Dava picks. I just mentioned them in another thread but wanted to post them here. I have arthritis in my picking hand (thumb in particular) and was having problems with the pick flying out of my grip while playing.
My local guitar guy steered me to Dava "grip tip" picks. The picks have a nubby, rubber coating that really enables me to hold onto the pick. They also choke up really well, so the pick I'm using for strumming can shift to lead duty pretty ably.
Thanks Walrus, I've been meaning to try those. I've tried their "multi-flex" picks in the past, but without the rubber gripper. They look like they'd make a difference so I just ordered some.
OK then, onto the good stuff. I'm guessing that you've unlocked the mysteries of the universe and we'll all finally be enlightened about the meaning of this confusing existence... right?
Nicolai
I've been using one particular gauge of Dava grip tip for a few years and really, really like it. My only complaint is that it took me a long time to find it in its own multi-pack... I was buying combo packs of picks just to have the one I wanted.
Originally Posted by: aliasmaximusThanks Walrus, I've been meaning to try those. I've tried their "multi-flex" picks in the past, but without the rubber gripper. They look like they'd make a difference so I just ordered some.
OK then, onto the good stuff. I'm guessing that you've unlocked the mysteries of the universe and we'll all finally be enlightened about the meaning of this confusing existence... right?
Nicolai
Ah Nicolai, I see much but understand little :). That's ok though. There's still joy in discovery.
I also used Dava picks for a long while because I had a real hard time feeling like I had a secure grip on any other styles of picks. I was using the yellow ones with the black grips for a a few years and thought they were just amazing and couldn't understand why everyone wasn't using them :-)[br][br]However in the last 6-12 months I've started to switch to other styles of more traditional picks. [br][br]It started because I had some picks that I picked up at a Colin James concert many years ago as a souvenir. But I finally decided to try them out. They are also unlike anything else I'd tried. They are the hard, acrylic style picks but they are very slightly concave, and so they kind of suck on to your thumb and so are also really easy to keep hold of.[br][br]And then around December I was picking up a rental guitar on the way to pick up my daughter from the airport, and was expecting to have to wait around for her flight to arrive and had forgotten to bring a pick to try out the new rental in the car while I waited. So I bought a pack of Dunlop Gator Grip picks just to try them out. And now they've become my new fav pick. A year ago I could never have considered using such a hard, traditional pick, so I guess over time you just get more comfortable with different styles.[br][br]I'm not sure if this is just the way these Gator picks are made or if I've just been playing a lot because I've actually worn the tip right down on a couple of them already. Which is just unheard of for me. I could never really understand why you'd ever need more than one pick provided you don't lose it! (Even though I have lots because I seem to just keep buying more and more).[br][br]Martin
To John of MT
I did try a multipack but it didn't appear to explain the relevant gauges only the differences in materials.
Are you able to explain how they show the differences in gauge.
I know they are various colours which relate to material but that seems to be it.
Dave
Nope.
That was part of the problem I had. All I had to go on was color. Even my use of the word "gauge" is an assumption, I'm don't know if Dava identifies picks by gauge.
Sorry 'bout that.
Although I have rediscovered Dava picks (thanks Walrus), my goto picks have long been Dunlop FLOW Standard Grip Nylon (0.73 or 0.88 for acoustic, 1.5 for electric) because they have a textured grip surface that really helps me maintain a firm stable grasp without needing to clutch picks in a desperate grip of death. Just my 2 cents.
[br]Nicolai
Interesting question Dave. I actually went to the Dava website after making that post and while they make a point of mentioning the different pick material, they don't speak much about gauges.
I'm actually familiar with the materials. The company I work for makes cable ties from these (and a few other) different material and they all have different physical properties. I'm not totally sure how that translates to guitar picks, but I do have my Dava favorites.
Sounds silly, but I really like the green one for my acoustic while I use the yellow for general work on my electric and the red for strictly lead work. I have notice that all of the picks respond differently to how much you "choke up" on them.
The main cause for my affection though, really is the fact that I seem to be able to hold on better to the pick as I'm playing
thanks RumbleWalrus
I too had a rummage around some posts, articles and reviews.
Dava seem to claim to be multigauge.
Select your material and it's then down to how you use the pick.
A bit unrealistic for beginners who struggle to just hold the thing.
Although as a beginner being able to hold securely is a great step
Maybe aimed at the intermediate to advanced who can use anything to strum the guitar and have the techniques to get different sounds from different pressures.
I never seem to get the same result with a pick from one day to the next.
Going down the rabbit hole of looking for the magic pick, magic gauge, magic grip
Some Day
Dave
Originally Posted by: ddiddlerAlthough as a beginner being able to hold securely is a great step
Maybe aimed at the intermediate to advanced who can use anything to strum the guitar and have the techniques to get different sounds from different pressures.
I never seem to get the same result with a pick from one day to the next.
I hear you Dave. There are days when I can't even hold the damned picks correctly. My floor is littered with picks that I've dropped but now can't find. Maybe my beagle is eating them. In any case, I think you're right in waiting on the Dava picks. They're strange little contraptions that require a lot of experimentation to use correctly. Best to just find something that you can hang onto while you explore the rabbit hole. Hope you find what you're looking for.
Nicolai
Just bought another handful from my local guitar shop. I hate to confess that the main criteria for buying this batch was to have different colors than the last batch I bought.
The actual composition of pick material may really matter, but I'm not sophisticated enough to to really tell.
I just know that I can hold onto the darn things. :)
