Which pick sounds best?

stonevibe

I've got it down to three: a Dan's Guitar Store pick, a Teck Pick thingy, and a stone pick (currently my favourite).

I also have a bone one and a rosewood pick (maybe an ebony one somewhere as well), which both sounded a little dull to me.

Did a quick video to demo the tone/sound of the three I'm currently testing out (my YT short won't embed, so YT link). 

I should have made a regular YouTube video, but I've been testing shorts, and so it won't embed here. It's an iPhone quality vid, so nothing high-res audio, etc...

Recently purchased another stone pick as they sound pretty good to my ear, and I was relying on the one, which means if I lose it, I'd be stuffed. I like the sound they make with an acoustic, though not on my electrics.

Tend to prefer plectrums that don't flex, which is why I'm down to these three. 

Kittyfrisk

You say 'stone' but isn't that actually an agate? So a wee bit different to say, sandstone.
More importantly, do they make a discernible acoustic difference with an electric?  

stonevibe

Kittyfrisk said:

You say 'stone' but isn't that actually an agate? So a wee bit different to say, sandstone.
More importantly, do they make a discernible acoustic difference with an electric?  

I just find that the 'stone/agate' one sounds more rounded, but doesn't lose attack. I also haven't looked into which plastic or metal the other two are made from.

On electric, I prefer a different feel, so I use Chicken Picks and Dan's Guitar Store ones usually.

Winny_Pooh

The super hard picks don't particularly sound good to me and strumming them feels odd.

IMO the white Wegen bluegrass picks (1.4mm or 1.8 if you like less flex) sound the best. 

stonevibe

Winny_Pooh said:

IMO the white Wegen bluegrass picks (1.4mm or 1.8 if you like less flex) sound the best. 

I don't have any of those to try...

These?

Winny_Pooh

^^^ yep

Tannin

Kittyfrisk said:

You say 'stone' but isn't that actually an agate? So a wee bit different to say, sandstone.

Sandstone pick. This would be why those Elixir strings go frayed and fuzzy, yes? 

TheMarlin

V picks for me. I bought hundreds of picks, all different materials.  Tried bone, shell, metals, carbon fibre etc,every material I could find in pick format.  Narrowed down the search, V-Picks won.  

That’s just me though, my taste, my light play style, don’t do windmills, big fan of pick dynamics (spits in general direction of compressors). 

For me, only V pick will do. Screamer for rock and punk, snake, and Psycho are my go to, I also have a few of the huge thick Colossal models which are surprisingly comfortable to play. Thicker pick prevents hand cramps. . 

stonevibe

TheMarlin said:

V picks for me. I bought hundreds of picks, all different materials.  Tried bone, shell, metals, carbon fibre etc,every material I could find in pick format.  Narrowed down the search, V-Picks won.  

That’s just me though, my taste, my light play style, don’t do windmills, big fan of pick dynamics (spits in general direction of compressors). 

For me, only V pick will do. Screamer for rock and punk, snake, and Psycho are my go to, I also have a few of the huge thick Colossal models which are surprisingly comfortable to play. Thicker pick prevents hand cramps. . 

I have about 30 V Picks, but don't like how they sound on acoustic at all. Though I think they are great on electric, so...

These are on my desk as I type

stonevibe

I bought this Turquoise pick a month or so ago, and it's next on my list of ones to A/B.

MartinB

In the video, I feel like you play less smoothly with the metal pick than the other two, especially on the up strokes. That could be tip shape, thickness or bevel as much as the material, but I'd say that one suits your way of playing less. 

stonevibe

MartinB said:

In the video, I feel like you play less smoothly with the metal pick than the other two, especially on the up strokes. That could be tip shape, thickness or bevel as much as the material, but I'd say that one suits your way of playing less. 

It's a much thinner pick and gets caught on strings more. I'd describe it as dragging a little. 

mudslide73

I'm a fellow Dan's Precision user and I like it on electric and acoustic. I'm interested to see what you come up with!

guitarjack66

I play with the rounded edges of my picks but sods law dictates that the materials are too stiff. I'm yet to find one that's just the right amount of flexibility,size, and shape that suit my preferences. 

Kittyfrisk

stonevibe said:

I bought this Turquoise pick a month or so ago, and it's next on my list of ones to A/B.

Lovely looking thing, I do like turquoise.
I wonder how uniformly reproducible they will be, given they are all natural materials? 

stonevibe

Kittyfrisk said: Lovely looking thing, I do like turquoise.

I wonder how uniformly reproducible they will be, given they are all natural materials? 

I bought this from WM Guitars, and they had a few options in the store. 

https://www.wmguitars.com/products/natural-stone-guitar-picks-various-types-wm-guitars-exclusive

Kittyfrisk

They have an eBay shop too https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/315687958017
Also in the related items I think the Malachite ones are very pretty too 

wrinkleygit

stonevibe said:

I bought this Turquoise pick a month or so ago, and it's next on my list of ones to A/B.

That’s one of my favourites, great for jazz on electric and also takes off some of the brightness on an acoustic, I have three other different ones from the same source, Walter also took the trouble to put a micrometer to measure thickness of several for me , definitely a great place to visit.
  I’m also a big fan of V pics, dimension junior, jalapeño and euro II.

stonevibe

WM just happens to be my closest local store, so I can pop in there and check stuff out. Great staff and lots of very nice guitars in there.

stonevibe

Spent most of yesterday using the turquoise pick, and it's really good. Rounded, smooth, and not 'clicky' with plenty of attack if you want to dig in. I have mainly been playing chord-type strumming stuff with it, and it is easy to back off and stay balanced.


I'll attempt to make another short video comparison at some point if anyone is interested, then I'll share it here.

At some point, I'll make some proper audio recordings, as I'm working on a few songs and trying to find some time to sit down and have a recording session. 

I'm definitely into these stone/agate tones. I also have a bone and an ebony pick to try out (I've owned them both for decades, and they are useful to have around). Thought I had a rosewood one as well, but it may have gone MIA.

Roland

stonevibe said:

I'll attempt to make another short video comparison at some point if anyone is interested, then I'll share it here’s.

When you do, could you include a casein pick? Theyre the closest thing I’ve found to tortoiseshell in sound and wear. They’re not cheap, but neither are the stone ones. I bought several of these 18 months ago, when they were £10 each https://www.thomann.co.uk/hense_plecs_happy_turtle_jz_15mm.htm. A normal pick would have worn out after a few weeks. Mine is still going strong, so reasonable value for money.

I notice that d’Addario are also selling casein picks:  https://www.thomann.co.uk/daddario_casein_351standard_pick_2.00.htm