Thump pick use on regular guitar?

[Joachim Kettner]

A few weeks ago I played with a plectrum and what happend was, because of my rather long thumb nail was sticking out, it was cut at the sides. So everytime, like I used my right hand for something, it got stuck on the cracks.
To avoid this I put a small bandage on it, but then I couldn't use a pick because it slipped. So why not use a thump pick.
I've seen Johny Winter, Freddie King and Sue Foley use it and also Forum member Jerry Hayes going for it.
When playing solos is it advisable to grab the round of it that it don't come off?
Any advice is welcome.

[Tom Jordan]

Joachim,

I like the Herco Heavy thumbpick. It allows for a decent mix of strumming or single note picking. Having said that, it's hard to beat a flat pick for "heavy" strumming, like the intro to Take it Easy.

Tom

[Joachim Kettner]

Thanks, Tom. I'm now looking out for the pick you've mentioned.

[Jack Stoner]

I mostly use a thumb pick. Same type that I use for steel. 60' I did some lead guitar and some "Chet" with a thumb pick.

[Larry Dering]

I use the speed pick on both steel and guitar. I have used the blue hero or the larger hero heavy for guitar only. Since I primarily play fingerstyle guitar the speed picks from Fred Kelly are my favorite for both.

[Dale Foreman]

I play double duty, steel and Tele.I use my steel picks to play Tele, dobro and Steel
I’m always polishing the pick guard. lol.

[Dave Mudgett]

Quite a lot of relevant discussions about thumb picks -

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=376626

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=355900

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=362141

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=371316

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=149841

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=376029

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=316077

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=374934

I mostly hybrid pick standard guitar - flat pick + fingers or finger picks. But I play steel and slide guitar with thumb pick + fingers or finger picks. So I've looked long and hard over the last 30 years to find a thumb pick that will double as a flat pick.

I wind up using my Fred Kelly Regulars for this sometimes. I also have been trying to get used to the Fred Kelly Bumblebees, and just the other day I got 3 of the Black Mountain flat-thumbpicks with jazz flatpick and extra-strong spring. All that discussed in the first two referenced threads. The latter two are both flat-thumbpicks in a similar vein to the Herco flat-thumbpicks, but have different ergonomics that I prefer.

I bought several of the Herco flat-thumbpicks 30 years ago. Way too loose for me, and I broke them rapidly at the intersection of the band and the flat pick. I also find the Herco blues way too loose for me. The blade on the blues feels good, and actually very good for flat picking when choked up with the index finger. But they just don't stay in place enough for me as a straight thumb pick. I know lots of players like these, so YMMV.

BTW - have you thought of trimming your thumb nail down shorter so it doesn't interfere with your flat picking? I definitely have to keep my thumb nail fairly short for flat picking. To me, nothing truly substitutes for a flat pick when what I want to do is rapid alternating flat picking.

[Fred Treece]

When playing solos is it advisable to grab the round of it that it don't come off? .

Yes, hold it like you would a flat pick. It takes a lot of practice and patience to get the tone and attack right for alternate picking.

Those Herco’s never worked for me either.

[Steve Hinson]

I've been trying to train myself to use a thumbpick on guitar...I've used one on steel
for 40+years...

I've gotten to the point where I can play some stuff that I can't play with a flat pick,
but the rhythmic stuff?Ya can't exactly turn way down and strum"cowboy chords"
with a thumb pick, can ya?

SH

[Fred Treece]

I've been trying to train myself to use a thumbpick on guitar...I've used one on steel
for 40+years...

I've gotten to the point where I can play some stuff that I can't play with a flat pick,
but the rhythmic stuff?Ya can't exactly turn way down and strum"cowboy chords"
with a thumb pick, can ya?
SH

No. If my job was to strum cowboy chords I would never have bothered with a thumb pick. But the value of Fred Kelly Bumblebees and Black Mountain picks is that they actually can do a very believable strum, along with functioning as a trad thumb pick and single-note flat pick. I guess that’s part of why they cost $3-5 each.

[Robert B Murphy]

3 to 5$ for a thumbpick? I go through them like Pez. That is until I started using Dunlop tortex. I always used their flatpicks except when I was a kid and epoxied two fender heavies together to kill the flop. I often get cuts in my hands and have the cuticle pull away from the nail from hard use. I use SRV's trick of using superglue and put it on thick. I play an L7 and a D18 and the action on both is stiff. If I get a cut on the inside of the knuckle it sort of restricts me to Mickey Baker style chords and no barre chords. Superglue really helped solve that problem.

[Doug Taylor]

I got a pack of bumblebees last week, while I think they are really good the pick is too thin for me. I have a ProPik® Thumb-Flat Thumbpick coming next week so will see how that goes. I really think I can get used to this but time will tell.

[Fred Treece]

Doug, the bumblebee picks are available in 3 gauges, T-M-H. The heavy is pretty stiff, not sure of the exact gauge.

Robert, yes $3 per pick is a lot. It sure makes you keep track of that little bugger! Filing and reshaping can make them last a little longer. I get about 3 weeks out of the Mediums, maybe 4 out of the Heavies. So, $40-$50 a year in thumb picks. Half a gig worth on a bad night.

[Doug Taylor]

Thanks Fred, I think I ordered the medium and I really do like it, just a tad too floppy for me. One of the bad things about ordering is no way to gay age things like that. The reason I order the pro pick is because it tells the exact thickness and it is close to what I use in a flatpick!

[Dave Mudgett]

Technically, the Bumblebees actually come in 4 thicknesses - Light, Medium, Heavy, and Extra Heavy. I've not seen the Extra Heavies for sale except on the FK website - https://fredkellypicks.com/product-category/bumble-bee/. But I got some Heavy Teardrop versions a while back, and they're a lot better than what I had, which I believe were medium, which I also find too floppy. I got the mediums at the FK table at NAMM a bunch of years ago and that's what they recommended. Anyway, the Heavies are labeled 1.04mm, which is heavy enough for me, even for jazz guitar.

I have found Fred Kelly thumb picks, except the speed picks with the tiny nubs and I only use for banjo, last virtually forever, or at least until I lose one. And I'm pretty obsessive about keeping my picks in a medicine bottle until I use them, and then putting them back - I very rarely lose one. I've given away a lot more to friends who wanted to try them than I've lost.

Yes, the typical street price for Bumblebees is 3 for $12.00, or $4/pick. I've found them occasionally cheaper, but not less than $3/pick. But the FK Regular and Slick picks are in line with the blue Hercos or pretty much anything else, at around $1/pick, with occasional sales for less than that.

[Doug Taylor]

I ordered a Propik and it is definitely not for me! So I ordered the heavy Fred Kelly bumblebee , I believe that is going to do what I am looking for! Comfortable, just a little pick sticking out and most importantly thick enough to flatpick with.