The Steel Guitar Forum

My question is not about which pick is best, I've researched the forum on topics related to that. I have already decided to try ProPik and the problem started when I got to the website. To my amazement there were many choices to be made. They have split band, single band, medium and large, narrow, medium wide and wide blades, straight blades, angled blades away from and toward the thumb, and on top of that some different guages, whew!! help!! What are you using and I've only been playing about a year and half or so, not really a beginner but don't really call myself inter. or adv. yet either. Any help on which style of ProPik I need would be greatly appreciated.

Gary Roach
GFI ULTRA S10
Nashville 1000

Well, I can only tell you my experience with ProPicks. Their quality is first rate, and I can certainly recommend them as a mfg.
I like the single band with the holes in them. My preference is steel, not brass. The split wrap is kinda neat, but I wear my picks way out on my finger. My fingertip does not touch the "scoop".
For electrified steel guitar with narrow string spacing, my choice is the narrow blade.
If my main axe was a dobro, I would choose the bigger, stiffer blades.
A lot of this whole subject is how one wears the picks, and how the pick attacks the string. I am in the minority, as the back of my right hand is flat, not curled.
If you have a choice of gauges, I prefer the .022 as compared to the .025. .018 is kinda flimsy for me. (yes, one can tell the difference.)
Just jump in there, and like the rest of us, you will have a drawer full of finger picks, before you find the magic set.

I hope this has helped

Ron

I agree with Ron.

I was a die-hard National pick user for many, many years, until ProPiks came out. I didn't know they had so many choices now. I bought a bunch a long time ago and haven't had to buy any in quite a while. The ones I have look and feel just like the old National picks, except the blade is angled just a bit. I'll have to go to their web site and see if any look familiar.

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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Mullen U-12, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King

Ron...I don't mean to hijack the thread, but can you educate me on the tone differences the guage of the pick would make. I use .018 basically because my fingers are small and the pick overlaps at the top. The thinner material is easier to bend into a shape that lets me keep the overlap from catching adjacent strings.
Thanks,
Roger

I use ProPiks as well and prefer the pointed model with single wrap. The points give incredible attack. These picks don't fly off like the National did.

I also have a set with standard rounded tips that I use for softer sounds and ballads.


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Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
<small>Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services</small>

Thanks guys for the replys and yes this helps. My biggest concern I guess was which blade width would work best with steel guitar and whether to use angle or straight blades. I know on the split band and single band, that would mainly be personel preference. Like Ron said I'll probably have a draw full before I'm done. I know I'll buy a set of split and single band to see which feels best.

On the angle blades, according to the website the one angled toward the thumb gives more speed and the one angled away from the thumb is suppose give a better angle of attack. If I understood that correctly.

Ron, I tried wearing mine way out on my fingers when I first started learning and it felt clumsy to me, like they were going to fly off any second so I moved them back to where they almost touch the end of my finger, not sure if that is right or wrong, but it sure feels more stable and more natural to me.

Thanks again,
Gary

For Reso, I've used the single band, angled away from the thumb for 3 years. They felt great the first time I put them on. Being a fan of the older National's I was skeptical about a new pick. Once I got used to them, I prefer them over the Nationals. They don't have the same tonal qualities, but after I played with them for a while, the difference went away in my ears. Now, if I play with my Nationals, I hear the tone & volume difference, but they seem to be "clumsey" compared to the ProPiks. I use a Zookie L20 thumb pick, and it seems to be a good match with the ProPiks.

OK, after re-reading my reply, I realize I'm on "Pedal Steel", not "No Peddlers"...

I also use the ProPiks on my Sho~Bud now. I don't play that often, but since I use them on the Reso on a daily basis, I find that it takes too long to get used to the Nationals when I play steel. In my opinion, if the ProPiks had the tone that the Nationals have, they would be the perfect finger pick!

Thanks Kenny for the feed back. I was thinking about trying the Golden Gate thumb pick, I've read some good things about them. I have a National and some Dunlop thumbpicks and I've been using the Dunlop, but they seem to break pretty regularly on me (from putting them on and off, not from playing) and the National for some reason cuts off the circulation to my thumb and I'm using the large. Guess my thumbs to big .
I'll take a look at the thumb pick you mentioned also.

Thanks
Gary

The Golden Gate is a good pick, and hard to break!

Roger,
The different gauges are a comfort factor for me, and not a tone difference. I found the .022 to be just right for me. More of a stiffness factor and ability to bend to the shape I like.
Kinda like Goldilocks and the 3 bears. This one is just right for me.
I second the motion on Golden Gate thumb picks. Nice selection. When you find some you like, better get another set before they quit makin' them!
I like the Zookies thumb pick for reso playing. Heavier wider blade at the right angle. I use the M20.

hope all this helps.
We have so many choices, and that is a good thing.

Ron

You're just going to have to try them out and see for yourself. If you can find a music shop that carries them, try a whole bunch and see what you think. There's no other way, and there's no "right" way that people can point you to since the shape of your hand will be different from everybody else's.

And don't be afraid to bend and mash them into shape! They're not holy, they're just a tool. Twist them and shape them until they work for you.

-Travis

I have about come to that same conclusion Travis and I think that was pretty much what Ron was saying also when he said just dive in and try them out. So I'm going to order several different kinds and start experimenting. I did go ahead and order the Golden Gate and the Zookie to try them out. Thanks for all the great help.