Best thickness plectrum for bass

[Marvin]

[quote name='Dave Vader' post='830798' date='May 7 2010, 04:35 PM']Nope, I get them from stringsdirect.co.uk when I put in a heavy-duty string order, I get some more picks.
I don't use them much either on bass, but we do Adam and the Ants in one of my bands, and you got to get some pick in there for those funny rhythms, especially while shrieking BVs.
I think big Stu in Bideford does triangle picks, can't remember what he's called his shop though.[/quote]


I can't remember what the shop is called but I know where it is, good guy as well.
Either that or I'll get some from stringsdirect.

Thanks.

[BigRedX]

Herco Flex 75s for me.

Picks just like every other thing on the bass depend on the player and the sound you are after. Also different picks will produce different sounds. I really like the sound I get with heavy hard plastic picks when playing on my own but as soon as I try and use that sound in a full band situation the clicky attack that they give me just disappears.

There's loads of picks out there, so just go to your local music shop and buy one of each and try them all until you find the right one for you and don't forget that there may be more than one right one if you're looking for different sounds.

[Spike Vincent]

Herco flex 50's for me.You do lose a bit of the attack compared to hard plastic,but they last forever.Some of mine are over 20 years old.

[arsenic]

Nylon dunlop .75 or 1mm, depending on what I'm playing, sometimes, the extra flex in the .75 can help for faster riffs....but for the slower stuff, I find myself playing more with thumb and 1, 2 or 3 fingers, kind of what you see a gui****st doing.

[AttitudeCastle]

Tortex .88 everytime, i find it useable for everything 4&5-7 strings maybe if you wanted to use a 5 more slightly heavier,

[danny-79]

When using 45-100 gage i use Dunlop Tortex Orange .60mm
And on the 50-105 gage i use Dunlop Tortex Green .88mm
But as said before in this thread its all down to personal choice, get yourself a selection and keep trying them until you find one that suites you and stick to it. but at the end of it I'm finger style 90% of the time, the picks that i mentioned are what work for me .

[lonestar]

I use fingers mostly but when I use a pick I like 1mm tortex.
Best ones were some that I bought at a music show once which had a star shaped hole in the middle. Brilliant grip in sweaty fingers. If anyone knows a source for these let me know as i don't have any left.

[tauzero]

I use the black Dunlops on guitar and (occasionally) bass. I used to use translucent nylon plectrums which were graded 1 to 4 (I went for the 3) but I have no idea what brand they were or whether they still exist. If anyone knows the sort I'm talking about (this dates back 20 or 30 years), I'd like to know...

[Mog]

Are you using your ring finger when playing fingerstyle? If not get practicing, bags o pace!! Plec wise I use 1mm Delrin (custom prints, I know, the vanity!!) or Nylon Dunlops from .73mm-1mm.

[cocco]

[quote name='throwoff' post='830531' date='May 7 2010, 11:58 AM']Dunlop Delrin .96
Best.Pick.Ever.[/quote]


backed

[MuseMatt]

Dunlop 1.14 mm for me

[Lylodile]

The orange dunlop tortex ones.

[EmaTheMirror]

by now I like the 1mm nylon Dunlop. It's flexible in a comfty way and gives a "pick-like" sound whenever I need it.

For a thicker and quite close to fingerstyle sound, yet with some more attack and a pick feel and technique, I think that the large gray 3mm stubby picks are the best choice

oh yeah, I forgot: IMV aluminium picks are terrible, useless, ruin the strings and end up wearing out faster

Edited May 9, 2010 by EmaTheMirror

[allihts]

0.96 Tortex (blue)... matches my main bass.

Anything thinner sounds weak, anything thicker is difficult to play with.

[ezbass]

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='830523' date='May 7 2010, 11:53 AM']guitar - jazz 3 max grip
bass - tortex ish 1.19 custom printed in none more black![/quote]


I use the Jazz III for guitar and bass too, great tone and nice and grippy to boot. I have also been known to use Dunlop 500 1.5 and 2.0mm for bass, I prefer the 2.0mm for tone out of those 2, both can be a bit slippery.

[waynepunkdude]

I always use Dava Controls, they are a little flexible in the middle so you can dig in and not snap or get stuck plus they have a grip so they don't slip.

[robocorpse]

I used to use Dunlop nylon .73 for everything (guitar and bass, all styles) but I got hold of a LOAD of cheap 1mm normal type, and I am loving the bass attack, although I break about 4 per rehearsal/gig (which is why I used nylons in the first place) so until I run out of the cheapies, I am using those, but I'll probably try nylon 1mms now my thumb is getting used to the extra punishment that the hard picks give. I absolutely mash my picks (my angle of attack is about 30 degrees sideways) so I have to blow loads of pretty coloured dust off my bass after every session

Edited May 10, 2010 by robocorpse

[charic]

I ALWAYS play on the heaviest gauge strings that I can get hold of and tend to use a heavy pick to go with it.

1.14 brain picks. Orange ones in a tin. They tried stopping selling them and I was gutted and actually stopped going to the store until they got some more in!

[xgsjx]

I'm another for the Dunlop .73 yellow tortex picks, tho I only use pick on a couple of songs.
I've tried countless picks & find these the best for me & can easily be seen when you drop one.