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Author
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Topic: Anybody using a metal thumb pick?
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Chris LeDrew
Member From: Newfoundland, Canada
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posted 23 April 2006 10:41 AM
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I did a search but no past threads on this, it seems. I've been using one for a while now and really like the sound of all three picks being metal. It gives the low notes way more definition. The thumb pick is a Dunlop. (I use a National on my second finger, and a JF on my first finger.)Anybody? |
Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 23 April 2006 10:51 AM
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Tried 'em, don't like 'em. They tend to get "scratchy", and make noise. They also don't stay on as well as a plastic pick...not enough "spring". As far as the sound goes, a thin plastic thumbpick with a decent point makes a nice bright sound.If you like 'em, that's fine! However, you won't have much luck getting others to change. Probably over 99% of the players I've seen use and prefer the plastic ones. |
Pat Kelly
Member From: Wentworthville, New South Wales, Australia
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posted 23 April 2006 12:21 PM
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None of the books I've seen recommend them but I use one. Kept breaking the plastic ones across the top where I filed them down to make them more flexible. One day found myself with only the steel one left and used it ever since. Then again maybe I gotta get out more! |
Chris Erbacher
Member From: Sausalito, California, USA
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posted 23 April 2006 12:30 PM
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i use one. i can't use a plastic one because in order to get it to stay on my finger, i have to use one so tight that it cuts the circulation off. i also like the stiffness of the metal thumbpick, i don't like the springiness of the plastic, sort of like the same reason why i like to use a really stiff pick with guitar. hope this helps, peace |
Pat Kelly
Member From: Wentworthville, New South Wales, Australia
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posted 23 April 2006 12:41 PM
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quote:
i can't use a plastic one because in order to get it to stay on my finger, i have to use one so tight that it cuts the circulation off
Darn thumb picks point the wrong way when I put 'em on my fingers.  |
Calvin Walley
Member From: colorado city colorado, USA
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posted 23 April 2006 01:11 PM
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i'm with Donny on this one , i tried one as he said it was to scratchy ------------------
Mullen SD-10 |
Chris LeDrew
Member From: Newfoundland, Canada
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posted 23 April 2006 02:13 PM
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I found the same thing as Chris E. with the plastic thumb picks....they either cut off my circulation or fell off too easily. The metal thumb pick can be manipulated like the metal finger picks, so it's nice and snug. It never falls off. I find it's only scratchy if you are searching for a bass note by feeling with your thumb.........if you hit the string dead on, the note is strong and clear.[This message was edited by Chris LeDrew on 23 April 2006 at 02:15 PM.] |
A. J. Schobert
Member From: Cincinnati OHIO WHO DEY???
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posted 23 April 2006 02:43 PM
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I don't use a metal thumb pick chris I really don't like the tone they give thats not to say it would't work, I prefer a large national thumb pick but on my own I found some time ago if I would take a medium national thumb pick and wrap it around another medium national thumb pick and let it sit for a couple of days, thus opening the pick a little more, this seems to work for me. |
Damien Odell
Member From: Springwood, New South Wales, Australia
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posted 23 April 2006 05:30 PM
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I use a metal thumb pick. I starterd out using plastic ones, but for whatever reason the metal one suits me best....which reminds me I only have the one which I stepped on at a gig last night....time to buy some more. I don't find that it makes extra niose, I like the feel of it and the sharper and more direct sound I get with it.
Damien |
Chris LeDrew
Member From: Newfoundland, Canada
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posted 23 April 2006 06:16 PM
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That makes three of us.......any more? |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 23 April 2006 06:52 PM
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Before I played steel, I played folk and blues guitar and Dobro with a metal thumb pick and three metal finger picks. When I started playing steel, I just kept using those same picks. Never found any reason to switch. |
Emmett Roch
Member From: Dripping Springs, Texas
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posted 23 April 2006 07:02 PM
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I always used Dunlop metal thumbpicks on my dobro, but I started using them on pedal steel a little over a year ago. They seem to stay on my thumb better without having to fit so tightly, and I like the tone. |
Chris LeDrew
Member From: Newfoundland, Canada
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posted 23 April 2006 07:29 PM
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That's six and counting........(I said three in the last post, but it was actually four.) |
Bob Watson
Member From: Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
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posted 23 April 2006 08:05 PM
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My friend Dave Easley (Check out his playing with the band 3NOW4 in the forum cd's and tapes section) has been using metal thumbpicks for probably 20+ years. As stated earlier in this thread, he likes having the thumbpick sound like the fingerpicks for a more uniform sound. [This message was edited by Bob Watson on 23 April 2006 at 08:07 PM.] |
Charles Davidson
Member From: Alabama, USA
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posted 24 April 2006 12:02 AM
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I started using a metal thumb pick just to see what would happen about three months ago.Wish I would have tryed it about fifteen years ago,I have maybe a dozen different thumbpicks in my stool I've tryed over the years,this is the one I've been searching for all these years.I wrapped a small stripe of duct tape around the area that touches the thumb,more comfortable and will not slip off.I play mostly C6th and get a lot clearer tone out of my bass strings than I ever did with a plastic pick. |
Charles Davidson
Member From: Alabama, USA
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posted 24 April 2006 12:06 AM
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P.S. I also started using a third finger pick,a little awkward at first,but now can't do without it. |
Larry Chung
Member From: San Francisco, CA, USA
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posted 24 April 2006 07:10 AM
