out at the point so it’s like two pick ends and it works great on acoustic or clean stuff that doesn’t have much more than strumming.
Get that idea from Albini?
Going back and forth between jazz III and Andy James flow.
accumulated a lot of new picks since I made this video, might make a sequel eventually featuring the dunlop flow picks..🤷🏻♂️
Interesting vid. I use different picks for different occasions, mostly Dunlop Nylons with different thickness. I am by no means a shredder, so for playing electric i got stuck withe the 1mm, when playing acoustic, I tend to something slightly thinner. I guess the faster you want to play single notes the thicker your pick should be, if you want to strumm some chords at a campfire a thick pick is not what you want imho.
Theres definitely a point of diminishing returns with thickness, I wouldn't use one of those 2,5cm Purple Plectrums behemoths for shredding, but some people do 🤷🏻♂️
@@sixstringtv1 I tried one of these some years ago on bass, because of their rounded edges they tend to sound a bit more like fingerstyle. Honestly idk why i would want less attack for guitar, but whatever floats your boat. KDH had some really fat picks reviewed on his channel, I'd like to try some, but they are quite expensive. Btw after watching this i got out my pick collection and checked out some of them again, especially the Jazz III. They're just too small for me, but otherwise ok. I just stay with the nylons I guess😅
@@flotenn3351 Swiss picks don't have rounded edges.
@@sixstringtv1 Maybe I will give them a try someday, for now I am good with the Nylons. They just feel right to me like a pair of slippers you have worn for some years or the spot on the couch you have been sitting on like always😌
Some of my favorite picks are from the following companies:
Red Bear trading company (Guthrie Govan)
Dragon's heart picks (original)
Iron Age (Hoplite, and brass ducat)
These are all USA based companies though, so you may have trouble getting them. I will honestly never go back to anything else, but I have heard good things about winspear and v picks.
I've tried the last two, haven't tried the Guthrie picks.
@@sixstringtv1 red Bear picks are amazing but they're expensive and you have to keep an eye on the store for when items are back in stock since it's a one man operation. Iron Age picks last forever but i will admit some of the acrylic based ones can get a bit chirpy on the high strings.
@@Germs19 are the dragon heart alot better than the dunlop greens???
dont feel like blowing all my money if its only slightly better..
@@sirspongadoodle Let me put it this way: I will never go back to "regular picks" aside from maybe intuneGP picks occasionally, and that's usually because I got one from a band (Keith Merrow, Defeated Sanity, Havok). Dragonheart picks are expensive by guitar pick standards since we're so used to paying pocket change for a bucket full of picks, but considering how long they last and their versatility, $15 is not that much money. I still have and regularly use the one I bought like 5 years ago.
Go check out Hufschmid picks if you want expensive 😂
I like the Kirk Hammett jazz 3s and the yellow Dunlop tortex ones
Pickboy carbon nylon 1mm.
Super stiff, quite durable, not too thick, the embossed marijuana leaf provides great grip for my greasy hand fingers. So the takeaway is: If you need to get a grip, go with marijuana.
Lmao I too have a pic collection. They all have different feels, sounds, speeds, textures, etc. For artists, so far I have Kiko Loureiro black, Guitar Picks, Jeff Loomis sharp, Kirk Hammett purple jazz 3, John Petrucci, black jazz 3 ultex with satin grip and glossy ish tip version and the thick 2.5 red pick I forgot the name, dragon pick, Ernie ball 2.5 prodigy one of all shapes, 3 mm mini prodigy Ernie ball, ultex 1.14 sharp, .88 tortex, 1.14 tortex, jazz 3 black, 1.14 tortex jazz 3, tortex 1.5 sharp white, and 2mm gator pick, and 1.14 nylon dunlop guitar pick. I stopped buying them for a while because money. But now i'm tempted to buy even more and end up still using the 1.5 sharp tortex and try all the picks once or twice a month.
I hate the same issue with Dunlop jazz 3s but I found their Ultex jazz picks that are black and 2mm and it was just a perfect match
Personally I've gravitated away from anything thicker than 1.3mm
I love Jazz III...Literally the only pick i've used since i was like...13. The other one's are cool too i guess.
Although a bass player, William Murderface has a unique picking technique.
Hell yes Swiss Picks are the best. I use Rusty Cooley sig. Nuclear 1.80 mini jazz
Me after purchasing a bunch of 1.4mm Dunlop Jazz III once: I've seen enough, I'm satisfied
Like seriously, the go for 3PLN each in my local guitar store (1PLN ~~ 0.2$). But again, I don't even use my wrist for picking (it's literally my thumb and index finger only for everything from shredding to thrash gallops and death tremolos XD) so my mileage may vary
I'm watching this because i just discovered your channel and I think it's cool and im binge watching. But honestly I don't really give two shits about picks, i have the ones i use and that is all. But when it comes to metal picks (which i will NOT use) they do produce a pretty distinct sound. Brian May pulled it off and it sorta contributed to his signature, much sought after sounds that so many seek. But I enjoyed the video all the same.
