I currently use a blue chip pick a TD-60 and want to try something new. I know…I’ll probably go right back to the TD-60 but I like to experiment. I was thinking of trying out the Wegen series http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/WP-BG-BLK.htm Does anyone here have any input / opinion before I spend the money? I apologize up front, I’m sure there’s already a post about this somewhere but I’m to lazy to search for it, lol.
What Flat Pick do you currently use
I use a variety of picks. My favorite cheap picks are Ultex 1.14 triangles (6 for $2.50). I suggest grabbing a bag of those if you order from Elderly (I ordered another bag this week). They are great for pockets or loaners. The pick currently most at use at home is a Blue Chip CT-55 (this changes from time to time). The pick in my normal church guitar is (and has been for over a year) a Wegen BG 1.4. I like the shape of the Wegen. The bevel came great for me right out of the box. The grip on them is excellent. The tone is a bit woodier than a similar tip from Red Bear or BC. They don’t wear quite as long as a BC. From time to time I do have to touch up the playing edge on the wegen, but it is fairly infrequent (about once every 6 months on a guitar that gets regular use).
Here’s a link to a pick shootout thread which included the Wegen BG 1.4 (pick 10) as well as a BG 1.0 (pick 1).
https://banjoebenclark.com/forum/t/pick-shoot-out/688/1
Here’s the list of picks so you don’t have to read the entire thread:
#1 Wegen BG 1.0
#2 Delrin
#3 Tortoise with moderate pointy tip
#4 Ultex TD 1.14
#5 BC TPR-50
#6 Golden Gate
#7 Fender medium
#8 Red Bear speed bevel
#9 Red Bear heavy rounded
#10 Wegen BG 1.4
#11 Blue Chip speed bevel CT 55
#12 Dunlop 1.5
Larry made a thread about drilling out some extra holes in a Wegen. I think this might be it as he talks about drilling around page 2:
https://banjoebenclark.com/forum/t/pick-grip/186/1
+1 for the Wegen 1.4 BG pick. I have a Bluechip TAD-1R 60 that I use for mandolin, but have always preferred the tone I get from the Wegen on my guitars.
Well I picked up the Wegen BG 1.4 yesterday and gave it a test. I think I like it but I’m not sure yet “what” I like about it. Perhaps it’s the grip. The kids were playing and screaming and going on so I’m not sure yet about the tone of the pick coming off the strings. I’ll give it another go when I’ve got some peace and quiet.
What pick do I use?
Hmmm… what is currently sitting on my desk and in my pocket…
Dunlop Tortex .88, 1 and 1.14 (I mostly use the 1 and the 1.14 when I play a lot) bright sounding, nice attack (on the heavier picks), easy to hold (brushed plastic)
Dunlop Delrin 1.5 and 2.0 (fast and very clean sounding with a rounder/darker tone than the Tortex)
I generally avoid the expensive picks since I lose them as fast as I pick them up. About once every month or so I make a visit to the washing machine to gather up a pile of my picks. It does seem to keep them clean… 
I use the Dunlop nylon pick and use a 1. and it fits about any thing except strumming and it works good for that also but tend to use a softer pick on backup . Very inexpensive and gets the job done, I like it . The grip is great and it is shaped very well . you might say it is a poor mans Wegan or blue chip. I may try a blue chip or Wegan.
One of my favorite topicks 
! … It’s always fun to try different picks. Not only is there an endless variety of picks, there’s different bevels, different grip, different size and thicknesses. With all of this comes different tone. It’s also a lot cheaper to buy different picks than to buy different instruments.
I agree with Mike on cheap picks with one difference. I don’t like the large triangle version of the Ultex 1.14. I like the teardrop style and I swear they have a different tone to my ears even though they are the same thickness and material. Maybe it’s just in my head. I prefer smaller picks is another reason I like the teardrop better.
My favorite is an STP 45 Blue Chip WITHOUT a speed bevel I had Matt custom make a couple years ago. It’s a small version of the TP. I only have one pick with a speed bevel that I like, and that’s the Wegen bluegrass 1.4 that Mike sent me. (not just being nice either Mike, I really do like this pick and would highly recommend it). I also like the Heavy Red Bear small triangle pick (without the speed bevel of course). Keep in mind though, I’m one of the very few that doesn’t like speed bevels, most players prefer them and pull really good tone out of them. I get better tone without the bevels and the smaller picks are more comfortable to me.
Sometimes on Mandolin Café, guys will post batches of picks they’re selling after cleaning out their desks and a lot of times, there are some expensive picks mixed in with cheaper ones. You’re likely to find a couple keepers. It’s a good way to try a big assortment all at once. Then you can post the ones you don’t like and get some of your money back.
Hopefully you’ll never find the perfect pick. That would take the fun out of it, so try to found a favorite or two and not one that’s perfect. Your mood will constantly change how you hear your instrument.
Good Luck
J.W.
I was assuming you were speaking of what picks to use for guitar. Sorry, I didn’t think to ask before I posted my reply.
