Metal Thumb Pick

Instruments, mechanical issues, copedents, techniques, etc.

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Sigi Meissner
Posts: 98
Joined: 4 Dec 2002 1:01 am
Location: Duebendorf, Switzerland

Metal Thumb Pick

Post by Sigi Meissner »

As we all know, plastic thumb picks tend to wear thinner and thinner the longer one use it. For shure much quicker than a metal thumb pick. I wonder why the metal pick is not standard for steel players. What speaks against it? Sound? Feeling? Not comfortable to wear?
Thnx for any coments
Sigi
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Ryan Barwin
Posts: 613
Joined: 7 Aug 2009 12:23 pm
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Post by Ryan Barwin »

Maybe it's just my technique, but all the metal thumbpicks I've tried sound too harsh and bright, and the tone is very different than the metal fingerpicks, whereas I can get basically the same tone with a plastic thumbpick as with metal fingerpicks. Don't know why.

Haven't tried filing the thumbpick though...good idea. Your fingerpicks do look unusual...what are they?
Leonard G. Robertson
Posts: 193
Joined: 16 Feb 2000 1:01 am
Location: Ozark, Mo. USA

metal thumb picks

Post by Leonard G. Robertson »

I prefer a thumbpick made of metal wrap & plastic tip. To each his own.
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Arne Odegard
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Joined: 13 Nov 2009 11:33 am
Location: Norway

Post by Arne Odegard »

I use a Dunlop metal thumb pick. I find it's more comfortable.
Emmett Roch
Posts: 547
Joined: 3 Jun 2000 12:01 am
Location: Texas Hill Country

Post by Emmett Roch »

I've been using a metal Dunlop thumbpick on PSG for years. They never lose their shape or fall off, and after a little getting-used-to, the tone was about the same as what I was getting with a plastic pick.
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David Mason
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Joined: 6 Oct 2001 12:01 am
Location: Cambridge, MD, USA

Post by David Mason »

I liked the all-metal ProPik (thnx Easley) much better than the Dunlop, trimmed down to proper length natch -
http://elderly.com/accessories/items/PK43-L.htm

But then a few years back I got in deep with the Sonny Landreth "whole-guitar" slide style, and started doing a lot of alternate picking with the thumbpick.... the cross-contamination had me doing upstrokes on the steel with the ProPik, ack. I'm back to a standard or "Heavies" Dunlop, with the point trimmed to a sharkfin angle so it'll do ups and downs at equal volume. I tried the Dunlop thumb/flat pick and the Kelly Bumblebee, but the Dunlops work just as well for me. One thumbpick, four instruments, keeps the crazies & scrapies down.
Bob Mainwaring
Posts: 1096
Joined: 6 Nov 1999 1:01 am
Location: Qualicum Beach Vancouver Island B.C. Canada

Metal Thumb Pick

Post by Bob Mainwaring »

I've been using a metal thumbpick for many years and find them to be a much better tone than the plastic ones.
When I was using the plastic ones, I always placed a few ridges with the pointed end of a sharp knife inside/across the flat area to eliminate them sliding off when playing.
The metal ones have the holes placed in them which helps them to stay on.
I also keep it in place for the ol' five string.

All Z.B.est

Bob Mainwaring
Bob Mainwaring
Posts: 1096
Joined: 6 Nov 1999 1:01 am
Location: Qualicum Beach Vancouver Island B.C. Canada

Metal Thumpicks

Post by Bob Mainwaring »

I forgot to mention Sigi.....to make it easier to figure which finger pick goes where, I borrow the wife's nail polish and paint the 1st finger pick around the top, it's way easier than trying each one wondering which goes where.

All Z.B.est.

Bob Mainwaring
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