I grew up in a very poor country. I remember the first time I saw a real guitar pick in person. I asked the owner if I could trace its shape on paper. He said yes. Armed with that paper mold, I went on a crusade to find the best household materials I could use to make picks. I used to cut up empty VO5 shampoo bottles to make bowed picks. I eventually settled on the plastic tops of certain types of food containers I found discarded. I made some of those for the bass player of my garage band at the time. We all cracked up at the end of practice, when we noticed the pickups and strings on his bass were covered in white dust. The pick was desintegrating with every stroke on the strings. The best ones I ever made were a couple I had shaped in 1996, from a discarded thick plastic prepaid phone card (Similar to a modern credit card). I used fine grit sand paper which I borrowed from a neighbor, to smooth the picks out. I coincidentally would use those same tiny pieces of sand paper, to remove the rust from my guitar strings. That way a set would last me almost a year. Those picks lasted me for years. Now I can buy dozens of the real thing for a few bucks. But I still treat all my picks with the same respect I treat my guitars. I love the small red Jazz 3s, as well as the standard size Ultex sharp point 1.14mm.
I found my Jazz 3 while having a pint at the student bar in Hull. Dropped my lighter, bent down to pick it up and there was a red Dunlop Jazz 3. Took it home, tried it out and now it's my second favourite pick.
Well, the plectra are attached to the sternum. Also to the rest of the world aluminum sounds like a toddler unable to pronounce the word aluminium properly.
yep, found that out when i replaced a touchscreen. i pried the screen open with old guitar picks i don't use... and the heat gun made them catch on fire
Yuuya Cook I've kept the same ultex 2mm for about 3 years, I sanded it so it has a grip to it, its amazing and I would be upset if I lost it(even though I could just buy more)
i love the part where hes making the captain guess whether its metal or plastic and then tosses the metal pick on his amp and it goes *ching* like you gave it away silly
I've spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon watching your videos including this one (when I could have been practicing, dammit). I've enjoyed every one, this included and you lot are wildly entertaining, great teachers and easily understood. Thanks for taking the time to do these! I have a miniature metal lunch box about 2x2x2 full of picks in my practice studio full of all the plectrums I've collected out of curiousity while at the guitar shop getting strings, etc. and often fiddle about with different ones, the current being a Gypsy which can be found on eBay, pretty pricey but a gift to me from a family pro jazz player. It takes guts to wield it but you might gift it a try. Back in my coffeehouse days I remember using a folded business card with folksy tunes on a '53 Martin 018. Nice soft sound, thanks for the memory. I still have that Martin...
jazz iii with the grippy part - that's the way to go. you can spin them round for a scratchy sound, and you're not going to have top grip it and worry about dropping with sweaty hands.. anything bigger just feels horribly flappy to me
+Hans Lung i think that sweat builds up between the grip points and works as a film of slippy sweat which makes you lose grip. i prefer the tortex/delrin picks as grip is added by the natural matte finish of the pick
Years ago (I've been playing a loooooong time) I read a "beginning guitar" book that had an entire discussion on picks. The thinking in those days was that different picks were for different playing situations. Keep in mind, the document was written before Clapton, or Hendrix. The book was written for the day when guitarists would be part of the rhythm section of a larger band. In that context some of that advice makes sense, however in today's "shredder world", thicker and stiffer picks are the rule. Thanks for bringing back an old memory. Keep up the vids, I like your format!
Love the way you played Wish You Were Here at the start on a Martin D35. That's the exact guitar that David Gilmour used for the lead bits and the main riff is on a D12-28
I have a hole punch type thing that you put old credit/gift cards into and it cuts them into picks, They aren't the greatest picks but its a neat novelty.
I use my pick punch to give picks to people who ask to borrow one. That way, when the ultimately pocket it, it's not one of my good ones. Also good for when I run out and don't want to go to the store.
That flammability is why movie studios switched from celluloid film to acetate in the 50's. See, celluloid is _very_ flammable, even at fairly low temps. Old celluloid film had a bad habit of literally bursting into flames _on the movie projector_, just from the heat of the lamp behind it. A lot of movie theaters burned down due to film fires, and quite a few people actually died in those fires. Some old movie theatres will often still have steel film drawers and pull-down fire walls in the projection booth; those became safety requirements back in the early-mid 20th century after a few theater fires happened. BTW, ping pong balls are still made from celluloid too ;) .
David Driver Yeah, it's a neat looking material, but it's pretty outdated as far as plastics go. It's my favorite pick material, but it wears out really fast. I switched to Ultex a few years ago and fell in love: it sounds and feels as close to celluloid as I've found, but is _much_ more durable. Unfortunately ultem (the actual plastic it's made of) is rather expensive, but I end up having to buy picks less often anyway so it mostly works out. The Clayton Spikes are a cheaper option than the Dunlop Ultex, although the Claytons seems to have rougher edges out of the packages.
