The great pick thread

I am looking for switching for some harder pics and want your guidance and your view on what to pick. Buying all picks for testing is not an option, lol. They have to be more than 1 mm. I am looking into the Ibanez Grip Wizard Series Sand Grip PA16XS.

But come with your favorites. What makes you play faster than lightning?

cool

i think the red rocker is more in my liking, but what ere the advantages with a pick like screamer?

ston
I really like the Dava control tip picks I bought last year, they're incredibly tactile.
 
I ordered a set of leftlanetheory picks via his bandcamp page yesterday.  They're delrin, which I really like as a material, but roughened so they give better grip.  1.5mm too, the finest of all the pick widths.  I'll let you know what I think when they rock up.
 
 

these seems really cool. but are the tip control just a gimmik or usable?

Dava Picks - Rock Control, Nickel Silver seems like a game changer. you can slide with this pick too.

 

Jarsve
i think the red rocker is more in my liking, but what ere the advantages with a pick like screamer?

Not exactly sure why, whether it's the material or (more likely) the extra thickness, but these things are virtually impossible to drop.
 
I specifically use the Screamer as it just felt the most comfortable and responsive (I originally purchased a 'trial' package containing 7 different styles of V-Pick). Plus it's 3-way-symmetrical so it's easy to make sure you're holding it right.
 
It does take a while to get used to playing with a rigid pick, but after having used the blue Dunlop or Peavey 1mm picks for years, I'd never go back to them now (the only caveat to that is if I play bass with a pick, and I still use the same Planet Rock 0.7mm picks I've used for ages).

Hi, Oyvind. Have you ever used Tortex picks?
 
They are still my favorite (the round tipped triangles). I used the yellow ones for pretty much everything (except bass) for years. For some reason though lately I've been using the blue (thicker) ones for a lot of stuff. Not sure why they seem to be working better for me now but they are.
 
I use the purple ones for bass (even thicker).
 
They've been around for ages but I like the grip and the way they wear evenly (instead of getting jagged and pulling on the strings). With the triangles I essentially get three picks in one (I can wear down each tip evenly so three times the lifespan). Also if the pick slips/rotates as I play I'm still using a tip instead of rounded part like with regular picks (great for live).
 
Regular plastic picks (like Fender or Ernie Ball ones) simply explode within a couple minutes of playing. Nylon picks are too "sticky", snag my strings (slowing me down) and I end up breaking FAR more strings when I use them. I also don't like the raised gritty grip stuff.
 
I haven't tried any of these new fancier picks on the market. I don't think I'd like them. They look too wacky and I'm pretty set in my ways at this point. I've been using those tortex triangles for almost 20 years so anything new would likely feel totally wrong. lol...
 
Cheers.

Jarsve

ston
I really like the Dava control tip picks I bought last year, they're incredibly tactile.

these seems really cool. but are the tip control just a gimmik or usable?

tbph, I have not noticed any apparent change in pick firmness depending on where I hold them, or how firmly etc.  So, that aspect of their marketing claim I would take with a pinch of salt.  However, I wasn't really buying them on the basis of that claim.  What I would say though is that they give better tactile feedback of the pick/string connection than any other pick I've tried which gives incredible control over how you want to 'address' the string (not 100% sure of my golfing analogy there, but hopefully you get what I mean).

Jarsve
I've been using the same l my life too. but I want to change now. something harder and fancier. Something that is working better than Dunlop 0.88 nylon.

You can buy multipacks of Tortex picks from Amazon (regular shape and the triangles I use as well as other styles like ultra fine point and I think even teardrop jazz style picks) that have one of each color/thickness. That way you can try out the different gauges. The red and orange ones are super thin and floppy so essentially useless to metal hounds like us but some people like them that thin. Yellow and thicker are likely what you'll want to try.
 
Any decent music store will stock the standard shaped Tortex picks but getting the triangles can be hit or miss.
 
Anyway... that's what I use and I love 'em so thought I'd mention it so you could grab some and give them a try.
 
I despise Dunlop Nylons. Those are the "sticky" ones that break all my strings and are essentially ruined after one good pick scrape (scrapes/slides take big gouges out of them and then "burrs" develop around the gouges that hook onto the strings and pull them). Tortex ones can do a lot of good hard scrapes and the gouging is moderate BUT because of the way Tortex wears down evenly then don't "burr" up and eventually the gouges get "sanded" away by the strings during normal playing.
 
The only time I've ever had to retire a Tortex pick is after the pick tips get too rounded down and that takes a loooong time. Especially on the traingle ones because it has the three points.
 
