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Topic: Expensive vs Cheap Finger Picks |
Lee Rider
From:
Fort Bragg, California, USA
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Posted 9 Mar 2024 10:45 pm |
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Just looked at a recent video of Gordy playing banjo. Still headless but now has a bender!
Mahalo Larry!
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Bowman SD10 push pull 3x5, Modified Hudson PedalBro, Sarno Tonic preamp, Evans SE200 with Altec 418B, Standel Custom 15, '67 Showman with D-130F in cabinet, Ganz Straight Ahead, custom Wolfe 6 string dobro, '52 Gibson Century 6. |
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Flavio Pasquetto
From:
Austin, TX
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Posted 10 Jun 2024 12:27 am
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| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
I've played expensive picks that I hated (and some I liked). I've played cheap picks that I loved (and some I didn't like). It ain't the amount of money they cost. It's whether or not they work for you. You might as well accept that you're gonna have to try some different types to see what works for you.
I am OK with Dunlops. .020, .0225, or .025 are all OK for me, depending on the situation. I've recently started to use the D'Addario/National NP2's. I have some in nickel-silver, brass, and even a few stainless. I got them at a guitar show for, I believe, $2/pair. I bought around 15 oe 20 pair - every one he had, literally. Very nice, and that's what I'm using right now. To me, they have the general sound and feel of old Nationals, but I find them significantly more comfortable. I always liked the sound of the old Nationals, but it literally hurt to play them. They always sliced up my cuticles.
I like the Guptill Pro Piks single band, old-school. Tried the double bands, but never could keep them on my fingers. They just flopped around too much. But they are a bit heavy/thick.
Same thing with thumb picks. I used old Nationals (the good ones made 80s and earlier before they turned to garbage) for banjo and early pedal steel. I still have a few, but they are essentially unobtainium, and I want something I can get more of. Even the old ones tend to break at the bend after a while - we're talking about old white celluloid. I tried the Herco Blues - just too loose on my thumb. Other various smaller white thumb picks - Dunlop, John Pearse especially - they were OK but not perfect. I've tried Blue Chip, Golden Gates, and other really big (and sometimes really expensive) thumb picks. Just too big and thick for me, very awkward.
Then I discovered the Fred Kelly Slick Picks in Delrin. Short, stubby, but fabulous especially for guitar/slide guitar. Then Mike Sweeney turned me on to the Fred Kelly Regulars. Absolutely perfect for steel to me. They just lock onto my thumb, nice stiff but slender blade. Never looked back.
Try some picks. |
How is the Dunlop NP2 compare to a Dunlop brass 020? Is it thicker?
Thanks? |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2024 9:21 am
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Yes, it is a heavier guage. D'Addario National NP-2's have a thickness of .025
As far as I can tell, this is probably the single most popular pick in Steelworld these days.
On the quest for a slightly wider band for more grip and stability, I migrated from the NP-2 to the spendy Hoffmeyer 'Customs.' And then later, moved to an even wider band with the inexpensive Pro-Pik #2 (single-banded version). Meanwhile, the blade portion of all these picks sounds about the same to me and are about the same thickness. |
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Jon Hyde
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2024 11:23 am
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| After using Dunlop and National picks for a long time I got a pair of Sammy Shelor picks as a gift from the guitar player in my band. I was a little worried - I was afraid I was going to actually appreciate them more than the standard picks I'd been using and then I'd have to spend that kind of money on picks! Dang it. To me they were appreciably more comfortable and worth the extra dough. I bought backup sets. And when my guitar was stolen (with my picks in the case) I bought more backup sets! |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 10 Jun 2024 9:51 pm
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| Flavio Pasquetto wrote: |
| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
| ... I've recently started to use the D'Addario/National NP2's. I have some in nickel-silver, brass, and even a few stainless. I got them at a guitar show for, I believe, $2/pair. I bought around 15 oe 20 pair - every one he had, literally. Very nice, and that's what I'm using right now. To me, they have the general sound and feel of old Nationals, but I find them significantly more comfortable. I always liked the sound of the old Nationals, but it literally hurt to play them. They always sliced up my cuticles. ... |
How is the Dunlop NP2 compare to a Dunlop brass 020? Is it thicker? |
As Tucker states, they are heavier than the .020 Dunlops - .025, which is I believe what the old Nationals were. The band is similar to the old Nationals, but I find it much more comfortable. I still have a stash of old National finger picks. I probably should take a trio (I use 3 picks) of these and try to give the edges of the bands a fine, smooth bevel. That might fix them. I guess I'm lazy, ha. More like it, though, is that I'd rather play than fool around with picks.
I have a large drawer full of various types of picks - flat picks, thumb picks, and finger picks - I'm still a very active guitar and slide guitar player, and I try to keep up on banjo to some extent. I have a few Hoffmeyers in the stash. I also had a couple of Showcase 1941 picks. I think they're both good picks, but I personally am still using the NP2s. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 11 Jun 2024 9:43 am
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| Another vote for Acri finger picks (not cheap, but not stupid expensive) and Fred Kelly speed thumbs (very reasonable). That combination is the bomb for me. |
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John Ducsai
From:
New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 11 Jun 2024 3:14 pm
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| Hoffmeyer picks work the best for me. Blue Chip thumb pick completes the package. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 25 Jun 2024 10:16 am
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I've been a user of JF or BJ picks for nearly 4 decades since they first became available and Nationals before that.
I've only recently entertained using others due to, I guess, my old arthritic fingers.
I do have a few old Nationals that are pretty much the same as the JFs and I tried the Bob Perry 2 hole model.
I got an assortment of items in a sort of grab bag deal and several different styles of finger picks which I intended to sell as I didn't really need them.
I tried these no name picks just for fun while going through them and they felt pretty good so I sort of shaped the rings to fit the fingers but didn't do anything with the blades as they were already scooped and bent somewhat.
The rings aren't as crimped at the holes like some of my others so they're easier on my cuticles and fingers.
I don't know what the material is, but is also heavy ga. much like the nats and jfs.
I'm still using them instead of all my branded picks as they just work better for me. I left the blades pretty much as they were vs. my usual more severe bend and I believe this lets me hit the string better and I don't miss strings like sometimes before.
The only issue is that they are sorta slick inside and I have to keep the rosin in there to keep them in place.
So now when people ask me what finger picks I'm using, I say "You tell me"!
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Susan Alcorn
From:
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2024 7:31 am
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I also use the JF/BJ picks. Many years ago, I used national picks, and my fingers would often hurt. When the the BJ (later JF) picks came out, it really changed things for the better. They're pre-bent, and, for me at least, at the right angle. They're hard to find these days, so I always worry about dropping or losing a pick.
For thumpicks, my strong preference is for hard plastic - it makes a difference in tone. I like the clear Dobro picks (which are also difficult to find) with the pointed bottom rounded out a bit.
_________________
www.susanalcorn.net
"So this is how you swim inward. So this is how you flow outwards. So this is how you pray."
- Mary Oliver |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2024 5:00 pm
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I’ve tried lots of picks, and I always come back to Hoffmeyers and the blue Hercos - the problem with the Hercos is when they get warm they open up, so I keep several near me and switch out as necessary …. They cool down and then they’re fine.
I had a bag of Reece Anderson’s picks, very old Nationals and these black ones which were perfect, plus the sentimental value for me. They got stolen out of my car along with 2 Perfect Audio cables ($95 each!), and I’m 100% sure the thief was very disappointed in their haul and tossed them..
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
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Posted 26 Jun 2024 6:02 pm
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| While playing dobro, I use a Blue Chip thumbpick and two National brass fingerpicks and on pedal steel, I use a National thumbpick and National fingerpicks, but for the longest time, I used a National thumbpick and Dunlop fingerpicks. Both sets of picks are comfortable and work for me, the only time I've felt uncomfortable with picks on is when my fingernails are sharp because with short fingernails the picks are more comfortable and I think it gives the steel and dobro a better sound-to me, the picks are more comfortable when my fingernails are short. Before I started playing steel, the man who got me started playing steel, Stoney Stonecipher gave me some picks to practice with before I started playing, and they were Kyser picks, and I put them on every day, and even though I didn't have a steel guitar at the time, I played "air steel" until I rented a Sierra Artist S-10 pedal steel. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 26 Jun 2024 6:54 pm
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| Susan Alcorn wrote: |
| For thumpicks, my strong preference is for hard plastic - it makes a difference in tone. |
...
Me too. So true. Polycarbonate or the Dunlop Ultex. Hard as nails and a blade as long as I can find or modify to.
I know I'm the odd man out but I can't understand the affinity for those flimsy, thunky blue Hercos. A lot of the pro players use them, so what do I know, but I don't like the feel, the sound nor fussing with the instability due to temperature.
It's a distraction to me having to switch them out when they warm up. I watched a terrific steel player on the strip on Lower Broad do that a few years back. Vic Lawson as I recall. Just an annoyance for me besides their sound.
I know this topic is about finger picks not thumb picks but it was bound to come up. I return you now to the original subject. |
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John Sims
From:
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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Posted 28 Jun 2024 2:44 pm
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I use a blue Herco for the thumb and Dunlop Brass .025 picks for the fingers. I like the brass tone...
_________________
Best Regards,
John
1997 Carter U-12 Double Body-Natural Birdseye Maple-8p/5k, Peavey Nashville 1000 Amp, Goodrich L10K Vol. Pedal, Boss DD-3 Delay, Boss CE-5 Chorus, Behringer UMC-204HD Audio Interface, AKAI MPK Mini MK3 Professional Midi Keyboard/Controller, Gretsch Bobtail Resonator, Fender Banjo, Rondo SX Lap Steel (C6), DIY Lap Steel (Open D), and a few Mojo Hand Cigar Box Guitars (MojoHandGuitars.com). |
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