How to Choose A Thumb Pick for Size?

Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

I have decided to try a few other thumb picks other than the blue Herco I have used since I started playing. My big interest is in a better pick for dobro playing. I want a pick I can dig in with. Blue Chip keeps being mentioned on reso forums.

The blue Herco fits me really nicely and never slips around etc. I'll probably always use them for PSG. What "size" are they? I want to get the right one the first time when I order other brands, such as the Blue Chip, or Pro Pick, or whatever. I suspect I'm a "medium."

Thanks for any thoughts, or advice.
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer

Matt Berg · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Don't know if I'd agree that a blue herco is medium. They fit me without being very snug, but I take a large in dunlop and fred kellys, and a large zookie is too small for me.

Also, fwiw, before you go sinking 40 bucks into a pick, I'd suggest that you try out some large heavy poly picks from fred kelly or dunlop. They're a lot stiffer than the herco, and more budget friendly. Personally, due to my tendency to lose things, I have avoided expensive picks.

Gene Tani · From: Pac NW

Herco's only come in 1 size, which I call loose... https://www.jimdunlop.com/herco-thumbpicks/

BC thumbpicks are often available used on teh banjo hangout forum. I have a few, i use them by themselves, no fingerpicks. I would also try the ones that American made banjo co. makes, tortoise colored or clown barfs, they're pretty easy to open up the band with hot water and pliers (but you can't make them tighter that way)

http://www.americanmadebanjo.com/index.php?cPath=23

this explains all the different BC tpicks if you decide to spring for one https://store.banjobenclark.com/collections/picks/products/bluechip-jd-crowe-thumb-pick
_________________
- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew

Mike Auman · From: North Texas, USA

I use blue Hercos, and agree with Matt and Gene that they fit very similar to the "large" Dunlops and Zookies on my thumb.
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Long-time guitar player, now wrestling with lap steel.

Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

I appreciate this conversation! I hate the idea of buying the wrong size, at the price BC picks cost. I'm not sold on them, but a whole lot of players use them. I'm very happy with the Keyser fingerpicks I use, but I never feel like I can drive with my thumb using the Herco. I'm wearing them out a lot faster than with the PSG. I say, "out," but I mean the play wear is pronounced after a month. It looks like I'm going to be playing a lot of dobro, and already am now, but gigs are starting to pop and I have a chance to get with some pretty good bluegrassers shortly. I want to have any advantage I can, haha.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer

Glenn Wilde · From: California, USA

I bought a few Black Mountain thumb picks and like them alot, they are big like a Herco but spring loaded so they stay on good. They are around 5 bux apiece.

Matt Berg · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Glenn, Black Mountain picks didn't do it for me. Seems like a kludge of a flat pick. BTW, when you say big like a Herco, you're referring to the other style that Herco makes that looks like a flat pick with a band, it's not the popular "Blue Herco" that the original poster mentions, that pick's full designation is Herco HE115 Flex 52. The Flex 52 is a very "fast" pick, but I'd like it more if it was tighter, also it has a seam or ridge that annoys me a little bit....

That's the thing about picks, it's where your body energizes the instrument, a very individual experience. Like a sax player with reeds.

Fred Kelly makes a lot of different picks, and their product line can be a bit confusing. This is the one that I have settled on (still trying others from time to time):

Fred Kelly Picks P2B-H-8 Poly Slick Large Heavy Guitar Pick

Fred Kelly uses a color scheme so that all of their offerings are different colors EXCEPT the Medium and Heavy weight of the one listed above! I was very perplexed for a while by this, especially since most of the resellers picture the Medium in their listing for the Large. There's not much that much difference between the two, and I often don't notice which one I happen to pick up to play since they're mixed in the same container.

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

On dobro, I use a Golden Gate thumb pick. I use a John Pearse thumb pick on PSG. I also tried the Black Mountain picks, didn't even slightly like them.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.

Matt Berg · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Golden Gate and John Pearse are medium sized at best in my experience...didn't fit me at all!

Gene Tani · From: Pac NW

Another thing to worry about, delrin e.g. Fred Kelly's, and ultex thumbpicks can't be reshaped with hot water, in my experience

Good review of materials from Archive.org
_________________
- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew

Mark Eaton · Posted 5 Oct 2021 6:46 pm

BlueChip all the way for me, particularly for dobro, since 2012. I have no interest in any other thumbpick. I use the JD Reso Large. The JD in this case is banjo master JD Crowe, not Jerry Douglas. . The JD Reso is slightly thicker than the JD Banjo pick, better for dobro. The regular Reso pick has a longer blade, I donâ€™t like it as much. If you donâ€™t like BlueChip you can return within 30 days for a full refund.

Speaking of Jerry Douglas, below is a quote I have saved from his no longer in existence forum that was on his website for years. One of the key features he mentions is how the pick glides across the strings. Thereâ€™s nothing else like it. I think this is from around 2009 when BlueChip first hit the market. Took me a couple years to suck it up and buy my first BlueChip, but once I did there was no turning back.