For mandolin, I like a Blue Chip CT-55 with the Chris Theile bevel (I was told it’s a different bevel than the speed bevel. I’m really not sure). So I guess there’s two picks with bevels I like. Or the Red Bear heavy small triangle without a bevel.
I like a thicker pick for mandolin as I believe a lot of players do. Many mandolin players like a rounded tip also. I still prefer a point but we’re all different.
J.W.
Well, I’ve had a chance to test the Wegen 1.4 and compare it against my blue chip TD-60. The Wegen is a very good pick but it doesn’t play as smooth as my blue chip. Has a darker tone than the blue chip which I sort of like. Nice change up depending on the song I’m playing. The Wegen is a definite keeper in my opinion.
Tony
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One of my favorite topicks !
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Hardy har har…now THAT was corny! 
Just an after thought : a long time ago when I was younger (early fifties) , my nephew and his cousin were picking guitars and they played two, Black mountain rag and , " Nothing to it . I kept asking them to play it and after about three times they look at me and said no . any way this same cousin was also playing one time at my brother-in laws home and he did not have a pick, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a 25 cent piece. He absolutely burnt the tune up. It sounded good if not great, tone was there and all no scrapping just the tone of the strings . Could it be that it is what one gets used to ? I know all about guitars and their greatness and so on but I have also heard players who made the cheap guitars sound good . I am thinking the human mind is really a miracle for sure it can adjust to about anything .It also makes me a believer in natural talent, of course I knew this but it just re-affirms that belief . Me I can’t hold a C chord (damaged left hand) . but I play around it . At times I wonder why I even try but it is rooted in a love for music and the guitar is it for me .
It certainly does have more to do with the player than the equipment. I don’t sound too good with a quarter.
The quarter is funny because how many have been there and done that? I know I have tried it but it did not last very long. How about tearing off the back of a match pack, folding it once or twice and using that? Or the flat slotted plastic bread bag closer/end tie or whatever ya call that thing. I bet we have some smiles and people saying " I’ve done that" Nowadays just the thought of a quarter almost gives me goose bumps… lol like nails on a chalk board! 
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Or the flat slotted plastic bread bag closer/end tie or whatever ya call that thing.
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I had forgotten that one, but yes! That brings back a distinct memory from when I was about 12. I thought it was gonna be great… so much for wishful thinking.
Back when I was young (more than 30 years ago) and had a decently fast right hand, I pulled an oversized (9" x 7") standard shaped guitar pick whose real use was as a store ad for selling picks. As a joke, I pulled that one out for a particularly wild fusion solo and someone snapped a picture. It was a fun pic (pun intended).
I remember using dorm key cards when in a jam…
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It was a fun pic (pun intended).
I remember using dorm key cards when in a jam…
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Your last sentence has double meaning and could be taken as a pun as well. Impressive!
I mostly use Dunlop Max-Grip 1.14mm. I love the pick, but it is just a little too big. I wish it was the size of the Gator Grip, below.
amazon.com/Dunlop-449P073-Ma … p+Jazz+III
I am also currently trying the Dunlop Gator Grip 1.14. I love its size, slightly smaller than the Max-Grip, above. But the Gator doesn’t quite have the grip that the Max has.
musiciansfriend.com/accessor … 0000439156
I wish I could find a pick that is the size of the Dunlop Gator, but with he grip texture of the Dunlop Max-Grip. I am about to order some Monster Grips and put them on the Gators. This should give me the grip I want in the smaller pick size.
amazon.com/dp/B00JER27MO/ref … 3MOWGH9WZ7
I use Gibson Heavy guitar picks. No particular reason other than that I have a huge bag of them. I like the feel and the sound, but I wish they were just very slightly longer, like a fender shape which is a few millimeters longer.
Once in a while I find a pick on the pavement (I live in a big city) and I use it for a while. I always feel bad that someone lost her/his pick because I know how nice it is when you finally get a pick that’s naturally beveled just right, and I’d hate to lose it.
I’ve tried other cheap picks, but I always come back to that Gibson heavy for mandolin and guitar.
Never tried a fancy $20 pick.
I’m of the opinion that you can get used to just about anything if you use it for a while.
I think I change my opinion about every 6 months on this subject. Recently, I’ve discovered that when I play with other pickers, as opposed to playing alone in my living room, my pick preference changes. I prefer brighter sounding picks with more volume and punch in an ensemble.
For a few months I was alternating between tortoise and Blue Chip. I really have grown to like the sound of tortoise, but it’s not nearly so easy to grip as my Blue Chip, so lately I’ve been using the Blue Chip almost exclusively. It seems to offer me the best balance between comfort and tone. Of course, I’ll likely change my mind in another 6 months.
Blue Chip CT55…best I’ve found and tried hundreds…but that being said a bit on the pricey side. I have managed to hold on to my present one now for over a year, and no visible signs of wear. Got two more when they had their sale a few months back and they engraved my name for free. Not a bad idea with 35 buck picks! :mrgreen: