Pick-y, pick-y, pick-y; the continuing saga of a woman in search of a new favourite pick

[michelew]

Laugh along I'm guessing. Kids are great. They ensure that we don't take ourselves too seriously and remember what's important. Giggling is right up there

Thanks for the laughs.

Shel

[michelew]

michelew wrote:

Well you can bet your last dollar Willem that I won't be goggling photos of the latter.

Haha

Oh you Dutchies!!! Such comedians.

M.

Make that Euro. I'm guessing you don't have many dollars to spend.

M.

[willem]

michelew wrote:

michelew wrote:

Well you can bet your last dollar Willem that I won't be goggling photos of the latter.

Haha

Oh you Dutchies!!! Such comedians.

M.

Make that Euro. I'm guessing you don't have many dollars to spend.

M.

My wallet is totally empty,,no Euro,no Dollars.. well that would be good for some bleusssssssssssss feel..

[Hydroman52]

Hi everyone,

Michelle was kind enough to do a bit of research and start this discussion, so I figured that I would add what I have observed.

Here is the Executive Summary of my personal preference of the picks in this post (for those who don’t have time to read it all) . . . .

1. Dunlop Gator-Grip, 2.00mm
2. Dunlop Tortex, 1.14mm
3. Dunlop Tortex, 1.00mm
4. Dunlop Max-Grip, 1.50mm
5. Dunlop Big Stubby, 2.00mm
6. Snarling Dogs Brain Pick, 1.14mm
7. Dunlop Tortex, 0.88mm
8. Dunlop Tortex, 0.73mm



For those who want to know more, read on.

First, let’s identify the picks. Starting in the upper left and going clockwise:

Dunlop Max-Grip, 1.50mm, Opaque Steel Blue
Snarling Dogs Brain Pick, 1.14mm, Blaze Orange
Dunlop Tortex (customized), 0.73mm, Yellow
Dunlop Tortex, 0.73mm, Yellow
Dunlop Tortex, 0.88mm, Green
Dunlop Tortex (customized), 1.00mm, Blue
Dunlop Tortex (customized), 1.14mm, Purple
Dunlop Big Stubby, 2.00mm, Translucent Purple
Dunlop Gator-Grip (customized and used for a week or two), 2.00mm, Black (coating has worn off)
Dunlop Gator-Grip (fresh out of the pack), 2.00mm, Grey (coating is intact)

All the Picks

I think the color, shapes, and sizes speak for themselves, except for the couple of Dunlop picks that I have taken my signature “bite” out of in order to customize to fit my hand. The Max-Grip and Brain Picks appear to be nylon, the Big Stubby seems to be something like Plexiglas or epoxy, and the rest are somewhere in between.

So, I guess that leaves “grip”, “flex”, “tone”, and “wear”.


GRIP . . . . . . (Can you hang onto them, or do they spin and fly out of your hand)

By far the best for grip factor is the Dunlop Max-Grip and the Snarling Dog Brain Picks. They both have a roughened surface on the upper half that makes them “stick” like industrial Velcro. If you have problems hanging on to a pick, this is the way to go (with limitations . . . . see FLEX below). I have heard this type of surface referred to as “cat-tongue”, probably because of it’s roughness similar to that of a cat’s tongue? I would rate both picks about the same in the GRIP category.

Next in line would be the Dunlop Big Stubby which has a round indentation on both sides with embossed writing and other roughness. It helps, but I still lose it sometimes when I get aggressive.

Next would be the Dunlop Gator-Grip which comes with a chalky coating which wears off after a bit of playing. I wear the coating off in an hour or two of playing. After that, the pick does have a slightly roughened surface which can wear smooth after playing a while.

Finally, the Dunlop Tortex which have a slightly roughened surface which helps a little, but not a lot. Much like the Gator-Grip, that wears smooth after playing a while.


FLEX . . . . (How much does it bend)

The stoutest is the Big Stubby and the flimsiest is the Brain Pick (they must have used Jello in the mix). This was surprising to me because the Brain is 1.14mm thick, and it bends more than the Tortex 0.73mm. But that may be a function of the material of which it is made. Even the Max-Grip at 1.50mm flexed as much as the Tortex 1.00mm. Don’t take my word for it . . . check out these pictures (in order of flexibility):


Snarling Dogs Brain Pick, 1.14mm
Dunlop Tortex, 0.73mm
Dunlop Tortex, 0.88mm
(Tie) Dunlop Max-Grip, 1.50mm
(Tie) Dunlop Tortex, 1.00mm
Dunlop Tortex, 1.14mm
Dunlop Gator-Grip, 2.00mm
Dunlop Big Stubby, 2.00mm