Celluloid extra heavy for years, but I’m doing more strumming and need lighter
Did you try the Dava?
Dunlop .88 for guitar, baritone and bass. I like the tiniest amount of flexion with my pick-age.
Sometimes that can be fun
back in the day i would walk in the pawn shop and pay 5$ to dip my hand in a bucket oof picks and take a handfull with me. sadly these days pawnshops around toown tell me they dont keep picks, cables, gig bags or cases.
Dunlop tortex is the be all end all for me, i range from purple to yellow depending on what im doing.
Are the colors symbolic for different gauges? 🤔
I’ve been using the Dunlop Tortex flow .73s for for the last four years or so. I buy a big bag of 200 every other month lmao😂
What riff is that at 9:07 it’s sounds very familiar but I can’t put my finger on it 🧐
Angel of death
What else would you paint an old fender but car paint 😁
I like Donlop sure grip, grey w dots on em.
3mm 😳, you know you can use your fingers 😏🖖 ouchie
I use fender heavy picks lol. They work for me
I genuinely believe picks *are* more important than half your other gear at least. A bad pick will make my entire setup sound, and more importantly feel, terrible
Eddie Van Halen and Phil Collin of Def Lepperd both use(d) metal picks. Brass because they are non ferrous.
I love deft ones
I have some really large picks that i dont use, but bought them because they are Mario theme.
Try the hetfield white fang.
Bro i bought the purple pick cause i have nerve damage in my right index finger and i reckoned it would give more grip but how do you f***ing use the pick man ??
LOL
I kept ripping the front off cellulose picks. Nylon lasts. You can contour it too if you like. Goodbye ick pick 😁
I luv my john petrucci plectrums.
I've tried those, sadly didn't have any on hand for the video... maybe a sequel someday 🤷🏻♂️
@@sixstringtv1 After I got used to them, I don't wanna use other plectrums, lol~~
JB doesn't need one, thats good enough for me!
Tortex! ❤
Tortex! 🐢
Jazz iii
Your brothers pick goes too
Dunlop Jazz III
Ive been jumping back and forth between picks for years now, but I finally landed on the Ernie Ball Prodigy 1.5mm. I think picks are extremely significant when it comes to each player. Once you get comfortable with a certain style, switching up can throw you off big time! Atleast for me anyways lol. Jazz picks for the win though. I feel like the EB Prodigy 1.5mm can do it all.
Different pics definitely affect tone.
After reading through some of the comments I'm surprised that no one has watched and tried to keep a running tally of how many times you say the words "pick" or "picks" in this video...
I wanted to so badly, but I was still so new at editing videos and that would've been so much work
I have been using Chicken Picks for years.
Picks do have an effect on tone, but they have a bigger effect on playing dynamics, those differences tend to get drowned out in heavily distorted music though. Genres with less distortion and a heavier emphasis on articulation are incredibly, uh, picky about their picks for that reason. Bring up picks to a jazz or blue grass guitarist and they'll talk your ear off.
Also, that metal pick was an abomination, the only picks that should be made out of metal are finger and thumb picks, and if you're not playing acoustic get the brass ones so your pickup doesn't lose its mind.
I tried to hear the word dick instead of pick every time. The video gets quite interesting.
🤣🤣
Enjoy my Marshalls slap
👋
Jazz 3 Ultex is the shit
marshall mathers stack joke 🤔😤
Dunlop 3 mm big stubby
Boom, the d pick..bahaha.
dude, awesome video, but please for the love of the earth-rotation, TURN YOUR GUITAR-PLAYING DOWN, matching voice and instruments is difficult, I know, but those guitar-parts are too fucking loud. other than that, awesome video, keep making the goods
This was my 2nd video, cool it.
I've since learned
Luck German brit 😉
Sorry. This is really boring, as you mentioned in the beginning. Dunlop Tortex are good picks, that would be my advice. Choose picks that are normal size, not too big, not too small. Around 1mm is best, too thin makes it melt in your hands, too thick will kill your G-B-e Strings and produce a less desireable tone. That is just my personal experience. Otherwise, i like your channel!
Then this isn't the video for you, hope you enjoy my other ones tho 👋🏻
..you guys are getting more than a day out of a pick.....?
Just use your fingers
I liked your videos till you shat on Jazz 3's.... jK ;)
Jazz IIIs get a bit floppy if you don't hold them at an angle, not a big fan
Also, more nerd shit please!
The dunlop greens are my fav