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Topic: Fingerpicks |
Miles Lang
From:
Venturaloha
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Posted 13 Jun 2016 5:19 pm |
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if...If...IF..I were to give in and use fingerpicks....
...what do I need to know to get the right ones? Do they come in gauges like flatpicks? I presume there is a tone difference between metal and celluloid. Do you mix and match? I'm going for a big fat Santo sound. |
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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 13 Jun 2016 8:58 pm
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The most common configuration is a plastic thumb pick and metal finger picks. They do come in different gauges... I personally like the thinner ones (.018 brass). They're cheap.. get a few different ones and give them a try
I hated them at first.. now I hate to play without them.
I've always wanted to give the celluloid ones a go but I can never shape them or get them to fit very well..
_________________
"Don't be mad honey, but I bought another one" |
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Steve Green
From:
Gulfport, MS, USA
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 2:52 am
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| Frank James Pracher wrote: |
I've always wanted to give the celluloid ones a go but I can never shape them or get them to fit very well.. |
That's me. I can never find plastic / celluloid finger picks to fit my fat little fingers. They're always too small. I've heard that you can dip them in boiling water to soften them, but I've never tried.
I use a blue Herco thumb pick and metal National finger picks at .020 for lap steel. On Dobro, I use a plastic National thumb pick and metal National finger picks at .025.
If you ever take the dive and decide to try fingerpicks, stick with them for at least a month. You'll wonder how you ever got along without them.
_________________
Some songs I've written |
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Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 5:17 am
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I use a Propik thumbpick available from Elderly and metal NP2 National fingerpicks. Same picks for lap steel, banjo, and Dobro. The Propik is metal with a plastic blade. It can be easily shaped to fit the thumb. I've done the hot water thing with plastic picks with no success.
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Tony Lombardo
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 6:19 am
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| I use a plastic Dunlop thumb pick and two metal .018 Dunlop finger picks. |
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Ed Boyd
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 7:01 am
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National NP2s 0.25. Same picks I use for Banjo and guitar. I use needlenose pliers to bend them to shape.
Thumbpicks, For guitar I use Fred Kelly's Slick picks. For Banjo I use Dunlop 3040 nickel silver thumbpicks. Not sure what I will eventually settle on for pedal steel. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 8:13 am
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Tony,
Has it right. 
I have tried numerous different pick combinations and usually go back to the Dunlops.
The lighter gauge picks are easier to shape to your fingers. |
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Jim Newberry
From:
Seattle, Upper Left America
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 1:37 pm
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No, the true right answer ( ) was given by Robert Allen. It must be right, because I use the same. I'm not as choosy about the fingerpicks as the thumbpick and the one I landed on is the ProPik... It almost seems like it tightens as you hit the string instead of rotating. The National NP2 fingerpicks feel about right. Dunlops have always felt a little short to me.
_________________
"The Masher of Touch and Tone"
-1950 Fender Dual Pro 8
-1950's Fender Dual Pro 6
-Clinesmith D8
-Clinesmith 8-string Frypan
-Clinesmith Joaquin
-~1940 National New Yorker
-~1936 Rickenbacher B6
-Homebuilt Amps |
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Bo Parker
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2016 4:29 am
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| I agree on the ProPik thumbpicks (metal with plastic blade). I start with a ProPik medium and use needlenose pliers and bend, test, bend, test, etc., until it's just right. |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Posted 15 Jun 2016 6:17 am
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Whatever gauge, type or material of fingerpicks you try will feel uncomfortable at first. BUT DON'T GIVE UP!
Take some time to get used to the feeling, and use needle nose plyers (as already suggested) to bend the picks to match the size of each finger.
You need to give them a fair chance, and have them shaped properly so as not to hurt too much, but also not be loose and fall off your fingers when playing.
DON'T GIVE UP!
Just my opinion.... Dom
_________________
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG9cvwCPKuXpGofziPNieA/feed?activity_view=3 |
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John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2016 10:39 am
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| Robert Allen wrote: |
The Propik is metal with a plastic blade. It can be easily shaped to fit the thumb.
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This Propik is my personal favorite thumbpick too.
JB
_________________
Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2016 11:31 am
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I use John Pearce thumb picks, because they won't "wilt" and go soft from my body heat. I use brass Dunlop 0.025 finger picks, because I like the softness if the sound I get. I used to keep 2 or 3 extra thumbpicks in the space between the necks of my steel, to switch them when one would get soft.
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2016 1:25 pm
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A lot of people find fingerpicks uncomfortable because the bands lay tight right across the cuticle area of your finger. I discovered Bob Perry picks ( a banjo player, I believe), which are just a bit longer on the sides of the "blade", and hence close around your finger behind the cuticle rather than digging into it. Infinitely more comfortable, come in various platings… kind of expensive, but it's a necessary tool. I get 'em from Elderly. http://www.thepickshoppe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=354
_________________
Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com
www.musicfarmstudio.com |
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2016 7:35 pm
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What I learned from Jeff Newman a long time ago is to take a pair of needle nosed pliers and form the pick so it touches a maximum amount of finger and leaves no sharp edges to dig into the cuticles. It's amazing! They stay on and don't hurt all night, you can shake your hand (violently) and they wont come off, but you can remove them easily. It's all about friction, folks.
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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Mark Evans
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 16 Jun 2016 6:21 am
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For weissenborn, I've settled on the Perfect Touch finger pick.
Longer and more comfortable. Curved blade is great, but the brass flat blade gives me a lovely, nasty blues tone. Golden Gate thumb picks are nice.
_________________
Larry Pogreba Baritone 'Weissenheimer
Lazy River mahogany standard Weiss
Lazy River ‘Tear Drop” weissenborn
2017 Richard Wilson Style 1 Weissenborn |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 17 Jun 2016 2:34 pm
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| Use them! Use finger picks! try .018 or .020 gauge Dunlop picks. Use metal ones, not the plastic kind. Force yourself to do it, you'll be glad you did later on. |
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Nathan Burns
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 14 Jul 2016 1:19 pm
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[/quote]
Do you get a lot of life out of these thumb picks? I use standard white Dunlop plastic thumb picks but I eventually either wear them down or they stretch out and don't fit as tight as I"d like anymore.
_________________
Mullen G2 through Fender Steel King
Rayco 6 string curly maple reso
Petingill Southern Belle through Fender 68 Princeton Reverb reissue. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 14 Jul 2016 1:43 pm
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I tried this pick and didn't like it. 
Thumb picks are cheap, just buy 'em by the dozen. |
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Rich Gardner
From:
Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Posted 14 Jul 2016 6:43 pm
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| I remember back in the late '50's early '60's when I was taking lesson, my steel teacher would shape and size plastic finger picks by holding a lighted cigarette near the back side of the pick warming the plastic. It worked every time. I'm not a smoker so I now buy metal finger picks. Just a memory from the past. |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 15 Jul 2016 1:21 pm
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[quote="Chris Scruggs"]Use them! Use finger picks! try .018 or .020 gauge Dunlop picks. Use metal ones, not the plastic kind. Force yourself to do it, you'll be glad you did later on.[/quote]
Amen.
Playing steel guitar without fingerpicks is simply lame. Yes, I know Buddy and Bobbe did it on occasion but well, they were Buddy and Bobbe... |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 15 Jul 2016 2:00 pm
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| Playing a steel guitar without picks is like eating a steak without teeth! |
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Lynn Anderson
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 15 Jul 2016 5:19 pm Perfect touch picks
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| I have been using Perfect Touch picks for several years. They never hurt. The thumb pick can be bent to give the pick length you prefer. And the two finger picks are shaped so you can tell which finger each fits |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 16 Jul 2016 1:32 pm
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Tons to choose from
Keep trying until it feels comfortable.
If there are any causing discomfort change them. Or alter their shape.
Some players bend the tip so it touches the fingers. Tried it hated it. I never bend mine. Everyone is different so find what works for you and don't live with discomfort.
If you can't clap, eat an apple or function with it comfortably that brand or shape needs to change.
Happy hunting.
I use Dunlop all around.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2016 6:18 am
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| Don't try picking you nose with them on though! |
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Terry VunCannon
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2016 8:18 am
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For years I have been using the Perfect Touch finger picks. They fit above my finger nails, up near the 1st joint of the finger. They are made to hug the finger, no pain, no slip. I am surprised that more players have not tried these.
The thumb pick is a Fred Kelly. |
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