Favorite Picks?

I've never had one wear out, i tend to lose them within a day so its not really an issue.

Jack

I mentioned it in passing when talking about the acrylic slides they sell, but if you like an absolutely rigid pick (as a lot of folks do for lead playing), the V-Pick is a nice one. I haven't put a caliper on it, but I'd say it's about 1.5mm thick, made of clear cast acrylic material. The edges and corners are rather rounded with just enough of an edge to get a crisp attack with a mellow tone, not the very bright higher harmonics you get from an extremely sharp pick. The rounded edges also help to prevent string snagging if your grip's a bit too tight. As I said, it is absolutely rigid, and won't flex at all in use. Stiff as a quarter. There's no molded-in texture on the surface, it's smooth, but the acrylic material has a high enough coefficient of friction that it's easy to get a secure grip on it as long as you don't somehow get grease on your fingers. Picks are another of those things that are hard to have too many of to choose from.
:D

http://v-picks.com/

I'm using the Dunlop Gator Grip in 0.96mm - the purple ones. I like them because of the nice grippy texture. I used to use the 1.14mm (blue ones). That's for the electric.

On the acoustic it's Fender medium.

A related question is how long do you use your pick? How many hours of playing?

I have the black one in the far right corner, so far my fav

Current conventional fave: Snarling Dogs Brain Pick in heavy (Orange) -- exc grip, good wear, no use deformation and moderately stiff;

http://www.snarlingdogs.com/products/brain.html
Snarling Dogs for me too (Black) and i've grown accustomed to their texture. I find it uncomfortable when i use other picks.

Dunlop tortex. The yellow ones at the moment. (looks like they're .73 upon further investigation)

I have some of the tiny little dunlop jazz ones on the way, looking forward to giving those a try.

My normal everyday pick is the Dunlop JazzTone 208, nice and thick and stiff. The tip is kind of contoured, so you can still pick lightly and quietly if you want. I also really like the Dugain Acetate contoured flatpick. It has a contours on the top (for your thumb) and bottom (for your index finger) and feels real nice to hold. They are absurdly expensive though. I can't say that I've ever had a pick wear out, I always lose them first.

TZ

My favorite is

My thumb and index finger

mmmmm I can't drop them so I got no excuse for my lousy guitar playing ..Just a case of "No Talent "

Cheers
Trev... :wink:

I like the ridges on the top so they don't slip out of your fingers. I usually end up loosing them - can't remember one wearing out.

Dan

Really, nobody else is wearing their picks out? How long do you use them before you lose them? I almost never lose any. They seem to wear out in about 2-3 weeks. The leading rounded edge wears out and becomes somewhat flattened and the pressure between my thumb and index finger wears a perma-groove into the pick. In that time, the pick also seems to lose a bit of rigidity and it's not as stiff as it was when new.

Hmmm, am I playing too hard thus wearing the pick out faster or is it just that I don't lose my picks and therefore play with them longer?

I've never wore a pick out either. I have ahd them bend too much. Those Fender really light ones when I first started. Still got some. Never know when someone will want a thin pick.

OK, so about never having picks that wear out... I guess I lied. Some of the picks that I've tried have worn out, but never the ones I ended up sticking with (the Dunlop Jazztones and the Dugain). I did try the planet waves grip ones which I kind of liked, but after a while, the things actually snapped in half on me. And I had some of the other, thinner ones, end up becoming too flexy for my taste. But the ones that I stuck with seem like they certainly last long enough that I usually lose them before causing any noticeable wear on them.

TZ

My Fender mediums wear out after about a month.

I used to use Fender thins...then switched to mediums, then to heavy, then back to mediums. I think I've felt my comfort zone here...I can pick very softly when I want...and pick it harder too. Plus I love the option of picking with the thick end to get a thicker tone.

As for it slipping out my hand, it happens, but even with those ones with the ridges (like Dunlop)...so whatever. If I were ever playing live I'd have to have plenty extra.

For those needing grip, give Snarling Dogs Brain Picks a shot. These are probably #1 grippies of all the many many I've tried, and are pretty tough wear-wise as well. Brain Picks have a molded-in pattern that doesn't seem to degrade with use -- feels a little like sandpaper or a cat's tongue (why would I know this? I'm allergic.). Cactus picks are cheaper, almost as finger sticky, but wear and deform with heavy or aggressive use.

I wear edges of most picks, whether Dunlop's Delrin (e.g., regular or Gator Grips) or whatevermaterial Fender uses. Even nylons get a bit mucked up after a while. The Pickboy ceramics are minimal wearing, and even have pretty good grip patterns in various styles. They are more expensive than the average. I shatter this picks, but don't use 'em anyway. OTOH, as long as the picks are somewhat intact and not too bent, I continue to use them regardless of wear.

For those needing grip, give Snarling Dogs Brain Picks a shot. These are probably #1 grippies of all the many many I've tried, and are pretty tough wear-wise as well. Brain Picks have a molded-in pattern that doesn't seem to degrade with use -- feels a little like sandpaper or a cat's tongue (why would I know this? I'm allergic.).

Aside from the grip, are these different from other nylon picks, like Dunlops and Hercos? Stiffer?

I'm thinking about dipping the wide half of the Delrin 500s in some dip grip to keep them from slipping and rotating while playing, but maybe I should just try the Brains ...

I have a bunch of those Snarling Dog Brain Picks With Cat Tongue Grip. Bought 'em because of the name, who could pass that up?

They're good picks, all right. The thin ones do wear out and break pretty quickly. The thick ones don't, but the edges wear faster than some. Pretty soft plastic. They don't slip in your fingers!

I'm mostly a fingerpicker, not a flatpicker anyway. I use Ernie Ball Picky Picky Picks and Golden Gate extra heavy pearloid thumbpicks most often.