Thick vs thin picks

Dan Shipway · Sep 9, 2018

Recently i have been struggling to find a way to hold the pick that works and i remembered back to a time when i used 2mm picks (I now use 0.88) and it felt a lot easier and it felt like there was just more there. Is it that these picks dont suite the way i’m holding the pick or is it a problem with what i am doing?
It means that i am not making steady progress and sometimes undoing what i have learnt

Jak Angelescu · Sep 9, 2018

Hey Dan! I strongly support the use of thicker picks. I just can’t do anything when I feel like I have to hold back with how hard I hit the strings. Thinner picks also don’t feel as accurate because they flop around everywhere. Some people hold their picks differently depending on what they’re playing, whether it be a style or a specific technique. I use both .88 and 1.14 depending on what I’m doing. 1.14 for rhythm definitely because I hit the strings so hard. Maybe try using different gauges for different things? Also, what’s your string gauge? For rhythm work I definitely use 11s with a heavier pick because I feel there’s more there to have control over. And with lead I sometimes use 11s or 10s depending on what is called for. I know that heavy picks with lighter strings is chaos in a nutshell, for me at least. And heavier strings with lighter picks is a nightmare as well. Maybe it’s that? Are you using a gator grip style or just a regular nylon style pick?

Dan Shipway · Sep 9, 2018

I use 9s but i tune down to drop c so it is probably a recipe for disaster haha.
Alot of my struggle is mainly to do with the fact that i feel like the pick has less contact with the string and it makes it so I have to pick harder which tends to be uncomfortable.

Jak Angelescu · Sep 9, 2018

I can see what you’re saying. For me with lighter picks, it makes it very difficult to feel the string when I play it if that makes sense

Dan Shipway · Sep 9, 2018

I totally get it, I think yo can get a variety pack from dunlop so I may get that to try out different thicknesses.

Noah Berends · Sep 9, 2018

I’ve gone back and forth on this a ton. At one point I refused to use anything less than 2.0mm and would only use those Big Stubby picks from Dunlop. Now, I’ve completely reversed on that and I play best when using a standard Dunlop Jazz III. It’s all finding what works for you, and in my case I bought 300+ picks (no joke) of tens of varieties before settling on the Jazz III’s. If the regular J III’s don’t quite work out for you, give the John Petrucci Jazz III’s a try. Same thickness but slightly larger in surface area.

Dan Shipway · Sep 9, 2018

Cheers for the inputs guys, I will have to keep trying for now, another factor i will have to consider is how hard I hold it, I tend to hold it quite loose as I have been playing rhythm primarily since I started playing. I don’t expect finding the rightnone to be easy but It will definitely happen at some poitn.

Dustin Nergaard · Sep 9, 2018

I personally prefer a thinner pick because it works out to be more versatile. thicker picks arn’t ideal for strumming, but work better for tremolo picking.

Sayonil Mitra · Sep 10, 2018

I went through the insights given here and found it very interesting. I use .71/.58 picks…I try to be a fast picker and I find thicker picks difficult to handle. But definitely many heavy metal guitarists use thicker picks to be able to dig in the tone and put more punch to it.

Dan Shipway · Sep 10, 2018

I have managed to sort the problem out, it was to do with the placement of my first finger behind the pick so its just muscle memory from here

Gabriel Lea · Sep 10, 2018

I used to use thinner picks to play a long time ago, but switched over to something a little more substantial. I feel like I can get a better grip on the thicker ones. They definitely help with getting more punch so to speak, but end of the day it’s all preference

Bellah83 · Sep 11, 2018

Hey, I’m not sure if anyone touched on this yet but, I play in drop C as well and use 11-54s, ernie ball beefy slinky. I know they sound a little too much at first, but with the lower tuning, the thicker gauge brings a good tension back to the strings. A 2mm pick on the low string feels weird initially but after a little familiarity with it you can do a lot more with less effort, if that makes sense. More response.
Or try mix and matching, throw the beefy ones on the bottom and keep 10s up top.

Josh Wright · Sep 11, 2018

When strumming I use a thinner pick, like .73 or something, but when doing lead or a rhythm section that is heavy I use a 2.0 jazz style pick.

Dan Shipway · Sep 11, 2018

Hey Steven, in regards to the string gauges there isn’t much I can do as my guitar is set up for 9s out the box and with a Floyd it causes the neck to bow so I use. Do truss rod adjustments sort out the bowing when using thicker strings.
Josh, I did use that quite a bit but I tried out thinner picks for lead and didn’t like them. Despite this, I have continued to use them thinking they will grow on me in time but it is time to change back because it isn’t getting any easier.

Bellah83 · Sep 11, 2018

I assumed you were playing metal too and should have asked what genre or style.
And if any techs are on here, correct me if im wrong, just suggesting from personal experience. If you throw on some heavier strings. You can release some excess tension by loosening or removing the springs connecting your FR to the body.
Assuming that there’s 3 springs for your setup, you can remove the middle. And then adjust the screws until the bridge is flush and you have no string buzz. If there’s too much tension on the neck you’ll know because the bridge will be pulling out away from the guitar. Or it might just pull the string straight out of the locking mechanism.
My schecter was set-up for drop D with 9s or 10s, and I bumped up to 11s myself with those spring tweaks.
I’ve never adjusted a truss rod myself. I really think that’s only necessary if the neck has warped over time, from humidity or leaving it stringless for a too long.
I have an epiphone LP with a fixed bridge that was setup for drop d 12 years ago. Recently I put 12s and tuned it to B standard then back to drop D with 10s with no issues.

Syn Gates · Sep 15, 2018

For years I played 2.0 but last year I switched to .73 and LOVE it for EVERYTHING. I can even get great volume playing gypsy jazz with those bad boys. I think I naturally choke up on the pick to get a bit more stiffness when playing faster stuff but then relax a bit for rhythm which feels so much better with .73 than 2.0. I also prefer the brighter tone the .73’s get as well.
Love this topic btw

Dan Shipway · Sep 15, 2018

Thanks syn, For the while I am continuing to experiment with a range of thicknesses and some signature picks as well because more often then not I try and force myself to get used to a certain pick but I always try and ignore that thought in the back of my mind that perhaps it isn’t the right one. I will definitely consider trying.73’s.

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