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Topic: Picks too tight? |
Jeff Strouse
From:
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Posted 27 Aug 2004 5:00 pm |
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...at least, I don't think they are.. 
I've always fit my picks snugly, to where they feel most comfortable. Anything less, and they start to feel too loose. If I wear them for long periods, I can see their indentation on my fingers, but nothing that looks out of the ordinary (I'm not really cutting off circulation or anything).
The problem I'm having is at the base of the fingernail, where the skin has a thinner membrane. The edges of my pics cause pressure sores on the skin at the cuticle. Depending on how long the metal pick is rubbing against the cuticle area, it could even break open the skin at those spots.
A work around for me has been band-aids. I took the small size, and cut off the sticky tape. Each time I put on my picks now, I put the cushion part of the band-aid between the base of my fingernail and the pick. So far, it's worked out well.
Oh...and I'm using Dunlop metal pics...it's either 18 or 20 gauge. I wonder if there are mroe comfortable picks out there?
Just curious if anyone else has also experienced this.
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Al Sato
From:
Texas Hill Country
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Posted 27 Aug 2004 5:19 pm
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| I had a similar problem but I took a pair of thin-nose pliers and sort of curled the ends of the band upward where it would dig in and this cured the problem. I use Dunlop .025 and find them quite comfortable now. One thing I noticed is that if you go to a thicker pick then they retain their shape better and you don't have to keep adjusting them. |
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Travis Bernhardt
From:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 27 Aug 2004 5:48 pm
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Try Propiks. I've found them to be much more comfortable than the Dunlops. They don't have to fit as tight, and they're less "edgy" somehow.
-Travis |
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Bill Brummett
From:
Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 27 Aug 2004 7:44 pm
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I was having the same type problems. I also switched to the Propiks and found that I can adjust the two separate rings to fit the finger taper much better without pinching.
I also found the slight angle of the pick away from the rings really helps contact the string in a much easier fashion.
I prefer the brass ones. |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 27 Aug 2004 8:24 pm
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You can get those little pads they sell in the drugstore for eyeglasses - you know, the ones that go on the nose clamps when the little plastic things bust off. Then just neatly line the inside of the finger picks with them. You can make them as tight as you like with a minimum of cuticle trauma. Hey, it works for me . .
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Rick Alexander
Fender Stringmaster, National New Yorker
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 28 Aug 2004 3:05 am
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*
[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 13 November 2005 at 12:45 PM.] |
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George Keoki Lake
From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
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Posted 28 Aug 2004 7:22 am
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That's a great idea Gene. Make sure you don't use Crazy Glue by mistake !  |
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Alan Kirk
From:
Scotia, CA, USA
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Posted 28 Aug 2004 11:13 am
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I've noticed that no matter how perfectly I bend my picks to fit, at different times of the day my fingers are slightly larger or smaller. I attribute this to cellular water retention.
So I bend the picks so they fit snugly when my fingers are small, then open them up ever so slightly so they'll be comfortable in all circumstances.
I lick each finger before putting on the picks, to give them just a little bit of tackiness.
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 29 Aug 2004 12:16 pm
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There is a product called -- believe it or not, "Gorilla Snot" -- available at some music stores that works a lot better than the glue stick. It costs more, but a container lasts forever. Set your picks a little looser, then touch your index finger to the stuff, rub your thumb and pick fingers together to distribute it, and your picks (includiung your thumb pick) will stay in place until you remove them and wipe the stuff away.
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Visit my Web Site at RoysFootprints.com
Browse my Photo Album and be sure to sign my Guest Book. |
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Jeff Strouse
From:
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Posted 30 Sep 2004 7:09 pm
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I just got a couple of the John Pearse "Hi-Rider" finger picks. They fit at the knuckle, rather than at the base of the fingernail.
One thing I notice, is that the pick itself is a bit more narrow than the surface area of the Dunlop picks I've been using. They also seem to stick out a bit further on my finger tips than the Dunlops.
Has anyone else tried these picks and have any comments (pro or con) about them? |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 30 Sep 2004 7:33 pm
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Jeff, I tried them but could not get used to them. I never felt that I had complete control of them, if that makes any sense to you. I guess just couldn't execute the kind of attack I can with regular picks.
i like the pro picks.
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Jeff Strouse
From:
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 7:05 am
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| Thanks for tip Howard. What company makes the pro-picks? I'd like to give them a test drive. I tried an internet search, but had no luck. |
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Don Joslin
From:
St. Paul, MN
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 7:44 am
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Jeff - Scotty's has got ProPicks - http://www.scottysmusic.com/picks01.htm
Don
------------------
 fo·rum - n - A public meeting place for open discussion.
-------- mod·er·a·tor - n. - One that arbitrates or mediates.
-------- de-bate - v. - To discuss or argue (a question, for example) formally, sufficiently
-------- observing or befitting accepted social usages.
[This message was edited by Don Joslin on 01 October 2004 at 08:44 AM.] |
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Gary Anwyl
From:
Palo Alto, CA
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 8:04 am
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If you Google search for "Propik" you'll find it.
Note that they make both single wrap and split wrap versions (you want the split wrap), and they make a standard and resophonic version. The resophonic version is angled slightly away from the thumb so the picks form a better angle against the string.
I use the nickle, resophonic, split-wrap version. I find them much more comfortable than the Dunlops.
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Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 8:12 am
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If you will use a thinner gauged metal finger pick (1 , you can squeeze them together quickly as your finger size changes.
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Dwayne Martineau
From:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 10:13 am
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The split-wrap ProPiks are easily the most comfortable picks I've had. They feel good right out of the box, and don't slip or lose their shape.
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 12:04 pm
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...
Last edited by Jeff Au Hoy on 13 Sep 2019 3:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 3:50 pm
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Yes Jeff, but those flared out edges also have their price. In my experience they sometimes get caught on each other.
Those red/black rajah picks have the flared edges. They are now in a plastic bag with those high rider picks.
I like the single wrap pro picks. A little saliva on your fingers keeps them on. |
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Jeff Strouse
From:
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 4:42 pm
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| Not all of us are tough guys like you, Jeff... |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 4:57 pm
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...
Last edited by Jeff Au Hoy on 13 Sep 2019 3:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 1 Oct 2004 5:13 pm
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| I like the National picks. A few times I've nearly taken out someone's eye, and I've twice had a pick get wedged in a string mid-solo, but once I figured it out it was smooth sailin'. I also like the Golden Gate thumbpick, and I make sure to get it nice and tight. |
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