Thumb picks

Mark Robinson · From: North Carolina, USA

Where could I buy a thumb pick similar to this one? I prefer the longer style and need a longer blade than is offered by most thumb picks.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Good assortment here:

https://www.elderly.com/accessories/picks/thumbpicks

I'm wondering if your pic is a Geipel.

Thom Gustafson · From: Mount Vernon, Washington, USA

I doubt that pick is a Geipel zither pick. When the band is shaped to your thumb the blade is actually very short with a Geipel.

Mark Robinson · From: North Carolina, USA

Thanks for the replies.

Bobby Nelson · From: North Carolina, USA

I was using tortoise National Ms, but went to Golden Gate and love them - pricey though.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Mark, that looks like the old Jeff Newman thumb pick. They do have a longer blade.

Melissa indicated that they might be re-making these. https://www.facebook.com/JeffranMusicOfficial/ might check with her.

I've been buying the large size Dunlops and re-positioning and re-shaping the ring with boiling water which gives me a little longer blade which I also like.

The harder the material, the crisper the snap on the low end. I like the new Ultex ultra-hard material, but they are really hard to re-shape.

I like long blade thumb picks too.

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

I am partial to a Zookie 20 degree medium.

Mark Robinson · From: North Carolina, USA

Thanks again.

Jerry, I like the longer blade in your photo, on the right. I may give that a try.

Jack Ritter · From: Enid, Oklahoma, USA

I use a Zookie 20 deg also. Very comfortable and stable.
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Lee Dassow · From: Jefferson, Georgia USA

Fred kelly thumb picks! They are great. You can buy a whole bag from Musicians Friend. Tennessee Lee
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Bruce Bjork · From: Southern Coast of Maine

I go back and forth between Fred Kelly Slick Picks and the Zookie 20's. I've used the Zookie 20's for years on dobro and won't change but starting to prefer the Fred Kelly's on PSG especially for harmonics.
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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

These may all be some fine picks. I've used just about everything there is and none of them have the longer blade that Mark is talking about...except for the old Jeff Newman's...that I know of anyway.

About the only thing you can do for a longer blade on a traditional guitar thumb pick is do it yourself, re-shape the ring and re-work it for more blade exposure.

Charlie Hansen · From: Halifax, NS Canada and Various Southern Towns.

Another vote for Fred Kelly slick picks.
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Mark Robinson · From: North Carolina, USA

Thanks, but my short, fat thumb needs the long blade!

Richard McVicker · From: Indiana, USA

Mark you talk about your thumb being short,and fat, have you had problems getting thumb picks to fit in the past?
If so I have a pick that's instantly adjustable and will fit my big toe. And will play in both directions.
I have worked with people in the past that have had physical problems with there thumbs and I have a pick that will work for a lot of players.

Bob Snelgrove · From: san jose, ca

Fred Kelly "speed" picks, the white ones.

bob

Mark Robinson · From: North Carolina, USA

Duplicate

Mark Robinson · From: North Carolina, USA

Ronnie Boettcher · From: Brunswick Ohio, USA

This may sound very crude to a lot of players, but I solved the problem getting a longer tine on the thumb pick. I take a pick that fits my thumb real nice, then take another thumb pick cut the flat tine off, then super glue it onto the short tine one, a little longer, to get the length I want. I see no difference in the playing on a steel, or a banjo. It lasts just as long, and never comes loose or breaks. So you ruin one pick, but problem solved.
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Richard McVicker · From: Indiana, USA

Just as Ronnie said , you can take a SADDLE pick that you like and super glue or even use a small "SMALL" screw and attach any length or size pick to the bottom. I have even added metal to the pick.

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

I've used most thumb picks out there and have had specially designed pickups trying to accentuate the treble aspect of the wound strings, etc. and since I am a ProPik dealer David at Guptill Music sent me a sample of the ProPik Quick-Pik thumb pick and voila! - there it was. I dislike the metal band as it catches the string sometimes but still working on modifying that and it's improving. It has a Fred Kelly-like tang on it but more definition to the bass strings and quite a bit more than a std plastic thumb pick whether it be a Zookie, National, Dunlop, etc.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Jim--catching the string was my issue with this different ProPik and I worked it like this so that it is no longer a problem. Haven't used this pick in a while--need to revisit it. I totally know what you mean about finding that 'tang' in the wound strings. Less thud, more zing. It has been a quest of mine too.

Dave Magram · From: San Jose, California, USA

Something to consider with thumbpicks is the string-blocking elementâ€¦

I used a standard Dunlop thumb-pick for many years when I was palm-blocking and it worked fine.

When I decided to learn pick-blocking, I bought Joe Wrightâ€™s instructional video on the subject.
Joe explained that (just as Paul Franklin has stated) that it would be more accurate to describe much of â€œpick-blockingâ€ as â€œfinger-tip and thumb-edge blockingâ€. To accomplish the thumb-edge blocking, Joe liked to shave down a standard thumb-pick to the size of the little short-blade blue Herco thumbpicks that Paul uses (as does Doug Jernigan and many other top-notch players).

I have big hands and a big thumb, and I wasnâ€™t sure if the very short-blade blue Herco thumbpick would workâ€”but it absolutely did. The only problem with the blue Herco thumbpicks was that the Delrin material they are made of would warm up as I played and loosen its grip on my thumb, so I learned to switch to a spare thumbpick about midway through each 45-minute set.

Then a friend gave me a Fred Kelly speed-pick, which is the same size as the Hercos, but apparently made out of a slightly different formula of Delrin which seems unaffected by body heat. Another advantage is that the little tang in the middle of the blade is able to flex when hitting the string while the two outside segments of the pick do not--which helps keep the pick on my thumb, a very clever design.

If youâ€™d like to add thumb-edge blocking to either your palm-blocking or pick-blocking, the Fred Kelly speed-picks cost less than $1, so why not give them a try?

-Dave

Mark Robinson · From: North Carolina, USA

Thanks for all the responses. Thumb picks are as varied and diverse as copedants, tunings, and steel guitars themselves and I sincerely appreciate and respect everyone's input and opinions.

The search for an ergonomically, utopian, long bladed thumb pick continues.

Chris Templeton · From: The Green Mountain State

Jon, Those are great looking thumbpicks! I love metal picks with bowls or curved edges that minimize string scraping, especially on the wound strings.
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