How to Choose A Thumb Pick for Size?

[Rick Abbott]

I have decided to try a few other thumb picks other than the blue Herco I have used since I started playing. My big interest is in a better pick for dobro playing. I want a pick I can dig in with. Blue Chip keeps being mentioned on reso forums.

The blue Herco fits me really nicely and never slips around etc. I'll probably always use them for PSG. What "size" are they? I want to get the right one the first time when I order other brands, such as the Blue Chip, or Pro Pick, or whatever. I suspect I'm a "medium."

Thanks for any thoughts, or advice.

[Matt Berg]

Don't know if I'd agree that a blue herco is medium. They fit me without being very snug, but I take a large in dunlop and fred kellys, and a large zookie is too small for me.

Also, fwiw, before you go sinking 40 bucks into a pick, I'd suggest that you try out some large heavy poly picks from fred kelly or dunlop. They're a lot stiffer than the herco, and more budget friendly. Personally, due to my tendency to lose things, I have avoided expensive picks.

[Gene Tani]

Herco's only come in 1 size, which I call loose... https://www.jimdunlop.com/herco-thumbpicks/

BC thumbpicks are often available used on teh banjo hangout forum. I have a few, i use them by themselves, no fingerpicks. I would also try the ones that American made banjo co. makes, tortoise colored or clown barfs, they're pretty easy to open up the band with hot water and pliers (but you can't make them tighter that way)

http://www.americanmadebanjo.com/index.php?cPath=23

this explains all the different BC tpicks if you decide to spring for one https://store.banjobenclark.com/collect ... thumb-pick

[Mike Auman]

I use blue Hercos, and agree with Matt and Gene that they fit very similar to the "large" Dunlops and Zookies on my thumb.

[Rick Abbott]

I appreciate this conversation! I hate the idea of buying the wrong size, at the price BC picks cost. I'm not sold on them, but a whole lot of players use them. I'm very happy with the Keyser fingerpicks I use, but I never feel like I can drive with my thumb using the Herco. I'm wearing them out a lot faster than with the PSG. I say, "out," but I mean the play wear is pronounced after a month. It looks like I'm going to be playing a lot of dobro, and already am now, but gigs are starting to pop and I have a chance to get with some pretty good bluegrassers shortly. I want to have any advantage I can, haha.

[Glenn Wilde]

I bought a few Black Mountain thumb picks and like them alot, they are big like a Herco but spring loaded so they stay on good. They are around 5 bux apiece.

[Matt Berg]

Glenn, Black Mountain picks didn't do it for me. Seems like a kludge of a flat pick. BTW, when you say big like a Herco, you're referring to the other style that Herco makes that looks like a flat pick with a band, it's not the popular "Blue Herco" that the original poster mentions, that pick's full designation is Herco HE115 Flex 52. The Flex 52 is a very "fast" pick, but I'd like it more if it was tighter, also it has a seam or ridge that annoys me a little bit....

That's the thing about picks, it's where your body energizes the instrument, a very individual experience. Like a sax player with reeds.

Fred Kelly makes a lot of different picks, and their product line can be a bit confusing. This is the one that I have settled on (still trying others from time to time):

Fred Kelly Picks P2B-H-8 Poly Slick Large Heavy Guitar Pick

Fred Kelly uses a color scheme so that all of their offerings are different colors EXCEPT the Medium and Heavy weight of the one listed above! I was very perplexed for a while by this, especially since most of the resellers picture the Medium in their listing for the Large. There's not much that much difference between the two, and I often don't notice which one I happen to pick up to play since they're mixed in the same container.

[Richard Sinkler]

On dobro, I use a Golden Gate thumb pick. I use a John Pearse thumb pick on PSG. I also tried the Black Mountain picks, didn't even slightly like them.

[Matt Berg]

Golden Gate and John Pearse are medium sized at best in my experience...didn't fit me at all!