TONE . . . . (What does it sound like when dropped on my wood table)

I’m not sure the value of this. It might be an indication of the density of the material. Imagine the sound of dropping a coin on a table and then the sound of dropping a piece of cardboard on the same table. The coin is loud, bright, and ringing. The cardboard is quiet, dull, and flat. I dropped each pick on the table, and, on a scale of cardboard to coin, the Brain Pick was most like the cardboard and the Big Stubby was most like the coin. Here is how I would rate them:


- Cardboard -
Snarling Dogs Brain Pick, 1.14mm
Dunlop Max-Grip, 1.50mm
Dunlop Tortex, 0.73mm
Dunlop Tortex, 0.88mm
Dunlop Tortex, 1.00mm
Dunlop Tortex, 1.14mm
Dunlop Gator-Grip, 2.00mm
Dunlop Big Stubby, 2.00mm
- Coin -


WEAR . . . . . . . (How long before breakage or it wears down to a nub)

When the tip of the pick starts wearing down, my accuracy suffers. I no longer tolerate this and retire picks just like I do strings. I am a bit rough on strings and picks. If I am playing a normal amount, I will change strings and a pick (Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm) in a week or two. I have just started using the Gator-Grip a few weeks ago, and it is holding up better, but this may be because it is thicker, too. I can’t really rate the Big Stubby, Max-Grip, or the Brain Picks because I just haven’t played with any of them for more than a half-hour or so. I do not believe I could actually break any of these like I could regularly break celluloid picks (that’s why I quit using the celuloid).



Now for a little disclaimer and a few more comments. . . . there have been no scientific methods used for testing these picks. No micro-meters, spectro-meters, or decibel-o-meters. I’m just trying to pass on the basics without trying to dissect, bisect, or trisect this too much. My preference is a medium size pick that is very stout (stiff) and bends very little. I was spoiled by owning tortoise shell picks when I was younger, but those have all been lost or “borrowed”. The shape doesn’t matter too much because I use different tools to customize them to where they feel comfortable to me as you can see in the photos. These things need to be cheap because I wear them out quickly, lose them, and give them away (in that order). A person should really spend more on lessons and guitars than they do on picks, so a pick that costs under a buck is alright in my book. Color? I personally like earth tones, but my pick of preference to date has been purple. Definitely not my color, but functionality trumps color and I’m getting to old to give a flip about those things. It may be better to use a stand-out color like blaze orange, because then when it flies across the room, you can find it easier. Color coding for different thicknesses (Dunlop Tortex) is way too cool for words. I really like the grippiness (my spell-check says that grippiness is not a word, but I think you know what I mean) of the Max-Grip and Brain Pick, but they flex way too much for my taste and these are the thickest that they make. There may be some experimenting to be done at the Bureau of Demented Inventing in the near future regarding that issue.

Hydroman52

[tovo]

Hydro, man that is just great information. Thanks for doing it.

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks

[michelew]

Dermot. - I hear you. Some of us are just fussy and a little crazy.

Hydroman - it's great to see that I'm not the only obsessed/crazy/details-oriented one here.

I've found that I prefer a less flexible, harder, thicker pick. (I hear snickering from the Dutch contingent - plectrum if you will).

Currently, I'm preferring a Dunlop 1.14 mm 500 series (I must see if they make these in a heavier gauge) or a Dunlop tortex 1.14 or 1.2 mm (thicker than that and the sound starts to dull). I'm already noticing wear after a few weeks playing so it's probably time to change. I must admit I'm still putting a duct tape jacket on them, it helps with grip. I like the 2.0 stubby as well.

I'll try the 2.0 gator. I have a 1.0, but it's too flexible for my liking.

Thanks for adding to the discussion.

Dermot - why are you still reading? Your eyes might start bleeding.



Thanks

Michele

[tovo]

I`m not bored. I can talk about picks all day and all night. Shel let`s get together and do that! Awesome.

I ordered 2 tins of the Snarling Dogs Brain Picks 1.14 bright orange based on Hydro`s research findings. Hydro man, make sure you hit them up for the commission.

It might just be me, but I appreciate anyone who takes time out to post information for the benefit of the community. I find that admirable. Boring isn`t the adjective I would use.

Thanks Hydro. You`re the bomb buddy. The Hydro-bomb.

[michelew]

You're on mate. It's about time we played together too.

[cosmicmechanic]

OK, I guess someone had to say it ... whut r u all talkin bout ?

I'm doin fine with these: