The Steel Guitar Forum

National Picks seem to be available at alot of music stores. They are thicker metal and have a much better tone than the thinner Dunlops. Being thicker, they also seems to hold their shape and stay on better. At least that has been my observation. Best of luck in your search for the perfect equipment.

Lane Gray wrote:I think there's a third metal but I can't recall it

It's nickel. Copper and zinc make brass (60/40 for the standard yellow kind) and the addition of 20% nickel to make it 60/20/20 gives you nickel silver.

Whereas plain brass reacts quite badly with the skin (which is why brass instrument mouthpieces are silver or gold plated), nickel silver is fairly inert, and it's also used for such things as the keywork on woodwinds.

Ian Rae wrote: nickel silver is fairly inert,.

For certain values of inert. And we wear them for hours on end.

I ordered a set of saddle picks. Never had any more problems. And they don't hurt!

Curly Chalker used National finger picks and just licked his fingers where the pick fits. Ever notice how a quarter back licks his fingers before the ball is snapped. I use Pro Picks.

Many good comments on things to use on your picks and your fingers.

Bend the picks wrappers to fit your fingers perfectly. If you are not careful the picks will bend at the holes in the bands and these little kinks act as hooks that catch on each other and one pick will catch and pull the pick off the other finger.

If you have small fingers you may need to trim the ends of the pick wraps so they do not over lap each other on the finger. Before you start bending the picks.

First smooth the edges of the picks wrappers with a small file and emery cloth so they will not cut into your finger. Next, Take a piece of steel rod smaller than your finger, Clamp in a vice, Very carefully use a small hammer to smoothly hammer and bend the pick wraps smoothly till they snugly fit your fingers. A perfect fit set of picks is where to start. Good Luck and Happy Picking.

Thanks John,they look very much like the type of picks I use,any idea where I can get some in the UK?

I just got a set from Jenny at perfect touch. she posted them to Spain, I think they were about $ 20.00.
they took a week to arrive.

Nationals. Tried Dunlops way back in the day, could not make them work. Kept grabbing the strings with the side of the pick. May have been my sloppy technique, but I got a lifetime supply of Nationals in the early '80s and have never had a problem slipping off or grabbing the strings with the side.

The question of picks catching on adjacent strings depends on personal things like hand position and the size of your fingers. It can be solved by filing them down (the picks, not the fingers) but unless you're infatuated with the sound of a particular brand it's obviously easier just to use ones that work.

I didn't see anyone mention these but I recently got a set of saddle picks. The thumb I am still not sure about but the finger picks are fantastic. I would give them a shot.

http://www.saddlethumbpicks.com/

Interesting question...because there will never be a single sure fire answer to this. Everyone's finger shape is slightly different, everyone's touch on the string or angle of attack varies just a little bit, etc etc so what works for one may or may not work for the next.
But there are lots of answers here to point a person in one direction or another to find what solution works for you.
From my perspective, it is a matter of tweaking the picks to get just the right fit, and labelling them if I need to. Attached photo is my "special finger pick modification kit". Very sophisticated.

By the way, does anyone else find themselves wearing finger picks and not realizing it? ie finished practicing and so used to them you forget to remove them?

My picks are really critical to me. They have to be bent just perfect to feel right. I usually use Kyser because they seem to conform to my fingers better. National are ok too. Never could use Dunlops because of the ridge catching adjacent strings. A while back, I lost my set of Kyser that I use that had dents worn into them but they felt good. It's taken me a while to get another pair shaped to feel good.
I also put clear fingernail polish inside picks and it works fine to keep them on. I use a pro pic thumb pick that is metal and has the plastic tip. Very comfortable and stays on.