OM strumming - thin or med pick

[paralentor]

Just wanted to know when other OM'ers strum which they prefer.  I ask cause I had always used medium picks
with the dread but found a couple of thins lying around and tried them and am starting to think it's a better fit.
Not to sound like a beer commercial or anything but I find it brings out a richer more understated quality and
is less filling.

[Steve]

Well I don't strum much anymore but I have more of those yellow Tortex .73mm picks around then any other size.  So I guess that is my favorite.  That's about a medium or light medium, something like that.

'Hey you got a pick I can borrow....no not the blue one I need a yellow one'. 

Yep it's the yellow size for me.  I'm so into fingerstyle with a thumb pick now all I use is a Zookie. (where did they get that name?)

[Tycho]

I think thin picks give you a cleaner and richer sound for pure strumming; there's something clunky about mediums. 

If I'm doing straight strumming with no picking, I'll always use a thin, but I'll switch to a medium if I'm going to be doing  any flat-picking or bass runs.

Fender used to make a "thin medium" pick which would would have been perfect for those songs where you do a bit of both, but I haven't seen that width in a while.

[ducktrapper]

Hmmm. Generally speaking, it seems that the longer you play the thicker the pick you choose. My light pick is now a 1 mm Dunlop. Thin picks just make too much extraneous noise.

[stuco]

 

I've got a .75 pick and that seems to thin for me.  I generally use only heavy or extra heavy picks.  I won't even try a thin pick.  They give way to much.

[Hoser Rob]

If you like a thinner pick, use it ... there ain't no shame in it.  As long as it isn't one of those ultra light ones that kill all your dynamics and control, anyway.  Sometimes I think it's a bit of a guy thing with picks.

Beyond tone preference, it really depends on the guitar, the string gauge, and playing style.  For a lot of single note stuff I find heavies are better but not for fast strumming.  I actually prefer a medium for feel but my flattop sounds better with a medium light or light, depending on the humidity.

[ducktrapper]

Oh there's shame alright. In the circles I travel in anyway, if someone asks to borrow a pick and you hand them a thinnie, you'll definitely feel the stare. They might even guffaw a bit.   

[JohnM2001]

Oh there's shame alright. In the circles I travel in anyway, if someone asks to borrow a pick and you hand them a thinnie, you'll definitely feel the stare. They might even guffaw a bit.   

They sound like grassers?? I can only imagine what they think when they see a Larrivee in your case ^_^

[Teddeo1000]

 I agree with what Tycho said! If I am strumming only, it's with a thin pic. Teddeo1000

[ducktrapper]

Grassers? No just GASsers! I'm in Canada, lots of cases contain Larrivées and il y n'a pas des guffaws. 

[LittleBrother]

I like those dunlop yellow picks as a starting point. They are stiff and warm enough not to sound clicky and trebly but stiff enough to have some power when I bear down and dont flop and bend too much. I think they are 0.060" thickness and labeled that way. I also use the Tortis pick by Red Bear trading which is stiffer with a brighter tone when I want to pick fast and have a ton of exact control. I'd always advise experimenting and owning a little bowl full of various kinds. I like cheap plastic mediums too in the tear drop shape but they rarely last more than an hour or two.

[Tycho]

My view is, different tools for different applications.  When I'm doing nothing but strumming chords, I find that thin picks give the sound a sort of smooth, wash-y effect (for want of a better term).  A heavier pick adds clunkiness to the sound.   However, if I expect to be doing any single notes, I'll reach for at least a  medium. 

For what it's worth (and not that it proves anything), I started doing this on the recommendation of my teacher.  Before that, I took a one-size-fits-all approach to picks.  I remember asking him what thickness of pick I should use.  He said, "It depends on what you're doing."

[paralentor]

"I'd always advise experimenting and owning a little bowl full of various kinds"

Oh you said it man

[flaggerphil]

I've always used thin picks for strumming (been using Fender thins since the mid '60s)...just like the sound better.

[charlies3]

It's all about the sound that YOU'RE looking for.   Who cares what someone else uses.   You might need three different picks for 3 different songs.

[Tycho]

When you need three different picks for one song, then you know you're in trouble.   :WNK>

[ronmac]

Believe it or not, there are times when I do want different pick guages for the same set of songs (reels, laments, jigs, etc.) that require changes in tone and feel. Here's what I use:



4 different guages in one pick!

[Tycho]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen that.  Where do you get them?

I can see that different pick guages would make a lot of sense when you're playing those Celtic medleys.

[ronmac]

I got mine as a promo from the inventor who lives in Hamilton, ON. He has patented the design but I can't seem to find him on a net search. He had a website but he may be falling into that big pit where all inventors with great ideas but no cash go.

They are listed for sale at: http://www.pickfactory.com/ (Norway) Perhaps they have contact info for him.

[Tycho]

Hmm, if he's in Hamilton, I would have thought he could get someone in TO to stock his product, if only on consignment.  L&M often does that with new accessories.