Untrue. Almost all "tortoiseshell" picks are still made from celluloid (although it's not just the brown ones, it comes it all sorts of colors.) Most celluloid sheets are made in Italy and China these days so it's readily available, it's just not made in the US much because of the safety issues and because it's not structurally very sound. Celluloid shrinks like crazy as time passes, which is why Fender and Gibson stopped making pickguards with it decades ago. Like nitro lacquer, it never stops outgassing or shrinking, but that's not really a concern with wear items like picks (or ping pong balls, which are also mostly still made from celluloid for some reason. I'd bet money that's why China still has a fairly large celluloid industry though, they _really_ like table tennis over there for some reason.)
Phenom that happens with all pick. Try to reproduce it in your home enviroment: drop the pick without looking or just lay it on the table and turn or head.
I have to say I have not been learning to play very long but after watching this I found using Rob's picking technique helped me pick a lot better and I will be using it from now on. As always guys thanks for the content
For me, Rob hit the nail on the head when he said a rock hard pick doesn't move, so your HAND learns to allow a softer or harder "hit" on the strings, giving you more control. For me, Dunlop Big Stubby 2.0mm is a great all-rounder, and the concave bit on each side means it doesn't easily flip out of your fingers, and I'm pretty sure a 3.0mm would be great too. Can't stand thin picks, they're like trying to stab someone with a ripe banana :O)
I use the 3mm Big Stubby picks all the time for lead playing. Don't move, slick as snot on a doorknob, just great sound. The concave bit isn't quite in the right place for me, but by gripping by the raised portion just south of it, it makes the pick more useful for strumming. I also use a primetone 5 mm when I'm hybrid picking; it's a softer pick that matches my fingers better than the crisper Big Stubby.
I love 2.0mm big and stubbies. Used them for a long time until I switched to Rock Hard Picks. Problem is they wear through after a few playing sessions.
I tried those Stubby 2.0mm for a year or so back in the mid 1990s, but I hated what the sharp pointy tip did to my sound. I like a thick, textured sound with a tiny bit of bite, hence why I have since used a Jazz III.
I find John Petruccis jazz3s are my current favourite, they are just like larger more comfortable standards 3s, plus the nice smoothed out edge is great for shed
With any instrument the exciter is as important as the object. I have a bowl of picks in the studio so we can choose the right one for the record. Good to see it talked about. The difference in picks at high gain can be huge.
I agree. It has a very pleasing texture. It's tastefully "rattly," almost like it just adds a little natural "distortion," but not muddy in any way. I have an HD-35 and, experimenting, I've found that the best way to get that kind of sound is make sure I'm strumming over the sound hole. I naturally tend to play more toward the bridge, where you're going to get a brighter, thinner sound, which I don't prefer. Obviously, there's more to it, and I'm no sound engineer, but I find that playing over the sound hole just sounds crispier and tastier to my ear.
I was a little disappointed that they didn't get more into the differences in attack, how different materials affect a player's tone, and choosing different styles and thicknesses to help or enhance certain music genres , ( by that I mean different speeds, how many strings are being picked at speed, etc.) and overall, how different materials and thicknesses make a difference in not just tone and attack, but actual playability. I got the feeling that this was either a sort of half baked video idea, or that they were perhaps trying to keep from going too deep into the subject where more casual viewers would become bored or lost. I heard more tonal and attack differences than were discussed, and I am actually at a point in my playing where I am really putting a lot of thought into picks. I used Dunlop 1mm nylon picks for well over a decade, mostly because of the grip that they provide, but when I started a new project, playing more straightforward heavy metal and NY/HC inspired music ( much slower than the death metal 16ths, and even prolonged 32nds licking) I realized that I felt the need for more attack, and through trial, became happy with Tortex .60mms. They have that powder coating when new that helps the grip, and I have much less problems with the pick spinning while playing now anyway, probably just from improvement over the years. I'm not going much farther with this because in the last year or so especially, I have been putting a lot of thought into picks and learning much more about all things plectrum, even to the point of using three completely different picks depending on the style and speed of a given song. I understand that many people might find an in depth discussion and video about the truly finer points of what many people consider to be the least important piece of guitar gear, but I am learning that picks, especially for electric guitar, are far from a trivial subject. Perhaps this subject could be covered in a bit more organized, science of playability way. There is more to the science, engineering and outcome than most people seem to think. Dunlop alone wouldn't manufacture the hundreds ( maybe even over a thousand) different cuts, bevels, materials and thicknesses if all that was needed is a triangular hard thing to hit strings with!
My favourite pick i own is one my daughter got me, when she was 8, with "Love you" inscribed on the side. its metal so i dont us it but i do have it stuck under the scratchplate on my acoustic. But i also have a pick stamp so i make them out of all sorts of things. Not tried dog chews yet.
