I don't think I've done any comparison.   In any event, the material my picks are made from is so far down my list of things to think about it'll never see the light of day. 

LOLOL... Good answer!

The only picks I've ever used that were noticeably better than others were cobalt coated picks;' much smoother and faster than any others, at least IMHO. I've had the same set of Bob Perry cobalt picks for well over twenty years now. An absolute miracle that I haven't lost them in all this time, although I've had many episodes of combing through grass to find them. So far, they're still with me!

Brass does have a softer sound. It’s a softer metal than nickel silver which is softer than stainless. Stainless has a crisp attack it seems. Very bright. Brass seems more mellow .. to me . Best of luck !

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Originally posted by Beowoulf

You might remember that I was complaining that my banjo sound seemed too "strangled" to me when I played closer to the bridge. 

Not addressing pick material but:

If your banjo sounds "strangled" it could be a sign that your bridge (if it is adjustable) is set too tight. A good starting point is to have the bridge parallel to the banjo head when using a 5/8" bridge. If the bridge is cranked downward so it angles toward the bottom if the bridge the sound can choked. 

Another area of improvement to consider is the bridge itself. Each bridge will generally have its own sound and is a bit different from the rest. Maybe time to experiment with bridges. Also make sure your banjo head is tight enough. 

Beowoulf,

"Do you find a noticeable difference between the two metals?" The answer to that question is "yes". The reason is that neither of those metals is German Silver.

The old National finger picks that were coveted by all of our departed heroes were made from German Silver, which is an alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc. The National brand is now part of D’Addario, and they still offer National finger picks that are made from German Silver. The D’Addario model number is NP-2 NS. In my opinion, they're every bit as good as the old National picks, and they're inexpensive.

In one respect, the new Nationals are better than the old ones. When the old ones were manufactured, no effort was made to deburr or polish the picks before they were offered for sale. When the dies that were used to make them became dull, the edges of the pick blades and bands would have sharp burrs. The new, NP-2 picks are deburred and polished.

NP-2 NS National Finger Picks

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Originally posted by Pick-A-Lick

quote:

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Originally posted by Beowoulf

You might remember that I was complaining that my banjo sound seemed too "strangled" to me when I played closer to the bridge. 

Not addressing pick material but:

If your banjo sounds "strangled" it could be a sign that your bridge (if it is adjustable) is set too tight. A good starting point is to have the bridge parallel to the banjo head when using a 5/8" bridge. If the bridge is cranked downward so it angles toward the bottom if the bridge the sound can choked. 

Another area of improvement to consider is the bridge itself. Each bridge will generally have its own sound and is a bit different from the rest. Maybe time to experiment with bridges. Also make sure your banjo head is tight enough. 

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Did you, by any chance write 'bridge' where you actually meant 'tailpiece'? Because that would make sense in this description.

About brass vs. stainless steel, I'd say 'neither'. One is too dull, the other too sharp. You can't put anything in the sound that is't in the banjo to begin with. A quality bridge with a 1/8 ebony top, a Presto tailpiece with the feet 5/16 (half the bridge height) from the top frosted Remo head, tap tuned at G#, a tone ring that isn't binding on the rim and a fretboard that clears the tension hoop as a starting point

Since playing with 70-ies Nationals I've been trying many picks that could replace them.  Dunlops were flat out disappointing and so were all new Nationals. The first that came close were ProPicks, but I didn't like the multitude of small holes, the feel never was ok for me. Then I stumbled on the Showcase 1941 and Roy's Own that both came close enough so I used them for years.

A few years back I got a present, containing a set of Dotson 8s. Those are the only ones I'm using now.

I'm cherishing my last set of Nationals, but (to me) the Dotsons are right up there with them.

I'm certain there must be other picks, delivering the same quality sound, but I don't feel the need looking for them now....