Bit late to the party but this info should prove pretty useful in something I’m working on right now. I’ve 3D printed some thumb picks to see how well they would work for bluegrass style picking and noticed almost right away that sanding would be necessary. Even after 330 grit I was occasionally noticing what sounded almost like scraping when I tried to play with it. The angle, higher grit, and what almost seems like stropping using the cardboard are all good things to keep in mind, thank you.
This is great. I tried it this evening with a XH celluloid with excellent results, sounds better than a Primetone! Even my kids to hear the difference the bevel made.
I saw a few videos on this and by far this is the best this was like 1 2 3 and your done the others were not that practical but they got the job done . This is going to be my way of doing it..thank you you....Roland
Awesome tips ! Thanks for sharing this video ! I did try your Tips last night with a bunch of high end picks. I’m shocked to notice the results of the card board paper for the final polish . It did make a difference in feel and tone of the picks. I used a 600 then 2000 grit sand paper and finished with the cardboard paper Cheers
These twisted bevels are just compensating for the fact that you're not holding the pick flat to the string!!! The pick wears a twist in it so that it's effectively flatter to the string. It sounds and feels good because you're getting a bit of a taste of what it's like to hold a pick right.
I am going to try and cut down the length of a fred kelley medium slick thumb pick. I like them as they fit my thumb better and have a shorter length than others. But I just got a magnetic pickup I like, mojotone NC-1, and I am finding if I pick up high on the soundhole to get a sweeter tone, then the tip of the pick will hit the pickup and make a clicking noise through the amp. Thinking I measure and mark a few of them with some graduated lines across the pick and then I can find the proper amount to remove that fits my thumb picking style. The thumb pick is always a down stroke, so will bevel accordingly. I bet it will make it easier, more efficient and faster to not have excess pick tip going so deep below the strings???
I am doing a bit of an experiment at present making some tortoishell picks from some antique shell I acquired. It seems after watching this that the old T/shell picks were obviously hand polished on a polishing lathe which gives them a bevelled edge anyway. Modern picks are machine made and are generally not polished and have square edges. So is this bevelled edge basically what you are trying to re-create? I dont play any string instrument so have no idea what its all about but was encouraged to have a go making these by a player that thinks tortoishell picks were the best thing ever?
Your video has restored beloved picks for me. Man, Cheers to a good time. Makes me happy man, thank you.
EXCELLENT! Finally someone who knows what they're doing talking about picks! Thank you Thank you Thank you. :)
Bit late to the party but this info should prove pretty useful in something I’m working on right now. I’ve 3D printed some thumb picks to see how well they would work for bluegrass style picking and noticed almost right away that sanding would be necessary. Even after 330 grit I was occasionally noticing what sounded almost like scraping when I tried to play with it. The angle, higher grit, and what almost seems like stropping using the cardboard are all good things to keep in mind, thank you.
This is great. I tried it this evening with a XH celluloid with excellent results, sounds better than a Primetone! Even my kids to hear the difference the bevel made.
I saw a few videos on this and by far this is the best this was like 1 2 3 and your done the others were not that practical but they got the job done . This is going to be my way of doing it..thank you you....Roland
I beveled a Dunlop1.3 for my mandolin . Works great . Also did it on some Golden Gates
Awesome tips !
Thanks for sharing this video !
I did try your Tips last night with a bunch of high end picks.
I’m shocked to notice the results of the card board paper for the final polish .
It did make a difference in feel and tone of the picks.
I used a 600 then 2000 grit sand paper and finished with the cardboard paper
Cheers
Good info,thanks
These twisted bevels are just compensating for the fact that you're not holding the pick flat to the string!!! The pick wears a twist in it so that it's effectively flatter to the string. It sounds and feels good because you're getting a bit of a taste of what it's like to hold a pick right.
Dig, this video is very insightful. Thanks for uploading.
I bevel my celluloid picks with a dremel and nail file, but this is much better, thanks
Nice job Jake
I am going to try and cut down the length of a fred kelley medium slick thumb pick. I like them as they fit my thumb better and have a shorter length than others. But I just got a magnetic pickup I like, mojotone NC-1, and I am finding if I pick up high on the soundhole to get a sweeter tone, then the tip of the pick will hit the pickup and make a clicking noise through the amp. Thinking I measure and mark a few of them with some graduated lines across the pick and then I can find the proper amount to remove that fits my thumb picking style. The thumb pick is always a down stroke, so will bevel accordingly. I bet it will make it easier, more efficient and faster to not have excess pick tip going so deep below the strings???
Thanks Jake!
Very good tip, im gonna try this for sure, why didn't I think of this,, cause I've been lazy.
Thanks.
I have been doing this for years. With flat,and thumb picks.
I’ll have to let Eric know 🙃
What if you sprayed a bit of polish before you buffed it??
so it looks like it also has a taper on it, what I mean by that is the angle changes in length and in width as it is not a consistent...
That's by design. It's supposed to gradually fade.
I am doing a bit of an experiment at present making some tortoishell picks from some antique shell I acquired. It seems after watching this that the old T/shell picks were obviously hand polished on a polishing lathe which gives them a bevelled edge anyway. Modern picks are machine made and are generally not polished and have square edges. So is this bevelled edge basically what you are trying to re-create? I dont play any string instrument so have no idea what its all about but was encouraged to have a go making these by a player that thinks tortoishell picks were the best thing ever?
Yes, this is what he's doing. He's creating a beveled edge. Also, keep in mind that all tortoise is not equal.
@@BanjoBen It depends how much work goes into levelling them?
@@burtonfootballer5408 I know this is old, but it depends on the grain in the piece of shell itself
Would it be appropriate to fine polish the bevel created in the used state by your playing style on a pick?
Sure, I think so!
You don't sound like Ben.
I though so too...