Guitar Picks - Different thicknesses for different string gauges

[Tom Karol]

As the title indicates, my pick preferences are changeable and sometimes diametrically opposed to the last certainty I avidly held. This isn't about comparing brands; it's about thickness. The one constant in all of this is that I definitely prefer Dunlop's pointed Jazz-III shape/size - many companies make this style of pick. So, here's my latest revelation:

Different thicknesses for different string gauges.

On my acoustics with 12-54 bronze roundwounds, I like 2 mm.
On my archtop with 12-52 nickel-steel roundwounds, I like 1.5 mm.
On my semi-hollow with 11-50 nickel-steel roundwounds, I like 1.25 mm.
And on my Tele with 10-46 nickel-steel roundwounds, I like 1.0 mm.

It might seem silly to have to adjust to the feel of a different pick every time I switch guitars, but in fact, these variances seem to engender a similar feel/resistance of pick-against-string when I do.

You get the picture. Of course, my personal history indicates that all this is subject to drastic change without warning!

[Doctor Jeff]

For years I have used a Dunlop Tortex green 0.8 mm pick. However, recently I noted an annoying click when playing 2 of my more acoustic guitars, a Harmony archtop with a piezo pickup and bronze strings, and a Godin 5th Ave with a floating humbucker and nickel strings. I have switched to a heavy Fender celluloid tortoiseshell pick (~1 mm) for these.

I've tried the Dunlop Jazz picks but they are too small for my taste - get lost in my fat fingers.

[vinlander]

I tend to be not so versatile when it comes to pick and stick with a favorite for a very long time...
I use to be a huge Dunlop jazz III fan with my 2 archtops strung with 13-56 flats until I went back to JD 0.60mm like on my Les Paul, 1mm and finally settled on the JD 0.73mm.
I love the way they flex and make my Archtops thunk over the thicker jazz III sounding more mellow and gliding on the string

[docbop]

I find all this pick stuff interesting how much some get into picks. Early on a friend turned me on to the picks Carlton and others were using and I tried them and loved them. They were Guild heavy teardrop, but slightly large and a touch more rounded than others, they stopped production a long time ago. I bought a half a gross of them and used them until a out-gassing guitar case destroyed all but the few I had out for playing. So MANY years of using one pick.

Ever since my favourites went again I've been looking for a replacement, I found something in same ballpark a Fender medium sized Jazz pick, more pointed than the old teardrops but works. Again its a pick that is hard to find and even get the exact part number on.

In trying to find my replacement I did experiment with a lot of the picks I see people talk about. All sorts of different materials, and some as think as pancakes, then all sorts of sizes and shapes and none did it for me. The traditional plastic material in a Heavy thickness feels good to me. Shapes something like a medium teardrop. A couple weeks ago I had my guitar in the shop for some work and they have picks for advertising so I grabbed on. It was your standard size and shape people have been using forever. So I'm thinking of trying to get used to using standard plastic picks again so no matter where I got I can buy a pick if I need one.

I came up playing guitar when there wasn't a zillion guitars, amps, accessories, and you got something and learned to use it. Guess I find it easier for me to adapt.

[mr. beaumont]

Im really into the D'Andrea pro plecs right now. Cheap, sound good on all my guitars...I dig 'em.

[gianluca]

maybe it's only one of my issues but when I use thin picks, I love the tone of bass strings (clean and definite) but the highs E and B sound too thin (L-5 ces - TI 013-053 flats): like a single coil pickup on a solid body.
when I use dunlop jazz tone 2mm picks, the highs are very mellow but the basses tend to sound muddy.

any help?

[D.G.]

2.5mm is the thinnest pick I use. That's the gauge I use on my Strat. Otherwise it's 3.5 to 5mm on electics, and 5mm - 7mm on gypsy. All Wegen, all the time I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to anyone else though, unless they're looking to specialize in gypsy/swing like I do...

[mr. beaumont]

maybe it's only one of my issues but when I use thin picks, I love the tone of bass strings (clean and definite) but the highs E and B sound too thin (L-5 ces - TI 013-053 flats): like a single coil pickup on a solid body.
when I use dunlop jazz tone 2mm picks, the highs are very mellow but the basses tend to sound muddy.

any help?

Maybe go up a gauge on the plain trebles?

I use .012's on my Heritage but replace the E and B with a .013 and a .016.

[Spook410]

Gonna have to try the pro plec's. I like the idea of a pick that runs less than a buck apiece. I use Pearse Fast Turtle or 1.5mm V Picks for now depending on how bright I want the pick to be.