[Gene Tani]

Another thing to worry about, delrin e.g. Fred Kelly's, and ultex thumbpicks can't be reshaped with hot water, in my experience

Good review of materials from Archive.org

[Mark Eaton]

BlueChip all the way for me, particularly for dobro, since 2012. I have no interest in any other thumbpick. I use the JD Reso Large. The JD in this case is banjo master JD Crowe, not Jerry Douglas. . The JD Reso is slightly thicker than the JD Banjo pick, better for dobro. The regular Reso pick has a longer blade, I don’t like it as much. If you don’t like BlueChip you can return within 30 days for a full refund.

Speaking of Jerry Douglas, below is a quote I have saved from his no longer in existence forum that was on his website for years. One of the key features he mentions is how the pick glides across the strings. There’s nothing else like it. I think this is from around 2009 when BlueChip first hit the market. Took me a couple years to suck it up and buy my first BlueChip, but once I did there was no turning back.

I think for most men Large is the ticket. I ordered a Medium one time but returned it - way too tight. These ride up on your thumb a kittle higher toward the knuckle than a Golden Gate, but you get used to it in short order.

"I have never used a thumbpick like this ever before. Always shied away from any metal banding and multi-material picks until now. I saw some of my friends moving from tortoise to these picks and that got my attention. Usually, I wear out a pick, Zookie, Golden Gate, Slickpick, National, I've tried everything, in one hour of playing. I have been using the same Blue Chip JD(Crowe) thumbpick for more than a month. Through the Elvis Costello tour where we played at least 35 songs per night, and all shows since. I have never had a pick long enough to actually form a relationship with it in the way guitar players I know, Dan, Tony, Bryan can have. This stuff is incredible and has better tone and moves across the string in a way plastic never will. I am amazed! They are costly I know, but see what you think if you get the chance to try one. You better get two. I haven't bent the pick in any way since I first picked it up and slid it onto my thumb (I wear a large). I have used two picks since May 20th. Usually I would have gone through at least 20 Zookies by now and had to get use to slight changes in each one. I'm finished with that. My hat is off to Matthew Goins at Blue Chip. Now I'll get down off my soapbox.

[Matt Berg]

I don't play very much dobro, but clearly, I am not playing it nearly hard enough, even allowing for exaggeration, I generally lose picks way before they have any chance to wear out!

[Lloyd Graves]

I've had my current BC pick (large JD nano because I don't like a long blade) for about 5 years now, and despite using it for guitar, tenor guitar, steel and banjo picking, it barely shows any wear on the blade. For guitar and tenor guitar I use it as a flat pick across picking more and more lately) and Travis style. For banjo I use it both as a flat pick and for 3 finger and travis style picking. I like that the metal band NEVER catches the strings on an up-strum. Never.

I did lose my first, but I was so hooked that I bought my current BC pick. Been able to hang on to the second one. Being afraid of losing it, I decided to look into cheaper alternatives and found the brass-banded ACRI picks. The brass band is weird and catches when I up-pick, but that isn't an issue with the steel/dobro for me. At $10 it's well worth a try. I use it with the steel and dobro; it doesn't move around on my thumb.

My very first picks were plastic dunlop and they rotated on my thumb pr slipped off while I played. I really appreciate metal banded thumb picks.

All that to say that, for Dobro and steel, I'd recommend the ACRI thumb pick with a brass band and plastic blade. They were 1/4 the price of a BC pick and work just as well for that instrument. For me, at least. I don't know this vendor, but: https://store.banjobenclark.com/product ... lrin-blade. $10.

Some day I will get the dremel out and remove the extra brass on the back, and I am guessing it will be almowt as good as the BC pick for upright instruments.

[Richard Sinkler]

Golden Gate and John Pearse are medium sized at best in my experience...didn't fit me at all!

Golden Gate picks come in small, medium, and large. The John Pearce is like the blue Herco and only comes in one size. Both of these, and I assume many others, can be resized by putting them in boiling water and and bending the band to fit.

