Thumbpick Advise.

coastie99 · Aug 4, 2006

Having never been comfortable with a flatpick, I've been thinking that I might try a thumbpick.

Just had a look at the options at Elderly Instruments, and I'm a little bewildered - even a brand of pick offering different angle options !

Could anyone offer advise on the subject, please ?

Jeff · Aug 4, 2006

These little orange jobs are my favorite. Nothing very tone oriented about my choice, they simply stay put a whole lot better than anything else I've used.

I have ther devil's own time keeping a pick in my thumb, the little slotted affair where the pick contacts your thumb makes a big difference. something like 300% increase in gripping edge, & it acts a bit like a paper clip.

Kind of a petite pick compared to some & I only know of one size available. Other members have spoken of using bigger, stiffer picks.

They're unmarked so I don't know what brand they are.

[img:450:338]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid210/p02230c1c96f9ea00da70fa6af9f1b8a4/edda10aa.jpg[/img]

Darryl Hattenhauer · Aug 4, 2006

I'm about the only guy in the world who likes the thumbpick made by Herco. The part that hits the strings is about the size and shape of a regular flatpick, so I can fingerpick or go to flat picking by pressing my first finger against the thumpick. I can go from guitar to banjo, mando, and steel while playing the same song without ever changing picks. I can play more instruments badly than Wayne Newton.

dreadnut · Aug 5, 2006

I like those little orange ones, they come in other colors too. I also like Zookies.

For fingerpicks I use: Pro-Pik 1-Ang Brass double wrap. They stay on your fingers real good and the brass ones produce a better tone than steel on acoustic phosphor-bronze strings.

coastie99 · Aug 5, 2006

Thanks guys for the advise.

Those little orange jobbies look like the Fred Kelly Speedpick, advertised at Elderly Instruments. Three gauges and a choice of colours.

coastie99 · Aug 5, 2006

AND.

Doyle Dykes uses them.

Darryl Hattenhauer · Aug 5, 2006

Not to mention all the Straits.

coastie99 · Aug 5, 2006

Don't have much to do with Straights, Darryl.

My world is populated by (with ?) people who would generally be considered "weirdo's."

Darryl Hattenhauer · Aug 5, 2006

Hanging out with weirdos doesn't exactly isolate you from the mainstream on this site.

Jeff · Aug 6, 2006

Those little orange jobbies look like the Fred Kelly Speedpick, advertised at Elderly Instruments. Three gauges and a choice of colours.

Sure looks like that's them, I've never seen anything in stores but the Orange mediums loose in jars & without identifying the maker. Ole Fred Kelly is seriously into meeting thumbpickers needs. Must offer a couple dozen dozen different thumbpicks. Including left handed models.

I see what you meant Coastie, Choices for thumbpicks logically should be simpler.

Wonder what pitch angle Dred prefers on his Zookie.

http://elderly.com/search/elderly?page= ... =thumbpick

West R Lee · Aug 6, 2006

I suppose I'm going to have to try a thumbpick one day. Darryl, can the Herco picks be found anywhere online that you know of? Do you know if they come in varying thickness?

Wayne Newton...............can someone explain to me exactly how he made it? All I've been able to figure out about Wayne is that evidently there have been little old ladies that have liked him since the dawn of time. :? He has been the idol of about 4 generations of little old ladies. Maybe he has ties to the mob? Have any of you ever known anyone who is really a Wayne Newton fan?

West

coastie99 · Aug 6, 2006

West.

Elderly have got 'em.

West R Lee · Aug 6, 2006

Thanks Coast........................how ya doin today? I'll check with them.

West

Darryl Hattenhauer · Aug 6, 2006

Yes, El Derly is where I get 'em.

I had a girlfriend once who wanted me to take her to see Fig Newton. And that wasn't no old lady. But Newton was.

I remember when he first hit with "Danke Schoen." He was a teenager whose voice hadn't changed. I'll bet he had to take testicletosterone to get his voice to change.

Now he's a Vegas gangster. Apparently he moonlights as a cadaver for plastic surgeons.

Jeff · Aug 6, 2006

Wayne Newton...............can someone explain to me exactly how he made it

take her to see Fig Newton

Fig Newton is a mystery to me. Do some women actually pee their pants over his act. I think he is the Vegas version of Don Ho, or the reverse? Who cares?

During my 1st and only visit to Hawaii I was subjected to a Tourist Luau featuring a Don Ho impersonator. Yes, such acts exist. Just couldn't figure out what these little blue haired ladies were thinking about as this clown gazed longingly into their eyes & crooned smarmy lovesongs.

Seem to remember the experience as one of those times it's was embarrassing to be a member of the human race.

An aside on Hawaiian luau's; Mai Tai's will not cut the nasty taste of Poi.
Corona seemed to work best & even then it took quite a few to really make it go away.

fretplay · Aug 22, 2006

Thumb picks

A thumb pick certainly makes a difference to your playing as it is like having four flats and you can play octaves and arpeggies that you can't with a flat. Certainly more versitile when playing solo. It takes time to get used to it. I find that switching from one to the other difficult as it takes me maybe half a second to adjust. I have seen Doyle Dykes play and am interested to know he uses those small ones. He can also pick and strum with it too which I can't. However back to the question, I like Dunlop they come in sizes and dont scratch. I find that some picks make a scratching noise and you can't tell without playing.

Good luck,

Fretplay

dreadnut · Aug 22, 2006

Metal picks can be very scratchy, I have a steel thumbpick that I never use...

Even the plastic ones can be a bit scratchy until you wear them in a little, you can speed up this process by lightly sanding the edges of the pick to de-burr it.

I use the brass fingerpicks because they are a bit softer metal and smoother for fingerpicking than steel ones, and I like their sound better as well.

What I'm working on now is being able to strum down with my right ringfinger and pinkie while wearing picks on thumb, pointer and middle finger. Often when fingerpicking without picks I'll hammer down a strum with the fingernails of my middle, ring, and pinkie, this is proving kinda hard to coordinate while wearing picks on the other fingers :?

Darryl Hattenhauer · Aug 24, 2006

You cats are way beyond me. Apparently, I gotta hear Doyle Dykes.

I use a plastic thumb pick and metal fingerpicks because plastic isn't as loud, and I need more volume out of the fingers and less from the thumb. And I use a heavy pick on my middle finger and a light one on my index finger because the middle finger isn't as strong.

To get more volume out of the fingers and less out of the thumb, I've tried a medium-to-extra-light set: medium gauge on the 1st and 2nd, light on the 3rd and 4th , and ultra light on the 5th and 6th. But it just seemed weird to me. Does anybody else do that?

dklsplace · Aug 24, 2006

I've tried a medium-to-extra-light set: medium gauge on the 1st and 2nd, light on the 3rd and 4th , and ultra light on the 5th and 6th. But it just seemed weird to me. Does anybody else do that?

Na, you're just weird Darryl

Seriously though....plenty of people play around with different guage strings & there are a few manufacturers that will package a "custom" set like that. Heck, if no one ever played around with different/multiple guage sets, we would never have been discussion Nashville stringing here!

West R Lee · Aug 24, 2006

Darryl,

Go to "Acoustic/Acoustic Electric" and then go to page 4. On page 4 there is a topic called "Check This Acoustic Electric" about 3/4 down the page. Click on that and then the link in the first post. It will bring up a "Taylor" page featuring Doyle Dykes. I like the "Performance Retrospective" , Pretty good idea of how Doyle plays.

West

Thumbpick Advise.

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