In defense of expensive finger picks

[Andy Hinton]

Thanks Larry; Glad you like them. Folks, Larry sent a set of JF picks & a set of Kysers. to be coated. He also sent way too much money but I passed it on to bob for the Forum. Bless this Forum. Andy H.

[Jon Light]

re: Zookies---unless someone else also has license rights to the name, here is a look at the Dunlop Zookie.

http://www.elderly.com/accessories/item ... ms/PKL.htm





I'm lately on a metal thumb kick. But I can't say I'm totally pleased with either the Dunlop or the Propik. Anyone tried this Acri? More contoured band than the others and it's got a zooked out blade. And it's shiny.

http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/AABTP.htm

[robert kramer]

Another way to keep your picks on your fingers is to wear them as much as possible when you're not playing (for example - while driving on the way to a gig or... reading the Steel Guitar Forum!) Also, you might find you need less warm up time because your fingers are already acclimated to the picks. I got this tip from banjo player Sonny Osborne and it's been very useful.

[Chris LeDrew]

That's right, Jon....I too just realized that the Zookie is a Dunlop product. I used a metal thumb pick for a few years until I was converted by the Zookie.

[Jeff Colson]

I have several sets of the Chromed Nationals from Bill Stroud and I can't remember what I paid for them and don't care they are great ! In the mid 80's I think Jeff Newman and Buddy Emmons sold chrome finger picks which I thing were 5 bucks a pair back then, but again they were great and it was worth it. One of the bands broke on the last set I had a couple of years ago and I tried JF picks and they were good, but I just liked the Chrome ones. Bill told me about The Nationals he was plating so I'm a happy camper again. Every bit as good a feel and touch as the old Chrome ones From Jeff and Buddy.
They could be 20 bucks a set and I could care less.
Jeff

[Bill Stroud]

The Zookies are made by Dunlop I got hooked on them the first time I used them they are great.
The picks I polish to get all the rough edges off, and hard chrome them and re-buff after chroming, they sound a lot brighter after this process and last longer.
Thanks Jeff and all that uses the Hard Chrome picks, a lot more work but it's worth the trouble, the results speaks for itself.
Bill

[Robert Harper]

How do you order the JF picks

[Marc Jenkins]

Jeff,

Click on the links button at the top of this page and look under vendors. You will find Jeffran Music listed and that's where you get the Jeff Newman picks.

I followed the link, but I see no mention of 'JF' picks... Just wanted to be sure these were the ones!

[Terry Winter]

I have used JF picks for years now although I only have one set fitted to my fingers the other set is sitting ready for use in case one gets lost or flattened. Have tried others and can't get used to them. Terry

[Don Drummer]

my picks are old nationals and aL10 zookie. keeping my picks on used to be a hassle as I wear them onthe tips of my fingers and thumb. I'd like again to thatnk the forum member who suggested the emulsified fiddle rosin for changing my playing for the better. NO MORE WORRY ABOUT PICKS MOVING, COMING OFF. Hallaluha!

[Joseph Carlson]

Jeff,

Click on the links button at the top of this page and look under vendors. You will find Jeffran Music listed and that's where you get the Jeff Newman picks.

I followed the link, but I see no mention of 'JF' picks... Just wanted to be sure these were the ones!

Try Here:
http://www.jeffran.com/accessories.php

[Ronnie Boettcher]

I have a strip of white bathtub (non slip) tape. The strips you stick on the bottom of the bathtub. Cut a strip, and stick on the inside of the pick, then trim off the excess with a razor blade. Don't put it on the tang though. Really keeps the thumb pick from not slipping too. All I use is the old "Nationals". for fingers. Glad I bought a bunch many many years ago. Some are collector items now, depending on the stampings.

[Larry Scott]

the showcase 41's are the closest to the old nationals. I have been using these for a good while now
http://billstokesshowcase.com/Picks.html#Showcase41sr

[Howard Tate]

Right, Herb. Picks are not the best place to scrimp on cost. My wife ordered a set of JB Diamond rings in 83 or 84. I still use the same set and love them. They were a little more expensive, but less then a penny for each year of use. I got a set of JFs for back up from Fran in Dallas, they look exactly the same but no chrome. Buck Grantham gave me some Kysers for my birthday, Great picks, I don't know the price but worth whatever it is. Buck, you're a jewel!!!

[Bill Rowlett]

I always considered the JF Diamonds the pick equivalent of the BJS bar. I've been using the same pair for over ten years and guard them like Fort Knox. They are heavy gauge and didn't bend the few times that I've stepped on them.

They are hard to bend to fit your fingers, so I put a mandrel inside (for me, its the threaded part of a mike stand that goes into the mike clip) and tighten a hose clamp around the pick. They come out with a nice circular bend that feels right.

It has never occurred to me that they are still available, although mine appear to be chrome plated. I'll have to look into ordering some from Fran.

(One thing about Herb's AP style, I never have to wonder what he meant to write. He's always clear as a bell...).

[John McClung]

Bill Stroud chromeplates Kyser, ProPick and National repro picks. I use the Nationals, simply because I bought a pair from Bill a couple of decades ago, and once I got used to them (they weren't initially as comfortable as Dunlop .018's I was using), I definitely could hear the tone improvement Jeff Newman always talked about.

Bill's superior chroming just makes the picks glide off the strings very smoothly and easily, I think it helps my tone AND speed, such as it is.

Herb Steiner, thanks again for your generous housepitality, and showing me around Austin!

[Tom Mnich]

Elderly Instruments sells fingerpicks from several makers which Elderly has Cobalt plated. I recently tried them and really like the feel and sound. Definitely worth the extra $, less than the cost of a new set of strings and lasting much longer than a set of strings. They slide off the strings very smoothly. No scratchiness.
As for cushion and stickum - I go with heat shrink tubing on the wraps and spit on my fingers. Once I get them set where I want them, I won't remove them for breaks, etc. I leave them on until I am done for that gig/jam/practice, whatever.
Herb - I've been considering dipping my fingers in Nyquil, instead....
I also modify my thumbpicks with a J-shaped piece cut and bent from a thin flatpick to cover the cuticle end of the thumbpick. It wraps around to prevent me from hooking a string on those occasions that I let my thumb drop in too far. Yes - a crutch, but one that works.
Confessions of a short-time steeler/ long-time banjo hacker.

[James Jacoby]

At a steel guitar show a few years ago, there was a guy selling finger picks he claimed to be "the most comfortable finger pick ever devised". some of us bought the two pick sets to try. At $30 a set, they are not cheap. Although they do have a money back guarantee, I ,though I didn't like the feel, never sent them back, feeling it may take time to get used to them. Periodically, I take them out and try them for awhile,then when I put my old ones back on, they (the old ones) feel better, so I put the new ones away again. When I started learning steel, it took me a couple of years to progreass from bare fingers to the finger picks, so I may end up using them sometime down the road. They are called, Rusty Thornhill's Perfect Touch finger picks. Phone # 931-707-2741. perfecttouchpicks.com or perfecttouch@frontiernet.net I think they are ones that you either love or hate. Anyway I haven't gotten my $30 worth, just yet. ---Jake

[Gordon Hartin]

Has anyone tried these the Propik. http://www.guptillmusic.com/propik/medium.html they have a split back that looks like it could be comfortable. I've used the JF picks since I started playing in 2000, my dad gave me a couple new sets.

Gordon