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What pick/plectrum do you prefer?


Biz Prof

Question

I've gotten so accustomed to using my fingers that I've really not needed to purchase any picks beyond what has been in my stash. My old standby, for over 20 years, has been the 1.0 mm Hi Modulus "Reefer" picks. Since those were apparently out of production for some time until Pickboy took over the design, my chewed up collection has been due for replacement. I'd been intrigued by Dunlop's Ultex ever since it hit the market a few years ago. Bought a pack today and discovered that I really like them; in fact, I feel more fleet fingered using one.

So, other than God-given digits, what is your preferred plectrum and what makes it stand out?

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Fender or D'Andrea 346 in medium tortoiseshell plastic...they're the rounded triangular ones, big but not too big, easy to control and don't fly out of my hands; plus, if one corner starts wearing down or affecting my picking, I can use the other two corners, as they're all the same shape (I'm frugal, too. ;)).

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Dunlop red JazzIII for millenia. Like BizProf, had a long affair with the Modulus carbon fiber "weed" picks. Great picks for rock, as they had a nice grind (with no "scrape"), flex and articulate, pointy tip.

Bought two large bags of Pickboy Jazz 1.20mm cellulose picks. Really liking these! Same shape as the Dunlops, but a little brighter and a bit of "give." They wear faster than JazzIII's, but are way cheaper.

Tried V-Picks "Stiletto" and really liked the articulation and clean sound, especially with high gain. Too stiff for my taste, though I really like their "Tradition" UL for acoustic. Lots of "grunt" with minimal pick noise. Also like Fender mediums and the Dunlop "Gel" mediums for acoustic applications, too.

National large thumbpicks for Travis fingerpicking.

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Celluloid Fender 351 mediums have been my favorite for years.

For bass, Dunlop .073 yellow Tortex picks are my choice.

Dunlop's Ultex picks are really good, too. Clayton has something similar.

In the past couple of years there has been an accumulation of V-Picks. They each seem to be suited to different types of playing, and the experimentation has been fun. There are some worth buying duplicates to have a spare. Some days they are the only picks for me. Other days it will be the Fender picks. The difference is one pick is changing my approach to playing while the other has just felt right for decades.

When Premier Guitar Magazine did its Christmas packages there were some pick samples in the box. The Dava picks were interesting enough to make me want to try some of their other types of picks.

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As little as I use a pick, its amazing how many I have. I tend to like very heavy picks, so my go to is usually a John Pearse Fast Turtle in a medium, which is 2.5mm w/ a dimple. I have a Red Bear that I like the tone of on my acoustics, some Cactus picks, sound good and stick to your fingers, a Dunlop JD Jazztone in the 207 size and a bunch of HFC picks.

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V picks traditional lite.

Since Lonel posted about them here I have never looked back. They're bastards to find when you drop them though!

I was just talking to Dragon last weekend out the V pick traditional lite that I purchased. I played it took it up to the wife and said "Hey look at this thing you can't drop it!"Then I went back down stairs and sitting on my amp was one of Dougs Fender Picks. I put it in my other hand rubbed it between my fingers a couple of times. BAM! Stuck to my fingers just like the V Pick, sounded the same, they were the same thickness and everything. I purchased it to see what the hullabaloo was all about and i'm not sold.

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Dunlop Ultex Sharps 1mm.

I have tried a couple Vpick Switchblades and love them, but I need the Ultex handy for pick scrapes and slides.....don't wanna use the Vpicks for that.

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Another red Jazz III fan.

I used the black Jazz III's at first (I'd never seen the reds) and I read an interview with Vernon Reid where he was touting the Jazz IIIs and said he loved the red ones but could never find them anymore. They must have resumed production because I found them a few years later. Much preferred, even over the black ones - they have a different sound and feel.

Feynman was nice enough to send me an Ultex Jazz III, but I didn't care for that as much as the red, either.

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Electric is this one: _c636512_image_0.jpg

Acoustic is this one: _c665294_image_0.jpg

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V picks traditional lite.

Since Lonel posted about them here I have never looked back. They're bastards to find when you drop them though!

I love the V Pick Traditional Lite also. I started buying them in blue after I lost a couple of the clear ones. Much easier to see.

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Used to make my own copies of Mojo picks, which I cut from coins. They wear quickly though, so I tried Timber Tone titanium picks, like these:

metaltonestitanium.jpg

Those above were my preferred picks for a while, until I tried the 1980 V-Pick:

P%C3%BAa-V-Picks-1980-510x510.jpg

I love the attack and the "wosh" those 1980 picks produce. The downside is just I can no longer do my signature "whistle", which is only doable with a well-buffed metal pick -I slide the metal pick close to the neck pickup on the E string to make a "whew-whew!" sound, which is great to praise a sexy member of the group or host or someone in the crowd. :)

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I started out with Fender 351 extra heavy; grabbed a gross lately because they are always a safe bet. Went to Ultrex because I like the stiffness and response. Picked up a couple V pick "chicken picking" but they rotate out of position when I hybrid pick (basically all the time). The green v picks are better because they are symmetrical and I can always get them into position easily. The v pick screamers are great when my right hand gets stupid and refuses to work properly.

Basically, whatever I can find lying around (or none if they are all in the laundry or hiding).

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