plectrum choice

[Sandy 5]

Might give them a shot next time I feel picky 👍

[SH73]

Good read. I've only started playing with a pick not that long ago.

[Cat Burrito]

Kevin, I hope you don't mind but I just edited the title as the word plectrum was missing a "T" in the title. I'm not trying to make an issue of it, it's just it is showing as me having edited it and I wanted you to know that it was nothing more sinister than a missing letter re-added. First time I've done it, next time I'll add the reason so as not to draw attention to it.

Move along people, nothing to see here!

[Johnny Wishbone]

13 hours ago, Cat Burrito said:

Kevin, I hope you don't mind but I just edited the title as the word plectrum was missing a "T" in the title. 

Thank you!  That was really bothering me!

[LiamPodmore]

Dunlop Tortex .73 or .88 for me, depends what mood i'm in. I occasionally go up to a 1 or 1.14 when i'm playing one of those skinny stringed things.

[Mudpup]

Dunlop Ultex Sharp 2.00mm here - grippy and stiff 

Can't be doing with bendy ones at all......

[FinnDave]

1 minute ago, Mudpup said:

Dunlop Ultex Sharp 2.00mm here - grippy and stiff 

Can't be doing with bendy ones at all......

I use 2mm Dunlops as well, purple with a pic of a tortoise on. No flex at all, like you, I can't be doing with anything that flexes

[josie]

I admit to being a serious serial customer of TimberTones:

https://www.timber-tones.co.uk/

Their 2.5 wood picks feel a bit slim to me, but have a lovely soft tone that suits a Jazz or similar. I also have some 2.5+ sharp-pointed stone picks for a harder brighter sound. I've been to guitar workshops with a tin full of wildly different picks and seen more experienced bass players amazed at the difference. If you want to experiment with your sound it's a lot cheaper and easier than changing strings - or basses :-)

 

 

[FinnDave]

7 hours ago, josie said:

I admit to being a serious serial customer of TimberTones:

https://www.timber-tones.co.uk/

Their 2.5 wood picks feel a bit slim to me, but have a lovely soft tone that suits a Jazz or similar. I also have some 2.5+ sharp-pointed stone picks for a harder brighter sound. I've been to guitar workshops with a tin full of wildly different picks and seen more experienced bass players amazed at the difference. If you want to experiment with your sound it's a lot cheaper and easier than changing strings - or basses :-)

 

 

They do look interesting, how long do you find the wooden picks last? I'm funny about picks, I'll happily spend 100s on a new bass, change strings until I find the right sound, but use my 50p Dunlop picks long after the tip has worn away! I try to keep fresh ones for gigs and full rehearsals and use the worn ones for hone practice, but they inevitably get mixed up.

[Lozz196]

On ‎27‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 09:49, Lozz196 said:

I`ve found that picks really make a difference. I`m trying to go lighter as I have a tendency to dig in a lot, and hopefully this will reduce this a bit. Plus the thicker the pick the bassier the sound, so I`m also hoping to be able to add some lows in on my pre-amp and start letting my equipment generate the sound, rather than my hard-hitting, and let the thinner pick generate the top-end that I need.

Well I reduced from a 1.14mm to a 1.0mm and it has made the difference I wanted. Plus with OCD and all that, they`re blue so they match my Ashdown gear. Which is nice.

[Kevin Dean]

2 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Well I reduced from a 1.14mm to a 1.0mm and it has made the difference I wanted. Plus with OCD and all that, they`re blue so they match my Ashdown gear. Which is nice.

I use a 1mm  nylon JD  even a 1.07 mm made a big difference. 

[ezbass]

When playing guitar I always use a thickish pick, anywhere between 1.5 and 2mm and, as I had them, I always used these on bass. However, having seen Bobby Vega (pick-meister extraordinaire), I tried a .73mm: what a revelation. My pick playing (on bass) has become more fluid and I think I prefer the tone.

[garyt]

I always went for the Dunlop Tortex as you can't go wrong with them. I use a variety of the yellow, green and blue picks.  

However, I recently swapped to the new Ernie Ball Prodigy picks and they are fantastic, 

[hooky_lowdown]

I use different pick sizes depending on string gauge. The heavier the strings the lighter the pick size, and visa-versa. I also found if I use flatwounds I prefer a smooth/glossy pick, and if I (very occasionally) use rounds I like a pick with some texture/grip.

Different pick sizes have a dramatic impact on your sound, so testing out a load at a music store is extremely beneficial, as well as fun. There's been many times in the past when I decided a bass or strings were rubbish, ended up selling them,  when in fact I was just using the wrong pick size - yes, it make that much of a difference imho. Now I can make pretty much any bass and strings sound how I like, with a decent set up and the right pick size!

[Bridgehouse]

If you want something left field, you could try a Wegen pick..

 

https://www.wegenpicks.com

 

I have a few for mandolin and they are awesome (if pricey). I'm a fingers bass player so use pick very rarely - but I've tried a few wegen picks with bass and they are fantastic