I've enjoyed reading the thread on finger picks. What about your thumb picks? Plastic or steel? I've always used plastic because that's what I was given with my first banjo (1971`) Never thought much about changing but I'd like to find out what you folks have / use.
I like ProPik thumbpicks. They have a metal band and a proprietary "plastic"-type blade. Best of both worlds, metal for the thumb fit and polymer for the tone.
The "original" uses Delrin for the blade, the new "Supertone" style is, I guess, their answer to the Blue Chip.
I can only use Blue Chip but they’re expensive and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them unless you were dissatisfied with the cheaper choices. Comfort is usually the first priority, followed by tone, ease of use etc.
I've settled on the Dunlop Ultex Large. I tried to like the metal band thumbpicks but I just could never get used to the feel. Here's a thumbpick comparison I did a few months back.
I'm going to be the odd one here. For some reason I never have been able to play the banjo with a plastic thumb pick even though I use them on guitar and lap steel. When I got my first set of picks more than 50 years ago they came with a metal thumb pick. I didn't know that you could use a thumb pick that didn't match so I learned with one. When I tried using a plastic thumb pick with the metal finger picks the sound didn't balance. I used a metal Dunlop for years. For the last decade or so I have used a Dr. Sherpa metal pick in .015 gauge and I really like it.
I like ProPik thumbpicks. They have a metal band and a proprietary "plastic"-type blade. Best of both worlds, metal for the thumb fit and polymer for the tone.
The "original" uses Delrin for the blade, the new "Supertone" style is, I guess, their answer to the Blue Chip.
I like this pick too; similar in feel to a blue chip, which does sound a bit better to me, but the propik metal band is much more comfortable on my thumb
I use a blue chip with a JD Crowe blade (shorter than normal blade). But in view of its price and reports that sizes may vary, I waited until I got an opportunity to check several and choose the one that fits best. I like it a lot. I put a silicon shrink tube over the metal band which makes the loop stick better to my skin than bare metal would if the skin gets a little moist.
I use a blue chip with a JD Crowe blade (shorter than normal blade). But in view of its price and reports that sizes may vary, I waited until I got an opportunity to check several and choose the one that fits best. I like it a lot. I put a silicon shrink tube over the metal band which makes the loop stick better to my skin than bare metal would if the skin gets a little moist.
I had though about doing that Phillip.
What size worked, and got a pic of the finished pick?
I'm thinking it might have required trimming afterwards, but I really like my JD, just not that metal feel.
I use a blue chip with a JD Crowe blade (shorter than normal blade). But in view of its price and reports that sizes may vary, I waited until I got an opportunity to check several and choose the one that fits best. I like it a lot. I put a silicon shrink tube over the metal band which makes the loop stick better to my skin than bare metal would if the skin gets a little moist.
I had though about doing that Phillip.
What size worked, and got a pic of the finished pick?
I'm thinking it might have required trimming afterwards, but I really like my JD, just not that metal feel.
Hard to make a good photo with my phone in this light but I think you can see the result. I think those were 16mm shrink tubes. I bought a whole pack of like a few hundred pieces of various sizes. But it cost less than any of the picks on the photo. The fingerpicks are Sammy Shelor picks, I also like them a lot.
To me the shrink tubes feel better and more "secure" than either metal or plastic which would also sometimes slip a little on my thumb when I was a little sweaty.
I use a blue chip with a JD Crowe blade (shorter than normal blade). But in view of its price and reports that sizes may vary, I waited until I got an opportunity to check several and choose the one that fits best. I like it a lot. I put a silicon shrink tube over the metal band which makes the loop stick better to my skin than bare metal would if the skin gets a little moist.
I had though about doing that Phillip.
What size worked, and got a pic of the finished pick?
I'm thinking it might have required trimming afterwards, but I really like my JD, just not that metal feel.
Hard to make a good photo with my phone in this light but I think you can see the result. I think those were 16mm shrink tubes. I bought a whole pack of like a few hundred pieces of various sizes. But it cost less than any of the picks on the photo. The fingerpicks are Sammy Shelor picks, I also like them a lot.
To me the shrink tubes feel better and more "secure" than either metal or plastic which would also sometimes slip a little on my thumb when I was a little sweaty.
