Hoffmeyer Picks

Brian Gattis · Post by **Brian Gattis** » 5 Mar 2019 1:18 pm

Best picks Iâ€™ve ever used. Hands down. For everyone waiting on the Jeff Newman picks these are way better. Not even close! Way better. 25$ a pair and worth every penny. Check them out. You wont be disappointed!

Brian Gattis

Jeremy Reeves · Post by **Jeremy Reeves** » 5 Mar 2019 1:35 pm

I recently got a pair of these and really like them - much better than the random no-name ones I found in the case of my first pedal steel.

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 5 Mar 2019 7:17 pm

$25 a pair

I'd need a lot of convincing.

Brian Gattis · Post by **Brian Gattis** » 5 Mar 2019 8:17 pm

Bill Miller wrote:$25 a pair I'd need a lot of convincing.

Well hell you probably spent 10 bucks on some crappy dunlop picks What 15 more $. Itâ€™s worth it

Christopher Woitach · Post by **Christopher Woitach** » 6 Mar 2019 6:13 am

I have become a complete fan of these picks. Since, unlike guitar picks or even thumbpicks, these donâ€™t wear out, the $25 seems a good value, to me

Gary Cosden · Post by **Gary Cosden** » 6 Mar 2019 6:36 am

I have to agree about these picks. The best I've ever come across. I have a few pairs and the originals are about 5 years old and good as new.

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 6 Mar 2019 7:27 am

Well hell you probably spent 10 bucks on some crappy dunlop picks What 15 more $. Itâ€™s worth it Wink

Well I do use Dunlop .025 picks and I don't find them them crappy at all. I paid $15 for a tube of 20 Dunlops. 20 of these would have been $250. As far as wearing out, in close to 30 years that hasn't been a problem, even playing a couple of hours a day. But I do occasionally lose or step on one. I also wanted a bunch to coat with heat shrink tubing which works great with regards to them staying on.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 6 Mar 2019 8:16 am

Bill,
I agree with you!
I have NEVER wore out a set of picks and I use Dunlops.
And the day that I spend $25 for a couple of picks is the day that you know what freezes over!

Erv

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 6 Mar 2019 5:26 pm

I have never worn out a set of fingerpicks. I have dropped a few and stepped on them and had to throw them away since I can't ever get them right again. Does anyone have a remedy for this little problem?

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 6 Mar 2019 7:41 pm

Is it $25 for a pair, or for each? Looking at the site it looks like for each.

If they are really good picks they will likely last a lifetime so I don't think the price is completely out of line. Heck, I gave $40 for a guitar pick recently!

Brian Gattis · Post by **Brian Gattis** » 6 Mar 2019 9:30 pm

Doug Earnest wrote:Is it $25 for a pair, or for each? Looking at the site it looks like for each.

If they are really good picks they will likely last a lifetime so I don't think the price is completely out of line. Heck, I gave $40 for a guitar pick recently!

Doug,

25$ a pair. Worth it!

Brian G

John Goux · Post by **John Goux** » 6 Mar 2019 10:56 pm

In the bluegrass world most acoustic lead players are using the Bluechip picks, and most of the mandolin players as well. $35 each.
If you play real hard they wear down in about a year. Compared to a Fender extra heavy which may last a set.
I think its worth it if you get your sound and feel right.
John

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 7 Mar 2019 5:41 am

Back when I was a bluegrass mandolinist (55 years ago... OMG!), we used tortoise shell picks that, when we found a good one, we kept and guarded with our lives. Nobody loaned their picks out. Tortoise shell was legal in those days, but not all tortoise picks were equal in feel and tone... yes, tone.

Lord knows what buying a tortoise shell pick would cost nowadays, time in a federal penitentiary notwithstanding.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Mar 2019 7:56 am

Besides that, you can't always find a tortoise when you need one.

Erv

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 7 Mar 2019 8:14 am

Finger picks do wear out just like everything made of metal. I've been using JF's for as long as they've been available and also the chrome plated BJ's when they were available. I've worn down the blades after 2 or 3 years, the same way on several pair including the aforementioned BJ's you can see in this shot, which btw was taken just to show since they are on the wrong hand

Couldn't operate the shutter button with the left hand.

Not just the plating, but the metal as well.

Anyway, these Hoffmeyers appear to be a fine product at a reasonable price. You probably spent more than that for an evening meal which came and went.

I'd say $25 is not a big deal for something, as Chris and others say, do not wear out. Appears to be a sound investment to me even if they do. Comfort and feel is also a big part of why players choose a particular item.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Mar 2019 8:17 am

Why wouldn't they wear out just like anything else?
Erv

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 7 Mar 2019 8:23 am

You tell me. You're the one who said you'd never worn out a set of picks.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Mar 2019 8:27 am

I can't tell you why, I don't own a pair.
All I know is that I've never worn out a set of Dunlops.

Erv

Brian Gattis · Post by **Brian Gattis** » 7 Mar 2019 8:49 am

To each his own. Whatever you like, but Dunlops pale in comparison to these picks. I think the JF picks are better than Dunlop. These Hoffmeyer picks are pretty much perfect when you get them. No shaping with plyers for hours. They sound and feel amazing. Suit yourself. 25$ is minimal over the years of use you will get

All the best

Brian Gattis

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Mar 2019 8:53 am

What gauge are they?
I like a thinner gauge pick.
Erv

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 7 Mar 2019 8:57 am

Erv Niehaus wrote: All I know is that I've never worn out a set of Dunlops.
Erv

Nor have I. I have a half-dozen sets or so that I routinely rotate. Some date back to the 1970s. Thumbpicks are another story.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 7 Mar 2019 9:30 am

Brian, Thanks for taking the time to review these picks and for posting your findings here.

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 7 Mar 2019 9:31 am

I've been using those"Crappy "Dunlop picks for most of my steel guitar life and they are perfect for me.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Mar 2019 9:44 am

I think Dunlop should raise their prices to $25 for a pair. Then people wouldn't think they're "crappy".
It's all in marketing, the more you charge, the better something must be.

Erv

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 7 Mar 2019 9:45 am

I wouldn't contend that my Dunlops haven't worn a little over time. But it's been extremely minimal and for what they cost replacing them is what I've never had a problem with. I believe that stainless wound strings will wear out your fingerpicks much faster than nickle wound. ( and bars too ) That may account for some players going through them faster than others. Also the angle of pick attack is an obvious factor. You'll certainly have wear if the edges of your picks are dragging against the string rather than just the tips.
Out of curiosity I just measured a JF pick to see what gauge they are. As far as I know they were only offered in one gauge and it is .025. That surprises me because they feel stiffer to shape than the .025 Dunlop. Must be some difference in the metal. I never used mine much at all but the coating is worn off the tips the same.
I'd be interested to know what it is about the Dunlops that some of you find undesirable? In a quest to find picks that stay on better I've tried several brands over the years. None stayed on any better until I started coating them. Apart from that I can't find any fault with my old standby Dunlop .025s.