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What pick creates what striking sound on a bass?

Yeah, I know, there are a whole crop of bass players out there who are very anti-pick (or plectrum, if you prefer). If you’re one of those, don’t do one of those “real bass players don’t use picks” things. Some players use picks and it’s not a sin to do so.

Picks are made from 1 of 6 different materials. Wood, glass, plastic, metal, animal shell or animal tusk.

Animal shell and tusk are obviously not available anymore new (not legally, anyway) due to the method of how the material to make them is acquired. The most popular animal shell for picks was tortoiseshell, and tusk was from rhino, elephants or seal. The modern variants of those in plastic form are “ivoroid” for tusk and for the tortoise shell feel the Jim Dunlop Ultex series is the closest match to that, although delrex was the original replacement for tortoiseshell. More on that in a moment.

Wood

Wooden picks are used when you absolutely do not want to hear the pick at all, or barely hear it. Typically, wooden picks are best suited for acoustic instruments. So if you’ve got an acoustic bass and use a pick, using a wooden pick is a great way to hear more string and (much) less pick.

The reason a wooden pick is so silent is because it’s what most closely resembles a human finger. Thick, very round, very smooth and “rolls” off the string very similar to how a human finger would. Not too much striking noise heard here.

Glass

A glass pick doesn’t really have too much of a place in the bass world unless you’re a speed picker that periodically plays piccolo strings. Glass picks are heavy by nature, and that extra weight allows you to ‘throw it around’ more, resulting in more speed…

…but then again, how often does a song require a speed-picked bass? Well, if that’s what you want, glass works. And yes, glass does have the nasty tendency of creating unwanted harmonics just like metal picks do.

Metal

This pick wrecks bass strings faster than any other and takes a while to get used to because it basically acts as a fret when you strike strings with it where it can create nasty harmonics.

The only bass guys who use metal picks are those who like a pick that is as thin as possible, have some weight to it and be absolutely unbendable.

Most metal picks are made from stainless steel or aluminum. Fender does make a stainless steel “351” with textured ridges for those interested in it, and comes in varying thicknesses.

Again however, I will remind that steel picks are total string-wreckers. If you want your strings to last, don’t use steel picks on them.

Plastic

It’s here where we get the most variety of picks, which can basically be boiled down to three major material categories:

  • Celluloid
  • Delrin
  • Delrex

Yes, there are other variants for plastics, but the vast majority out there are one of the three materials and are the most generally available.

Celluloid

Your standard smooth pick. Were you to describe the striking sound in words, it’s either “pow” or “clow”. Lots of pick noise can be heard when using celluloid whether played bridge-side, middle or neck-side.

Delrin (a.k.a. Acetal or Polyoxymethylene)

A DuPont material, and the most popular delrin-material pick is the Dunlop Tortex. It’s textured and can endure flex much better than celluloid can without snapping/breaking. Pick noise is greatly reduced when using delrin, and the texture makes it a lot easier to keep your grip even if your fingers sweat a lot.

The striking sound heard here is a “th-pow”. The “th..” noise is the scrape, then “pow” after the string is struck.

The tradeoff to using delrin is the scrape noise.

Celluloid = more pick noise, less scrape. Delrin = less pick noise, more scrape.

Delrex

This material was created to replace tortoiseshell after it was banned in the 1970s. It’s also a DuPont material in the respect it’s delrin with a different surfacing, and again the most-known is by Dunlop with the “Gator Grip”, which has a decidedly “chalky” look to it.

If you sweat to no end where even delrin slips out of your fingers, you step up to delrex.

