If a bass-picker could, would and should pick a pick, which pick would a bass-picker then pick?

[Waddo Soqable]

You still need a pick for when you need a, pick though... 

Jim Dunlop 73 👍

[Baloney Balderdash]

1 minute ago, Waddo Soqable said:

You still need a pick for when you need a, pick though... 

Jim Dunlop 73 👍

Dunlop USA Nylon .73mm, yes!

 

Still my favorite pick.

[BassAdder60]

I have found a compressor helps and boosting the 1k / 1.2k frequency to add more note attack helps a lot 

[Foxx]

On 17/03/2023 at 14:06, Baloney Balderdash said:

Dunlop USA Nylon .73mm, yes!

 

Still my favorite pick.

Same,held side on with the pointy bit towards the headstock 😛

[Baloney Balderdash]

Still mostly using my fingers at the moment, but my prefered pick is now using one of the round corners of the Dunlop Max Grip Nylon .60mm, which would actually be a bit thicker (and obviously) than the tip of the standard Dunlop USA Nylon .73mm, and compared to the round corner of the latter there is a bit more space with a smooth surface before the raised grit grip bit of the Max Grip .60mm pick.

 

Really like both how this feels and sound.

 

A bit warmer and bit less snappy than using the tip the standard Dunlop USA Nylon .73mm pick.

 

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[BassAdder60]

Gigging last night using my Dunlop Delrin 500 2mm picks and I started to find the pick moving in my fingers, never dropped it but enough for it to affect my playing. 
Changed to fingerstyle ( quick boost of mids on my amp ) and that “ connection” you get fingerstyle was a happy return as was the full thump and depth of note. 
Back to fingers for me as I find it hard to beat 

[BassAdder60]

Gigged most of the night using a pick and did notice I made more errors and it didn’t feel connected 

 

Half way through second set I upped the mids on my amp and played fingerstyle. 

 

The only thing it showed is I’m better at fingerstyle and I need new strings !!

[Baloney Balderdash]

I am now capable of actually strumming faster and more accurate using my right hand middle finger (and I am close to getting there with my index finger too) with the flamenco style finger flicking method than with a pick (and mind playing with a pick has been my main thing for by far the majority of the about 30 years I've been playing bass, and think I am actually a quite proficient pick player), and it actually even sounds a lot like a pick, just, in my opinion, better. 

 

Now if I could only palm-mute while doing it (which is impossible).

 

There's really nothing quite like the amount of nuance and control you get over muting when palm-muting using a pick, muting while finger picking is much more circumstantial.  

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 26/02/2023 at 11:03, Baloney Balderdash said:

I know this goes completely against what I earlier stated in this thread, but as I think I did mention is that I now mainly use my fingers, and because of that, despite mentioning earlier in this thread that I failed to see the point with such, I just ordered 3 pieces of respectively a 3.1mm and 5mm respectively soft and hard Wedgie rubber pick, to experiment with getting a finger plucking sound out of a pick.

 

Like these:

 

This was the only European shop I could find that caries them: https://schneidermusik.de/shop/en/search?sSearch=wedgie+pick

 

 

On 17/03/2023 at 14:00, Baloney Balderdash said:

Finally arrived after being on the way forever.

 

What a complete waste of money! 

 

All the disadvantages of finger style playing, but non of the advantages, and non of the advantages normally associated with using a pick, but all the disadvantages. 

 

Other than sounding like crap, really dull sounding compared to both pick and finger plucking, the rubber tend to get stuck on the strings when strumming, making you stumble over whichever strum patterns you are doing, and preventing you from playing fast successive notes, which is otherwise one of the advantages of pick playing, in fact you can even play faster just using traditional two finger style plucking technique than these picks allows for.

 

What a load of pure crap. *sigh* 

 

 

On different note I have begun to really love playing bass using my fingers.

 

Such a nice "in touch" and in control feeling, with tons of expression possibilities in between James Jamerson 1 finger plucking style, traditional 2 finger plucking, classical acoustic guitar, thumb+index+middle, finger style picking, flamenco guitar style, index and/or middle, finger flicking technique, and double thumbing, which I am starting to get really good at seamlessly altering between.

 

Floating thumb technique is what came naturally to me right from I first started learning 2 finger style plucking technique, but starting to really getting a hang of muting the strings above the one I am currently playing with my thumb as well, instinctively, without really having to  think about it, and just at the right time too when playing a riff that requires repeatably crossing/altering between strings.

 

So I decided to give these rubber picks another try, and to my surprise I actually found that I really like how the soft rubber 3.1mm sounds.

 

I guess my issue when I initially tried them out was the they sounded neither like regular plastic picks sounds or like finger picking really, and that I failed to really use/grab them properly for strumming, causing them to get stuck on the strings.

 

However this second try I managed to grip them in a way so that strumming is no issue, and also for some reason the sound I got with that soft 3.1mm one really clicked with me.

 

Got this round attack, that still is somewhat prominent, but neither the kind of slap or thud, depending, of finger picking, or the kind of click or snap, depending, of regular pick picking, kind of hard to explain, but just this round soft emphasis of the attack (the best single word I can describe it with would be "boom", but not in a bad boomy way) and a really soft, but at the same time huge and actually very clear tone as the strings ring after the initial attack, the attack and ringing out sort of blending seamlessly together, but while still having an emphasis on the attack, that somehow reminded me of the sound of a finger picked nylon string acoustic guitar, just obviously lower tuned, or perhaps even more so like a piano with the mute and sustain pedal pressed simultaneously.

 

This is my new favorite way to pluck the strings of my bass.

 

The Wedgie Soft 3.1mm rubber pick.

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Baloney Balderdash]

And yet once again, again, I've changed my mind.

 

While the combination of different finger picking techniques is still vast superior (diversity of tones you can get just from applying different techniques at different picking/plucking spots, the speed of utilizing the index and/or middle finger flicking flamenco style technique, as well as the ease of muting single strings that you don't want to ring) in pretty much every other aspect than the ability to palm mute and the array of graduate muted tones this allows for, I currently now actually tone wise prefer what I get from using the orange Dunlop Tortex .60mm pick :

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[BillyBass]

16 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

And yet once again, again, I've changed my mind.

On 05/05/2023 at 10:14, Baloney Balderdash said:

... of the about 30 years I've been playing bass, and think I am actually a quite proficient pick player), 

So there is hope for me yet!  I've only been playing the bass for 5 years and with a pick seriously for a couple.  I've got piles of picks at home.  I use a pick and decide its the one for me, then I buy a pack of 5...and change my mind.

 

I have sort of, at least for the time being, narrowed my choices down to Dunlop Gators and generally use the 1.5mm but occasionally use the 0.96 

[dmc79]

On 03/02/2023 at 15:13, dmc79 said:

Has anyone tried the D'Andrea Snarling Dogs Brain picks? Just wondering if they are like a Dunlop USA Nylon, or more like a Dunlop Max Grip

Still nobody tried the Snarling Dogs Brain picks? At this rate I’ll have to try them myself!

 

[Greg Edwards69]

1 hour ago, BillyBass said:

 I've got piles of picks at home.  I use a pick and decide its the one for me, then I buy a pack of 5...and change my mind.

Similar to me. I really wanted to like the Dunlop Flex picks, but there seems to be inconsistency in their manufacture, or something inherent in the material that makes some of them go curly as I've mentioned several posts ago. There are even several straight out of the packet that have a slight curve and can only be played one way up.  I bought a variety tin of tortex "wedge" picks recently too, and some of those suffer the same problem too.

 

I might go back to regular, good old-fashioned original tortex again, or explore some nylon options.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Greg Edwards69

[Baloney Balderdash]

3 hours ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

Similar to me. I really wanted to like the Dunlop Flex picks, but there seems to be inconsistency in their manufacture, or something inherent in the material that makes some of them go curly as I've mentioned several posts ago. There are even several straight out of the packet that have a slight curve and can only be played one way up.  I bought a variety tin of tortex "wedge" picks recently too, and some of those suffer the same problem too.

 

I might go back to regular, good old-fashioned original tortex again, or explore some nylon options.

In my experience the regular Tortex have a tendency to go curvy as well after a while, never experienced that with any Nylon picks that I've used.

 

However it's not really an issue for me, they are still perfectly useable, if only from one of the two sides, and they do give a significantly different tone than Nylon picks, so unless you are not going for any specific tone it's not as simple as just using a pick of any other material instead.   

