What kind of pick did Johnny Smith use?

[nyc chaz]

The last time that I saw Johnny, he gave me a handful of the picks that he had used himself longterm during his Colorado years. He had a shed load of them made when he had his music store. One batch had "Johnny Smith Music" printed on it, the other had just "Johnny Smith" on it.

Anyway, the nearest mass-produced pick I have found is the Dunlop Celluloid Heavy Teardrop 485-05HV pick:

CELLULOID SHELL TEARDROP PICK HEAVY - Dunlop

In shape, thickness, rigidity and tone, it's identical. When Johnny's pick is placed on top of the Dunlop, there's a tiny silhouette from the Dunlop, maybe 1mm but no more than that. So, it's as near as damn it the same thing. For some bizarre reason, I've found that the Dunlop shell version sounds identical to Johnny's pick, but the Dunlop black version does not. Weird, but that may just be my ears.

I hope that helps and is of interest.

Cheers.

Thanks for the great book on Johnny,i enjoyed it very much.I've found that the dye used in picks can definitely change their sound,so i find it very plausible the two Dunlop 485's don't sound the same.

[Lin Flanagan]

Thanks Bill & Chaz for your very kind words. There were some shortcomings in Johnny's biography which were entirely of my own doing and for which I will always feel discomfort/embarrassment. But, it is what it is...

Thanks for the pick dye information as well. It's reassuring to know that I haven't lost my marbles.

[jmgalich]

Thanks Bill & Chaz for your very kind words. There were some shortcomings in Johnny's biography which were entirely of my own doing and for which I will always feel discomfort/embarrassment. But, it is what it is...

Lin,

If there were shortcomings, I sure didn't notice any. The biography was/is a good read about my hero. "They" say never meet your heros, but I'm sure glad that I did on a couple of occasions.

Speaking of the book, I recall that a potential second volume was under consideration, which would delve into his playing style/approach. Am I remembering this correctly or am I off-base?

John Galich

[Cunamara]

Johnny's own two volume book might be a good source for that information. I've gone through some of it, his scale forms are interesting (three octave, similar in some ways to the Segovia scales).

[sgcim]

Lin,

If there were shortcomings, I sure didn't notice any. The biography was/is a good read about my hero. "They" say never meet your heros, but I'm sure glad that I did on a couple of occasions.

Speaking of the book, I recall that a potential second volume was under consideration, which would delve into his playing style/approach. Am I remembering this correctly or am I off-base?

John Galich

You beat me to the question I wanted to ask Lin. Along with that great interview with JS, Lin's book was a terrific look at the man that was the greatest plectrum guitarist that ever lived. Not a day goes by that my guitar playing friends and I don't discuss some aspect JS' legacy that was revealed by Lin's great book.
Whenever you can get around to finishing it Lin, I'm sure that the entire forum will be extremely grateful.

[JKR]

To clarify - I'm not hunting for the perfect pick or to find a replacement for Johnny's pick. I merely wanted to answer the question on the newsgroup as to what pick he used since I knew. When I met him in 1971, I purchased a gross of his picks from him. I used the picks until I was down to about a dozen and they were no longer made. I have used various picks and strings and guitars for various situations as a working guitarist/teacher for over
60 years.

Unfortunately that pick is not going to articulate nor sound like Johnny's original pick... the weight is heavier, the material is different, and most importantly, the point is more rounded.

There are many picks - various shapes that are close, but not exact.

Frankly, it doesn't matter - legendary Johnny Smith and his recognizable sound and talent came from more than a pick or strings or guitar. It's best not to get hung up on picks... just look at how many different type picks/strings are used by legendary players.

Best to find what works for YOU and the sound you want...

Regards,

JKR

[Lin Flanagan]

Frankly, it doesn't matter - legendary Johnny Smith and his recognizable sound and talent came from more than a pick or strings or guitar. It's best not to get hung up on picks... just look at how many different type picks/strings are used by legendary players.

Best to find what works for YOU and the sound you want...

Regards,

JKR

Quite so.

[Lin Flanagan]

Thanks John. You're quite right, there is more in the pipeline. Please forgive the secrecy, but the years since Johnny's biography was published have been a case of life getting in the way and I don't want to raise anyone's expectations imminently for something that may not be completed for a while yet. I'll drop back into the forum to give notice when there is something to report or if I have something possibly worthwhile to add to a thread.

Take care all.