Have you experimented with different finger picks?

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 7 Feb 2020 9:27 pm

i use two fred kelley freedom picks and two alaska piks. cant use four of the same as they dont allow the fingers to get close enough together. kellys on 1 and 2. alaska on 3 and 4. i have good nails, but i play a lot of solo underarm guitar gigs and 3 or 4 hours of playing wears down the nail too fast. i like these because the flesh of the pad of your finger allows contact with the string for dampening. these pics have saved my playing for sure in making sure i have a consistant sound and feel whenever i play. i dont use metal picks at all.

Mark Mansueto · Post by **Mark Mansueto** » 8 Feb 2020 6:58 am

Lloyd, thanks for the great info. Good to hear that you actually loved that set of finger picks. I use singel band standard picks so I should have no problem with them staying on. I'm going to order a set to try. Regarding the Bluechip picks, I'm concerned about the surface of the plastic where it attaches to the metal because I strum big chords at times where I use the entire surface of the pick. The Bluechip looks like that surface is not flat but possible stepped.

Bill H, I've seen the Alaska picks or similar and always wondered how they could stay on your finger without flying off when picking hard. That said they look like they'd be great for players that use both sides of their nails. The fact that they allow you to feel the flesh of the finger is what interests me about these and the metal picks with the loop. Thanks!

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 8 Feb 2020 6:44 pm

Erv Niehaus wrote:The main reason I like Dunlop finger picks is because of the various gauges they're available in.
I like a thinner gauge pick and most of the other finger picks are too thick for me.
Erv

Bingo!

After struggling with Nationals, finding the Dunlop .13's made all the difference for me. I'm slowly using thicker gauge these days (up to .20 now), but at first I far preferred the thinner. I've also turned some pick-struggling friends on to these, and it helped them, as well.

I find they match well with both Zookie 10 and these Golden Gate "Clown Barf" thumbpicks, tone-wise, too.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 9 Feb 2020 6:40 am

I had to break down and purchase one of those myself!
If nothing else, they're colorful.

Erv

George Rout · Post by **George Rout** » 9 Feb 2020 7:06 am

Yeah, I tend to buy everything to evaluate it, so I have a box full of various pics. Even a pair of nice shiny Roy "Smuckeroo" picks, so shiny they stay on your fingers for at least a minute!!!!!
Geo

Steffen Gunter · Post by **Steffen Gunter** » 9 Feb 2020 1:59 pm

I tried some and spend some money, liked the sound of the brass Perfect Touch picks, but in spite of the name missed the touch. Returned to Dunlop. Then bought some ProPik brass picks and was convinced immediately. Even bought a replacement pair now. But Dunlops would do too.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 9 Feb 2020 2:15 pm

Yes, I have experimented with many types of picks, even mizrabs. It wasnâ€™t out of a search for comfort but strictly in efforts to make certain techniques possible or easier than are possible with just standard fingerpicks. I love Dunlop picks, usually .013, but other gauges work for me too.

Mark Mansueto · Post by **Mark Mansueto** » 22 Feb 2020 7:19 pm

So I ordered some picks to try and here's what I got:

I already have Dunlop white thumb picks and Dunlop .0225 steel finger picks so I thought I'd try Nationals and some Dunlop plastic finger picks as well as these other ones similar to butterfly picks but with a standard type band and made by a company calle Tone Deaf:

Mark Mansueto · Post by **Mark Mansueto** » 22 Feb 2020 7:49 pm

The whole reason I started on this quest is because I didn't like the click sound I was getting during quiet bits while recording my electric lap. Playing with fingers was not what I was after so I went looking for picks. So here's what I think of what I bought:

Nationals:
Not a whole lot different that my current Dunlops and I didn't expect there to be. The Nationals fit almost perfect right out of the box and I think the band is more comfy than the Dunlop but I think I like the pick shape of the Dunlop a little more.

Dunlop tortoise plastic:
It was tricky getting these to fit right using hot water. Much harder than fitting a steel pick but I am fussy so that didn't help. Once I got them the way I like they worked better than I thought. The only downside for me is that the pick attack is a little too soft but they may come in handy for something at some point. I haven't tried them with my acoustic lap yet either so who knows.

Tone Deaf steel picks:
I had low expectations for these picks but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they worked. They actually fit better than I thought as well. Less pick attack that a standard type steel pick but sound better than the plastic. No clicking with these picks and here's the bonus - I can mute with flesh instead of steel... NICE. I don't think these will replace my original picks which are still my favorite but I will use them.

