Soft guitar picks?


BaylorGuitar
Registered User
Joined: 03/01/04
Posts: 13
BaylorGuitar
Registered User
Joined: 03/01/04
Posts: 13
08/04/2006 12:05 am
Hey guys, ok I have a guitar pick question for you. It seems like most guitar picks out there are made out of harder plastic (I'm guessing there's a reason for that), one thing I dont see out there are soft guitar picks. Picks that are softer and more flexible for playing on the acoustic. I've seen a lot of thin picks but even those are made out of hard plastic which still creates that clicking noise...you know what i mean? So I've been tryin out some softer plastics for picks, and I kinda like it. I'm looking for a similar sound that you would get playing with just your fingers...except with a pick for more control because I dont play with my fingers well...as many of us dont... Do you know of any softer picks out there? Do you think softer picks could be marketable? I'm thinking about trying to make and sell them... Any opinions would be greatly appreciated! thanks
# 1
tallrocker
Registered User
Joined: 10/15/05
Posts: 12
tallrocker
Registered User
Joined: 10/15/05
Posts: 12
08/04/2006 12:55 pm
I personally wouldn't use soft or thin picks. For me, it's much harder to pick with any speed with a soft pick. I don't necessarily play fast to begin with, but it would make it more difficult. I kinda subconsciously use the hardness of the pick to know where the pick is in relation to the strings. But that's just me. There are many people who do use thin picks.
# 2
aschleman
Registered User
Joined: 04/26/05
Posts: 2,051
aschleman
Registered User
Joined: 04/26/05
Posts: 2,051
08/04/2006 1:48 pm
When I want to get a "fingerpicking" type of sound I use 2mm Dunlop stubby picks. I find that the more dense a pick is the deeper tone you will get. The 2mm Dunlops are good for this. They have a tapered tip so the string tends to slide off it.. rather than snapping off the end of a straight edge pick.

I think a two sided guitar pick with what you're talking about wouldn't be too bad... You could take a standard "hard" pick and coat the end in a rubber compound... this would give teh player the ability to play regularly... while still having the versatility of the softer material. I think that a rubber compound over a hard pick would work well... Anyway... good luck with that. Send me some when you get it figured out!! haha.
# 3
Fret spider
Registered User
Joined: 12/14/05
Posts: 558
Fret spider
Registered User
Joined: 12/14/05
Posts: 558
08/04/2006 2:08 pm
personally i wouldnt use a soft pick either.

i would prefer to use a hard one cos it gives u more controll. i also sharpen the pick so it has a point. i find this helps me play faster and more accurately because less of the pick has to hit the string. i use to get the clicking sound you speak of, but i found that this can be avoided by digging the pick in less.

i dont mean to sound harsh or anythin but for me soft picks where for when i started out and now i can strum properly i dont need the pick to compensate for poor technique. so i dont know particularly why veterans would want a soft pick.

anyway thats just my opinion. but i would like a pick that is multifunctionall and such. i would like one were one of the sides was like a saw blade, so you could scrape it along the pick and u would get the effect of very fast tremelo picking. and like the other side could have the material u get in violin bows. this is probably incredible unfeasible, but it would be cool.
# 4
aschleman
Registered User
Joined: 04/26/05
Posts: 2,051
aschleman
Registered User
Joined: 04/26/05
Posts: 2,051
08/04/2006 3:37 pm
I don't think he's talking about thin picks... he's talking about SOFT picks. There's a difference. A thin pick is still made of hard plastic... just thinner and more flexible... obviously good for strumming. No one uses soft picks fr lead work or most electrc guitar work... What this guy, I believe, is talking about is soft textured picks that emulate the texture of the flesh on your fingers... So to get the sound that you would get if you were finger picking. You notice when you finger pick with the flesh of your fingers you get a bassier tone... I think that's what he's talking about... not THIN picks... SOFT picks.
# 5
jimmy_kwtx
Registered User
Joined: 05/15/06
Posts: 394
jimmy_kwtx
Registered User
Joined: 05/15/06
Posts: 394
08/04/2006 3:51 pm
You could try an experiment with a ployurethane dip.

You can buy a can of the stuff in the paint or hardware section of any lowe's, home depot ( or local hardware chain). It is used for coating ends of tools, or hard surfaces on lawn furniture etc that you want a plastic/rubber cusion or protection.

