jethrobodine - Posted - 03/24/2026:  17:12:23

There's no right or wrong here.



What finger picks do you use? And show us how you wear them.



Lets leave thumb picks out of this, as that's a whole nother can of worms.



I started, many years ago, with Ernie Ball Pickey Picks.  A lot of people kept telling me that is not what you pick a banjo with.  After trying a few different picks, I settled on National straight 7s.

Edited by - jethrobodine on 03/24/2026 19:02:53

 

RK-FenderPartsBanjo07 - Posted - 03/24/2026:  20:49:46

I just made some picks myself, and I wear them like this. I didn't do it by myself; I had some great advice given to me by people much older and wiser than I am. I couldn't have done it without them! The index pick is designed differently from the middle finger pick, so they hit more in-line with each other; they are both offset in opposite directions.

Edited by - RK-FenderPartsBanjo07 on 03/24/2026 20:50:24

Custom picks

 

rvrose - Posted - 03/24/2026:  22:32:54

Landis Studios Sterling silver picks.

 

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 03/25/2026:  04:55:17

One thing that I do with mine (Dunlop Brass .025) is something I learned from Butch Robins: I put the blade (wrapped in a wash cloth to prevent scratching) into a vice and flatten the blade out. For me it gives a much fuller tone. I need all the help I can get. then you can curve and/or twist it to your desire. 

Ken

Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 03/25/2026 04:56:28

BG Banjo - Posted - 04/07/2026:  12:04:21

Plain brass Nationals, NP2-B. I get along just fine with them. $13.99 a four pack. I bought some more expensive ones in the past, gimmicky ones, but I just kept going back. I finally decided that trying to buy the "better" pick was a game I couldn't win.

Dean T - Posted - 04/07/2026:  15:22:32

I ordered some stuff from Deering, and tacked on a set of Propik 3’s just to see if I liked them. Yes I do, and it’s all I’ve used since. I do bend a slight twist into them, to hit the strings square. 

Edited by - Dean T on 04/07/2026 15:23:26

Propik 3

Propik 3

cow_tools - Posted - 04/07/2026:  15:34:29

I used the regular dunlop picks for a couple years and despite reshaping them many times was never happy with how they fit. I also found them very uncomfortable after only 20 minutes of play. Later I went on to try angled propik 2's, which were a little more than I wanted to spend but immediately felt more comfortable to me due to the split wrap. Another huge bonus is the fact that they come pre-shaped, in the past when I misplaced my fingerpicks I felt as though I needed to relearn picking since the next pair out of the tube would feel wildly different. Since the propiks come pre-shaped and angled I can pull a new one from the pack and its identical to what I'm now used to.

slammer - Posted - 04/10/2026:  18:20:12

I was on a banjo hiatus for a while and I’m back to playing. Seems like I’m digging deep and hitting the head or my picks need adjusting. Looking into It, I ordered some Ernie Ball picky picks. I use a Fred Kelly Speed thumb pick which has a small contact area which has given me the best tone and volume, not to mention comfortable!!! Hoping the small contact area on the Ernie Balls gives me the same results!!!
BTW! I ordered some picks and stuff from Elderly. Great price and got a notice 25 minutes after ordering that it had been shipped.
Now that’s service!!!
Slammer!!!

Owen - Posted - 04/10/2026:  18:26:38

Saddle brand ...

RB-1 - Posted - 04/14/2026:  09:32:13

When I got started back in the early seventies, even in Amsterdam, getting picks was hard.

Yet, I managed to lay my hands on a set of Grovers

Within a year I discovered post war Nationals in a shop that packed in aout 10 years ago.  I stil have an almost pristine set giving a lovely tone and playability. The rest vanished in the mist of time.

Then came the period all you could get (over here) were Dunlops. I never managed to get the sound I had with the Nationals out of them (thinner, clangy).

When National came with the first re issues, I got some and was disappointed. Clangy, tinny sound.

Testing was dropping a pick on a stone worktop. The ones with the clearest 'ring' also produced the best banjo sound. The ones that did 'clack' ended as scrap metal.

Finally I discovered two types of picks that held themselves against my first Nationals, the Showcase 1941 and the Roy's Own.  1941's being the ones with an edge on the 'bassy' end, the Roy's being a bit brighter. Having thinned the herd to two working banjos, I played the brightest with 1941's and the one with the fattest 4th string with the Roy's. I liked the spoon shape of the 41's better than the flat Roy's

Fast forward to a few years ago, we were visited by a BHO member and his wife and we had a great day talking anything banjo and non-banjo. As a surprise, I received a set of picks that became available not too long before. These came eerily close to my vintage 70-ies Nationals (the same 'solid' feel), combining the best from the 1941's and the Roy's. Since these are not shipped individually outside the USA, it took a while finding an importer but since, I have  spare set now.

in the above pictures it is visible how I usually do the fitting to my fingers. 

I heard so many complaints about finger tips, cuticals hurting I better show you how I cured these complaints for myself.  It all boils down to acknowledging the finger tip is not a cilindrical shape but a conical one. 'Coiling' the 'wings' with a (smooth surfaced) set of mini pliers so the conical shape results keeps the edges from cutting into your fingers whil giving maximum contact surface:

RK-FenderPartsBanjo07 - Posted - 04/14/2026:  12:55:28

RB-1 I have also found that having the bands more wedge-shaped rather than parallel with each other provides a more comfortable fit! I have to make my index pick even more wedge-shaped than the middle finger pick.