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 3 Mar 2020 9:43 pm

I use silver metal Dunlop picks and National thumbpick for pedal steel, and for Dobro, I use two brass National picks and a National thumbpick. I wanted to try out the National gold picks because I think they look awesome, and they fit my index and middle fingers well and also, they attack the dobro strings really well! I also decided to try the brass picks because it's something different than what I use on steel.

Mark Mansueto · Post by **Mark Mansueto** » 4 Mar 2020 7:51 am

I thought of getting some brass just to differentiate between finger size or whatever but I didn't do it. I also thought about a metal thumb pick but after some experimentation with adapting a metal finger pick to my thumb I could tell I didn't like the sound. That said I think I'm done with the pick search for now.

Brad Richard · Post by **Brad Richard** » 4 Mar 2020 3:50 pm

I bought a set of Perfect Touch picks from fellow forumite Jim Bloomfield and I find I really like them, especially the weird thumb pick. I use a Blue Chip thumb pick and Hoffmeyer finger picks for dobro and banjo and love them, but for some reason I prefer the Perfect Touch picks for lap steel. Can't really say why. They just work for me.

Mark Mansueto · Post by **Mark Mansueto** » 5 Mar 2020 5:06 am

All the searching for picks I did and I never came across the Perfect Touch. The finger picks don't look too revolutionary unless there's something I'm not seeing but the thumb pick does. They aren't cheap so there must be some magic if people are buying them. I think I need to at least try the thumb pick.

Brad Richard · Post by **Brad Richard** » 5 Mar 2020 8:50 am

The perfect touch finger picks are OK. The main thing I like about them is the different shape of each. Makes identifying easier.

Suzanne Shafer · Post by **Suzanne Shafer** » 13 Jul 2020 7:37 pm

I want to put in a good word for the Perfect Touch picks. As a beginner, I was experiencing a lot of really annoying pick noise---clicking, clacking, buzzing. I figured it was just my lack of expertise and would all go away, eventually. And maybe it would have except that "eventually" never came because what wouldn't go away was the torture the various types of picks I tried inflicted on my fingers. I wound up with bloody cuticles every time I practiced. Also, my picks, especially the thumb, kept falling off no matter how I adjusted them. One day I saw the PT picks mentioned in a thread here and I checked them out. Yes they are pricey, but I am now a convert and can't imagine wearing anything else...EVER. (I'm about to order a second set "just in case.") Most of the ugly string noise disappeared immediately, and not once have these picks reddened my fingers or made me bleed. Nor do they ever fall off. I can wear them for hours without any discomfort whatsoever. And I love the sound the brass finger picks produce. Even better, they adjust so easily that I have been able to compensate for problems with the angle of the picks relative to the strings due to arthritis-deformed joints on my thumb and middle finger. Couldn't do that with any other picks I tried. From my perspective, these picks are an all-round work of art!

Jonathan Scherer · Post by **Jonathan Scherer** » 13 Jul 2020 9:27 pm

I began using Perfect Touch picks a few years ago and like them a lot.

For me they took some time getting used to. The main thing is they do not hurt my fingers or thumb.

The thumb pick is huge but it stays on and is comfortable. I used to use the Fred Kelly speed pick, which I like but it hurt my thumb after 20 minutes or so.

I have two sizes for the finger picks, mostly use the large size because I have gnarly, misshapen and arthritic fingers.

They are easy to adjust for fit.

Ron Landis · Post by **Ron Landis** » 14 Jul 2020 10:25 am

Iâ€™ve been developing new picks for a while but just recently put together what I consider my ideal set for steel and banjo. The thick silver isnâ€™t as harsh as most metal picks and the heavy material makes it possible for a narrow band on the thumb pick. I put little gripper teeth on the inside to greatly reduce slipping and I curl the thumb band around far enough to avoid string hooking. I really like this set. Very solid feel and great tone.

Andy Costigan · Post by **Andy Costigan** » 15 Jul 2020 6:50 pm

hi Mark,
like you the ping from metal finger picks was distracting and annoying me. so I had one last go at shaping plastic fingerpicks... took me ages but I finally got something I love. see photos..

Greg Forsyth · Post by **Greg Forsyth** » 15 Jul 2020 8:56 pm

Hi Ron Landis,
Very interesting picks. Nicely made and look to be both cast and engraved... Please explain the process you used to make them and if you are thinking about making sets for sale.

Thanks