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Hey Chris:Count me in, too. I've used a metal thumbpick for years now, much to the surprise of many of my fellow pickers. Started that way on 5-string banjo - I liked the comfort and fit, also couldn't stand the wear and tear on plastic picks after playing hard. The tone on banjo is unique, too, more crisp and snappy. I guess I just got used to that feel and sound when I started playing steel. Ironically, I use a soft plastic thumbpick for playing Atkins-style guitar, which I've been doing lately, and because I don't have to pick very hard to get good tone. Go figure... ZBest,
LC |
Pat Kelly
Member From: Wentworthville, New South Wales, Australia
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posted 24 April 2006 08:59 AM
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Well, well, well. This is turning into a real eye opener. Sounds like its safe outside of the closet.  |
Gary Morrison
Member From: Centennial, CO, USA
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posted 24 April 2006 09:24 AM
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I've been using a metal thumbpick for over 30 years. I've tried plastic and don't like them. I prefer the tone a metal pick gives. The only bad part about it is trying to find where to buy the ones you want. Over the years, the oil and sweat in my thumb has caused the inside of the pick to rust out. I'm always looking for another metal thumbpick. It's hard to find the right one with just the right fit. I remember going to the Dallas convention a few years back, and trying to find a metal thumbpick from the vendors there. They all thought I was nuts! I even paid Scotty $3.00, and he said he would ship me a few. He later emailed and said he could not get them. Anyone have a source with a variety of metal thumbpicks to choose from? |
Michael Johnstone
Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA
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posted 24 April 2006 09:46 AM
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After decades of using standard blue Hercos,I've been using metal thumbpicks for a little over a year now and don't plan to go back. Plastic ones are always comfortable but too loose to be accurate or snug enough to be accurate but too tight to be comfortable.Then if you get a happy medium,it only lasts a while before they get "sprung". I tried a few different metal ones but the Propik steel thumbpicks do it for me. Propik also makes a sort of hybrid one where the blade is nylon but on those,the metal part doesn't hold it's shape as well as the all metal ones. I don't percieve any scratchyness - only accuracy and comfort. Unlike plastic ones,they don't move around on my thumb at all - they are completely immobile yet with no circulation issues and they never wear out.I can use backstrokes and even surf guitar/mandolin-style up/down tremolo picking with total impunity. All metal Propiks...try one - you'll get used to it right quick.
-MJ- |
Gene Jones
Member From: Oklahoma City, OK USA
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posted 24 April 2006 10:02 AM
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My first transition from a standard guitar to a Hawaiian guitar was with a kit that included a steel nut, a flat bar, two metal finger picks, and a metal thumb pick. That was in the middle 1940's. I used that metal thumb pick until I quit playing in 1970, which was about 25 years. When I began playing again in 1984, I started using a plastic thumb pick because I thought it sounded better on the E9 neck. I also found that it was kinder to my thumb than the metal pick.
www.genejones.com |
David Wren
Member From: Placerville, California, USA
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posted 24 April 2006 10:42 AM
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My preference:
Dobro - all metal picks (3);
PSG - all plastic picks (4).------------------
Dave Wren
'96 Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 24 April 2006 01:53 PM
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Gary, you can order metal thumb picks on line or from the catalog at Elderly Instruments. The one I use is Dunlop. The sides are folded over so it is not scratchy: http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/PK4.htm |
Chris LeDrew
Member From: Newfoundland, Canada
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posted 24 April 2006 02:48 PM
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Thast's 11 and counting..........not bad. I use the Dunlops, like David D. They're great. Can't use their fingerpicks, but the thumb pick is excellent. |
Colby Tipton
Member From: Texas, USA
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posted 24 April 2006 06:25 PM
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Blue Herco |
Chris LeDrew
Member From: Newfoundland, Canada
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posted 24 April 2006 07:31 PM
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Isn't that a plastic pick, Colby? |
Gareth Carthew
Member From: West Sussex, UK
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posted 25 April 2006 01:11 PM
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I'm undecided.
I've only been playing steel for a few months now.
I've use a metal thumb pick for Dobro and a plastic thumb pick for bluegrass banjo for years. At the moment I'm using a plastic pick for steel but I swap now and then. I haven't really settled on one or the other yet. |
Jon Light
Member From: Brooklyn, NY
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posted 25 April 2006 01:38 PM
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I decided to give my metal Propik another try--first go-round I just couldn't get a good fit but this time I shaped it a little more carefully. I'm not sure yet but this time I'm liking it more than the last. I'll definitely give it more of a shot.
I DO NOT like the Dunlop metals. |
Don Barnhardt
Member From: North Carolina, USA
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posted 26 April 2006 07:49 PM
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Just another plug for the Propik. You have to shape them to your thumb but once they fit they don't slip,they're comfortable and they don't scratch. I use them on my electric steels, dobro and banjo. Best pick I've ever used. |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 05 May 2006 08:10 AM
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We at "Steel Guitar Nashville" , stock the metal thumb pick, I can't believe how many we sell, HUNDREDS!
So---------> Someone out there is likeing them , and a lot! One thing sure, when you size them to your thumb, they stay where you put them, and they don't wear out.
AND, the tone they deliver matches the metal fingerpicks. Do I use one? Naw, but who cares! Ha! Bobbe[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 05 May 2006 at 08:11 AM.] |
Doug Seymour
Member From: Jamestown NY USA
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posted 05 May 2006 09:19 AM
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I used one from 1947 til 1970~ when I backed over it with my car @ Greg Cutshaw's folk's house. Never could get it back in the right shape after that. Used a real short shank on it & was surprised years later when I read in Joe Wright's book that he cut down the shank on his thumb picks.[This message was edited by Doug Seymour on 05 May 2006 at 09:20 AM.] |
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