+ernie “mybodyisready” balls it's a nuanced meme and joke. There is a lot of meaning behind it beyond a simply immature, disrespectful or edgy narrative. At first a lot of the memes drew attention to responsibility with wildlife and work safety protocol if you're keeping wildlife. Then later some were nuances into other societal issues, such as issues with racism in justice and criminal systems. Some are purely troll bait, for the lulz, and some are also now emerging in even greater number because the zoo who's ineptitudes were pointed out are getting their feelings hurt by words. People are saying they were "forced" to shut down social media. No they were not, they chose to shut it down in response to a backlash movement that formed to make an example of how not to cage wild animals with frankly hilariously low safety measures. That animal had just as much a right to live than that child. But the zoo is responsible here, and they're paying for that in a way that they cant control.
Actually Het holds his pick with his thumb, index, and middle fingers. And if I'm not mistaken, it's basically a Dunlop 1.00 mm pick that has his own custom artwork.
Notice the metal sound at 11:30 when he puts down the brass pick :) That would've already made clear which one was which if the Captain had been paying attention.
I'm right there with you; I'm able to strum comfortably without too much resistance, but when doing single-string runs or arpeggios, they are firm enough to retain their shape without the "slapping" sort of rebound that many of the other thin picks seem to have. I actually bought a pack of 72 a year ago because I was always losing them at shows, and people would steal them in our rehearsal space.
I'd say from experience, that's a brilliant pick to start with. Good response and feel. I used a gator grip 2mm for ages and still love them but I've now moved on to the JD Jazztone 208. very comfortable and sharp.
I played with the Dunlop .88 Jazz (Green) Tortex for at least 20 years, ,off and on, and was never quite satisfied with my picking. I've played with pretty much everything Dunlop has made over the years. I own shark fins, metal, Tortex Sharps, JD205, Star picks (with the star die cut for "less slip"), The Pickboy Nylons of varying thickness, Mexican pesos, and more, and about 5 years ago, I discovered that the reason that I kept trying to find the ideal pick to replace the Tortex Jazz, was that I had to hold it so tightly to keep it in place and to maintain my pick attack. 9 years ago, I switched to the Clayton .80mm Acetal rounded triangle, and my playing has never been more consistent. I never imagined that I'd not play a Dunlop pick. This video was an excellent trip down memory lane and interesting to see how many similarities that Lee and I share in our history of picks. And I too used to love the powdery feel and grip of the fresh Dunlop picks. The Claytons have the same powderyish texture that goes along with matte finish picks. Excellence as always. Thanks for the vid!
You have to try the Joe Petrucci. 2 mil. They are smaller like the jazz iii. I love them. I bought about 20 different picks one day. all kinds of shapes and thicknesses. I laid them out in front of me on my desk, grabbed my guitar and TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS!!! One by one i tried them all. The ones i liked i put to my left and the ones i didnt i dropped on the floor. lol Try it and you can really FEEL how they slide over the strings when your in the dark. My top 3 were dunlop stubby, ultra jazz 3, and the petrucci gave me INSTANTLY MORE CONTROL . Try some in the dark. Hope this helps Cheers
I grew up in a very poor country.
I remember the first time I saw a real guitar pick in person. I asked the owner if I could trace its shape on paper. He said yes. Armed with that paper mold, I went on a crusade to find the best household materials I could use to make picks.
I used to cut up empty VO5 shampoo bottles to make bowed picks. I eventually settled on the plastic tops of certain types of food containers I found discarded.
I made some of those for the bass player of my garage band at the time. We all cracked up at the end of practice, when we noticed the pickups and strings on his bass were covered in white dust. The pick was desintegrating with every stroke on the strings.
The best ones I ever made were a couple I had shaped in 1996, from a discarded thick plastic prepaid phone card (Similar to a modern credit card). I used fine grit sand paper which I borrowed from a neighbor, to smooth the picks out. I coincidentally would use those same tiny pieces of sand paper, to remove the rust from my guitar strings. That way a set would last me almost a year. Those picks lasted me for years. Now I can buy dozens of the real thing for a few bucks.
But I still treat all my picks with the same respect I treat my guitars.
I love the small red Jazz 3s, as well as the standard size Ultex sharp point 1.14mm.
DesignInNature what year was it when you first saw a guitar pick? How old were you and how old are you now?
This is a really cool story btw :D
Those red (and black) Jazz 3's changed my life. My picking accuracy and speed immediately improved 50% just by changing to those little bitty things.
I found my Jazz 3 while having a pint at the student bar in Hull. Dropped my lighter, bent down to pick it up and there was a red Dunlop Jazz 3. Took it home, tried it out and now it's my second favourite pick.
That's fantastic ingenuity! Which country did you grow up in?
I have a bout 3 trillion picks in my room and I only know where 2 are
Check your vacuum cleaner. Don't ask me how I know.
hahahahah best comment! It's funny how they just vanish!
I have like 8 trillion picks and I use 3 of them
Check your dryer... Or your best mates bedroom... Those seem to be the places to find your lost picks...
