These are the worst picks I ever bought

[Boudoir Guitar]

Who even started this whole “pick flex is bad” thing?

The only place I ever hear that is in guitar forums

If you’ve played in a jam with a banjo…

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I don't even doubt that they might very well be worth their money - it's just that I'm losing picks all the time. I got a little better over the years but I'd say it's still around one pick a week. Which would come down to around €2500 a year with those.
Sure, I might be able to reduce pick loss to, say, just 10/year, but that's still a considerable amount of money. Old habits simply die hard. Alternatively, I might be even more careful and keep it in a dedicated box only leaving the house in a dedicated place of my gigbag - but I'm pretty sure I'd just forget it at home one day (see old habits). With my Jazz IIIs, I simply keep some of them pretty much everywhere, there's some in my gigbags, in my daily bags and backpacks, in my wallet, in my pedalboard case, you name it. Reducing that safety to just one pick - nah, likely not for this old dog anymore.

It’s not a hard habit to break IF you prefer the pick to all of your others. If you don’t find it to be better than your other picks (I bought some other $10+ picks that didn’t donut for me) , then it has value to you and you keep up with it. I’ve only had two Blue Chip picks over the 15 years I’ve been using them (keep them with the acoustic they are used with). I don’t use them on electric much, instead using just about any non-nylon Dunlop 1-1.25mm thick which I lose by the dozen a year.

 

[Bob Zaod]

Those were what I used before the Rombos and I really liked them. The only issue I had was I would wear them down quickly but at least they were cheap enough and readily available locally that I never worried about how quickly I was burning through them.

I bought a 6 pack at Music Go Round and broke 3 of them in my first 20 minutes of using them.

 

[eggpl@nt]

I bought a 6 pack at Music Go Round and broke 3 of them in my first 20 minutes of using them.

Damn, I have DAVA grip picks that I bought years and years ago. They’re worn, sure, but definitely structurally sound.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I bought a 6 pack at Music Go Round and broke 3 of them in my first 20 minutes of using them.

How is that possible? Just by strumming? And if so: Do you need a new set of strings after each tune as well?

 

[Jarick]

It’s not a hard habit to break IF you prefer the pick to all of your others. If you don’t find it to be better than your other picks (I bought some other $10+ picks that didn’t donut for me) , then it has value to you and you keep up with it. I’ve only had two Blue Chip picks over the 15 years I’ve been using them (keep them with the acoustic they are used with). I don’t use them on electric much, instead using just about any non-nylon Dunlop 1-1.25mm thick which I lose by the dozen a year.

I managed to lose the first one I bought in about a week. Completely disappeared. Second one I've had for about a year. Typically never lose picks if I'm half conscious of them. I've still got picks I bought in the 90's.

That said I probably wouldn't get another one quite yet, there's a lot of other good picks out there a little more readily available.

 

[Bob Zaod]

How is that possible? Just by strumming? And if so: Do you need a new set of strings after each tune as well?

No but I do break strings quite often and change them pretty regularly.

 

[Bob Zaod]

Damn, I have DAVA grip picks that I bought years and years ago. They’re worn, sure, but definitely structurally sound.

The same exact thing happened with all mine. They separated on me.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I managed to lose the first one I bought in about a week. Completely disappeared. Second one I've had for about a year. Typically never lose picks if I'm half conscious of them. I've still got picks I bought in the 90's.

That said I probably wouldn't get another one quite yet, there's a lot of other good picks out there a little more readily available.

Picks are definitely super personal - I love the blue chips - to the point that I struggle to play mandolin without one - but I get that others might not.

But in terms of money spent, Id say someone spending couple hundred bucks experimenting with the device that actually contacts and activates the guitar’s string vibration, even if they just wind up using simple ol’ dunlops, is one of the LEAST ridiculous use of funds to be discussed around this joint

 

[Achilles]

Best gear find and purchase of the last few years. Tried AB'ing with everything else and they always come out on top. Expensive and a PIA to purchase (relatively speaking) but they just keep beating all comers.

ToneBird 7 - Hawk Picks

This is our take on the Dunlop Jazz III pick shape. This is the smaller brother of our TB4. This pick packs a lot of tone and grips well. It's available in 1.4mm / 1.6mm gauge and several colours. Just choose your bevel option. BACK TO THE PICKS > H:25.5mm / 1.000 inches W:22mm / 0.866...

hawkpicks.co.uk

It's not listed but he'll also do 1.2 mm thick which I believe is the same as the EJ jazz III.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Who even started this whole “pick flex is bad” thing?

YJM
He even mentioned it in the Beato interview. Called it 'latency' iirc.

 

[bgstudio]

I demoed the Attak picks and found them to be a bit of a gimmick. I actually liked their stealth picks, but the QC on the edges of whatever mold they are using is a bit rough. I called a couple of their designs useless...