I think for most men Large is the ticket. I ordered a Medium one time but returned it - way too tight. These ride up on your thumb a kittle higher toward the knuckle than a Golden Gate, but you get used to it in short order.

Matt Berg · From: Pennsylvania, USA

I don't play very much dobro, but clearly, I am not playing it nearly hard enough, even allowing for exaggeration, I generally lose picks way before they have any chance to wear out!

Lloyd Graves · From: New York, USA

I've had my current BC pick (large JD nano because I don't like a long blade) for about 5 years now, and despite using it for guitar, tenor guitar, steel and banjo picking, it barely shows any wear on the blade. For guitar and tenor guitar I use it as a flat pick across picking more and more lately) and Travis style. For banjo I use it both as a flat pick and for 3 finger and travis style picking. I like that the metal band NEVER catches the strings on an up-strum. Never.

I did lose my first, but I was so hooked that I bought my current BC pick. Been able to hang on to the second one. Being afraid of losing it, I decided to look into cheaper alternatives and found the brass-banded ACRI picks. The brass band is weird and catches when I up-pick, but that isn't an issue with the steel/dobro for me. At $10 it's well worth a try. I use it with the steel and dobro; it doesn't move around on my thumb.

My very first picks were plastic dunlop and they rotated on my thumb pr slipped off while I played. I really appreciate metal banded thumb picks.

All that to say that, for Dobro and steel, I'd recommend the ACRI thumb pick with a brass band and plastic blade. They were 1/4 the price of a BC pick and work just as well for that instrument. For me, at least. I don't know this vendor, but: https://store.banjobenclark.com/products/acri-picks-brass-thumbpick-with-delrin-blade. $10.

Some day I will get the dremel out and remove the extra brass on the back, and I am guessing it will be almowt as good as the BC pick for upright instruments.

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Lloyd Graves · From: New York, USA

I forgot to add that, where I wear my thumb pick, my thumb's circumference is 2 3/4" (6.2 cm). The large BC pick and ACRI pick.

I have a friend with similar sized hands that uses a medium BC pick. It just sits farther forward on his thumb. He's a strictly Scruggs style banjoist, so that might play into that. (The front edge of my thumb pick is about 1cm back from the top of my thumb. )

Matt Berg · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Just ordered a brass and a stainless delrin ACRI. Thanks for the tip. I'll report back after I've used them for a while.

Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

I went ahead and ordered the large JD reso pick from Blue Chip. Should have it in a couple days. I will probably try a couple others mentioned here. Again, great conversation. Thanks for all the replies.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

I guess Iâ€™m not the only one that didnâ€™t like the Black Mountain picks. Iâ€™m sticking with my tried and true Golden Gates. For fingerpicks, I like the Perfect Touch.

Robert W Wilson · From: Palisade, Western Colorado

[quote="Gene Tani"]Another thing to worry about, delrin e.g. Fred Kelly's, and ultex thumbpicks can't be reshaped with hot water, in my experience

Dunlop Ultex are my favorite for heavy picking but the large is too tight. I slip them on a 3/4" dia. steel round, boil and let cool.

Brian Evans · From: Nova Scotia, Canada

I only have one thumbpick, and it occurred to me that I didn't know what it was or where I got it, because I usually play all fingers, or I flat pick. So I looked at it, and no name, but I remembered that it came in the case of the 1935 Dobro Model 25 I acquired about five years ago. That guitar had not been played since it's owner was killed in WWII, and the guitar was returned to his parents after the war, and basically left under a bed. It had the thumbpick (creme white plastic), a set of plastic fingers picks, a set of metal finger picks, a Nick Manoloff plastic (bakelite) bar, a nut riser, and the original braided cord "strap", all in a little bag. So I guess I have a 1935-ish thumbpick, which is kind of cool. This thread brought that memory to light.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

[quote="Robert W Wilson"]

Gene Tani · From: Pac NW

Thanks for the ultex tip. I have a dozen or more laying around somewhere, I also like Ultex flatpicks so i figured the thumbpicks would be great if they fit
_________________
- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew

Mark Mansueto · From: Michigan, USA

I've tried lots of thumb and finger picks and I've always come back to the white Dunlop pick because I like the shape and hardness. I buy the Large and even though I don't have large hands they are a tight fit which is no problem. Like others have said I use hot water to get them to fit right. I also like to have several sets of picks so the fact that they are cheap and easy to find is nice.

Matt Berg · From: Pennsylvania, USA

I tried the ACRIs out, not really that fond of them.

I think it's hard to adjust the sizing, and I prefer a poly to delrin pick surface.

I did plasti dip all but the tip of some Herco and Kellys, it does snug them up a bit....

Matt Berg · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Noticed some thumbnail ache after using the ACRI. Where's that can of Plastidip????

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