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I've experimented with a lot of picks and have found that for me the best for
tone without a doubt is REAL tortoise shell. I have a stash of these that were
sold to a local music store by an old guy who closed his store about 1970.
That's around the year that it became illegal to sell these in the US. I only
use them to record, mostly on songs that aren't real heavy handed.
The pick I have found to be very close to that sound / attack is the Jim Dunlop
"Gels". That's a cheapo pick usually sold in a fish bowel on the counter. I use
the green ones, a light medium which is a little lighter than I would use of
another brand. For quieter songs, I use the blue light gauge. I have A / B
tested these while in the studio with huge rockstar studio monitors in my face,
and they are darn close to the real thing. I liked them so much I have them made
with the Slacktone oval logo, skater, and name on them. More junk than has ever
been printed on a pick.
For heavy rock playing, and for playing bass with a pick, check out the Modulus
Graphite picks. They are very unique. You can't record a ballad with them
because will hear the sound of sparks generated by contact with the steel
strings!
-dave
ohsyrus <> wrote:The other day I went into the dreaded "Guitar
Center" to get some
strings after an online vendor dropped the ball on a recent order, and
I figured, what the heh, I might as well try some D'addario Chromes,
since, I haven't tried a set for years, and while I was checking out,
the sales guy successfully upsells me on a bag o' picks.
Now, for a while there I was using this strange little pick with weird
torus like grooves that helped to center the grip while picking
furiously. But I didn't like the type of plastic it was made from, and
went back to what I have typically used since I was a kid, which is a
medium tortoise shell pick. I am always losing them, so i bought a bag.
But when I got home and was adding them to my cache o' picks, I saw
this beautiful blue mother of toilet seat Fender pick there in the
box--hard, that someone gave me once, and that I had never tried. So I
did. What a revelation. My tone instantly took on a stronger edge, to
my shocked disbelief. Not only that, but after a few minutes of
playing, when I went back to my medium tortoise shell, it seemed,
well, flacid and weak. It no longer even seemed right--and I've been
using that kind of pick for years and years. So I went into the cache
again and found what I was looking for, a translucent red Extra hard
pick, and gave it a shot. There was definitely more snuss than with
the Hard--but, I did not like it as much. It seemed over the top.
Especially when double picking. It seemed TOO aggressive. I was
starting to feel like Goldilocks. So I went back to the Fender Hard,
and today I intend to go on a quest for a bag of these picks. But this
whole tiny moment of discovery made me wonder--We've talked alot about
favorite strings. But what kind of pick do you prefer? What's your
favorite?
I now see that certain picks go with certain strings go with certain
playing styles go with certain guitars go with certain tubes go with
certain amps go with certain effects. And some combinations work
better than others. I never realized that a pick could cause such a
tweak...but then again so do tubes so do strings...
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