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Posted by: Murloc May 25 2009, 08:21 PM

Hey guys

I am a beginner and I am playing with a 2mm thick pick (which is pretty thick, right?). I would like to hear some about what the positive sides is what a thick pick and what thats negative, I wouldnt like to make a bad habit of playing with thick picks if they are no good.

Posted by: ZakkWylde May 25 2009, 08:27 PM

Personal preferance, nothing more nothing less...

Some like thick ppcks because they don't bend and therefore sound more direct, other like thin picks because you can achieve diffrent sounds from your picking attack. It's the same with pointy or non pointy picks...

Just try out as many as possible and play the one that suits you best there are no advantages or disadvantages

Posted by: Red May 25 2009, 08:28 PM

Everyone likes different picks, if 2 mm works for you then it's nothing to worry about.
But I suppose you could try out a lot of different picks to see which one that suits you the best

Posted by: Startear May 25 2009, 08:56 PM

I prefer 1 mm picks because they give good sound and they are flexible enough for chords

Posted by: bsamn May 25 2009, 09:23 PM

Hey,

I do not think that a pick contributes to the sound, just a matter of prefrence.

Like wearing boots, some like one kind others like another, but thats not the reason humans are able to walk

I hope i was clear and helpful.

Posted by: Darfuria May 25 2009, 09:51 PM

I use a 3mm stubby. Always have.

Posted by: Vasilije Vukmirovic May 25 2009, 10:03 PM

Good side is that it's easier to play fast and achieve speed, there are no bad sides, maybe...it cannot be used for some specific-sounding styles, sound is diff from light picks, which are more like...for acoustic guitar and that type of sound.

Posted by: Lian Gerbino May 25 2009, 10:12 PM

I use dumlop turtle 1.5 the white ones.

as many said before, it´s just preference.
in my case, I like a solid pick before a flexible one.
I get more control over every string, and I feel that they are better for fast riffes.

Posted by: Muris Varajic May 25 2009, 10:16 PM

Yeah, acoustic guitar, clean sounds and less overdriven sounds
can point out the difference in sound when using different picks.
However there is no perfect one (at least not for everyone)
so you would have to pick your own choice or choices.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic May 26 2009, 12:27 AM

Different thickness as different pick material produce different sounds. My advice - buy as many different picks on the store and try them all. Changing the pick is the cheapest and fastest way to change your tone.

Posted by: kjutte May 26 2009, 02:02 AM

I use 2mm too. Thicker pick means you need looser wrist when doing chords though.

Posted by: Santiago Diaz Garces May 26 2009, 05:08 AM

It depends only in what's more confortable to you. I met a guy that he used bass picks because he said they just suits better and felt more confortable with it. Just a matter of taste

Posted by: maharzan May 26 2009, 06:34 AM

I used to use 0.85mm and 1mm thick picks before. (I only had acoustic guitars before so used those picks for electric as well). I tried all sorts of picks and recently, I felt comfortable with small size picks rather than big ones. Just few days ago, I tried a Jazz pick, pretty thick and small. Interestingly, I felt it was more comfortable as it doesn't bend. Then, when I was trying to build my speed, I got another pick that had a pointed (almost) tip. I felt it was easier to achieve the speed with that pick and it doesn't get 'stuck' in between the strings.

Its all about whats comfortable to you. You have to use it and see for itself. Just like any guitars, amps, effects and (girls).. haha. Its all about taste!

Posted by: Pedja Simovic May 26 2009, 11:48 AM

I use right now 1.14mm FIRE STONE pick, its great and highly recommend it, especially if you are playing with distortion and want that treble sound and easy pinched harmonics

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic May 27 2009, 11:05 AM

It will also make chord tone sharp and louder.

Posted by: Marcus Siepen May 27 2009, 03:44 PM

There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing a 2mm pick, actually there is no wrong pick, whatever feels fine for you is fine. But you should be aware of the fact that a pick can have a serious influence on your sound, so maybe you should try differend picks, and I am not only talking about the thickness, also try different shapes or materials. Like this you can get an impression on how a pick can help to get "your" sound, and of course you will also see that certain picks might be easier to handle for you than others. Just play around a bit and when you feel you found the right pick for yourself then use it, no matter if the rest of the world might prefer a different model.

Posted by: leedbreak May 27 2009, 03:58 PM

I recently found me a new favorite pick. It is 1.5 and in similar to the jazz picks being kinda pointed but small.

It says cool on one side and heavy on the other. It also has the rough pads so they don't slip.

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic May 27 2009, 04:26 PM

Hmm for my bass playing I use 1-2mm picks

Posted by: Tuubsu May 27 2009, 04:26 PM

I use two different picks. Most of the time I use a 1.5mm gator grip, but I also have thin Joe Satriani sig picks, I don't really know how thick they are, but they are thinner.

If I use the 1.5 mm pick to strumm chords, I feel that I get too much attack and if I strumm more lightly, I drop the pick way too often. That's where the thinner picks enter the picture -> easier to strum chords and a better sound while doing it, atleast for me.

But in general I agree with the others, it's personal preference, I just wanted to tell this point that has affected my choices.