What plectrum?

[gs_triumph]

30 minutes ago, Crusoe said:

Does anyone else feel embarrassed going into a music shop just to buy some picks? You just know they guy behind the counter wants to say "Aye, thanks mate. That £2.50 you've just spent will go a long way to paying our bills this month"

I doubt it.  They probably make a bigger mark up selling £500 worth of picks than £500 worth of guitars. 

I sell bacon rolls for a living.  So I'll take £2 off people all day long! 😁

[dave_bass5]

22 minutes ago, Soledad said:

I plan getting some of the Ernie Ball Prodigy 2mm - they have a grippy face and look nice

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/search/ernie-ball-picks

Ive just switched to these new EB picks, and so far im impressed. Ive always played with a pick, i just cant get away from them. I got a packet of the Shield 1.5mm, but found them a bit smaller than i find comfortable holding, so ive also got the 2mm larger ones, which i find just right.

They arent as grippy as i thought they woudl be. One side seems smoother than the other. Got a good tone though and ive never managed ot drop a pick before so ill stick with them for now.

[Rich]

6 hours ago, SH73 said:

I started experimenting with playing with plectrum as it sounds better in trash metal mix. I use standard guitar pick 0.95 mm. I keep losing the grip when I play dynamically. Any suggestions what a good picks are for bass playing?

I get the same grip problems. I found that Herco heavy thumbpicks are just the job for me. As an unexpected benefit, I've found that I can now switch between fingerstyle and pick on the fly, quite handy for a change of dynamics within a song.

[Maude]

6 hours ago, Paul S said:

There is no definitive answer as everyone likes something different.  I like Dunlop nylon 1mm, some people hate them.  Buy and try as many as you can until you find the one that feels right for you.  Its cheaper than finding the right strings, anyway.

This. 

I also use the 1mm Dunlop nylon picks, the only down side is they're black, never put it down, it'll be the last you see of it 😄

If you find picks slipping or spinning in your fingers the either score a noughts and crosses grid into them with a Stanley blade or drill three or four small holes in the centre of them. 

Some people will tell you to play with the thickest pick you're comfortable with, others will say thinner's better. The correct one is the one that gives you the sound and feel you like. 

[Little Dragon]

I use Dunlop Nylon Glow. Plenty of grip on textured bit and easier to find!

[paul_5]

6 hours ago, Rikki_Sixx said:

I love Dunlop Tortex picks, they seem to have a coating on that makes them a bit less slippy than some I've tried. I use the green .88 ones on bass (lighter ones on guitar, when i can find them in my bag).

This. Green tortex  all the way.

I only use a pick for a few ‘punkier’ numbers in one of my bands and have never dropped a tortex; other non-coated ones just fly out of my hands.

Edited April 29, 2019 by paul_5
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[Rich]

  

 

[SH73]

2 hours ago, Crusoe said:

Does anyone else feel embarrassed going into a music shop just to buy some picks? You just know they guy behind the counter wants to say "Aye, thanks mate. That £2.50 you've just spent will go a long way to paying our bills this month"

Amazon

[ahpook]

8 hours ago, Paul S said:

There is no definitive answer as everyone likes something different.  I like Dunlop nylon 1mm, some people hate them.  Buy and try as many as you can until you find the one that feels right for you.  Its cheaper than finding the right strings, anyway.

I'd echo this - try a few and see how you get on.

I use the grey Dunlop 0.88 ones when I use a plectrum, quite thin as it goes, but I'm a fey indie kid at heart and heavy plectrums hurt my delicate fingers and stop me making daisy chains in the long grass.

Edited April 29, 2019 by ahpook

[Stub Mandrel]

Here's my 'plectral stash' - so called as it lives in a decorated Golden Virginia tin.

The six at right are all ancient, the two black Gibson ones prove it IS possible to wear out a plectrum before losing it.

The silver/black one is actually steel. The Orange  one is an original Scotties USA Nylon before they went to Jim Dunlop and therefore probably worth millions. The translucent white one was made in Wales and is very thick and almost good enough for bass use.

Sad to see what's missing - my thumbpicks, my favourite tiny Gibson ones like fake fingernails, my sharkfins and the weird rubbery red one with two layers.

Never managed more than thirty seconds on a bass with one though; pleckies are strictly for electric guitarists and people with snowflake fingers 😈

[FinnDave]

8 hours ago, Bassalarky said:

I like Jim Dunlop purple ones, 2 or 3 mm.  They have a dimple in the middle that makes it easier for me to keep hold of them.  I think they're called 'Big Stubby'.

I use these too, but only the 3mm ones. Good for scaring guitarists if they ask fir a pick, too!

[PaulWarning]

2 hours ago, Little Dragon said:

I use Dunlop Nylon Glow. Plenty of grip on textured bit and easier to find!

yep me too, I've never dropped a pick mid song, they sometimes spin round a bit, I hold them with my index and middle finger underneath and thumb on top

[missis sumner]

Dunlop Max Grip 1.5mm.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dunlop-Standard-Guitar-Picks-Plectrums/dp/B00CNC5G3Y

 

[Agwin]

26 minutes ago, missis sumner said:

Dunlop Max Grip 1.5mm.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dunlop-Standard-Guitar-Picks-Plectrums/dp/B00CNC5G3Y

 

My weapon of choice too.

[missis sumner]

2 minutes ago, Agwin said:

My weapon of choice too.

Lol, my weapon of choice is actually my fingers, but my band leader insists I play some of his songs with a plec, and I like to be flexible.

[Billy Apple]

Looking through this it seems folk play with pretty thick picks. I still want a bit of flexibility and .73 gives this. 1.5mm? That must be like playing with a brick! 

[ezbass]

When using a pick, I used to use a 2mm or a 1.5mm (using my guitarist head that said thicker pick = ‘better’ tone). However, when I saw Bobby Vega at the LBGS I discovered that he uses .73mm, so I thought I’d give those a try, together with his ‘upside down’ grip; I haven’t looked back - .73mm all the way for me.

 

[KingPrawn]

7 minutes ago, ezbass said:

When using a pick, I used to use a 2mm or a 1.5mm (using my guitarist head that said thicker pick = ‘better’ tone). However, when I saw Bobby Vega at the LBGS I discovered that he uses .73mm, so I thought I’d give those a try, together with his ‘upside down’ grip; I haven’t looked back - .73mm all the way for me.

 

The guys a genius !

Edited April 29, 2019 by KingPrawn

[el borracho]

6 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Just go to your local musical instrument shop and buy yourself a selection of picks of different thicknesses, sizes, and materials. If you are having trouble keeping hold of your pick look mostly at those with textured surfaces where you grip them.

However you should also bear in mind that the different sizes, thicknesses and materials will all produce different sounds from your bass, so you may have to do some experimentation to find the right pick for you in terms of both tone and playing comfort.

FWIW I use Herco Flex 75s. They are a reasonably heavy nylon pick with a textured surface where you grip them. 

Me too - although I alternate between them and the Flex 50s.  I actually play with the textured surface in contact with the strings - ie sideways. I've always held them like this since I first picked up a guitar in 1982.

[Crusoe]

2 hours ago, SH73 said:

Amazon

Support your local music shop (by buying five quids of plectrums every couple of years) 😆

[BigRedX]

5 hours ago, Crusoe said:

Does anyone else feel embarrassed going into a music shop just to buy some picks? You just know they guy behind the counter wants to say "Aye, thanks mate. That £2.50 you've just spent will go a long way to paying our bills this month"

I buy mine 100 at a time. That lasts me about 10 years.

[FinnDave]

I want zero flex from a plectrum, flex equals delay and f*cked up timing!

[AScheck9]

10 hours ago, Bassalarky said:

I like Jim Dunlop purple ones, 2 or 3 mm.  They have a dimple in the middle that makes it easier for me to keep hold of them.  I think they're called 'Big Stubby'.

I was literally about to say the same things. "Dunlop purple ones"

[Agwin]

1 hour ago, Billy Apple said:

 1.5mm? That must be like playing with a brick! 

Can't speak for tortex picks but I find there's (for me anyway) exactly the right amount of "give" in the 1.5mm Dunlop nylon.

[Billy Apple]

11 hours ago, FinnDave said:

I want zero flex from a plectrum, flex equals delay and f*cked up timing!

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