When I grip my pick I tend to choke down quite a bit and pick with just the tip exposed. I usually end up with only a portion of my grip on the holes drilled in the Wegen bluegrass picks, and sometimes the pick slips. I was thinking I might drill two or three more holes in it, but I’m wondering if it will weaken the pick too much. Anyone else try this?
Wegen Pick Holes
I haven’t tried it, so I know absolutely nothing about it. Now that you know what my opinion is worth… I say you’d likely be fine if you do it within reason. The fact that there is so little pick exposed with your grip should mitigate any problems with increased flex or breakage. Mine (the bluegrass model) have five columns of holes. I would try punching two holes in the same spacing with columns 2 and 4. If that wasn’t enough, try adding one more in line with the middle column (I drew a pretty picture below). To my eye, it looks like there would still be enough meat around it to prevent breakage.
Edit: image removed because it didn’t format right… darn html
Geek alert! The holes measure out to 0.117". I would guess that is probably metric. If you have index bits, a #32 will get you closer than my eye can tell (0.115"). If not, a 1/8" bit is close enough for government work.
If you want, I have a couple 1.2 Wegens I don’t use. I’d be glad to experiment on them and test it for strength. Just let me know.
Again, drill at your own risk. I love posting about something of which I know nothing. It’s easy for me to say your pick won’t break 
the formatting on my picture went away 
Your off-the-cuff advice was spot on, mreisz.
I drilled three 7/64" holes, extending the middle three columns by one hole each. Didn’t seem affect the stiffness at all and it really fits my grip, now. The new holes did have some rough edges, but a couple of swipes with an emory cloth took care of that. The material is really hard. Now I know why the picks last so long.
The new holes are slightly smaller than the originals, so I’ll probably try an 1/8" bit when I drill the next pick.
Good deal Larry. Maybe there is a market for $8 Wegen/Payton bluegrass picks.
I’m not sure how big the market is for modified Wegen picks, but if anyone else has the same issue with their grip, I’d sure recommend drilling extra holes. It’s simple and makes a big difference.
Definitely gonna have to try this Larry, as I just got back from the jam and my wegen pick was slipping all over the place in my fingers!
I have been flipping back and forth between a dunlop ultex 1.00 and a wegen bluegrass. The ultex seems like it has a better grip at times and I like the pointier tip but the wegen really has the tone over the dunlop to me.
Upon closer inspection comparing the one wegen pick my uncle gave me last year to a set of 4 I bought from elderly awhile back the one my uncle gave me seems like it has a little bit better point on it than the other 4, they are kinda flat at the tip, maybe I got a goofy batch or something?
My Wegen picks are pretty pointy, so maybe you did get an unusual batch, Brad. For me, the point seems like it wears down pretty quickly at first, but after a small loss, it stays the same for a long time. The picks also seem to have a slightly rougher texture at first, but get slick pretty fast so those holes become even more important.
Maybe you’ll start a trend, modified Wegen picks, who knew?
jim
Brad, I think I see what you might be describing. On a couple of my Wegens, there is a bit of a flattening of the angle at the tip. It appears to be a result of the beveling. Some have it more than others. That variation could be due to the use some have received, or it could be a result of hand made bevels.
I think you are on to something there Mike. certainly could be the result of the hand made beveling process as the 4 picks I have in question are all brand new and were all bought as a 4 pack so its just probably how the guy made them on that batch. The more I play with the wegen my uncle gave me with the more the other 4 wegens aren’t bothering me anymore as I think it was more of the change from the ultex to the wegen as the ultex is quite a bit sharper at the tip, I was used to that and then when I went to the more rounded wegen I started missing strings when trying ti pick out the bass note or melody notes but the more I stick with the wegen the more my hand is adapting.
Definitely gonna try adding a couple more holes like Larry did though, think I will try that on one of those 4 that I bought and if it turns out then I will go after the one my uncle gave me, hate to mess that one up, its just a 3 dollar pick but the fact that my uncle handed it to me makes me a little sentimental about it I suppose.
super glue works but it is heck to get it to come off your thumb and finger(humor), drilling holes in picks is a great way to keep the pick from rotating and the older you get the more pronounced the problem becomes. I have went so far as to make a stretch band around my thumb and putting Velcro on the pick and the band it works good but it also makes it harder to adjust picking certain ways I have of playing, I tend to play some notes on the angle and some straight . Dynamics are to be considered .
I would say holes are the best way to go as you can control the picking angle better.
So welder, do you normally use the velcro?