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Topic: Picks & Tone |
Bill Miller
From:
Gaspe, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 20 Nov 2004 6:53 am |
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There was a discussion awhile back about picks and pick preferences relating to tone etc. I bought a couple of new thumbpicks awhile back at a local music store. They're marked 'Planet Waves' but the brand is unimportant here...they're very generic looking plastic picks. Typical of small town music stores they only had one kind and one size. They're marked large but I had to heat them a bit in hot water to make them wearable. They're still tight enough to be a bit uncomfortable but I've noticed something about that. I get better tone with them tight like that than I was getting with my old ones which fit comfortably. And when you stop and think about that it makes perfect sense. The pick transfers the power of your thumbstroke to the string so the more solid the contact between the flesh of your thumb and pick, the more efficiently the energy will be transferred. This is easily demonstrated by holding a flatpick between your thumb and index finger and picking a string while varying the intensity of your grip. The tighter you hold the pick the clearer and fuller the note will be.
So anyways, my first impulse was to stop using the new picks because they were bordering on painful, but once I have one on a few minutes I get used to the snugness and my tone is better. The same principle should apply to fingerpicks..a bit snug is probably a good thing IMO. [This message was edited by Bill Miller on 20 November 2004 at 06:53 AM.] [This message was edited by Bill Miller on 20 November 2004 at 06:54 AM.] |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 20 Nov 2004 7:17 am
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What you are saying is possible, I guess. I will take it into consideration when I evaluate picks & tone. But when I bought around 8 new thumbpicks from Elderly this summer--a real sampler pack of different styles and materials--I was most impressed by the difference the materials made. The picks with the least friction (I'd have to check; I think they were Kelly slicks) gave the best ring. I assumed that it is the physics of how much the pick damps the string as it disengages---less friction=cleaner separation, less damping, more ring. Unfortunately these picks, like yours, are a tight fit and hard to adjust to.
So the question is--am I missing the boat in my hypothesis? Is it the tight fit that is making the difference or is it the material? |
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Bill Miller
From:
Gaspe, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 20 Nov 2004 7:41 am
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Well Jon, I imagine it is a combination of both. I do know that if I go back to the thumbpick I was using previously I don't feel as connected to the strings. And the old ones weren't loose or floppy to the point of slipping or anything...they were just comfortable. I'd describe the new ones as slightly UN-comfortable at first, but not after a few minutes.
It would be intersting to know how tight a fit some of the 'Tone Kings' like Buddy Emmons prefer...both with the thumbpicks and fingerpicks. Could it be 'no pain, no gain' ? |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 20 Nov 2004 9:15 am
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| Could it be 'no pain, no gain' ? |
No, it's really...
"Different (pick) strokes for different folks."
Different players have differing ideas about tone in the first place, so you wouldn't expect them to agree on some aspect of "pick tightness", now...would you?  |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 20 Nov 2004 10:46 am
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| Bill, I notice the same thing. |
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Bobby Lee
From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
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Posted 20 Nov 2004 10:56 am
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| Picks are a big part of tone. Some people change their pickups, their amp, even their guitar trying to get a better tone, when all they really needed to do was change their picks and practice more. |
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Travis Bernhardt
From:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 20 Nov 2004 3:59 pm
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I agree wholeheartedly with the comment about friction. I'm in the process of switching back to the Dunlops from the Propiks--despite the comfort factor--simply because it takes too much work to keep the Propiks smooth and frictionless. Especially the brass ones.
-Travis |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 22 Nov 2004 5:32 pm
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Anyone ever notice how Doug Jernigan wears his thumbpick? Almost to the knuckle instead of over the nail. I was so mesmerized by his playing, I never thought to ask when I had the chance.
Is it for tone,(it would be tighter there) speed, or did he "just learn that way" ?
Bill |
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J Hill
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 22 Nov 2004 6:44 pm
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I'm a beginner. I went scouting for a thumb pick that wasn't so long. In the beginning I found myself trying to climb out from under the strings all the time so I went hunting for a shorter pick end on the thumb pick. A little relaxation and a shorter point at the end of the thumb pick made a big difference. I like the tight pick because it feels secure and in one place all the time. Same with the finger picks, I really bend them snug around my finger with the point part barely extending beyond the end of my fingers. They all feel snug now and I find myself happily playing on the correct side of the strings. 
Leila |
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Ray Uhl
From:
Riverside, Missouri, USA
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Posted 22 Nov 2004 11:42 pm
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Bobby Lee said it all. I have a jar full of almost every thumb and finger pick available.
Unfortunately, you may have to do this to find the sound YOU like, and the comfort of the pick. I file and grind the thumb picks to my liking. I personally like the sound of the orange Kelly speed pick, but it's not tight enough. Material, length, thickness, all make a difference. The Dunlop and Zookies are good ones to begin with. Again, experiment!! File, file, file. But remember, it's still all in the hands.[This message was edited by Ray Uhl on 23 November 2004 at 12:16 AM.] |
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