Delrex basically has the same tone as delrin as far as pick strike is concerned, but with one oddity. Delrex material to some fingertips may cause soreness. If you’ve never played a delrex-material pick before, it’s totally normal if you feel a slight soreness/burning senstation on the fingertips, due to the coarse delrex rubbing against your fingertips while playing. Yes, you will eventually get used to it, but encountering soreness at first when using delrex is totally normal – that is unless your fingertips are so calloused already that it would take a hacksaw to get through them. 🙂

Spikes and holes

To promote better finger grip, some plastic picks will use spikes or holes to get the job done. Some players swear by these, and many different pick manufacturers make them. Cactus Picks in particular uses both a delrin material and spiky texture on top to promote maximum grip.

“Should I use a ‘bass’ pick?”

The answer to this question is simple: Use whatever feels best in the hand.

There are some players who use picks but purposely go with the “351” standard that guitar players use just because it feels better in the hand, while others prefer the larger “bass” picks.

Some players believe along the lines of, “I play bass, so I should use a bass-specific pick, right?” Not necessarily. You use whatever your picking hand prefers best. You should try both the bass-sized picks and the 351-sized.

Sometimes yes, the scrape of delrin/delrex does sound cool

In certain instances (usually in hard rock/metal music), pick scrape does assist with cutting through the mix in a way that actually sounds good. If the “pow pow pow” or “clow clow clow” sound of celluloid isn’t quite getting you heard and you need just a little extra bite, delrin/delrex with its “th-pow th-pow th-pow” sound might be just the thing you were looking for.

All of this is a matter of preference, of course, but if you were ever wondering if delrin does in fact have a distinctively different tonal strike quality compared to celluloid, yes it does.

Hey, bass pickers! What do you use?

Clacky celluloid? Delrin? Delrex? Something else? Post a comment or two with what you use.

48 thoughts on “What pick creates what striking sound on a bass?”

  1. The sound is NBD. Staying with a pick that has a consistent amount of stickiness and flex, however, means a lot in pick control.

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  2. I play with my fingers 80% of the the time, but there are songs that I just want that little extra edge that playing with a pick provides. And it sounds cool.

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  3. Being a finger player, I rarely use picks on bass, but when I do need to get that pick tone, I use the same Ultex .60 picks I use for guitar, or if I don’t want so much pick attack, I use Dunlop stubby picks, as they have a nice roll off when you play the strings.

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  4. Nicely written! But you forgot one material – FELT picks, which I’ve only ever seen used for bass guitar.

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    • Amen, brother or sister! When I was first told about felt I thought I was being lied to. Sure enough I found a felt pick and I love them dearly. I’m not sure I could accurately describe felt sound and touch-just go get one.

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    • If I’m not mistaken, felt picks are intended for using a pick on a classical guitar with nylon or even gut strings.

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    • Yes, I also noticed felt picks were missing from the list. They are tranditionally used for Ukuleles, but on bass will give a more “thumping” sound than harder picks. They work better with flatwound strings, as roundwounds tend to pull the felt apart.

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  5. I usually use Dunlop tortex 1.14mm picks but have recently started to use 2mm picks made from old vinyl records

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  6. Interesting – I used to use a nylon Herco pick all the time, but gradually found I felt I had more control of damping just using fingers. I still occasionally use a pick for recording – there ‘s no other sound like it, and some of my favourite players alternate quite successfully depending on what the song calls for. But I think choice of the right pick is almost as important as what bow you use – you can probably buy a few more picks for the same money though!

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  7. I sometimes use mandolin picks made from compressed fiber (felt?). No-click attack sounds like a finger or thumb.

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  8. I learned with a pick from the start and it was a habit that took me 30 years to kick. I don’t have anything against pick players but I wanted to be more versatile and I had to get rid of the pick to make that happen. I still use one on occasion but, for the most part, play fingerstyle now. You forgot one pick material many bass players use, and one I used a lot myself. Felt. If you’re most comfortable using a pick but you want a big thud and zero pick noise, felt’s the answer. They make a powdery mess all over your bass though.

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  9. I have thumbpicks for about 25 years and I absolutely love it. It’s given a unique style while freeing up the fingers for when it calls for it. They also make a bitchin’ projectile!!