Stoowee Gerfuon I felt this on a spiritual level
"I love the metal picks, I find it gives you more..." *breaks into massive solo*
haha love it
That thick pick at 5:42 magically disappears. Now I know why all my picks go missing.
porta bad edition of course
Cool its not just me
I thought I witnessed a Glitch in the universe
that's why i buy 70 picks at a time
@@apeapeape999 70 pickups???? You rich?
To a Yank like me, plectrum always sounds like a medical term.
"Is he dead"
"Yep. Stabbed him right in the plectrum."
John Moriarity in the UK, ‘pick’ is usually reserved for a finger pick, like what a lot of bluegrass and folk guitarists use
Plectrum damn near killed him.
Well, the plectra are attached to the sternum. Also to the rest of the world aluminum sounds like a toddler unable to pronounce the word aluminium properly.
Haha yankee means a lil sum different in the south
In martial arts one often targets the opponent's solar plectrum...
5:41 You guys actually managed to capture the elusive phenomenon of a pick disappearing into another dimension.
Fun fact: celluloid is flammable, so if you're stuck in the woods with a large amount of picks, it's a great firestarter
Well i mean its basically wood right?
RedCorsairr no
yep, found that out when i replaced a touchscreen. i pried the screen open with old guitar picks i don't use... and the heat gun made them catch on fire
Yeah now i see this comment (ices my hand)
Burn all my picks to survive? I'd rather play til i die
I love when Rob cuts himself off mid-sentence with his own playing.
Alex Fox hahahahahahahahahahaha
Joshua Giuseppe Fontanella haahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahaha
Im an asshole ignore haha
Stephen Curry its naaaaaturalllll
@@joshfontanella hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
"That is an enormous giant black thing" -Rob
eventually someone was going to comment that
From the man who said 'he doesn't have a lot of experience with a strap on'
:D that's what she said.
When i heard him say it i scrolled down the comments i knew it 😂😂
Ahah scrolled the comments to make sure i wouldn't be the guy stealing that joke.. 😏🤭
Those plastic clips on the bag of a loaf of bread work quite well too lol
Chapman @ 20:36 “looks like a Pringle”
*smells pick” 😂
I love the mini jazz III for picking, you can easily do pinch harmonics
sim cards are good to use as picks aswell
+mrj33v3s who has sim cards laying around 😂
+The Illuminati me
Yeah love the mini jazz III, but I normally use larger pics, and I end up doing pinch harmonics every strum
Gnasher I used to like them, but I can't play as fast because I have larger hands so my fingers cover the whole thing and touch the strings sometimes.
That beginning was so great
It was so cute I cried
Traversing the dark? 'Tis but a fairy tale.
how about a pick I dont lose after 10 minutes
Yuuya Cook then get a solid color, its less likely to blend in, also i use fender thin picks, they work pretty well.
Yuuya Cook jazz iiis are really small so I always lose those. The John petricci ones are black and slightly bigger and thicker so I love those
Yuuya Cook I've kept the same ultex 2mm for about 3 years, I sanded it so it has a grip to it, its amazing and I would be upset if I lost it(even though I could just buy more)
I have misplaced it a few times though, as its a see through yellow and blends with my carpet. make one into a necklace :p
Drill one or two holes in the pick where your thumb & finger goes. Works for me,
i love the part where hes making the captain guess whether its metal or plastic and then tosses the metal pick on his amp and it goes *ching* like you gave it away silly
Cameron still got it wrong tho
Same lmao
Right! I was looking for such a comment lmao
The editor strikes again at 5:42... pure genius
The tortoise shell one isn't immoral enough for my tastes,
I think I'll get one made out of dead human babies.
Jimmy Jarrett trust me, they don't sound all that great. The real tone is in the dried out, stretched dog noses.
Jimmy Jarrett I love the sound of the hardened human cartilage picks that Dunlop released last year after NAMM. Beautiful tone
Jimmy Jarrett lmaoooo
TRVE KVLT
Don't call yourself metal unless you play with a 5mm pick made of a murdered orphan's pelvis you fuckin poser. Trve Kvlt
I use crisps because they also provide a handy snack...but they attract ants unfortunately.
Maybe you could review preamp and power valves/tubes too as they are a frequent source of head-scratching among us Luddite types!
Stale crisps? Or fresh ones?
Pickled onion Monster Munch
+Daniel Gorman Beautiful
Assuming you're not joking, wouldn't the *chips* break?
Do a video where lee can't use a g chord
or a guitar challenge where lee can't use a strat
I've spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon watching your videos including this one (when I could have been practicing, dammit). I've enjoyed every one, this included and you lot are wildly entertaining, great teachers and easily understood. Thanks for taking the time to do these!
I have a miniature metal lunch box about 2x2x2 full of picks in my practice studio full of all the plectrums I've collected out of curiousity while at the guitar shop getting strings, etc. and often fiddle about with different ones, the current being a Gypsy which can be found on eBay, pretty pricey but a gift to me from a family pro jazz player. It takes guts to wield it but you might gift it a try.
