Advice re pick/plectrums please.

jimkehoe · September 2021

I favour thin Jim Dunlop picks 46mm shown in photos:
https://i.imgur.com/xPLp5Hc.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wwapIuY.jpg

I like them because they give a great soft/mellow tone without losing all clarity.
However they unsurprisingly are not that robust and end up mangled very easily, probably made far worse by my bad habit of putting in my mouth whilst picking.

Can any recommend suitable alternatives that will give the same sound/feel whilst being a bit more robust.

Cheers
Jim.

Whistler · September 2021

Jim, you say you know why you like these plectrums. Apart from encouraging you to experiment with other plectrums I would not want to talk anyone out of using what they know works well for them.

If having a plectrum in your mouth ruins them that suggests to me that you are not as at ease with the piece(s) you are playing and that tension means you grip the plectrum too tightly. I would suggest getting to know the song(s) better, even bettr than you know them now, and, in the meantime, trying holding the plectrum between your lips instead of between your teeth.

Winny_Pooh · September 2021

Its not what you asked but these thin picks are very weak in tone. Have you considered trying the .88 or 1mm nylons if not an entirely different fuller sounding pick?

jimkehoe · September 2021

Whistler said:

Jim, you say you know why you like these plectrums. Apart from encouraging you to experiment with other plectrums I would not want to talk anyone out of using what they know works well for them.

If having a plectrum in your mouth ruins them that suggests to me that you are not as at ease with the piece(s) you are playing and that tension means you grip the plectrum too tightly. I would suggest getting to know the song(s) better, even bettr than you know them now, and, in the meantime, trying holding the plectrum between your lips instead of between your teeth.

Wise words. However I don’t think it is necessary worry or unease about songs. I think it’s just my destructive nature. I chew/pick my nails as well. Just another annoying habit.
I think just through wear and tear they also deteriorate quite quickly.
Just wondered before disappearing down another rabbit hole if anyone knows/thinks another make/material may achieve the same but be a bit more robust?

jimkehoe · September 2021

Winny_Pooh said:

Its not what you asked but these thin picks are very weak in tone. Have you considered trying the .88 or 1mm nylons if not an entirely different fuller sounding pick?

I’ll give some a go.

Snags · September 2021

I use the .73mm with acoustics, which seems to be a reasonable balance between robustness, volume, tone, but not being too harsh on the attack compared to a "medium" pick.

jimkehoe · September 2021

Snags said:

I use the .73mm with acoustics, which seems to be a reasonable balance between robustness, volume, tone, but not being too harsh on the attack compared to a "medium" pick.

Which make?

Mellish · September 2021

Picks you might like include Dunlop Flex. There's a. 60mm white one. It will give you good volume with a little flexibility. I hear a mellow tone using one but YMMV. Hope this helps

.

Snags · September 2021

Jim Dunlop, same as yours, just a bit thicker.

They last a reasonable while - ages if just strumming, but I've noticed I need to bin them after a month or two if I've done a lot of practice involving picking/riff bits as well because the tip rounds out and I get even less accurate than normal.

prlgmnr · September 2021

Rest the pick in the corner of your mouth then you don't have to grip it, it just stays there.

jimkehoe · September 2021

Snags said:

Jim Dunlop, same as yours, just a bit thicker.

They last a reasonable while - ages if just strumming, but I've noticed I need to bin them after a month or two if I've done a lot of practice involving picking/riff bits as well because the tip rounds out and I get even less accurate than normal.

Brilliant. Thanks @Snags.

jimkehoe · September 2021

prlgmnr said:

Rest the pick in the corner of your mouth then you don't have to grip it, it just stays there.

I’ll try and cure my bad habits! Thanks

jimkehoe · September 2021

Mellish said:

Picks you might like include Dunlop Flex. There's a. 60mm white one. It will give you good volume with a little flexibility. I hear a mellow tone using one but YMMV. Hope this helps
.

Thanks - I’ll give them a go.

Lewy · September 2021

Do you lose a lot of picks? I ask, because if you do then ignore my advice, but there are great very durable picks out there but they're more expensive than your dunlops so you wouldn't want to be buying a lot of them. I don't mean £35-40 BlueChips (although they have their place) but things like Wegen that probably come in at something like a fiver each.

Mattharrier · September 2021

I use Dunlop Tortex 60s or 71s on electrics, but I prefer a softer pick for acoustic strumming as harder ones are a bit harsh sounding - I use the Tortex 50s, which do obviously wear quicker than a thicker pick, but don't snap like the thin picks I've had. I also have some Ernie Ball thins (only because they glow in the dark and I'm a sucker for pretty much anything that glows in the dark) which are very similar, but I find the tortex last longer.