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  10. I’ve used a pick to play bass since 1960; it’s all in how you address the string; you can get any sound you want out of them. Since about the 1980’s I.ve used bread bag plastic catches as my picks; the long style and they work great!!! Plus you can also use your fingers or any combination thereof.

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  11. You forgot felt picks. I used felt picks for a long time. In fact I still do from time to time. They have more of a finger sound.

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  12. I usually use a quarter. Easy to find and I love the edge. I’ll use .50 cent pieces or Susan B. Anthony dollar if I happen to have one around.

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  13. The vast majority are celluloid, delrin or delrex? Preposterous! Jim Dunlop’s nylon max-grip is their top seller and regular nylon is still one of their best sellers.

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  14. Dunlop’s nylon max-grip is their top seller and regular nylon is still one of their best sellers, so it’s ridiculous to say that the vast majority are celluloid, delrin or delrex.

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  15. When the author says “glass”, I wonder if they mean “acrylic” as well, or instead of… or maybe they didn’t consider acrylic picks. I’ve been using V-picks for years now and am quite happy with them… they don’t wear, there’s a variety of styles (and edges and points) to choose from, and yes, I use them for groove playing as well as soloing.

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    • It was a reference to traditional glass (as in the 75% silica kind) and not acrylic thermoplastics. Acrylic has a tendency to sound more like celluloid for pick strike noise while glass sounds more like a steel pick noise. Acrylic’s advantage for picks is that there are many more shapes and sizes that can be made from it compared to traditional glass.

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  16. I settled on the green Dunlop Tortex when I need a pick tone. I do punch a hole in the middle, and I use the rounded corners, not the tip, to strike the strings.

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  17. I sensed quite a bit of resistance to metal picks. I play primarily with my fingers but when a song calls for it I go with a brass pick. It is thin, does not flex at all, nearly indestructible and has a bell like tone. Maybe because I run flatwound strings but I have never noticed any string damage from playing with a metal pick and I am definitely not gentle.

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  18. I use my fingers 90% of the time on certain Southern Rock songs I use a medium nylon or a heavey felt ukelele pick.

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  19. To correct a minor point: ivory is still available, and LEGAL to buy and sell, just so long as all sales originate and end in the United Sates. Can’t import or export it. And it’s expensive.
    I have a small supply of elephant ivory, and plan to make a bass pick to try out after reading this article.

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  20. I have about three dozen picks, of all different types and shapes. I find shape has more to do with sound than material. The Tortilla-chip “Doritos triangle” pick provides a very distinct ~pick~ sound and a sharp attack. I use brass picks (mostly made for steel guitars) as well. Brass is much softer than the steel of the strings so it does not wear the strings out any faster (Unless they’re Elixir strings that begin to grow fuzz on them when using a pick). I use picks for punk-type bass riffs that require downstroking or fast riffing that I can’t do with my fingers (I’m a lefty but play righty so my right hand isn’t as dexterous as most players that use their strong hand to play the bass). Stone picks are ok, it all depends on their shape .. they can be thuddy sounding if they’re too rounded off. Generally the Tortilla chip pick is best for really attacky-picky sounds. I also use “skateboard tape” on some picks for times when the sweat gets to be a problem. Skater tape makes the pick .. ANY pick .. totally stay put. And money works ok too, but it has to be shaped properly with a file. Sometimes I use a six inch long piece of brass brazing rod (welders use it). I use it to sortof hammer or tap the strings .. talk about GIGANTIC BASS with LOADS OF DEFINITION .. it basically turns the bass into a piano. Tony Levin used to market these things called “Funky Fingers” that were used to ~tap~ or hammer the strings. HUGE RHINO NUTS SOUND. But difficult to learn to control the note-to-note volume until you get good with either the funky fingers or the brass rods. Just try using something metal .. anything .. to tap or hammer lightly on the string, you have to sortof bounce it off of the string quickly. HUGE TONE.