Back in my coffeehouse days I remember using a folded business card with folksy tunes on a '53 Martin 018. Nice soft sound, thanks for the memory. I still have that Martin...
I'm 1 minute into the video and it's already the best video youve ever made
Jazz III Ultex XL, you'll never use anything else after trying them. Plus, I think Bea uses them so that says enough!
He has his own custom made ones
True! Those and the normal Ultex Sharps!
Ultex Jazz III XL Master Race represent. \m/
(Although I am fond of the Ultex Sharps and I used Big Stubbies for yeeeears too)
The yellow ones right? I also fell in love with them.
That's what happens with rob's Gravity picks for me. Can't use anything else. ever.
jazz iii with the grippy part - that's the way to go. you can spin them round for a scratchy sound, and you're not going to have top grip it and worry about dropping with sweaty hands.. anything bigger just feels horribly flappy to me
surpsingly i tend to drop those more when i get sweaty hands while playing
+Sam Mansfield I thought i was the only one. I have a harder time holding on to them than picks without grip. Wonder what our problem is lol.
+Hans Lung i think that sweat builds up between the grip points and works as a film of slippy sweat which makes you lose grip. i prefer the tortex/delrin picks as grip is added by the natural matte finish of the pick
and me :)
There's a Dunlop Tortex pitchblack which is the size of the Jazz III, available in different thicknesses.... just saying.
Years ago (I've been playing a loooooong time) I read a "beginning guitar" book that had an entire discussion on picks. The thinking in those days was that different picks were for different playing situations. Keep in mind, the document was written before Clapton, or Hendrix. The book was written for the day when guitarists would be part of the rhythm section of a larger band. In that context some of that advice makes sense, however in today's "shredder world", thicker and stiffer picks are the rule. Thanks for bringing back an old memory.
Keep up the vids, I like your format!
"Do little squirts of plastic hurt anybody?"
Yes, ironically they hurt turtles.
Love the way you played Wish You Were Here at the start on a Martin D35. That's the exact guitar that David Gilmour used for the lead bits and the main riff is on a D12-28
I think you were being picky with the selection there
ha >insert fake laugh here
your profile picture though
Get out. Right now young man. (Or dog wearing glasses, weirdly enough).
I have a hole punch type thing that you put old credit/gift cards into and it cuts them into picks, They aren't the greatest picks but its a neat novelty.
I actually prefer old credit card picks to anything else idk why
Good to use in a emergency too haha
I have one too! they work pretty good but I usually have to file down the rough edges before I use them.
Because of the money sound.
I use my pick punch to give picks to people who ask to borrow one. That way, when the ultimately pocket it, it's not one of my good ones. Also good for when I run out and don't want to go to the store.
I'm not sure if someone else has already made this suggestion, but how about a guitar neck challenge - like rosewood vs. maple?
that is the best tone I've ever heard out of robs hands. and that les Paul also sounds magnificent, whatever amp that is suits that guitar great
celluloid picks are flammable!!!!!! very cool!!
That flammability is why movie studios switched from celluloid film to acetate in the 50's. See, celluloid is _very_ flammable, even at fairly low temps. Old celluloid film had a bad habit of literally bursting into flames _on the movie projector_, just from the heat of the lamp behind it. A lot of movie theaters burned down due to film fires, and quite a few people actually died in those fires. Some old movie theatres will often still have steel film drawers and pull-down fire walls in the projection booth; those became safety requirements back in the early-mid 20th century after a few theater fires happened.
BTW, ping pong balls are still made from celluloid too ;) .
Yeah, my dad put out a cigarette on a celluloid pick and it caught fire once, I still use it though haha
David Driver
Yeah, it's a neat looking material, but it's pretty outdated as far as plastics go. It's my favorite pick material, but it wears out really fast. I switched to Ultex a few years ago and fell in love: it sounds and feels as close to celluloid as I've found, but is _much_ more durable. Unfortunately ultem (the actual plastic it's made of) is rather expensive, but I end up having to buy picks less often anyway so it mostly works out. The Clayton Spikes are a cheaper option than the Dunlop Ultex, although the Claytons seems to have rougher edges out of the packages.
are the pics made by fender celluloid
Untrue. Almost all "tortoiseshell" picks are still made from celluloid (although it's not just the brown ones, it comes it all sorts of colors.) Most celluloid sheets are made in Italy and China these days so it's readily available, it's just not made in the US much because of the safety issues and because it's not structurally very sound. Celluloid shrinks like crazy as time passes, which is why Fender and Gibson stopped making pickguards with it decades ago. Like nitro lacquer, it never stops outgassing or shrinking, but that's not really a concern with wear items like picks (or ping pong balls, which are also mostly still made from celluloid for some reason. I'd bet money that's why China still has a fairly large celluloid industry though, they _really_ like table tennis over there for some reason.)
i use Dunlop Tortex 1.14 (the classic purple one)
I have a purple 2mm tortex
Personally use gravity picks(razer) or the JP sig jazz 3's
Same!
I decided to get a 2mm big stubby
I use Dunlop's Tortex 1.14 too, shame they don't come in a thicker version.
Anyone else notice the pick magically disappear at 5:41?
Lol yep. Cue Twilight Zone music.
+Hans Lung nope fuck that, cue twilight zone by Rush
You should get a free pick just for noticing that.
i see that too 😂
Phenom that happens with all pick. Try to reproduce it in your home enviroment: drop the pick without looking or just lay it on the table and turn or head.
I have to say I have not been learning to play very long but after watching this I found using Rob's picking technique helped me pick a lot better and I will be using it from now on. As always guys thanks for the content
I LOVE the sound of that Martin!
For me, Rob hit the nail on the head when he said a rock hard pick doesn't move, so your HAND learns to allow a softer or harder "hit" on the strings, giving you more control. For me, Dunlop Big Stubby 2.0mm is a great all-rounder, and the concave bit on each side means it doesn't easily flip out of your fingers, and I'm pretty sure a 3.0mm would be great too. Can't stand thin picks, they're like trying to stab someone with a ripe banana :O)
I use the 3mm Big Stubby picks all the time for lead playing. Don't move, slick as snot on a doorknob, just great sound. The concave bit isn't quite in the right place for me, but by gripping by the raised portion just south of it, it makes the pick more useful for strumming. I also use a primetone 5 mm when I'm hybrid picking; it's a softer pick that matches my fingers better than the crisper Big Stubby.
I love 2.0mm big and stubbies. Used them for a long time until I switched to Rock Hard Picks. Problem is they wear through after a few playing sessions.
I use a jazz 3 so pinch harmonics are easier and I have more control. Also finger style is easier to switch to
Last time I saw someone putting snot on a doorknob, it was a woman, and, well, she wasn't thinking about guitar... :O)
I tried those Stubby 2.0mm for a year or so back in the mid 1990s, but I hated what the sharp pointy tip did to my sound. I like a thick, textured sound with a tiny bit of bite, hence why I have since used a Jazz III.
Jazz III, the carbon fibre like material with the max grip. Never turned back.
Tried em. Damn stiff for me.
Wow that's half an hour of my life I'll never get back!
That went on a little longer than expected, but actually sme good nuggets of new info in there, especially for us new players. Thanks guys!
Yellow tortex for life
80 something mm Dunlop Nylon for life. Perfect for strumming on normal side and stiff upside down for picking.
Green!
Same!
Blue!
For acoustic.
I love the bromance between these guys
wow, i'm early. just passed my exams. great timing xD
Nice job! Well done :)
Congratz
thanks guys :p
i failed a few of mine :(
did you still get 5 Cs?
Little know fact
The captan is ripped
Decades of working in the store moving product does that to ya
+MostLikelyMortal he doesn't do the moving he's the captain lol
I think he's put on muscle over the last year. Good for him.
+Gone Out great guy
Ha ha ha - not exactly ripped!! Maybe just slightly less out of shape than a year ago ;)
one of my favourite videos, cheers guys x
That angled pick tip is one of the greatest bits of information I've picked up since learning how to walk...
Ha. I remember cutting my first plectrum out of a margarine pack back in the 90s. Good times.
I find John Petruccis jazz3s are my current favourite, they are just like larger more comfortable standards 3s, plus the nice smoothed out edge is great for shed
Green Tortex is my favourite, feels more ''natural" than others, even though they're all made more or less the same.
Still my favorite my intro to any video on this channel.
And I have started using those pink picks and I love them.
I’ve never heard of the 3 components before. Really cool info. Especially for teaching! Thanks!
"With a little pick there is not a lot to put out " - Rob Chapman 2016. #picksoutforharambe
“I used to be a guitar player, but then i took a plectrum to the knee”
Cleaning bright green Tortex dust off my white Charvel in the 80s ...ahh the memories.
The Dunlop Jazz III stiffest is my favorite. They are black. Great for action and just seems so easy and natural lol
With any instrument the exciter is as important as the object. I have a bowl of picks in the studio so we can choose the right one for the record. Good to see it talked about. The difference in picks at high gain can be huge.
I regularly use the plectrum they mentioned rob scallon while holding. The 3mm Dunlop stubby triangle is my default plecky
Really enjoy the acoustic tone from you guys. More acoustic reviews?
I agree. It has a very pleasing texture. It's tastefully "rattly," almost like it just adds a little natural "distortion," but not muddy in any way. I have an HD-35 and, experimenting, I've found that the best way to get that kind of sound is make sure I'm strumming over the sound hole. I naturally tend to play more toward the bridge, where you're going to get a brighter, thinner sound, which I don't prefer. Obviously, there's more to it, and I'm no sound engineer, but I find that playing over the sound hole just sounds crispier and tastier to my ear.
Did nobody notice the plectrum disappear at 5:43 when Rob set it down on the table?
MrGlitchCrazy that’s how pix get lost
Completely agree with Rob. Metal plectrums attack the wound strings much harder. Nice for metal or rock rhythm sounds.
Played Dunlop ultra sharps for years and recently switched to the Dunlop jazz iii and I highly recommend both
I was a little disappointed that they didn't get more into the differences in attack, how different materials affect a player's tone, and choosing different styles and thicknesses to help or enhance certain music genres , ( by that I mean different speeds, how many strings are being picked at speed, etc.) and overall, how different materials and thicknesses make a difference in not just tone and attack, but actual playability. I got the feeling that this was either a sort of half baked video idea, or that they were perhaps trying to keep from going too deep into the subject where more casual viewers would become bored or lost. I heard more tonal and attack differences than were discussed, and I am actually at a point in my playing where I am really putting a lot of thought into picks. I used Dunlop 1mm nylon picks for well over a decade, mostly because of the grip that they provide, but when I started a new project, playing more straightforward heavy metal and NY/HC inspired music ( much slower than the death metal 16ths, and even prolonged 32nds licking) I realized that I felt the need for more attack, and through trial, became happy with Tortex .60mms. They have that powder coating when new that helps the grip, and I have much less problems with the pick spinning while playing now anyway, probably just from improvement over the years. I'm not going much farther with this because in the last year or so especially, I have been putting a lot of thought into picks and learning much more about all things plectrum, even to the point of using three completely different picks depending on the style and speed of a given song. I understand that many people might find an in depth discussion and video about the truly finer points of what many people consider to be the least important piece of guitar gear, but I am learning that picks, especially for electric guitar, are far from a trivial subject. Perhaps this subject could be covered in a bit more organized, science of playability way. There is more to the science, engineering and outcome than most people seem to think. Dunlop alone wouldn't manufacture the hundreds ( maybe even over a thousand) different cuts, bevels, materials and thicknesses if all that was needed is a triangular hard thing to hit strings with!
My favourite pick i own is one my daughter got me, when she was 8, with "Love you" inscribed on the side. its metal so i dont us it but i do have it stuck under the scratchplate on my acoustic.
But i also have a pick stamp so i make them out of all sorts of things. Not tried dog chews yet.
That beautiful Les Paul though.
love you both really enjoy your playing on guitars especially acoustic guitar
Oh man, that Martin sounds amazing.
Is that Harambe in the background?
Shut up you disrespectful little fuck
Gluteus Enthusiast Ohh the irony.
NA it's Cecil the Lion
Spotted the people whose dicks aren't out for Harambe.
+ernie “mybodyisready” balls it's a nuanced meme and joke. There is a lot of meaning behind it beyond a simply immature, disrespectful or edgy narrative. At first a lot of the memes drew attention to responsibility with wildlife and work safety protocol if you're keeping wildlife. Then later some were nuances into other societal issues, such as issues with racism in justice and criminal systems. Some are purely troll bait, for the lulz, and some are also now emerging in even greater number because the zoo who's ineptitudes were pointed out are getting their feelings hurt by words. People are saying they were "forced" to shut down social media. No they were not, they chose to shut it down in response to a backlash movement that formed to make an example of how not to cage wild animals with frankly hilariously low safety measures. That animal had just as much a right to live than that child. But the zoo is responsible here, and they're paying for that in a way that they cant control.
Only chapman can make a 30 minute video about picks
The Hetfield Blackfang is a Great Pick 👌
👌 also this how Het holds his Pick 👌😅
Yeah, the black fang is my personal favorite of all time
Flownimo Yeah, I've been playing the black fang for a while. just wish they where a little thicker
I hold my pick like that too lol
Actually Het holds his pick with his thumb, index, and middle fingers. And if I'm not mistaken, it's basically a Dunlop 1.00 mm pick that has his own custom artwork.
I am absolutely in love with Tortex sharps. Outrageous accuracy
The best intro ever !!!
Jazz III's or nothing. If MAB uses them, they must give you godly powers.
favorite pick rn is the Dunlop Big Stubby. 3 mm. cheap, but no flexibility at all so I have good control
I use dragon's heart picks, and I HIGHLY recommend them...
Misc.Music I really want one. Do you have any suggestions on where I can find them though?
You gotta kill a dragon to get 1
jason davis 😂
Rob is SO One With The Guitar/Pick he absorbs the pick!!!! @ 5:40!!
Love the vids. You never fail to both enlighten and entertain me.
Plus, you both seem like great guys.
I want to see Lee do a full cover on wish you were here
"That is an enormous, giant, black thing!"
--Rob Chapman 2016
I like the Big Stubby's or the 1 mm Pit Bull Brain picks (plain ol nylon pick with double sided grippy surface)
Jeremy Hale yes to brain picks. Can't find them anywhere now.