Thanks Phillip!
Coincidence, but I prefer the fit of the Shelors also, both 8mm and 10mm bands, and keep going back to them despite liking the ability to 'feel the strings' a bit better with the Dotson 8's and 1941's.
The polish of the Shelors really produce a good loud clear tone and much less pick noise for me...and of course they're harder/thicker. They're hard to get bent with more curve, but it seems you conquered that with yours! (tips appreciated on that...)
Coincidence, but I prefer the fit of the Shelors also, both 8mm and 10mm bands, and keep going back to them despite liking the ability to 'feel the strings' a bit better with the Dotson 8's and 1941's.
The polish of the Shelors really produce a good loud clear tone and much less pick noise for me...and of course they're harder/thicker. They're hard to get bent with more curve, but it seems you conquered that with yours! (tips appreciated on that...)
I would like the Shelors (I have the wide band version because I had to decide on one and didn't really understand the difference) even better if the blades were just a tad shorter. The way I bend them the tip is a little behind of where my fingernails would end. The Dunlops I used before have shorter blades which means that I am used to have the point of release closer to my fingernails. But I think I have already got used to the Shelors. I also wanted stainless steel fingerpicks because of the nickel oxide blackening on my fingers after each jam session. I'm not allergic to nickel but I have had anaphylaxes for unknown reasons three times in my life and if I can avoid the nickel and the stains... As you say, the Shelors (like the blue chip) cause very little pick noise and I don't think their edges will ever become scratchy like my Dunlops's did. Indeed bending the Shelors was rather difficult because they are so sturdy. I didn't use any tools and wouldn't recommend doing so out of fear to scratch them. I used just my fingers and pressed them against my desk. It took a couple of iterations to get them bent enough. In any case I don't think I will want to try a different set of picks in many years.
Coincidence, but I prefer the fit of the Shelors also, both 8mm and 10mm bands, and keep going back to them despite liking the ability to 'feel the strings' a bit better with the Dotson 8's and 1941's.
The polish of the Shelors really produce a good loud clear tone and much less pick noise for me...and of course they're harder/thicker. They're hard to get bent with more curve, but it seems you conquered that with yours! (tips appreciated on that...)
I would like the Shelors (I have the wide band version because I had to decide on one and didn't really understand the difference) even better if the blades were just a tad shorter. The way I bend them the tip is a little behind of where my fingernails would end. The Dunlops I used before have shorter blades which means that I am used to have the point of release closer to my fingernails. But I think I have already got used to the Shelors. I also wanted stainless steel fingerpicks because of the nickel oxide blackening on my fingers after each jam session. I'm not allergic to nickel but I have had anaphylaxes for unknown reasons three times in my life and if I can avoid the nickel and the stains... As you say, the Shelors (like the blue chip) cause very little pick noise and I don't think their edges will ever become scratchy like my Dunlops's did. Indeed bending the Shelors was rather difficult because they are so sturdy. I didn't use any tools and wouldn't recommend doing so out of fear to scratch them. I used just my fingers and pressed them against my desk. It took a couple of iterations to get them bent enough. In any case I don't think I will want to try a different set of picks in many years.
The 8mm bands would let you bring the Shelors up by 2mm, not a lot I know, but brings the tips of the picks closer to your fingernails.
They were hard to find last year when I was looking for them.
Have not tried many thumb picks, tried the Blue Chip (and I am fan of BC), but I found a D'Addario National in a case and it just works the best for me. After watching the video by Banjo1930, it confirmed that the National had the fit and tone I was looking for so I stopped looking.
When I switched to Scruggs style, I had an all metal pick (don't remember the brand). Not a good sound. A friend (and awesome picker) used ProPiks, so I switched over and that worked very well for me. After awhile I tried a few others, like a Kelley speedpick (worked OK, but had trouble with consistent dynamics) and an angled Zookie pick. I inherited my grandpa's "carpenters thumb", so my thumb bends a lot more than most. The 20 degree Zookie puts the pick more parallel to the string...I probably should try 30 degree. But my go to is the ProPik...the metal band provides a good fit and I like the delrin blade.
I'm a Blue Chip convert. When I saw one for the first time, my reaction was "why didn't I think of that". But of course, the best ideas are always obvious in retrospect.