I also like the triangles because there is more pick to grab onto which is great for leverage on crazy thrash rhythms or nice big chord strums on acoustic guits or whatever. The for solos and stuff I just choke up on the pick a little.
 
Some people simply don't like the feel of the material but definitely check them out if you can find them.
 
Cheers and I hope you've been well.

Beepster

Jarsve
I've been using the same l my life too. but I want to change now. something harder and fancier. Something that is working better than Dunlop 0.88 nylon.

You can buy multipacks of Tortex picks from Amazon (regular shape and the triangles I use as well as other styles like ultra fine point and I think even teardrop jazz style picks) that have one of each color/thickness. That way you can try out the different gauges. The red and orange ones are super thin and floppy so essentially useless to metal hounds like us but some people like them that thin. Yellow and thicker are likely what you'll want to try.
 
Any decent music store will stock the standard shaped Tortex picks but getting the triangles can be hit or miss.
 
Anyway... that's what I use and I love 'em so thought I'd mention it so you could grab some and give them a try.
 
I despise Dunlop Nylons. Those are the "sticky" ones that break all my strings and are essentially ruined after one good pick scrape (scrapes/slides take big gouges out of them and then "burrs" develop around the gouges that hook onto the strings and pull them). Tortex ones can do a lot of good hard scrapes and the gouging is moderate BUT because of the way Tortex wears down evenly then don't "burr" up and eventually the gouges get "sanded" away by the strings during normal playing.
 
The only time I've ever had to retire a Tortex pick is after the pick tips get too rounded down and that takes a loooong time. Especially on the traingle ones because it has the three points.
 
I also like the triangles because there is more pick to grab onto which is great for leverage on crazy thrash rhythms or nice big chord strums on acoustic guits or whatever. The for solos and stuff I just choke up on the pick a little.
 
Some people simply don't like the feel of the material but definitely check them out if you can find them.
 
Cheers and I hope you've been well.

i will

Beepster
It's an interesting effect and can give you that Brian May type pick attack (he used an old copper pence as a pick IIRC which gave him that really bright attack/tone).

 
A sixpence wasn't it?
 
I've got a few rather 'exotic' materials picks at home (rosewood, bone, neutron star etc.) but no metal ones.
 

Beepster

Jarsve
I've been using the same l my life too. but I want to change now. something harder and fancier. Something that is working better than Dunlop 0.88 nylon.

You can buy multipacks of Tortex picks from Amazon (regular shape and the triangles I use as well as other styles like ultra fine point and I think even teardrop jazz style picks) that have one of each color/thickness. That way you can try out the different gauges. The red and orange ones are super thin and floppy so essentially useless to metal hounds like us but some people like them that thin. Yellow and thicker are likely what you'll want to try.
 
Any decent music store will stock the standard shaped Tortex picks but getting the triangles can be hit or miss.
 
Anyway... that's what I use and I love 'em so thought I'd mention it so you could grab some and give them a try.
 
I despise Dunlop Nylons. Those are the "sticky" ones that break all my strings and are essentially ruined after one good pick scrape (scrapes/slides take big gouges out of them and then "burrs" develop around the gouges that hook onto the strings and pull them). Tortex ones can do a lot of good hard scrapes and the gouging is moderate BUT because of the way Tortex wears down evenly then don't "burr" up and eventually the gouges get "sanded" away by the strings during normal playing.
 
The only time I've ever had to retire a Tortex pick is after the pick tips get too rounded down and that takes a loooong time. Especially on the traingle ones because it has the three points.
 
I also like the triangles because there is more pick to grab onto which is great for leverage on crazy thrash rhythms or nice big chord strums on acoustic guits or whatever. The for solos and stuff I just choke up on the pick a little.
 
Some people simply don't like the feel of the material but definitely check them out if you can find them.
 
Cheers and I hope you've been well.

Metal all the way....
The sound is the most important aspect. If it sounds too different its just usable as an effect.
 
Stay Metal!!!

There's a bunch of 'Metal Tones' plectrums on Amazon; titanium, brass, copper, bronze.  £7->£15 a pop.  Quite chunky though; 2.5mm thick, 30mm top to bottom.  There's a rather nice solid silver one there too, for about £32.
 
For playing really heavy metal, neutron star material is the way to go, but alas the weight of a typical 2.5mm thick plectrum would be 1.35 x 10^9 metric tons.

I also use the Dava Control pick 99% of the time, but I have a few others for when the need arises (like solid metal ones, a felt one for bass, etc.).