Well done fella's! Enjoyed it!
Captain - Nice Oasis Songbird playing! Love it. Great video! I love the pair of you!
not a single .60 orange dunlop pick thats impossible
slimjim355 yea boi and the blue ones for harder playing
HD SG orange 0.60 are fucking awesome
By far my favorite, oranges and greens.
thats my go to hahahah
HD SG
I use those for acoustic. Great picks.
Notice the metal sound at 11:30 when he puts down the brass pick :) That would've already made clear which one was which if the Captain had been paying attention.
Ultex Sharps are incredible. .73's for life.
I'm right there with you; I'm able to strum comfortably without too much resistance, but when doing single-string runs or arpeggios, they are firm enough to retain their shape without the "slapping" sort of rebound that many of the other thin picks seem to have. I actually bought a pack of 72 a year ago because I was always losing them at shows, and people would steal them in our rehearsal space.
I use a v-pick and I absolutely love it. It grips your fingers pretty well.
5:43 that's a fabulous edit!
"That is an enormous giant black thing" - Rob Chapman 2016
I have started about 3 months ago (newbie) and still use a 2mm Dunlop
Also it's tortex
I'd say from experience, that's a brilliant pick to start with. Good response and feel. I used a gator grip 2mm for ages and still love them but I've now moved on to the JD Jazztone 208. very comfortable and sharp.
+Olly Wilson tommorow I'm going shopping, I'm going to stay with 2mm but what brand would you recommend?
+Josh Smith check out chicken picks. Kinda expensive on first look but you'll love them
+Josh Smith gravity plectrum.
Can i place an order for the 'pick 'n mix' set, as displayed, at andertons please, including the dog chew! ha
I've been using 1.5 mm Primetones for about a week and a half. They feel great and are nice to play with.
give me my green turtle Tortex any day of the week. Love the videos! Also, crazy editing at 5:40 - unless picks can teleport now!
Where's my .73 tortex users at lol
Justin Finnerty fender heavy is the best
Here
@@apeapeape999 Big bag of green .88 tortexes is what I live for!
nah .96 delrin (pink)
.73 works great for me, I just wish they came in neon colours.
Has Lee been listening to lots of early Oasis or what????
No, of course not Wish You Were Here...
Everything else he played was basically the root of 95% of early Oasis...
Think it's just the effect of hanging around the 3rd fret and using open chords. No matter what you do it's probably going to sound like Oasis
+Jamie Clarke Sounded a lot like Songbird by Oasis
Wow, that Les Paul is beautiful! Is it Georgia or a lookalike?
(I hope I got that name right ahha)
i think it's georgia
Yes, it is indeed Georgia.
Yep, it's Georgia.
True but Georgia never had a pick guard if i remember correctly so no holes but your still correct
rickenbacker40011 I'd name it Jeff personally
The writing that came on the screen when he said "fingers" made me laugh out loud in the middle of the night and I hope no one in my family woke up 🐐
I played with the Dunlop .88 Jazz (Green) Tortex for at least 20 years, ,off and on, and was never quite satisfied with my picking. I've played with pretty much everything Dunlop has made over the years. I own shark fins, metal, Tortex Sharps, JD205, Star picks (with the star die cut for "less slip"), The Pickboy Nylons of varying thickness, Mexican pesos, and more, and about 5 years ago, I discovered that the reason that I kept trying to find the ideal pick to replace the Tortex Jazz, was that I had to hold it so tightly to keep it in place and to maintain my pick attack. 9 years ago, I switched to the Clayton .80mm Acetal rounded triangle, and my playing has never been more consistent. I never imagined that I'd not play a Dunlop pick.
This video was an excellent trip down memory lane and interesting to see how many similarities that Lee and I share in our history of picks. And I too used to love the powdery feel and grip of the fresh Dunlop picks. The Claytons have the same powderyish texture that goes along with matte finish picks.
Excellence as always. Thanks for the vid!
5:42.. The hell just happened them ghosts
Where did that pick disappeared 5:41?
Brian May uses a silver sixpence from days of old
I was wondering when someone would correct their mistake. LOL
Gerry B got one myself
Me too a 1954 sixpence and it plays well.
Gerry B think mine is a 58 shaped like a pic as well plays great
I have a1949 sixpence
The best picks I have I made with a piece of bakelite like 2,7 mm thick.
You have to try the Joe Petrucci. 2 mil. They are smaller like the jazz iii. I love them. I bought about 20 different picks one day. all kinds of shapes and thicknesses. I laid them out in front of me on my desk, grabbed my guitar and TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS!!! One by one i tried them all. The ones i liked i put to my left and the ones i didnt i dropped on the floor. lol Try it and you can really FEEL how they slide over the strings when your in the dark. My top 3 were dunlop stubby, ultra jazz 3, and the petrucci gave me INSTANTLY MORE CONTROL . Try some in the dark. Hope this helps Cheers