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I know there are millions of pick recommendations for electric playing scattered throughout the forum. I know because that's how I discovered the D'Andrea Pro Plec 330.
However, for acoustic playing, I find its ability to draw out the instruments' natural volume limited. I've come to prefer the Dunlop Jazztone 206.
Are there other recommendations for acoustic playing? I'm thinking both chord melody and swing comping. I liked the John Pearse Fast Turtles, but I feel like they have a very noticeable "click" then the pick touches the string. Maybe I just need to play them in more?
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10-27-2017 09:45 AM
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I've tried a LOT of picks over the years, and my preferences change from time to time, and from guitar to guitar. My current favorite for acoustic is the standard old Fender Heavy. I like either a Benedetto pick shaped like the 206 or Blue Chip Jazz Large for electric in either .040 or .050 thickness, depending on the guitar and amp. But for acoustic, the standard Fender Heavy sounds better to me.
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I've tried dozens, from cheap to expensive, but have settled on a Gibson XH (extra heavy). There are some plectrums that give me a fatter sound, but this one gives me the best variety of sound, from thick to glassy. And I can buy them in a tin of 50 at a low price - even better!
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I'm afraid that I settled on an expensive pick--the Dugain Acetate 4mm Flat Pick. I get mine from Djangobooks.com.
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I uise the same for electric and acoustic - also no matter what string gauge or style or guitar I'm playing. My latest favourite is the Dunlop Primetone 1.5mm:
Disclaimer: I usually play acoustic with fingers or thumb-/fingerpicks....
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Here is a theory. Most of the time I use heavier picks but I've noticed lately I get more volume out of a lighter pick like a .60-.73mm on acoustics. This appears to be because of the faster release on the string. A heavy pick has more "hang" time as it is limited to the speed of your hand but the "snap" of a flexible pic exceeds this. Of course the tone is thinner but on chords there is better definition between notes. All this is subjective of course but it makes some sense. To a certain extent pick half as thick will have the same attack but be in the vicinity of the string half as long, perhaps less with the snap. There is a point with progressively thinner picks where they won't transfer the power of a thicker pick. The velocity will remain the same but too much force will be lost to deflection resulting in less mass being moved for those that like to noodle with physics. Since everybody's grip will be different the only way to resolve this for yourself is to get a series of picks of varying thicknesses but the same shape and material and test it out. A recording DB meter would come in handy here.
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Blue Chips are nice, especially thick ones. Tortoid picks can also be very good (I use Red Bear or the Hense brand that's available here in Germany). Some guitars respond well to the Dunlop Jazztone 205s that I also use for electric archtops. Celluloid picks (again, thicker ones) can work with darker sounding acoustic archtops. Different guitars seem to like different picks, so yoy might want to experiment a bit.
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i play my archtop just like any other guitar, so i used the same picks. clayton .88 (black) or 1mm (white). the 1mm is probably a little better suited for the acoustic strummy stuff and it gives you a little more stiffness and volume. i have a few of those jazztones, too... maybe a 205? those are better for single note stuff but i never really do that.
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This past year I've been enjoying developing my pick technique with the pro plec standard shape as my favorite so far, but I'm still a fingerstyle guy at heart.
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Wegen Gypsy Picks!
An acoustic archtop responds so sweet to the higher mass of the pick.
Wegen's Guitar Picks
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When I play alone or with a horn, I use a thicker pick (D'Andrea Pro-Plec, either a standard a 351 or a teardrop 1.5).
I've had the good fortune to meet a piano player with whom I've started a project, and I'm looking forward to a quartet gig (two horns) in mid -December. I want the guitar to support but not intrude.
In this video of our first meet-up, I stop to switch a Fender Medium - and the pianist looks at me over his shoulder, in puzzlement:
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Blue Chip KS60 without bevels
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Wegen Big City. These are extraordinarily nice picks. Sound great, feel great ... but expensive. On the other hand - we spend thousands on guitars and amps, why not spend a few bucks on picks? They are a really important component of the sound after all.
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You mean you want a guitar that "ain't misbehavin?"
Originally Posted by destinytot
You two should explore more duo's...you sounded very good together on that one! There's nothin' like umph-pah jazz!
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That works for me. I've tried Benedetto and PRS too. They're all pretty close to being the same thing as far as I know. Originally Posted by sgosnell
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So I placed an order from djangobooks for a Dugain acetate mini. If they carried Gibson Extra Heavy, I would have tried it out as well. The dugain is phenomenal! Thanks for the millionth time for your wise advice, Greentone.
As far as Blue Chips go, I don't doubt their quality, but I'm unwilling to spend $50 on something I will inevitably lose within 3 months.
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Bit of flesh and nail works for me.
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I carry around a little plastic baggie with a several picks, because although I have a favorite, sometimes the acoustic environment or the guitar needs something different.
Normally, my default is a Blue Chip TD40 (aka 1.0mm) - it's got the balance of body and top end. But if I'm somewhere where I need more volume or bottom, I'll bump up to a TD60 (aka 1.5mm). I've also got a Wegen 1.2mm or 1.4mm Bluegrass pick which I mostly use on my ES-150 electric to take of some high end if it gets too twangy. And then I keep a Wegen 2.5mm Gypsy Jazz pick for when I just need to thump the crap out of the guitar, acoustically. Finally, I have a couple Dunlop Primetone Sculpted 1.0mm and 1.5mm picks as back up.
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"I'm afraid that I settled on an expensive pick--the Dugain Acetate 4mm Flat Pick. I get mine from Djangobooks.com."
...you know it cost me less to get it straight from Dugain then Django.....
chk their total price... (Dugain)
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Yep, those are the ones that i use. Originally Posted by artdecade
Bit of flesh and nail works for me.
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Hard Acrylic might be too bright for some. But nothing sounds more 'acoustic' to me.
Last edited by Spook410; 11-01-2017 at 07:38 PM.
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Btw I’ve had a bit of journey on this one as you yanks like to say.
I started off using really heavy picks - Wegens and things, and have gravitated now towards relatively thin picks 1.5mm and thereabouts.
Why this is so? Not sure. I think I play with more of a natural pick angle that removes the need for a heavy bevelled pick.
If I want high end I go primetone, if I want a warmer sound I use a proplec.
I haven’t invested in a blue chip because I would only lose the bloody thing.
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Why is a Wegen so much more expensive than the equivalent size Dunlops, ie. these? I like supporting small businesses, and I know there must be a reason but would love to know it.
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Or if you want really stupid expensive try BlueChip Flatpicks - Jazz - BlueChip Picks
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