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Guitar Pick Question

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(@crazyshredderman)
New Member
Joined: 10 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

A buddy of mine heard about this new type of pick called Pykmax. Supposedly it's supposed to be much better than a regular pick. I asked my instructor and he had not heard about it. I saw the website - but I really wanna get feedback from someone that tried it. Please let me know if you know anything about it. I really want one - but wanna make sure I'm not throwing away my money.

Thanks.

Manny


   
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(@steves6)
Trusted Member
Joined: 12 years ago
Posts: 52
 

So how much cudda pick cost?

Just cuz sombody else likes em, Dont mean You will...

Just cuz sombody else hates em, Don't mean You would not luv em...

Only way to know is buy it and try for Yourself

Best of luck


   
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(@noteboat)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4921
 

How much? Looks like twelve bucks a pick.

About ten years ago I saw a pick at a trade show that had a similar profile. I thought it was a pretty cool idea, and I picked up a few. I threw them out a week later.

The problem was the pick was curved (as this one is) to partially wrap around your thumb. That solves the comfort and grip problem, absolutely. But it creates a new one: the point of the pick was in a different place in relation to my picking hand. And since that's the business end of the pick, and I'd been playing for about 30 years at that point - I was always a bit off in where my pick was!

Maybe you've seen videos of Wes Montgomery - a famous jazz guitarist who picked only downstrokes, and only using his thumb. When he started getting known, someone told him he'd be able to play faster if he used a pick, because he'd get notes on the upstrokes too. So he tried it for a month. After a month, his pick speed was still well behind his old thumb speed, so he switched back to using just his thumb... only to discover that he'd lost a step, since he hadn't played that way in a month. He resolved to never change his style again.

After a solid week of trying to adapt to the curved pick, I realized I was doing the Wes Montgomery thing, and out went the picks.

Your mileage may vary, of course. If you're a beginner, you could probably adapt to this style of pick very quickly compared to us old dogs. But you might set yourself up for the opposite problem: what if they go out of business in the future? What if you break your last pick and have a gig tonight? You'll be stuck on the opposite end of the problem - can you adapt to the ubiquitous flat pick if you need to?

I personally try all sorts of picks, because they all sound a little different. I just emptied my pocket, and today I have 14 different picks with me... all different gauges and materials. But they're all flat, and after my curved pick experimentation they always will be.

My advice: try it if you want. But whatever you try, if you find a shape that works for you, stick with it. There are plenty of easy variables you can adjust to get the sound. The relationship between your hand and the point of the pick is something you can't easily adjust to on the fly.

Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL


   
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(@notes_norton)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1497
 

I use nothing by Fender Medium white colored picks.

Being predominantly a sax/flute/wind synth player who doubles on guitar, I'm not experienced enough to know the gentle nuances of different picks.

So I pick Fender Medium because they are very consistent. They all feel the same and familiar to my hand. Plus they are very easy to find. Almost every music store has them.

Why white? Not because they sound different, but because of the color. Most stages that I play on are dark colored. I suppose it is so they don't show the scuff marks from band gear so much, or in the case of carpets, stains left behind by amps, drums, etc.

If I drop a pick on the dark floor, it's really easy to see where it fell, so I can retrieve it later. I don't drop them that often but when I do, they are obvious.

I bought a pick with a gripper surface once, didn't like it. A friend of mine invented a wire pick, a plastic pick with a wire end. I didn't like the sound and even if I did, wondered if it could damage anything.

So for me, Fender Medium Whites are my choice.

Actually, I have fantasies about playing with my hand ala Jeff Beck. But like the Wes Montgomery story, I'd have to take a few steps back and then put a lot of time into it, and after all that, I might not like it.

But time is the big problem. Between making new styles for Band-in-a-Box, running that business, the never-ending finding work for the duo, steady gigging of the duo, and typing too much on the Internet, there isn't a lot of time left in the day.

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Add-on Styles for Band-in-a-Box and Microsoft SongSmith

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<


   
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(@crazyshredderman)
New Member
Joined: 10 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

Quick update. I got a chance to try one yesterday - albeit briefly. I really like it. Anyway - I ordered one from Amazon. Thanks guys for your help.

Cheers.


   
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(@notes_norton)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1497
 

Glad it works for you. It's nice to have a good tool that fits you.

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Add-on Styles for Band-in-a-Box and Microsoft SongSmith

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<


   
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(@rocket-dog)
Reputable Member
Joined: 13 years ago
Posts: 296
 

It looks interesting. I'm not sure I would want to spend that much though, I would still lose them.


   
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