I found the Hetfield white fangs to be a very comfortable pick! But they wear down super fast, so I grabbed the black fangs and like them a lot as well, and they don't wear as quick. The EB Prodigy 1.0mm (black) are my other favorite right now.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I don't even doubt that they might very well be worth their money - it's just that I'm losing picks all the time. I got a little better over the years but I'd say it's still around one pick a week. Which would come down to around €2500 a year with those.
Sure, I might be able to reduce pick loss to, say, just 10/year, but that's still a considerable amount of money. Old habits simply die hard. Alternatively, I might be even more careful and keep it in a dedicated box only leaving the house in a dedicated place of my gigbag - but I'm pretty sure I'd just forget it at home one day (see old habits). With my Jazz IIIs, I simply keep some of them pretty much everywhere, there's some in my gigbags, in my daily bags and backpacks, in my wallet, in my pedalboard case, you name it. Reducing that safety to just one pick - nah, likely not for this old dog anymore.

funnily enough I got 2 Blue Chip picks 15 years ago (25 and 50 bucks respectively back then), and 5 Red Bear (25 then), and a bunch of Agate 30-70).

I list nearly all the Agate, one broke, one Red Bear i gave to a friend he broke it within a week.
The others and Blue Chips are still going strong.
This place actually reminded me to get two other thicknesses, let's see if i get 15 years on them too.

The other non crazy prized picks i use at an alarming rate but those go in the pants pocket nit a pick tin or pouch.

 

[northern_fox]

Also tried, did not like. Probably better for acoustic guitar. Adding all the extra "attack" primarily just makes distorted guitar noisier. Plus the tip would tend to get stuck on the strings for me.

 

[Eagle]

Some of the premium picks do sound good and last a very long time but I still like Ultex and I can throw a lot of them away before I get anywhere near the price of a premium pick. My expectation is acoustic when tone is king whatever.

 

[Achilles]

These are the best I ever bought.
$15 each. Been using them a couple of years now and have tried numerous times replacing them with something else. Most recently a Dunlop Primetone.

They freaking rule!

ToneBird 7 - Hawk Picks

This is our take on the Dunlop Jazz III pick shape. This is the smaller brother of our TB4. This pick packs a lot of tone and grips well. It's available in 1.4mm / 1.6mm gauge and several colours. Just choose your bevel option. BACK TO THE PICKS > H:25.5mm / 1.000 inches W:22mm / 0.866...

hawkpicks.co.uk

 

[Eagle]

These are the best I ever bought.
$15 each. Been using them a couple of years now and have tried numerous times replacing them with something else. Most recently a Dunlop Primetone.

They freaking rule!

ToneBird 7 - Hawk Picks

This is our take on the Dunlop Jazz III pick shape. This is the smaller brother of our TB4. This pick packs a lot of tone and grips well. It's available in 1.4mm / 1.6mm gauge and several colours. Just choose your bevel option. BACK TO THE PICKS > H:25.5mm / 1.000 inches W:22mm / 0.866...

hawkpicks.co.uk

I like those too.

 

[OrganicZed]

I've been an Jim Dunlop Ultex Jazz III user for several years. I really like them, but they don't have much grip on the surface and that transparent yellow material is very hard to see on the floor when you drop one.

I decided to try a bunch of other picks last summer. I was mainly focused on variations of the Jazz III design. I even tried some of the offerings from Gravity and V-Picks which people rave about. I didn't pony up the money for a Blue Chip or Red Bear pick because I don't want to spend the money to have 20 of those lying around if I were to love them. Maybe some I'll ask for a couple as a gift.

My new favorite pick is the Ibanez JTC 2.5 mm. The main reason I like them is that they feel amazing in my picking hand. They are thick and they have a rubberized grip that makes them really easy to hold. I realized that using them has relieved tension I was experiencing when gripping the Jazz III's. I didn't even know I was experiencing this tension until I tried these and experienced the relief. They do sound a bit different and feel substantially different, but the loss of that tension is worth the adjustment in my opinion. They are easier to see than the translucent Ultex Jazz III's if I drop one as well. The Tritan polymer that these are made of has proved to be quite durable. In the time that I would have worn out a Jazz III I am only beginning to see a bit of wear on the JTC pick. The only down sides are that these are more expensive and much less readily available than the Jim Dunlop picks.

I had two runner up choices. The Jim Dunlop Primetone Jazz III 1.4 mm was one. They are red Ultex (easy to see) and they have more grip than the regular Ultex Jazz III. Otherwise, they are the same as the regular Ultex Jazz III I had been using. I don't think they are worth the extra cost over the standard Ultex Jazz III, but I do like them more overall.

The other runner up was the Jim Dunlop Flow Gloss 2.0. Again, they are red and easy to see, but they also have a lovely concave indentation in the center of the pick that makes them easy to hold. The thing that prevented me from liking these as much as the Ibanez JTC or the Jazz III was the size. They are much larger and the back of the pick was irritating my hand. I'm sure I could get used to them with enough time.