[vinlander]

maybe it's only one of my issues but when I use thin picks, I love the tone of bass strings (clean and definite) but the highs E and B sound too thin (L-5 ces - TI 013-053 flats): like a single coil pickup on a solid body.
when I use dunlop jazz tone 2mm picks, the highs are very mellow but the basses tend to sound muddy.

any help?

Exactly my experience, a thinner pick makes the flats 5th and 6th strings more defined and percussive that is why I can`t go back to thicker picks even if the first strings sounds thinner. The advise of increasing the 1st and 2nd is exactly why I am now thinkering about going from d'Addarios Chromes 13-56 to Labella 15-56.

[feet]

i like an .88 for the strummy stuff and a 1.0mm for the harder stuff. a have a few scattered "jazz" picks that i use from time to time, a 2.0mm i believe. they are ok for trying to get that sound and mindset. i vary the material to soften the attack. my only constant is the shape- i love the big rounded triangles. claytons, generally. i need something to hold on two, and three identical surfaces helps. picks matter more than people realize.

a find a fat soft "jazz" pick also helps a bass sound a little more finger-y.

[Gabe]

I've recently changed from D'andrea Pro Plecs to Pickboy Jazz picks, although they both claim to be 1.5mm the pickboy picks are definitely thinner. This combined with the pointed tip and smaller shape has been a nice change, I think there is a little more clarity in the sound produced and due to the smaller size I find them a little more comfortable.

I use Jazz III picks for about 5 years before I changed to the Pro Plecs, I think I just get on with the Jazz III size better.

For strummy stuff I still use a Fender Medium pick though. Although I only have one of these left so I really need to buy more...

[campusfive]

I've been a something of a pick quest for the last 2-3 years. I had played 5mm wegens for about 8 years, with heavy strings and high action. Volume was my primary concern.

I'd avoided pro setups because they always wanted to give me a shredder set up, and that was anathema to the tone of an acoustic archtop. I finally found a guy who knew how to find the sweet spot between tone quality and maximum volume, which resulted in significantly lower action, though still on the high side. The high action I'd had was tortuous in hindsight, and more important actually impaired the tonal quality for a perceived volume boost, but really I was just mashing the strings in to the fretboard.

After the life changing setup, picks became the next thing to reevaluate. 5mm picks just didn't seem appropriate anymore, because they too were just slamming the strings around, and inhibiting the strings from properly ringing out rather than allowing them to ring . I started slimming down to a 3.5mm, then to a 2.5mm, and eventually to a 1.2mm Wegen Bluegrass pick. These are still my go-to pick when I need volume or heft. However, the playing edges develop feathering and nicks very quickly which the strings get caught up on.

Near the bottom of the descent from 5mm picks, I tried out all the various faux-tortoise picks, especially those that came in larger thicknesses. First up were the JP fast turtles, which I liked, but I would have to file a bevel on them by hand. Also tried Red Bear again, but in advisably ended up with a pointed tip model that never really worked for me. One of my favorites, surprisingly, was the very affordable JB picks, which I eventually settled on 1mm. These just produced the best tone out of my instruments.

I also ended up with a NOS real shell pick made from repurposed inlays. It was around the thickness of a regular fender heavy. Playing real-deal tortoise was very telling, because it was definitely amazing sounding. However, it was slightly thinner than I'd liked, so it wasn't gonna be my main pick.

Then I started going through easily available mainstream picks, and found the best sounding pick on my electric was actually the generic Heavy pick sold by Stringsandbeyond.com. So for quite a while, I was using 1m JB picks on my acoustic, and the generic heavy on the electric, and usually the Wegen 1.2mm on my django-style. Once I got my real ES-150, I found that 1mm Dunlop Ultex picks made the guitar sound the closest to Charlie Christian's tone, so I started using those on electric.

However, I found that although these specific picks each elicited the most ideal tone from each guitar when played at home, on the gig, I found I was sometimes without the reserve power or strength to get the job done. Especially when my monitors were insufficient, I found myself fighting the guitar and having the pick not hold up it's end.

On a trip to Colorado, I visited music store that carried Blue Chip picks in stock. Oh a whim, and for the sake of experimentation, I picked up a TD40, their 1mm standard 351 shape. While not quite as ideal as each of the separate picks on each instrument, the tone was consistently great on each instrument, but importantly, in the heat of the gig, the Blue Chip held up fantastically. It came with a perfect bevel, which sounds great on both the acoustic and electric archtops, and turning the pick around to one of the blunt corners (sans bevel) was ideal for the selmer-style.

I now roll with a TD40 and TD50 (~1.25mm) as a backup. I've been really happy with them, and have yet to find a situation where they let me down. I always keep some Wegen 1.2mm around for spares and emergencies, as well as the JB picks, which are really reasonably priced direct from the maker.