A urethane is still a plastic but the hardness of it is based on the Durometer. They can come as hard as Acetal/Delrin or as soft as rubber (a natural Plastic). If I remember correctly most pics are made of Nylon.

If you get a chance to experiment and it works I would be interested in finding out.
[FONT=Comic Sans MS]I reject your reality and substitue my own[/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]BYAAAAAAAAAAAH![/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]But it goes to eleven....[/FONT]
# 6
strat-man
Registered User
Joined: 01/14/06
Posts: 375
strat-man
Registered User
Joined: 01/14/06
Posts: 375
08/04/2006 8:40 pm
What about rubber picks? can you get them in the US? i know they're available in the UK, think Dunlop do them, they're quite thick tho, just a thought never tried them
Strat totin
Six string slingin
Son of a gun

I met my maker, i made him cry, and on my shoulder he asked me why, his people won't fly thru the storm, i said, listen here man they don't even know your born.

strat-man rocks with vox
# 7
andrew3in1
Registered User
Joined: 07/16/06
Posts: 56
andrew3in1
Registered User
Joined: 07/16/06
Posts: 56
08/05/2006 12:25 am
:eek:

A friend of mine who writes for the magazine Christian Musician wrote a short article about picks. I will ask him if I can post it here and get back with you.
Andrew
[FONT=Arial]Sarcasm Just One Of
Our Free Services.[/FONT]
# 8
andrew3in1
Registered User
Joined: 07/16/06
Posts: 56
andrew3in1
Registered User
Joined: 07/16/06
Posts: 56
08/05/2006 12:51 pm
:D

Here is the article I promised. I will say upfront that I do not agree with him on some of what he says about picks. I like a pick to be around .5mm to .6mm. But other than that the article is informative.

Picks:
Most people don't put enough thought into picks. I've found that the volume and tone of your guitar is more dependant on the pick than any other factor. People agonize over issues, ranging from guitar woods to strings and then lose all they've gained by playing with light gauge picks.

Try this at home: Lay out one typical thin and one extra-heavy pick. Now pull your guitar and the thick pick out and play a whole piece that has a combination of chord strumming, arpeggios and single note soling. Then play the same tune using the thin pick. The better your guitar is, the more you'll hear that the thin pick sounds, well, thin. With a thin pick, the pick is displaced by the string, With a thick pick, the string is displaced by the pick. Pick thickness makes an overwhelming difference in tone and volume.

My typical, thinnest pick is a 1mm Clayton gold, but when I really want tone, I go to a much thicker one yet. My favorite picks are Jean Charles DuGain picks from France. They are very thick picks that are hand carved to fit your thumb and finger for grip and are made of many different materials. I like coconut horn and agate the best. These picks are a little tough to find and are expensive, but nothing you can do to your guitar will effect the tone like these picks. You'll also find that, contrary to popular belief, you can play faster and more accurately with a thick pick. Give it a try. I also use thumb picks and prefer Fred Kelly extra-heavy delrin picks.

John Standefer
Andrew
[FONT=Arial]Sarcasm Just One Of
Our Free Services.[/FONT]
# 9
Superhuman
Registered User
Joined: 04/18/05
Posts: 1,334
Superhuman
Registered User
Joined: 04/18/05
Posts: 1,334
08/05/2006 4:18 pm
I've always found that soft picks kill tone and reduce the power of a power chord before it even hits your preamp. I like fast playing and I can only do this with very hard, very thin picks. For me thick picks just don't produce as clean a picking attack on high gain settings.
# 10
scott6guitarist
Registered User
Joined: 08/06/06
Posts: 1
scott6guitarist
Registered User
Joined: 08/06/06
Posts: 1
08/07/2006 12:18 am
You could try thick felt and cut a pick out of it.
# 11
Mark Pav
Registered User
Joined: 12/19/05
Posts: 245
Mark Pav
Registered User
Joined: 12/19/05
Posts: 245
08/07/2006 1:43 am
Originally Posted by: scott6guitaristYou could try thick felt and cut a pick out of it.


I've seen picks exactly like that! Not for a long time though.
# 12

Please register with a free account to post on the forum.