Topic: Thumbpicks

[Old Man Ned]

Hi All,

I need some help finding a thumb pick. I've recently had an accident where I've sliced off the tip of my right hand thumb. This is going to take some months to heal and has left me unable to play the guitar as I normally do ie just using my fingers and thumb without any picks etc. To be able to play I'll need to use a thumb pick at the base of my right thumb but am having trouble finding anything that's big enough.

I've just picked up a Dunlop large thumb pick which feels like it's cutting off the blood supply to my thumb! Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations?

All the best,
Ned

[Slack]

Try heating it up with hot water to soften and enlarge.

[waxwing]

This thumb-pick was recommended to me by both John Cephas and Del Rey, one year up at PT. They praised the tone primarily, but also the firmness of the grip. They were the first thumb-pick I was able to use straight out of the box, which  required no heat fitting or sanding. I buy a dozen about every 5-7 years I'd guess.

https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gate-Pearloid-Thumb-Picks/dp/B0052S3TDK/ref=sr_1_13?gclid=CjwKCAjwu_mSBhAYEiwA5BBmfxo0ayt0vKmzjtBWUkJeUofDioNmyFGFI6fRtFwFynu6E_ga2McLbRoCKEEQAvD_BwE&hvadid=178323926394&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9032059&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=17637038448551963655&hvtargid=kwd-28369844326&hydadcr=29647_10190509&keywords=golden+gate+thumb+pick&qid=1650397679&sr=8-13&th=1

Wax

[harriet]

I have no experience with these but I wanted to to make you aware that Dunlop makes extra large in case you are interested. 
https://www.jimdunlop.com/dunlop-white-extra-large-thumbpicks/

[Rivers]

https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gate-Pearloid-Thumb-Picks/dp/B0052S3TDK/ref=sr_1_13?gclid=CjwKCAjwu_mSBhAYEiwA5BBmfxo0ayt0vKmzjtBWUkJeUofDioNmyFGFI6fRtFwFynu6E_ga2McLbRoCKEEQAvD_BwE&hvadid=178323926394&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9032059&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=17637038448551963655&hvtargid=kwd-28369844326&hydadcr=29647_10190509&keywords=golden+gate+thumb+pick&qid=1650397679&sr=8-13&th=1

$35 for a thumbpick wax? Seems a bit OTT to me.

[Old Man Ned]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have had some success using the clip that Slack linked. It's taken a couple of goes but it's certainly making the pick more pliable and fitting better to the thumb.

Many Thanks,
Ned

[Stuart]

$35 for a thumbpick wax? Seems a bit OTT to me.

That's for a dozen, Mark. Some places sell singles:

https://www.stringsbymail.com/golden-gate-gp-8-large-extra-thick-pearloid-thumb-pick-one-pick-21516.html

Here's the slimmed down Amazon link/URL (More like Costco packaging if you ask me--Maybe we need to form a thumb pick buyers club):

https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gate-Pearloid-Thumb-Picks/dp/B0052S3TDK

Sorry to hear about the accident, Ned. Ouch! Hopefully it will heal up soon with no lasting effects.

There's always a chance the Golden Gate GP-8 is carried by a music store. If you find yourself close to one in your travels, it might be worth checking. You never know.

[waxwing]

$35 for a thumbpick wax? Seems a bit OTT to me.

Yeah, sorry, Mark, I was just posting the first pic that came up when I googled, probably as it was on my buyer history. Most music stores, especially those with a bluegrass bent, carry them.

I think because they have so much surface area in contact with the thumb they spread out the pressure and are more comfortable.

Wax

[Rivers]

gotcha

[Tim Connor]

I really like Black Mountain picks (https://blackmountainpicks.com/). It's like a flatpick clipped to your thumb, they're spring-loaded so they don't grip any harder than they need to, and they make it easy to switch between finger- and flat-picking if you like to do that.

[Blues Vintage]

Hi Old Man Ned,

How is it working out for you?
I started using a thumb pick recently also. I used to pick with my bare fingers.
I wanted to try it out for more volume and force in my bass lines (and was also sorta fed up with my sore right thumb).

When playing songs with "the dead thumb" or walking bass I'm doing alright, but I struggle with songs driven by the alternating bass.
With the thumb pick getting tangled up in the strings somehow, messing up a solid beat. Maybe I need to adjust a little more, getting used to it.
I thought about shortening the pick with a file a little bit. Did you encounter this also?
Are there other guitar players using a thumb pick who have some tips?

[Old Man Ned]

Hi Blues Vintage

I found using the thumb pick a bit of a struggle. At first I had to use it right at the base of my thumb as I still had a dressing on my chopped up thumb. Now the dressing is off I can use the thumb pick a bit more conventionally but I too get it tangled up with other strings.

Most of my playing at the moment is done with a plastic thumb covering. And though it sounds a bit rubbish is toughening up the newly formed skin on my thumb. I'm hoping I can ditch the thumb pick in a few weeks and return to playing with my bare fingers as the thumbs healing up really well. I much prefer the sound I get from using bare fingers.

All the Best,
Ned

[Blues Vintage]

Some more on thumbpicks over at Stefan Grossman's Woodshed Forum;


Any benefits of using a thumb pick?

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/stefangrossmansguitarworkshop/any-benefits-of-using-a-thumb-pick-t5458.html

[Bluesgal]

Here are my faves.