But, who knows where I'll go next...

[SuperFour00]

I really like Pro Plecs a lot, but I find that tonally, the way you hold a pick is as important as the choice of pick. Tony Rizzi had a way of holding a standard Fender heavy pick in his closed fist and play from the elbow, putting his whole forearm into it. His sound was huge and loud. I learned and use this technique for a big portion of my playing. The whole weight and strength of your forearm is behind every note. Speed isn't a problem, Tony could burn when he wanted to. The point is, if you grip a pick firmly and use Tony's technique, you can get a thick pick sound with a regular pick.

Another thing, if you loosen the grip on your heavy pick, acoustic strumming can take on the tone of a thin pick, just be careful not to drop the pick.

[Phiberopttic]

I love the small size of the Pro Plec tear drop, but I found myself spending too much time filing the edge into a sharper point. I feel like a pick with a sharp point creates a cleaner release on the string; just IMO. I've used the JD Jazz IIIs for years, every now and then I'll try something different, but inevitably go back the little red Jazz IIIs.

Would love to find a pick with the size of the Pro Plec tear drop and the point of the Jazz III.

[3625]

I love the small size of the Pro Plec tear drop, but I found myself spending too much time filing the edge into a sharper point. I feel like a pick with a sharp point creates a cleaner release on the string; just IMO. I've used the JD Jazz IIIs for years, every now and then I'll try something different, but inevitably go back the little red Jazz IIIs.

Would love to find a pick with the size of the Pro Plec tear drop and the point of the Jazz III.

There's a good chance that Blue Chip could make you a custom pick to those specs if you contacted them - I recall a member on the Djangobooks forum saying that they made him a custom pick modeled off the Wegen Big City Jazz which is a similar shape to your Pro Plec teardrop, only larger.

They're expensive, but the one pick would probably last you a couple of years because they hardly wear out.

[D.G.]

Just recently I've gone to a Wegen 5mm Trimus for my gypsy guitar. I can get better definition on the bass strings and while it's not as speedy as the 7mm, I can still play the stupidly fast runs fairly well. It's a great rhythm pick due to it's huge size. I never feel like I'm in danger of losing my grip and a point playing surface is just a slight rotation away. (Swing rhythm on the side of the pick, lead on the point!)

On my archtops I'm using the 5mm Wegen Fatone, it glides over the strings nicely and, as the name suggests, fattens the tone. It's not great on the bass strings on my min-humbucker loaded Epi Sorrento, but it is pretty fab on my p90 Godin Kingpin!

I actually like the sound of a thinner pick, like a Fender heavy, but I have absolutely no speed on 'em and I get "stuck" on strings. So I give up some tone for speed :shrug:

[jazzimprov]

"Im really into the D'Andrea pro plecs right now. Cheap, sound good on all my guitars...I dig 'em"


They have a really nice dark full sound or help to produce that 'sound'.

(plus you can modify them with less trouble) :-)

[Spook410]

I think I have one of everything so I had to address the fact that I had not tried a D'Andrea pro plec. Certainly liked the price and the size. Unfortunately, not right for me though. I'm used to V picks which are quite bright. Pro plec has a nice mellow sound. So much so that to me it was dull. Think I like the Pearse fast turtle rendition of mellow better. Of course, as fate would have it, while I was buying these I noticed the Jim Dunlop Americana pick. I had never heard of these much less played one. Large triangle (picture on the right), 3mm in the middle tapering to 1.4mm at the corners. Made from some kind of polycarbonate. Price on Amazon was three for $8 which I can live with. Smooth gripping surface. Sound half way in between a fast turtle and a V pick. Not much pick noise. Not sure everyone would like the tapered format but after a single day screwing around with them, I like them quite a lot.

[docbop]

After some of the other threads on picking and some other influence I have been splitting my time between medium thickness picks and heavy picks. Also alternating teardrops and after decades away using regular full size picks. So far not liking the sound of the medium picks. The regular picks are okay and thinking being used to them could be of value in case can't find a Jazzier size pick.

[Patrick2]

After all of the conversation recently on picking techniques and the current and past conversations on pick choices, I feel like I should just butt out of any input . . . because I really believe I've found what works for me and I'm so content with it that I'm reluctant to even try something/anything different. But, then I realize that over the years I've gone through my own trial and error process as well, to get where I'm currently at.

I currently use Dunlop purple turtle 1.14mm almost exclusively. The exception is on one of my Golden Eagles. The tonal response just seems better with a Dunlop gator 1.50mm on that particular guitar. However, I do find that I alter my pick attack and orientation very frequently with either choice. The 1.50mm requires a very different touch and attack than the 1.14mm. My pick orientatation is angled in the traditional position . . opposite of what I see as instruction for the Benson technique. The more I angle it in that direction, the more likely I am to get the very smooth release from the string and the softer warmer, non plunky tonal response that I dislike. I actually find it hard to understand how anyone could possible get the pick hung up on or in between strings if it's angled in either direction.

