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Hello everyone,
I’ve recently been on a serious hunt for the perfect pick. I’ve been trying to ape Russell Malone’s tone and it seems like him along with others like Jimmy Bruno use D’andrea Pro Plecs. My buddy had some he was using for mandolin and i got to try it on my hollowbody: I think it’s exactly what I’m looking for.
So I ordered some, only to find out that for a while now they have been making them with a matte finish instead of the gloss finish they used to have and which the ones i tried had, and this new finish is far inferior. I tried polishing them myself with a nail buff, and it helped a little bit, but it’s still not the same.
So, does anyone have an alternative to the Pro Plecs, which produces a comparable mellow, bassy sound? How have Pro Plec users been dealing with the change? Also, is there anyone out there sitting on a huge hoard who would maybe be interested in selling some
? I think I’m going to try to buy/steal my friend’s when I see him again. His were a weird stubby-triangle shape which was not very comfortable for me however, so they wouldn’t be ideal.
Last edited by Kazumi Watanabe; 10-31-2022 at 08:28 AM.
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10-31-2022 07:18 AM
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I prefer D'Andrea Classic Celluloid. Bought a gross 15 years ago, don't know what they're currently like.
Danny W.
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Russell uses Fender Mediums - confirmed at the Jazz Showcase after his gig. He said something to the effect of "keep it simple."
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I use 1.5mm ProPlecs and rotate fresh ones into my "pick dish" as they wear (normally about every 6 to 8 weeks). My most recent bag arrived about 6 weeks ago, at which time I removed the 3 most worn ones and put 3 fresh ones in. I grab a random 3 when I leave for a gig, and I haven't noticed any difference in the feel or tone between fresh and older ones. I practice every day and play at least 2 gigs a week (I played 6 from a week ago Sunday to yesterday). After one or two gigs, the edges are polished enough from playing to be uniform. So whatever change in finish they may have made hasn't affected me.
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The Fender Chugg picks are pretty similar, you can check them out.
https://www.fender.com/en-US/accesso...989999102.html
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I must not be very "picky," I find these picks don't wear out for many years rather than in weeks. I use the tiny teardrop (658?) and Jazz III-ish size (651?) picks from D'Andrea and like them a lot. I've got enough of them that I haven't had to buy any in several years, so I don't know if current production is changed. At 63, a dozen of these might be a lifetime supply for me. A few years ago I bought a set of these which had defects along the edges, like cracking through the plane of the pick. I haven't seen that in a number of years, but that set of picks was actually pretty much unusable. The last few times I have bought them, the edges are nicely finished and rounded.
I bought a few Jim Dunlop Delrins a while back, which had a matte finish, and I found that did annoy me at first with lots of string contact noise, but they polished up with use and the noise went away; I prefer Dunlop's polished Delrin 500s, though. Currently, I am trying a red Fred Kelly fat Delrin pick, and really liking it a lot even though it is way bigger than I am used to. There is a little more noise acoustically, but it's not noticeable through the amp.
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These are great. I like pro plecs and use them all the time, but was looking for a slightly thinner version (love some teardrop classic celluloids that I got from Adam Rafferty years ago, but he had them made) …. The classic celluloids come in a standard fender shape, but around 1.15 in thickness… lovely. Not quite the snap of a fender medium, but good in between that and the dark smoothness of the pro plecs. And of course, jazz III in Ultex for versatility… my fave for all round/if-I-only-had-one-pick.
Originally Posted by Danny W.
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I'm curious about your dislike of the matte finish. Do you mean the matte finish on the gripping surface (no objection here), or on the edge where it should obviously be smooth?
I have an old set of Pro Plec 351s. Both surfaces are polished.
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Hi Kazumi, have you tried Dunlop "Jazztone" picks? Nice round tone and a smooth finish. I would use these (instead of the Nylon Jazz that give me more grip) if they wouldn't always slip out of my hands. They make them in several shapes.
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+1 for the Fender Chuggs as an alternative to the ProPlecs. They're 351 size so I trim the top off a bit to make them less 'tall' (I find they're easier to control and less 'flappy' that way). Warm round sound like the ProPlec but not quite as grabby on the string.
Also big shout out to the Dunlop Trinity (black ultex triangle-shaped) picks. Really fast with great even tone, not dissimilar sound and feel to the Dunlop 205, but faster thanks to the perfect-for-me symmetrical bevel.
Theses little Trinity picks are my go to currently.
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The Westville picks are excellent. "Smooth polished edge" is not hyperbole.
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they are different now. I also bought a gross about 10 years ago and recently replenished them. The new ones are no longer made from celluloid and also have a different shape. They sound different. Originally Posted by Danny W.
d'andrea switched to a new material on pro plec because of warpage issues with the original material.
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For me, a plain old Fender heavy does a good job in many cases. It depends on the guitar and amp a lot. I like Blue Chip picks, but they do have a somewhat mellower tone, and sometimes I need something with just a little more snap, not a lot, and the Fender heavy does that for me. I admit that I can't be faithful to just one pick. One woman, yes, but not one pick, or brand or style. Or guitar. And each guitar tends to sound better with a different pick. At least the picks and guitars don't complain about my inconstancy.
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FYI, Jimmy has used Fender 358 extra heavy picks for years. They stopped making extra heavy a number of years ago and he may have switched to heavy gauge today.
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At the risk of sounding more crazy than most of you guys; It gets further complicated when you realize that some picks, material, thickness, shape, etc. sound better on wound vs unwound strings. I've tried several options that produced little if any variation on wound strings but displayed quite audible variation on the top 2 strings.
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I'm somewhere between Jimmy and Russell. About the only thing in my life that hasn't changed in 52 years: Fender 358 Medium.
I don't know how many millimetres thick they are, or exactly what they're made of. There wasn't as much choice back then.
They used to be white so I could find them easier. Now I can only get tortoise. So... there actually has been change after all :-)
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I once bought a number of different picks, among them the ProPlecs, and settled ultimately on the Dunlop Primetone Triangle smooth 1.4 mm. Easy to find, reasonably cheap, best I've tried. The Plecs sounded too dull to my taste. I like Fender Heavies but find them a tad plasticky sounding. Was curious about the Blue Chips but don't agree with the price. There's also this Daddario Chris Thile Signature Casein – Thomann Switzerland
BS price though
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Perhaps the newer matte finish is only being used in the standard 351 shape…a few months ago I ordered some (I like this shape for acoustic playing) and immediately noticed the finish change mentioned by the OP. This was in the 1.5mm thickness.
I’ve been using Pro Plecs exclusively in the 354 shape (1.5mm) for years and bought some new ones last week. Because of this thread I was afraid that they would have the matte finish as well, but was pleased to see they were as usual, smooth and rounded!
Big round tone with these little guys…I’d never describe them as dark or dull, they just emphasize the fundamental frequency compared to the upper harmonics; my kind of sound! Great for complex chords.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Here are a couple if you're willing to look at boutique pick makers:
A friend gave me a Pickboy Home Base recently. It sounds surprisingly similar to the Pro Plec (which I have used for a long time). Homebase Guitar Pick, 1.20mm, Black
A new favorite that has a similar feel is the Galalith (Casein) from Honey Picks. Glides effortlessly, very little pick noise. Galalith (Casein) – Honey Picks
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No, the new material is being used for all the pro-plec picks including the 346 shape. One curiousity is that I just ordered a half gross of d'andrea fingerpicks. When they arrived about 25% of them are warped. Looking closely at them, they appear to be made from the original pro-plec material. They were not advertised that way though. And I don't know if they were just NOS or what... Originally Posted by David Dvorin
The reason they switched to the new material is because of the warping...
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I guess all of my Pro Plecs are the older, glossy style. I love their sound and for me they last a long time.
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Blue Chip with three rounded corners? Expensive but they last forever. Available in various shape and thicknesses. Originally Posted by Kazumi Watanabe
Hello everyone,
I’ve recently been on a serious hunt for the perfect pick. I’ve been trying to ape Russell Malone’s tone and it seems like him along with others like Jimmy Bruno use D’andrea Pro Plecs. My buddy had some he was using for mandolin and i got to try it on my hollowbody: I think it’s exactly what I’m looking for.
So I ordered some, only to find out that for a while now they have been making them with a matte finish instead of the gloss finish they used to have and which the ones i tried had, and this new finish is far inferior. I tried polishing them myself with a nail buff, and it helped a little bit, but it’s still not the same.
So, does anyone have an alternative to the Pro Plecs, which produces a comparable mellow, bassy sound? How have Pro Plec users been dealing with the change? Also, is there anyone out there sitting on a huge hoard who would maybe be interested in selling some? I think I’m going to try to buy/steal my friend’s when I see him again. His were a weird stubby-triangle shape which was not very comfortable for me however, so they wouldn’t be ideal.
TAD50-3R - BlueChip Picks
Also look at mandolinist David Grisman’s picks. They are Pro Plecs
Dawg Picks - Acoustic Disc
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I just tried the new matte finish 351 Pro Plec pick and they are nothing like the original glossy finish ones. The glossy ones have a smooth, warm and articulate sound that's perfect for archtop jazz guitar. The new matte finish ones sound just like all the rest of the run of the mill picks that I have tried and thrown in a box never to be used again. I heard that the glossy material had warpage issues and I know some forum members mentioned it as a problem, but I personally didn't encounter it. Maybe certain batches were faulty. I doubt I will find any new old stock ones around but I might give it a try. As they say, change is the one thing you can count on.
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