Norm2704 - Posted - 04/28/2012:  06:00:04

This might be a stupid question, but what's the life or length of time that your picks are useable??  How long should I expect them to last (thumb and brass finger picks)?

I know it's all depending on how much they're used, but generally when do you guys out there change them out for a new set??  Do you go through 3-4 plastic thumb picks before swapping out the brass finger picks??  Currently I'm using a Dunlop Tortoise thumb pick which already has a small flat spot worn at the point (only about 3 weeks old, and 2 brass Dunlop 0.225 finger picks which seem like they're rounded off somewhat (been using these for 4 months now.).

Norm.

SWCooper - Posted - 04/28/2012:  06:19:03

Wow! You must be picking the heck out of that thing to wear a flat spot on a thumb pick in three weeks.

I lose picks before I wear them out, but most of the picks I have are years and years old.

jbrookeiii - Posted - 04/28/2012:  06:58:00

Plastic thumb picks lose their band strength around your thumb before they wear out.  Finger picks last forever or until you lose them or get enamored with some sort of new material,cobalt for instance.

Either way, unless you are talking about the Blue Chip $40 pick, they are relatively inexpensive.  The worst thing for me when I lose one is getting that shape just right with the pliers on the new one.

copron - Posted - 04/28/2012:  07:04:35

I can run through plastic thumb picks pretty quick....but metal finger picks seem to get better the longer you play them.

Jason Wilkerson - Posted - 04/28/2012:  07:18:49

I still use the same set of nickel finger picks I was using 10 years ago.  The only thing that ever goes wrong with finger picks is if you accidentally step on one, or maybe lose it.  Plastic thumb picks last me until the picking portion gets worn down too short, which can take years.

DeanT - Posted - 04/28/2012:  07:33:41

I’ve been using my current picks for seven years, including the dunlop metal thumb pick. My National fingerpicks were found in a guitar case dating back to the 50’s, no telling how many years they picked before I got them. I put over three hours on them every day, sometimes lots more. I've tried plastic thumb picks, but they just don't work for me.

Edited by - DeanT on 04/28/2012 07:34:50

JedZeppelin - Posted - 04/28/2012:  07:55:47

quote:

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Originally posted by Norm2704

This might be a stupid question....

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They told me in boot camp that there are no stupid questions, just poorly timed ones. And that doesn't apply to your question at all. 

I used to use National plastic thumb picks, but wore the point off of them pretty quickly. Now I use a Shark Tooth thumb pick, and have been using the same one for at least 4  years. I did just replace it, not because the pick itself was worn out, but because the neoprene band that went around my thumb wore out. The new one's seem a big improvement over the old ones. I use brass fingerpicks, and again, have had them for four years. They don't appear to be showing any significant wear. If they do, or if I lose them, I have an identical set in stainless steel as a back up. 

You can see in the attached picture that there is a little wear on the thumb pick on the right. The one on the left is brand new, so you can see how little wear there has been. The brass fingerpicks see action every day and I can't detect any sort of wear. The steel ones have barely been used, and frankly I can't remember when I last put them on.

eagleisland - Posted - 04/28/2012:  08:07:01

The flat spot on your thumb pick is almost certainly the result of bouncing it off the head (the frosting is quite abrasive).

I have found that most plastic picks will last a good several months. Some, like the Fred Kelly slick picks, do seem to wear out a little faster.

Finger picks, properly used, can last for decades.

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 04/28/2012:  09:01:28

Those Dunlop Tortoise used to be my favorite picks. They are very comfortable, but the material seems to be rather soft and I used to wear my out fairly quickly - few weeks, if I remember right.

Roll Player - Posted - 04/28/2012:  11:38:46

I've been using my current favorite set for a couple of years. The fingerpicks are National NP1s. They're stainless steel and they don't wear out. The thumbpick is a large white Dunlop that I've reshaped in several ways for fit and sound. Every few months the point gets flattened out and I reshape it with emery boards. It has not weakened at the top of the band the way Nationals do, and I think I've already lengthened it at least once by heating it in hot water and bending it at the top. I can see myself getting at least another year of use out of it.

National white thumbpicks sound ok, but they loosen in their fit over a few weeks or months and eventually break at the top of the band. The points also seem to wear faster than other brands. Some time in the 90s, they changed the plastic to the junk they use now.

Culloden - Posted - 04/28/2012:  12:17:19

quote:

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Originally posted by DeanT

I’ve been using my current picks for seven years, including the dunlop metal thumb pick. My National fingerpicks were found in a guitar case dating back to the 50’s, no telling how many years they picked before I got them. I put over three hours on them every day, sometimes lots more. I've tried plastic thumb picks, but they just don't work for me.

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 I have been using one of my Dunlop metal thumbpicks for twenty-eight years. Some of my fingerpicks are older than that. I have the same issue as some others have mentioned with plastic thumbpicks, the loop loses elasticity and it won't stay in place. I don't use a plastic thumbpick on the banjo but I use one on dobro and guitar which should wear a pick out faster but I can't remember ever wearing one out.

OldTimeGal - Posted - 04/28/2012:  22:56:33

I've just recently made my own thumb pick out of black ivory wood, not sure how long it will last but so far so good - I'll report back in when it finally self-destructs...