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  21. FFS, are we still having this lame conversation, who cares what you play with, just play the damn thing and play it well. This is the kind of thread that makes me want to unsubscribe if nothing else.

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  22. I use a pick when it’s appropriate for the music. Tried lots of them but settled on the Tortex .60mm triangle for bass & .50mm for guitar.

    BTW: One pick that wasn’t mentioned was the felt pick.

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  23. I’ve tried about every single pick on the market (felt, metal, plastic, delrin, delrex, thumb picks, et cetera), and nylon is what I’ve settled upon after 30+ years of playing. I switch back & forth quite a bit between fingertips and plectrum (especially depending upon which band I’m playing in that night), but the one that has stood head & shoulders above the rest for me is the ‘Brain’ plectrum at 1.00 thickness. It’s got enough heft to it that I don’t feel it’ll bend before I get the string attack that I’m looking for, yet it’s not as unyielding as other materials. As with all plectrums, the Brain took a bit of getting used to, but I find the grip nubs make it the easiest one I’ve ever tried to hold onto during a sweat storm.

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  24. My favorite are RUBBER picks. Great way to give the fingers a time out while retaining a softer finger-like attack.

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  25. there’s nothing wrong with using picks in your playing Technic i use both depending on what i want in sound attack.you can use a pick to play what you want but try setting your tone control on your bass to cover more mid and bass and no one will even know your playing with a pick.also cup your strings with the palm of your hand while playing.rock on.

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  26. I use rubber picks, felt picks and the Dunlop Lemmy (Motorhead) grip picks. I love the 3.1mm rubber picks. Awesome fun to use and great tone!

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  27. For the most part when playing my basses (active & passive), I use my fingers, Thumb & thumb nail. I set my tone machine(amp) up so that I get highs & that thump when using the pinkies.
    But yep, there are tunes that we play that do require the “attack” of a pic. When I use pic’s its Fender 351’s & yes I find these do “spin” around in my finger grip. Thanks for your article, I will now explore other brand made pics.
    Cheers

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  28. Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Chris Squire, Joe Osborne, Anthony Jackson – not real bass players because they sometimes/always use a pick? Get a life.

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  29. I always played with my fingers until I damaged my middle finger at my construction job. Now I play better with a pick. Took some getting used to at first and I like my tone more. Like my nylon Herco 75s.

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  30. I used to play with my fingers until I damaged my middle finger at work. Now I play with a pick. Took some getting used to and I do like the tone.

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  31. My 5- and 6- strings get my fingers. My 4-string gets my thumb, and my 8-strings get picks. I’m not saying that’s how it should be for everyone, but that’s what works best for me and my basses.

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  32. Whether you use a pick or play fingerstyle, playing bass is just that, playing bass. Each method has something that affects the sound, hopefully positively. I use both, primarily in the studio, and they both work really well.

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  33. I’ve tried the black Dunlop’s 1mm. Then I tried their felt ones. I’m still getting pick noise. What pick will give me zero pick noise for hard rock????

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  34. Ironically, but not surprisingly, this is the best I’ve read on pick comparison- and it’s on a bass site, not a guitar site! The guitar sites present pick by genre which doesn’t mean anything to me.
    Please put a blurb in on nylon picks!

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  35. I am a guitarist, I just picked up a bass to have in my small studio. I found a pick that was left behind at a gig. it was an Adamas I believe Dunlop made the/makes them they are graphite. I was beyond surprised when I pulled it out of my pocket and used it, as I hadn’t really “chosen” it like I sometimes do (to check for an over worn one, that may even be scrapped upon inspection) Not OCD just particular. Graphite is a magically soft, long wearing pick, not so much soft as it is more smooth. It is a heavy pick, with no give, but the buttery-ness of it is something to be experienced. I haven’t tried it yet on my new bass but am quite certain it would/will be a winner

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