Official Luthiers Forum!

So while surfing the Luthiers section of ebay, I again came across these wood picks and was wondering, wouldn't these really get torn up on a steel string guitar? How would they effect the tone of the guitar? What do the pros here at the OLF think?

Wood Picks

Disclaimer: *not a "pro"*

I'd think that the ebony one at least would wear OK. What I think of when
I look at them is man they're HUGE (at least in terms of thickness). I like a
small amount of flex in the plastic picks I normally use. It also looks like
the string would "slide" off that blunt end instead of sort of "falling" off
the thin end of a plastic pick...I'd think you'd get much less volume.

All that said, for $7 I might be caught giving 'em a try.

I don't think they would work very well myself. Maybe a bass guitar?

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Man-O-man, you might as well be wearing boxing gloves while you play. I think those would be aweful to play with. I wouldn't try them, and at $10 bucks for shipping, they certainly aren't worth $17 bucks!

Cheers,

John

That sucks, they are pretty crappy, I mean there is no reason for them to be that thick, even structurally they would hold up at 1/3 that thickness.
Cheers
Charliewood

so I'm not a pro either, however I have experimented with ebony picks on the mandolin and have had interesting experiences. I think they are entirely too thick and stiff for guitar, except for maybe bass guitar. They produce an interesting tone, one you couldn't get from a plastic pick. And in my experimentation I have thinned the points, made them pointier and also rounder and tried just about everything, you can really hone them to get the kind of sound you want. I would suggest using some scrap hardwood (like old ebony headplate material or rosewood side cutoffs) and trying it out for yourself. It makes a decent afternoons fiddling and can be done in a physics lecture with a small file! Try it and see for yourself, but I wouldn't ever buy one. Just make it yourself. It's pretty easy.

Not for me either! Nothing like good tortoise picks!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Actually, some Jazz players, playing mostly lead and always plugged-in, will use picks this heavy or heavier. It can be part of their tone. And since they're playing lead, and play with a light touch, they can last a good while.

Definately NOT for the strum-strum player..., but don't knock whatcha don't understand.

That's true. I've met some gypsy guitar guys who use those massive picks.

Maybe they were meant to be used like this......http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item =7413108137&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1
                          RedRed Ennis38844.5341087963

[QUOTE=Mario] but don't knock whatcha don't understand.[/QUOTE]

Excellent advice.
If a person only learns one thing in his life, I say this should be it! The world would be a better place for it.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

While making a heel cap out of Rwd for the guitar I'm working on, I messed up. Instead, I decided to turn it into a pick. I measured it, and it was approx .049" thick. Close to the Herco Flex 50's I like to use. Not real fancy like the ones above, as I was just experimenting. The results however, were not that exciting. It produced more of a muted tone w/o much character, & it took away all the sparkle that my nylon picks yield. It looked nice, but that was about it!