I prefer the Pearce over the blue Herco (which I used for years) because they don't start spinning on my finger after a half dozen songs. I can get through a whole gig with one thumbprint.

If you have really big hands (I don't), you may need to try one of the thumbpicks that has a metal band and plastic tongue. I would imagine the metal band would be easier to adjust.

[Lloyd Graves]

I forgot to add that, where I wear my thumb pick, my thumb's circumference is 2 3/4" (6.2 cm). The large BC pick and ACRI pick.

I have a friend with similar sized hands that uses a medium BC pick. It just sits farther forward on his thumb. He's a strictly Scruggs style banjoist, so that might play into that. (The front edge of my thumb pick is about 1cm back from the top of my thumb. )

[Matt Berg]

Just ordered a brass and a stainless delrin ACRI. Thanks for the tip. I'll report back after I've used them for a while.

[Rick Abbott]

I went ahead and ordered the large JD reso pick from Blue Chip. Should have it in a couple days. I will probably try a couple others mentioned here. Again, great conversation. Thanks for all the replies.

[Bill Leff]

I guess I’m not the only one that didn’t like the Black Mountain picks. I’m sticking with my tried and true Golden Gates. For fingerpicks, I like the Perfect Touch.

[Robert W Wilson]

[quote="Gene Tani"]Another thing to worry about, delrin e.g. Fred Kelly's, and ultex thumbpicks can't be reshaped with hot water, in my experience

Dunlop Ultex are my favorite for heavy picking but the large is too tight. I slip them on a 3/4" dia. steel round, boil and let cool.

[Brian Evans]

I only have one thumbpick, and it occurred to me that I didn't know what it was or where I got it, because I usually play all fingers, or I flat pick. So I looked at it, and no name, but I remembered that it came in the case of the 1935 Dobro Model 25 I acquired about five years ago. That guitar had not been played since it's owner was killed in WWII, and the guitar was returned to his parents after the war, and basically left under a bed. It had the thumbpick (creme white plastic), a set of plastic fingers picks, a set of metal finger picks, a Nick Manoloff plastic (bakelite) bar, a nut riser, and the original braided cord "strap", all in a little bag. So I guess I have a 1935-ish thumbpick, which is kind of cool. This thread brought that memory to light.

[Jerry Overstreet]

Another thing to worry about, delrin e.g. Fred Kelly's, and ultex thumbpicks can't be reshaped with hot water, in my experience

Dunlop Ultex are my favorite for heavy picking but the large is too tight. I slip them on a 3/4" dia. steel round, boil and let cool.

Thanks for the tip Robert. I've been using these picks for a few years just about as soon as they came out. I really lke them. They make for a good crisp tone and they wear tough.

I'm about a size 8 ring finger size and the large is way tight on my thumb. That's my biggest complaint. Just sized really small.

I found out early on they were hard to re-shape in hot water like my others. Your shaping tool idea will be handy. I'm sure I have something similar to use for my size thumb.

I also like the Ultex flat picks a lot. My favorite so far is the .73 with the .90 coming in second.

Only problem is I sometimes can't find them because they're transulcent and seem to disappear against certain backgrounds.

[Gene Tani]

Thanks for the ultex tip. I have a dozen or more laying around somewhere, I also like Ultex flatpicks so i figured the thumbpicks would be great if they fit

[Mark Mansueto]

I've tried lots of thumb and finger picks and I've always come back to the white Dunlop pick because I like the shape and hardness. I buy the Large and even though I don't have large hands they are a tight fit which is no problem. Like others have said I use hot water to get them to fit right. I also like to have several sets of picks so the fact that they are cheap and easy to find is nice.

[Matt Berg]

I tried the ACRIs out, not really that fond of them.

I think it's hard to adjust the sizing, and I prefer a poly to delrin pick surface.

I did plasti dip all but the tip of some Herco and Kellys, it does snug them up a bit....

[Matt Berg]

Noticed some thumbnail ache after using the ACRI. Where's that can of Plastidip????