 

In my experience material, gauge and flexibility/stiffness of a given pick are all factors that have a relatively significant impact on the tone of your bass. 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[MrDinsdale]

I love the orange Tortex triangles. They have just the right flex and feel really comfortable.

[Rob Bisby]

On 30/06/2023 at 07:50, Baloney Balderdash said:

And yet once again, again, I've changed my mind.

 

While the combination of different finger picking techniques is still vast superior (diversity of tones you can get just from applying different techniques at different picking/plucking spots, the speed of utilizing the index and/or middle finger flicking flamenco style technique, as well as the ease of muting single strings that you don't want to ring) in pretty much every other aspect than the ability to palm mute and the array of graduate muted tone this allows for, I currently now actually tone wise prefer what I get from using the orange Dunlop Tortex .60mm pick :

 

Best pick for bass in my opinion

[Baloney Balderdash]

I think I have come to the conclusion that no one pick or picking technique is going to make it as a one size fits all solution, but a combination of these will, for me at least:

 

- Dunlop Max Grip Nylon .60mm: tip or round corner, depending

 

- Dunlop Tortex .60mm: tip

 

- Wedgie Soft 3.1mm rubber pick: tip

 

- Various finger picking techniques: traditional 2 and 3 finger plucking technique, classical guitar finger picking technique, flamenco style index and/or middle finger flicking technique, double thumbing technique, depending

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[BassAdder60]

[Minininjarob]

I just found out that the bassist from Huey Lewis and the News used a thumb pick - I might give one a go - has anyone else tried one with a bass??

[songofthewind]

Thumb picks are good with bass, but it's harder to do upstrokes with them (I find).

[Baloney Balderdash]

39 minutes ago, Minininjarob said:

I just found out that the bassist from Huey Lewis and the News used a thumb pick - I might give one a go - has anyone else tried one with a bass??

 

29 minutes ago, songofthewind said:

Thumb picks are good with bass, but it's harder to do upstrokes with them (I find).

Well, thumb picks are normally used in the context of classical guitar finger picking style where you would usually only do downstrokes, so I suppose thumb picks are usually not designed with upstrokes in mind.

 

Of course that doesn't mean that you can't do it, but as noted by songofthewind it won't be straight ahead and probably cause some issues.

 

Some types of thumb picks might work better than others though.

 

In any case can't harm to give it a shot.

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[MichaelDean]

5 hours ago, Minininjarob said:

I just found out that the bassist from Huey Lewis and the News used a thumb pick - I might give one a go - has anyone else tried one with a bass??

I used to use them loads in an old band where I had to switch from fingers to pick almost instantaneously. It was fine while I was in that band, but now I find it very awkward trying it again. It's not in the most natural playing position for me. And they don't make the thumb loops big enough for me. I have to heat them in a cup of hot water to bend them out a bit else the tip of my thumb can go a bit purple 😅

[KingBollock]

You can get metal ones that you can shape to your thumb, and that have folded over edges on the pick part for going up as well as down. But they don’t sound right in a bass, I don’t think.

 

There are some that are popular with banjo players that have a metal thumb band but a plastic pick.

 

And then there is/was (not sure) the one designed by a Megadeth guitarist that was basically a metal thumb band that you could slot a standard pick into, which was meant to be played in a normal style, but with the security of not being able to drop it and still be able to let go and widdle up the fretboard, should one feel inclined.

[Greg Edwards69]

10 hours ago, KingBollock said:

And then there is/was (not sure) the one designed by a Megadeth guitarist that was basically a metal thumb band that you could slot a standard pick into, which was meant to be played in a normal style, but with the security of not being able to drop it and still be able to let go and widdle up the fretboard, should one feel inclined.

Just found this https://reverb.com/uk/item/6836739-chris-broderick-pick-clip-right-handed-black

[Baloney Balderdash]

Hard to do double thumbing and classical guitar style finger picking with one of those on though, so would be a no go for me, as I tend to alternate between those two techniques, along with traditional 2 and 3 finger plucking and flamenco style index and/or middle finger flicking technique, when using my fingers to pick.

 

So wouldn't work for me.

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash