When is it time to say goodbye to a pick

Gear
#1

Hey, y’all -

First post - be gentle!

This may seem like a silly question but I want to know when it is time to toss your pick? I’ll use them until they are worn down and then I use them some more!! Lol

I am wondering if this is actually detrimental and hindering my ability to move forward with better technique? It probably is…

I use Tortex Dunlop .73 - and know that it is recommended to use something more like a jazz III - I find those tough to use playing rhythm and smaller then I am comfortable holding - I like something with a little more give.

Can I still achieve admirable speed and keep this gauge of thickness?

I digress from my original question - here are a couple of photos of the pick I am using vs a new one - you can see the amount of wear over many months of practicing with it. In LIVE performances, I am using new picks, but at home…? When does frugality become a detriment?

IMG_3600
IMG_36001920×2560 168 KB

IMG_3601
IMG_36011920×2560 204 KB

1 Like
#2

Not sure about the effect of a worn pick on technique/playing ability, but I usually go for a new pick when I start to prefer the sound of a new pick over the worn one :slight_smile:

1 Like
#3

IMG_1065
IMG_10651920×1999 175 KB

One of them many reasons why I love Dava picks is they tell you when it’s been enough.

2 Likes
#4

Honestly depends on the playing style.

I normally use new picks solely for aggressive rhythms to wear them down.

Once they get some wear, I do more technical stuff with them. I try to rotate different picks to have them wear more or less evenly.

When they wear down so much that technical playing is noticeably not as accurate, I’ll use them for rhythms mostly, or by this point they get lost! Lol

#5

That’s amazing - had no idea this was a thing… I will check them out.
Thank you!

#6

If you wonder about this question, why not remove the concern? One of these picks is around $0.50, so it’s not too expensive to replace once its shape starts to change due to wear.

Doesn’t Paul Gilbert have a 0.5mm pick with flexible plastic? Fear not, I’m sure that your pick can go supersonic if necessary.

#7

Good call - and that is usually what happens. At some point, I just think “nah, you’re done”, and it hits the bin and I grab a new one.

I thought perhaps, there might be some mysterious rule of thumb to this decision - but from all of the responses I am getting here, it really is subjective to the user.

I also got a lot out of Troy Grady’s post on pick abrasion on this subject - it is providing me food for thought on moving to a 1.0 gauge in the future.

And Paul Gilbert? That guy could shred with a folded piece of paper!

#8

When they have a concave curve vs a convex one, is when I’d say it’s enough, as it will latch onto the string. The last thing you want is a pick that randomly gets stuck.

Good to note that most professionals will defult to the standerd produced gear, as you can use new gear and be used to it, vs getting used to worn stuff and being messed up when using unworn gear.

A worn guitar is different ofcouse as it’s not a throw away item, but picks are, along with many other sports gear, if you are used to the manufactured product you have little to worry using brand new gear.

1 Like
#9

This is a great point - new picks just feel a little different, especially versus a well-worn one, so if you’re gigging a lot I would default to not using picks for too long before switching out for an unused one.

2 Likes
#10

Thanks to someone’s post here about a year ago, I snagged 2 bags of Petrucci picks immediately. I play as much as I possibly can and I’m still on the first pick I pulled out of that bag.

1 Like
#11

It really depends on how it affects your tone, imo.

I also play bass, i use 0,75 pointy dunlops for it and i actually grind through a noticable part of the tip in one session. I use a pick maybe for a week.

On guitar on the other hand i play the same thick jazzIII for months and dont really notice a difference.

#12

Same plastic for both?

#13

My picks tend to leave me before I leave them.

No note, no explanation….often at the worst possible moments, too. Just poof

Rude.

1 Like
#14

I wish MINE would do that! But no… they gotta stick around and make me feel like “should I keep ‘em around?”
LOL

1 Like
#15

Sounds like when you have in-laws over.

They never know when its time to leave. :wink:

#16

I never throw picks away. I have a ridiculous amount of them laying around.
These days, I’m using the carbon fibre jazz iii and I find they don’t really ware down… I think I’ve been using the same one for a year or so.