[peterbright]

I own 10,000 picks but use my Blue Chips the most.

[Greentone]

In response to this thread I spent a couple of evenings dredging up all of my old picks and re-evaluating how they sound with my acoustic and electric archtops. This is a novelty because for about 15 years I have been using extremely heavy picks. For the last five years I have been using 3.5-4mm picks made by Jean-Charles Dugain in Paris. The Manouche guys really love 'em. Dugain makes his picks in all kinds of materials, horn, tusk, rocks and minerals, etc. However, I found that two, acrylic and acetate--especially acetate--provided me with the best tone. As many of you have discovered, the heavy, stiff picks facilitate speed picking.

Well...re-evaluation with a box full of everything from an old, big triangle pick that was about 40 years old, to Fender 351 picks of different thicknesses, to all sorts of "jazz" picks (pointy), to my Dugain picks, to some classic felt picks that I used to use to tame tenor banjo volume in small-audience settings, was revealing.

Results:

(1) the Dugain acrylic 3.5mm pick is a great player. It simply brrrs right through the strings. However, it produces a quite dark tone, with a noticeable "click" at the front end of the sound envelope.

(2) the Dugain acetate 3.5 and 4mm picks are, like the acrylic, great players. Like the acrylic, they produce very dark tones. There is no click in the envelope, however. If you want to get a dark tone, or if you are using a house amp that is very bright, this is a great pick choice. It is also a GREAT choice for doing "le pompe."

(3) with Fender (and Gibson) 351 picks speed increased with a move from medium to heavy or extra heavy. However, tone--archtop "stringy" tone, with bass string "thunk," was most pronounced when using medium picks.

(4) with the small, pointy, "jazz" picks--my favorite for about 25 years, until I switched to big, thick picks--tone seemed to suffer, I suspect due to the small surface area contacting the string. Still, mediums sounded better than heavy or extra heavy picks.

(5) felt picks were surprisingly good tone producers. Sounds were quite articulate and appealing coming off of the 351-shaped felt picks. I will be using these, from time to time, as it turns out.

(6) the overall winner was the big, ungainly triangle pick from my teenage days. It seems like a medium pick. It has three picking edges, or points. The tone it produces, both on acoustic archtops and on a 175 and L5CES copy, is really articulate, thunky on the low end, and crisp and clean on the high end.

Without this thread I would have glibly proceeded to use 4mm acetate picks on all my guitars (still will for flatpicking). However, due to this thread I have discovered new tones I didn't know my guitars and limited talents were able to produce. Thanks, guys.

[SuperFour00]

After all of the conversation recently on picking techniques and the current and past conversations on pick choices, I feel like I should just butt out of any input . . . because I really believe I've found what works for me and I'm so content with it that I'm reluctant to even try something/anything different. But, then I realize that over the years I've gone through my own trial and error process as well, to get where I'm currently at.

I currently use Dunlop purple turtle 1.14mm almost exclusively. The exception is on one of my Golden Eagles. The tonal response just seems better with a Dunlop gator 1.50mm on that particular guitar. However, I do find that I alter my pick attack and orientation very frequently with either choice. The 1.50mm requires a very different touch and attack than the 1.14mm. My pick orientatation is angled in the traditional position . . opposite of what I see as instruction for the Benson technique. The more I angle it in that direction, the more likely I am to get the very smooth release from the string and the softer warmer, non plunky tonal response that I dislike. I actually find it hard to understand how anyone could possible get the pick hung up on or in between strings if it's angled in either direction.

"I currently use Dunlop purple turtle 1.14mm"

Used those for years, switched to D'Andrea Pro Plecs (I grind them to a large teardrop) about two years ago ... what an improvement. I keep the Purples around for certain things because the tone is so good, but the Pro Plecs rival them for tone and much surpass them for gripping and pick technique. IMO.

[disco~juice]

maybe it's only one of my issues but when I use thin picks, I love the tone of bass strings (clean and definite) but the highs E and B sound too thin (L-5 ces - TI 013-053 flats): like a single coil pickup on a solid body.
when I use dunlop jazz tone 2mm picks, the highs are very mellow but the basses tend to sound muddy.

any help?

I had the same problem with you, I was playing a 2mm gator grip from Dunlop.
For me, the trick was a good, thick, wooden pick: has round tone plus definition in all the strings.
I suggest you to try "PLEKS" picks from Italy, I really like the "jujazz" pick.