I've had a couple of Dunlop 46s in the past, I used them for my fluorocarbon-stringed ukulele.

jimkehoe · September 2021

Lewy said:

Do you lose a lot of picks? I ask, because if you do then ignore my advice, but there are great very durable picks out there but they're more expensive than your dunlops so you wouldn't want to be buying a lot of them. I don't mean £35-40 BlueChips (although they have their place) but things like Wegen that probably come in at something like a fiver each.

I don’t lose them - more wear them out/destroy them !

jimkehoe · September 2021

Mattharrier said:

I use Dunlop Tortex 60s or 71s on electrics, but I prefer a softer pick for acoustic strumming as harder ones are a bit harsh sounding - I use the Tortex 50s, which do obviously wear quicker than a thicker pick, but don't snap like the thin picks I've had. I also have some Ernie Ball thins (only because they glow in the dark and I'm a sucker for pretty much anything that glows in the dark) which are very similar, but I find the tortex last longer.

I've had a couple of Dunlop 46s in the past, I used them for my fluorocarbon-stringed ukulele.

Will check out the tortes 50s. Thanks

Lewy · September 2021

jimkehoe said:

Lewy said:

Do you lose a lot of picks? I ask, because if you do then ignore my advice, but there are great very durable picks out there but they're more expensive than your dunlops so you wouldn't want to be buying a lot of them. I don't mean £35-40 BlueChips (although they have their place) but things like Wegen that probably come in at something like a fiver each.

I don’t lose them - more wear them out/destroy them !

Well I would definitely check out Wegen then. I've found them very durable and have had some of them years. They also sound good...no scratchiness.

jimkehoe · September 2021

Lewy said:

jimkehoe said:

Lewy said:

Do you lose a lot of picks? I ask, because if you do then ignore my advice, but there are great very durable picks out there but they're more expensive than your dunlops so you wouldn't want to be buying a lot of them. I don't mean £35-40 BlueChips (although they have their place) but things like Wegen that probably come in at something like a fiver each.

I don’t lose them - more wear them out/destroy them !

Well I would definitely check out Wegen then. I've found them very durable and have had some of them years. They also sound good...no scratchiness.

I’ll check them out. Thanks.

sev112 · September 2021

I use a range of Dunlops from red to purple and vary them depending on how the I divdual guitar is sounding that day and the song.

intend to “norm” around Yellow / Green(middle of that range), but this last week which has been very warm in the south east, I’ve been using the thinnest Red and Orange to get a good tone

mainly acoustic this week, but I do the same with electrics too

jimkehoe · September 2021

sev112 said:

I use a range of Dunlops from red to purple and vary them depending on how the I divdual guitar is sounding that day and the song.

intend to “norm” around Yellow / Green(middle of that range), but this last week which has been very warm in the south east, I’ve been using the thinnest Red and Orange to get a good tone

mainly acoustic this week, but I do the same with electrics too

Thanks. Fascinating.

Lestratcaster · September 2021

I've also settled on the Dunlop tortex 0.73mm's. A happy medium between strumming and single note playing, it sits right for me.

jellyroll · September 2021

As well as the regular Dunlop Tortex mentioned above, Dunlop do a range of "Gel" picks which are good. The green med/light is probably a touch thicker than your current pick.

https://www.jimdunlop.com/gels-green-medium-light-pick/

jimkehoe · September 2021

Lestratcaster said:

I've also settled on the Dunlop tortex 0.73mm's. A happy medium between strumming and single note playing, it sits right for me.

Thanks.

jimkehoe · September 2021

jellyroll said:

As well as the regular Dunlop Tortex mentioned above, Dunlop do a range of "Gel" picks which are good. The green med/light is probably a touch thicker than your current pick.

https://www.jimdunlop.com/gels-green-medium-light-pick/

Looks interesting. Thanks.

Keefy · September 2021

Another vote for Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm (yellow) - I like the texture, which is moderately grippy.

jimkehoe · September 2021

Keefy said:

Another vote for Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm (yellow) - I like the texture, which is moderately grippy.

Popular choice.

Mellish · September 2021

A favourite pick with many years ago was a felt plectrum. It had its own distinctive sound described by many back then as "mellow". However, they are quite thick, and I mention them because the OP mentioned mellow

jimkehoe · September 2021

Mellish said:

A favourite pick with many years ago was a felt plectrum. It had its own distinctive sound described by many back then as "mellow". However, they are quite thick, and I mention them because the OP mentioned mellow

Thank you. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one.

Mellish · September 2021

They're still made and Google search will bring them up

Mattharrier · September 2021

jimkehoe said:

Mellish said:

A favourite pick with many years ago was a felt plectrum. It had its own distinctive sound described by many back then as "mellow". However, they are quite thick, and I mention them because the OP mentioned mellow

Thank you. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one.

Just be a bit careful, I have some felt picks for ukulele, and I tried one on my acoustic guitar - it sounded quite nice and mellow, but shredded the pick. So just check whether any you get are intended for steel strings, as there may be different kinds.

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Advice re pick/plectrums please.

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