Oooh, ow. That sucks.
I kinda like the orange. Not as much as a burst on the injured axe, but it’s not bad at all.
My GAS pains have just left me $700usd poorer plus whatever I now need to spend on a really, really nice Valentine’s gift for my wife tomorrow!. A 2007 Fender American Deluxe V-Neck Strat, 2 tone Sunburst, maple fretboard, black pickguard plus the original mint green guard was included in the deal. It is in nearly new condition with one small ding on the bottom edge that is hardly visible.
http://images.craigslist.org/5Nc5F55H63Ke3N33H8c29f309d243832813c5.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/5L15Ie5Mc3L13I13H7c29ddc3988ebe851fbb.jpg
Nice looker. Happy new guitar!
So: that guitar was sold new with a mint green pick guard??
How do you like the V-neck?
That Strat is gorgeous, CBEscapee. Your Mrs might be annoyed with you, but random anonymous guys on the internet totally approve!
Really cool.
I am checking out…a pick. I tend to dismiss fancy picks as so much douchebaggery, but will report back if I learn anything…
Are you looking at v-picks. or something higher-end? The V-picks dude is featured in the latest Vintage Guitar.
I fear something even douchebaggier: Bluechip Picks, at $35 a pop.
I am drinking some sort of bluegrass Koolaid, I suppose…I could geek out as to why, but regardless, I am checking them out.
My God, man! 
You have managed to find a pick that I would hesitate to take to a bar gig. I’m expecting a full report laden with wine-tasting terminology.
Me think pick play better. ::grunt::
Yeah, I cringe a bit every time I think about it. But we’ll see. About 20 years ago, I went through a goofy pick phase and ended up with a standard yellow Dunlop Tortex. If I just chase my tail and end up back with some reliable pick, at least I got it out of my system…
I am really interested in reading what you think about the tone claims made by the maker of these picks. I’ve never even used a tortoise pick, so I obviously don’t know much.
I pulled out an old Dunlop Jazz III stubby red pick last weekend - it was so different tonally and playability-wise from the yellow Tortex that it was interesting. That’s what got me started on this. Also, my picking technique has evolved so much vs. 20 years ago that I have a whole different feel with the smaller, stubbier pick. I also got a Dunlop Big Stubby - a hard plastic version of a Jazz III - also very different tone, but I started to wear it out after 30 minutes of playing…which got me to a bit of online research, to the Bluechip…we’ll see…
You wore out a Big Stubby 3mm pick? Without breaking strings? What were you playing, a cheese grater? Please, 'splain to this puzzled Canuck…
Have you ever tried Jade or Agate picks?
I did about 20 years ago and found them slippery; as I have stated, I am a bit of a sweathog and simple rigid picks get slippery on me. Also, they were perfectly rigid / no flex; at the time, I couldn’t really handle that - I am finding that my right-hand technique can accomodate a truly rigid pick better now. In terms of grippiness (new word) Tortex picks have a grippy surface; Jazz III picks have molded writing on them that provides a grip. These Bluechip picks are made of some sorta Unobtanium plastic that gets “grippier the more you play” “never wear down” and “produce an amazing tone”…heck, I wish it looked good in a bikini!
As for the Dunlop Stubby - it has a dimple/depression on it that enhances its grippiness, but it is made of slick plastic. And after 30 minutes, I could see where the pick-edge of it was already getting a bit white from wear. It was still basically intact, but given what I saw, it was going to get snags on the pick-edge at about the same pace as my yellow Tortex picks and lose shape, too. If I am going to consider switching to a pricier, rigid pick, I would like one that doesn’t wear out quite as fast as my cheapie, by 'em by the gross picks…
I knew this would lead to geekiness. For a freakin’ pick…oy.
I won’t be impressed until you wear out a Jazz III. I have a Jazz II (which seems identical to the III AFAICT) that must be 30 years old and has seen much playing sans wear.
Back during my last PickQuest™ I tried a Jazz III for a few months* and definitely wore down the point. I know, squeegee, that you can’t wrap your brain around my pick use - I get it; it boggles a few minds. I am a…very energetic strummer - in addition to wearing down picks, I often wear down my index fingernail. I strum very percussively, adding a rhythm track under the chords; as part of that, I scrape the pick and my nail hard against the strings to get different rhythmic effects…
*I got a bag of 3 or so - the one I used just now was sitting in the bottom of my gear bag for the past 20 years
Been thinking about picking up a Luna acoustic, I’ve tried a few in the store and they play pretty, except for the shellaqued color ones which sound like they’ve, well, been dipped in shellaque. Any owners that like/dislike them?
Post snipped.
Wanna talk pick geekiness? I shape my picks. This requires getting big old cheap picks, using a nail file to shorten and shape them the way I like. After the shape is about right I then rub the picks on paper to smooth the edges and also taper the edge. This is sorta hard to explain but if the pick isn’t hitting the string exactly parallel it shaves off a bit of the edge with each stroke. After a bit the front edge and the back edge are shaved and the roundness of the edge goes away. I like that so I shape 'em that way.
My picking is way cleaner with the shaped picks. In fact I really hate regular sized picks anymore. My picks end up about the size of the Tortex Jazz picks but not as pointy.
Slee
**Slee **- I don’t need to tempt your G.A.S., but on the Bluechip website they appear to have a pick that is about the dimensions you describe…
My thinking is that if they are a grippy, rigid pick that my current picking style can accommodate - AND they never wear out because of their amazing Unobtanium material - then they’d be worth trying…otherwise, I will revert back to cheapie-by-the-gross picks which I leave a couple dozen of in my guitar cases so there is always one to grab…
**GargoyleWB **- I haven’t tried a Luna. They look pretty - is that laser etching they use for all the fancy stuff on some of the models?
Sorry, wasn’t trying to, um, pick on you.